Bonzo

I got the Anthem this afternoon and have been listening to it for about four hours with various types of music. What it does well, it does very well! Jazz, acoustic guitar, quartets etc. For me, the jury is still out on rock with a lot of bass. I will admit I listen less and less to that kind of music. My Dad says I'm getting old? Maybe, but I still like to crank it a bit. One thing I really noticed was the highs were much more pleasant, not harsh at all. Unfortunately, there is no phono stage. I still have my old Denon table and boxes of albums. I just can't hook up a table with my current rack anyway so I guess it's for the best. When I played "Take 5" on SACD, I felt that everything was right with the world. Joe Morello's snare and cymbals were as they should be with thump and sustain respectively. I am going to give it a couple of weeks before I start exploring mods, tubes etc. I think I have lost my mind as I once said I would never fall into the "tube trap" again! It pains me to admit it, but, my Forte' II's never sounded so good so I may be hooked, again!

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1141538906 These look like they are right up Duke's alley! They are a bit spendy though! I really like older EV PA stuff, especially their horns.

Hey Marems, Did you happen to get the pair that was on A-gon in Northern California? If so, I will be bummed! He lives about hour away from me. He did tell me the ports were only 2.5" deep so I doubt if they are the same. I was just curious. Congrats on the score! I have always wanted to hear a pair of version 1's but never had the chance. Enjoy the music and Happy New Year! Mark

As mentioned, a very hard question! Some of my favorites; 1. Dave Brubeck- "Time Out" has been mentioned and is a must! If you have SACD capabilities, all the better! 2. Wes Montgomery- "Finest Hour" is sixty minutes of some of the best Jazz guitar work I have ever heard! 3. John Coltrane- "Blue Train", nuff said! 4. Miles Davis- "Kind of Blue" also mentioned before and again a must have! 5. Larry Carlton and Lee Ritenour- "Larry and Lee", more modern and upbeat Jazz. Two fantastic guitar players at their best! I think you would be happy with any of the suggestions by other members also. For some, Jazz is an aquired taste but once you are into it, there's no looking back! Happy New Year! Mark

I am in the process of completely changing my system. I know some , if not most of the edge on the Forte' II's is my Yamaha receiver. Before the crossovers, the sound was more muted and not revealing. After the K-stacks, more detail, better bass, crisp highs. It was at this time that I also changed the tweeter diaphragms to titaniums which brought the upper treble more into focus and some notes and vocals draw more attention to themselves than they should, IMHO. Hopefully the Anthem will be the ticket. Happy New Year to all!!!

Thanks Dee, as I said, I am really looking forward to the venture into tubes again but I hope my expectations aren't too high. I had nothing but problems with the Antique Sound Labs amp and it was in the shop more than it was in my stereo rack! After a couple hundred dollors and 2 fried Tung-sol 6550's, I was not happy and biased against tube amps for home stereo. I have always been a fan of tube amps for guitar. In fact, my avatar has my SUNN Model T tube amp sitting on my Fender Bassman cab. I haven't found a solid state guitar amp that can match a good tube amp! I will keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best.

Thanks Dee, I always forget to go to Audioreview, I will check it out. It is apparently a "push-pull" amp. What is the difference between that and say a single ended amp, triode etc.? I don't remeber what my old Antique Sound Labs amp was exactly but I think it was a triode?

I hope I won't regret this but I just bought an Anthem Integrated 1 tube amp. Having had bad experiences with tube amps in the past and bashing them on them on this site, I hope I will eat my words and love this amp! I have read that with a small investment in up-graded parts, this amp will rival many in the mega kilo-buck range. I hope so. I want to tame my modified Forte' II's a bit and am optomistic this will help. Does anyone have any experience with this amp and/or have any suggestions on mods? I just purchaed this on Audiogon and don't have it yet. The guy I bought from says it sounds great and he's replaced the stock tubes with Mullards and JJ's. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Hey dtel, I sent you a PM. I forgot to mention that changing to new diaphragms shouldn't hurt your old ones. As mentioned in my PM, you just have to be very careful and take your time when doing so. You may want to get some additional advice from other members like Michael or Bob. Cheers, Mark

