vandyman

After much consultation, I think the time is right to let these speakers go to market. My son has no interest in these speakers as they are somewhat large given the many options available to him today. As far as money goes, I think funds would be better spent on a brand-new Forte IV to obtain that great Klipsch sound. My original Forte I's sound great with the ALK crossovers, and I can only imagine that the latest Forte sounds much better. So, thanks Deang for the kind offer. Vandyman

I have owned some quartets for years, as well as my beloved Forte I's with ALK networks. My main stereo is Vandersteen 3 A Signatures running through a modified Acurus RL-11 preamp and Odyssey Khartago SE stereo amp or Acurus A 250, depending upon the mood. I love the Quartets on vocals, especially female voices, but something just happens to them while listening to orchestral pieces, or complex passages in simple movie scores. I am wondering if there is anyone with the skill set to rework the network. Or is it a simple cap issue that can be done to refresh the sound. I trusted Al Klappenberger with my Forte I's for network modifications and loved them. Al never worked with the Quartets, and now that he has retired from active network building, I don't have a trusted source for information. So, I turn to the community that should lend its expertise in this fun little hobby. Any and all advice would be appreciated. Thanks Vandyman

Shakey, Not to steer from the original post, but I would like your opinion on the differences between the Modified Forte 1 with ALK crossovers. I have a pair of Forte 1's with the ALK crossover, and would like to know the differences that you noted and in what setting was this comparison made. Any excuse to start saving for a Pair of Forte III's is fine by be, I love the lambs wool cover look, and that walnut veneer is amazing, totally retro 50's look. All comments welcomed on this subject, thanks in advance. Vandyman

Leftwinger57, I'm not sure what your actual question is, so I will assume you are asking for help with the sound of Vandersteen speakers. I have owned all three of the listed speakers at one time, and currently own a pair of 3A Signatures now. My least favorite speaker would be the 1's, don't get me wrong, they are very nice speakers in there own right, just that I had owned a pair of 2Ce's prior and I missed the added bass and glorious midrange sound stage. You can't go wrong with any of Richard's designs. I love my 3A's, and even my current model has now changed with the woven midrange versus the polycone. I currently have Forte's for my Home theater applications along with Quartets for rear's with the Vandersteen in a different room for stereo listening. I am very happy with that arrangement. They both offer so much as far as musical enjoyment, so I really don't quibble about the differences. If you can find a nice used 2Ce from Vandersteen, go for it. If you can find Forte's or Quartet's grab em if you can. Just depends upon price and what you are willing to put out with.By the way your dealer is making money on selling "new" speakers, so of course he will say that the new versions sound better than the older versions. Richard Vandersteen designs his speakers very well, and the differences are subtle within same model numbers. Will the old 1's he built 20 years ago sound like the brand new 1c, there will be some difference, but listen for yourself and see what you think, don't let some dealer put in your head what you hear.Think about the price of the older Klipsch models out there, Chorus II's, Forte I & II's, Quartet's, it is very hard to find a steal on those units because they sound so freakin good, and those speakers are 25 years old. I could spend hours on the phone with you on the specifics about either brand, but it really comes down to what you hear and will you be happy with them. Good luck with your hunting. Vandyman (Todd)

Need the input, Question for all who have traveled down this road. I am intending to make some modifications to some Forte's and Quartets for home theater purposes. I will be constructing to new boxes and would like to know the pro's and con's of both Baltic Birch, Apple Ply and MDF as far as affecting the sound quality. I have read tomes on the subject and I'm still looking for more guidance on the matter My Vandersteen 3A signatures are all MDF, but they are covered in cloth and very little veneer is visible on most of Richard Vandersteens creations. His ultra expensive offerings have exotic MDF/Fiber Carbon materials along with beautiful veneers and paint jobs, which he can do in his shop. I have a very basic shop to work in and would appreciate any and all advice. I do know that bracing will impact the flexing cabinet issue and intend to use bracing to help stiffen the boxes. Thanks in advance for all suggestions and help in this matter. Todd (Vandyman)

Help ! I'm looking to make the motor-board for the Forte I. At the current time I do not have the measurements for the actual drivers. I need the actual outside measurements and the depth of the set back for all four drivers. I have two sets of Forte I's, but they are in Chicago and I'm in Philadelphia working. I have use of an unbelievable work shop, so I want to make some physical modifications for a center channel Forte I. If anyone happens to know of a good apps for internal volume calculator that would be awesome as well.Thanks in advance for any and all help. Todd (Vandyman)