I had Chris Munson, "popbumper", build a set of K-stack crossovers which took my Forte" II's to the next level! I also spiked the cabinets and added some weight which helped tighten things up. The last thing I did was to get titanium diaphragms from Bob Crites, BEC, which really livened up the top end. I am using a modest Yamaha RX-777 stereo receiver and I'm very, very pleased with the sound! All these frills cost money but were worth it to me as these are likely my last speakers for a long time. I am planning on getting a different integrated amp in the near future though. Hope this helps. Mark

Just want to follow up that the Forte' II's are improving every day. I am sure there is something to a "break-in" period with all electronics which seems to be true with the crossovers. They were just awesome at first, now they are SUPER AWESOME!!! The K-stacks are the sh*#! Thanks to Chris Munson, these are likely my last speakers for a long time!

http://www.craigslist.org/eby/ele/116689160.html Looks like a good deal!

I sold the amp to forum member "busterfree." Thanks Juan, hope you enjoy it![]

I finally got my dream speakers done! With Chris Munson's K-stacks and some titanium diaphragms for the tweeters from Bob Crites, I am extemely impressed with the sound of my Forte II's. Oh, I forgot to mention that I got them from Mark Deneen to begin with. 3 awesome Forum members have made me a very happy Klipschster!!! Thanks guys, time for a nice cab and some Wes Montgomery, or maybe a Bud and some Deep Purple? Decisions, decisions......

Well deserved kuddos for a great product and a class guy! Cheers

I have a like new NAD C 320BEE integrated amp for sale. I used it briefly in a second room, bet it doesn't have 20 hours on it. It is very musical and perfect for mid-size to smaller rooms. I have the box, manual and remote. I have a new receiver in my main listening room with second room capabilities so I no longer need it. $250 including shipping to the lower 48. You can send me a PM or e-mail me direct at; Lbones295@cs.com Thanks, Mark

Hey Michael and Wayne, thanks so much for the kind words! I do take pride in packing stuff I sell. I have had my share of horror stories on poor packing and damaged items. An old UPS guy I know told me to pack items expecting them to take a ten foot fall onto concrete! I have taken his advice. Well guys, enjoy that stuff and I am so happy they went to two great guys! Mark

I am looking for a K-25-K 12" woofer for a Forte' II. Will consider a pair but only need one. Will trade some nice K-23-K woofers out of a pair of original Forte's. Thanks, Mark

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1137992400 So, there I was, minding my own business, listening to my Forte II's, fat, dumb and happy! All of a sudden, there they were, a pair of Chorus II's in oak less than 500 miles away! I wish someone in Socal would go and buy these soon, PLEASE! I don't even have my K-stack crossovers yet for my Forte's and now I want get these. Why, I ask you, why??? Help a forum brother out and go get them before I do something stupid! Oh, Happy Thanksgiving! Mark

Does anyone know if the new Heritage speakers are going to be at CES? If so, that would give me the extra incentive to go. I went about three years ago and have a chance to go again. Really shouldn't spend the dough but???

What about all those JBL's in the background, pretty impressive collection!

I live about 4 hours north of San Joe but my in-laws live in Sunnyvale, right next door. If I can help, let me know. Mark

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1137792882 Hey Duke, do you know this guy? Looks like he's got a JBL "collection." Way too much for the L222's though. I have a pair and if he sells them for what he's asking, mine are for sale!

http://www.craigslist.org/sby/ele/110916998.html Sounds like a killer buy if you are into those big Altecs! I had a pair of Model 14's and they always sounded very forward, especially in the mids. Low end was nothing to write home about either. Never had Model 19's but I know they have a following. I think Duke has a pair?

I also have some 12" passive radiators and Forte' I grills with emblems I would part with cheap.