Tom I have owned the 2ce,1c, and I currently have a pair of 3A signatures that sound "pretty darn good". They tend to do most things right. I also have 2 pairs of Forte's and a pair of Quartets that I love dearly as does my wife. So enjoy them both I say, and let others squabble about the differences. But my take on the differences is that the Vandersteens being a 1st order design with the intention of preserving the wave form as recorded, paints a very real picture in my mind of the music, not the recording. Years back my wife and I seriously listened to the Vandersteen 3A signatures and the Klipsch Fortes on all kinds of music and movies. The intention was to pick one speaker for a dedicated home theater. Now I will say that I trust my wifes hearing far better than mine, I just can't hear much past about 14k Hz, but I have the advantage in musical background having played orchestral music for 8 years in school. So the battle took place on recording after recording, and at the end of this bloodless battle the victors were placed in their appropriate listening venues. My wifes favorite Walnut Oiled Fortes are now in the family room on either side of the 55 inch Samsung flat screen. My lovely 3A signatures in Birdseye Maple veneer are placed in the front room for my serious listening. We both agreed they are excellent speakers in their own right, and both do "so many things right". I would say that the founders of both companies had a passion for music and the faithful reproduction of it, they just found very different pathways to get to this elusive and magical place. I have had many conversations in person and by phone with Richard Vandersteen, and he does have a passion for his craft. He runs a small company in California and proudly makes his speakers in this country, and even at his asking price the speakers are a bargain. Enough has been said on Paul W Klipsch in this community, he needs no introduction. I marvel at both of these men and the passion they brought to making quality speakers. I choose to listen to both visions of the same dream. As I have said to many others on this topic, sit back and enjoy the music, life is just a short little dance, and so little time to take it all in. Vandyman (Todd)

Hi Gang, I need some advice on how to build a DIY music server, based on a PC. I have a few old PC"s laying around gathering dust, and would like to build a music server to run through a receiver and a pre-amp to my Vandersteens and my Klipsch Forte's. I'm starting from ground zero, so I need all the information I can get. Any and all help would be much appreciated. Plus my wife would really love to see all the CD's disappear, and I would love to quit messing with CD players and the whole deal of keeping the disc's clean from prying little fingers[6] ( children). Thanks in advance for all your help and suggestions. Todd (Vandyman)

Help ! I have temporarily relocated to the Philadelphia area, leaving Chicago and my two sets of Fortes,one pair of Quartets and beloved Vandersteen 3A signatures back home. I am looking to find something about the Quartet size or smaller for basic stereo . I listen to everything, except organ music. Any suggestions at this point would be much appreciated. Thanks all ! Todd Vandyman

Yes, my intentions are to build a center channel for my other Fortes. I also intend to reconfigure a pair of Quartets for corner duty as rear speakers, so the specs on the K-61 were needed as well. Thanks for all the help and information. Sincerely Vandyman

Thanks for the input, that will help me when placing the crossover on the back of the speaker. Vandyman

Hi, Hopefully someone out there in the Klipsch Forum knows the overall length of the K-53 midrange driver in the original Forte model. I would like to design a speaker cabinet on paper before having to tear apart one of my spare Fortes. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks ! Vandyman

Just to let you know the x-overs on EBAY look like Chris Munson versions. He has made both Forte and Forte II versions. I have had correspondence with him in the last few weeks and he is still making x-overs. You should ask him if they will work. I think there would be an issue with the unit itself, being designed for the Forte II, and trying to use a Forte model. The drivers are different in the midrange, where we hear most of the musical content, and I really think that would alter the sound having a non spected x-over in place. Contact Chris if you can and ask him. Better yet just buy some new ones from him or Bob Crites, you'll love the improvement that they make in the sound, and they should make your Fortes last another 20 year. Vandyman

Gil I would love to see this information on the speaker drivers. I am going to make a center channel using a Forte for the model. I had intended to put both the passive and active drivers on the front of the speaker. I had thought that by placing the drivers on the same surface the drivers would be out of phase at some frequency. How this would affect the sound, I don't know. I should look into this before I start my projects, and come up with some designs that will work sonically. I will send you a pm about this. Thanks, Vandyman

Roy, I am very interested in the KD-13 drone from Klipsch, if they are again making it. What is the availability and cost of the unit. I have some Fortes with some rough KD-13's in the back, that need some help. Thanks for the news. Vandyman

Does anyone know the actual differences between the KD-13 passive radiator and the KD-12 passive radiator. I am looking for any parameters on the two units. Specifically the Fs,Qms,Vas,Cms,Mms,Rms Sd,and the Xmax for each driver. I know this is a very detailed and particular question, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. If you are wondering why I'm looking for this, I would like to swap out the KD-13's (really trashed) on some Fortes and put in the KD-12's. I would like to see how much difference there is before buying the KD-12's, and see if it will really affect the sound of the speaker. Thanks for any and all comments and help. Sincerely, Vandyman

Dear Roc, I purchased the Fortes used in Iowa. They came with the dents in the passive radiators,from a really nice guy who had children. I'm sure they were the source of the dents. They appeared to be a normal kids with normal parents, accidents happen, and life goes on. As I grow older, and hopefully wiser, I find that the most important things in life are the loved ones that surround us. I would trade my 4 Fortes,Vandersteen 3A signatures, and all my beloved childhood comic books, to spend one day with my departed grandfather. I love music and movies, and enjoying them with my kids is something that I cherish. The speakers are a means for me to bring that magical moment together, but without the kids and my loving wife, I'd be sitting all alone in a room. So if the kids get curious as to how one of dads toys works, and damages something, big deal. I can always fix it ( I hope), but if I keep them away from my pride and joy, they may never want to know why they sound better than most other speakers. They may grow up thinking that the IPOD and MP3 player are the only ways to listen to music. That is a scary thought ! I think most members here feel the same way, I'm sure you do to. How many innovators in this industry tore up speakers and amps to figure out how they worked. Some how I think Paul W Klipsch would have loved to see kids crawling all over one of his Klipschorns, looking at the next generation of Klipsch lovers. I'm getting off the soap box now. Thanks again to all the members for their insightful comments and the good feedback. That's what makes this a great forum, the members here. Sincerely, Vandyman

Hopefully someone out there may have some advice on this. I just picked up a pair of Fortes and the surrounds on the passive radiators have a few small cracks in them. Not very large and really to small to see unless you look very close. The cracks are in the rubber surround material that is fixed to the driver basket. I think this is the area where the surround is glued to the frame of the driver. It appears only on the outer edges and not on the actual portion of the surround that moves with the cone. My question to all, is there a product out there that I can apply to the rubber to stop the degradation of the material. Like a rubber conditioner or something of that nature. The front driver surrounds are in fantastic shape, I suspect that the rear drivers were subjected to much more heat or direct sunlight. Thanks for any,and all advice. Vandyman

My wife is a perfectionist, and after 17 years of marriage, I think that I have picked up some of her habits. She would probably agree with you on this one too, but I can always put the dust cover on later if I choose to. By the way thanks to Harry and Bob for the help. Vandyman

They are rather large,closer to the half dollar size. Vandyman

Bob You have a pm Vandyman

I would like to know of anyone that could repair the passive radiators on a pair of Fortes. The dust cover is pushed in on both, and I would like them replaced or repaired. I don't think the part is available from Klipsch anymore, but does anyone know of a reliable service or member who has the ability to do this ? I'm located in the greater Chicago area. Thanks for helping out. Vandyman

JR, I don't know if this will help, but I'll put my two cents in. I started with a pair of original Fortes back in the late 80's, they were fantastic. I kept them for years, and as my tastes in music changed, so did my ear. I started to become very critical of the way my speakers were imaging, midrange reproduction, the sound of a female voice, you name it, I just wanted to hear it all. I had been in symphonic band for years in grade school and in H.S, and I knew what real music sounded like, and I was never fooled by most speakers. Jump up to the 90's, and I purchased a pair of Vandersteen 2ce's. They really opened my eyes to how well recorded music should sound, like..... real music. Well the madness started, I just had to find the perfect speaker from that moment on, if a used pair of 2ce's could sound that great, then there had to be something even better. I tried Spica, Magnepans, Monitor Audio, Spendors, B&W, and countless others in search of the perfect sound. I ended back where I started, a pair of Vandersteens ( 3A Signatures). They just are great sounding speakers, and they use a first order crossover and a time aligned minimal baffle to help keep reflections to a minimum, just like the Thiels. Would I say the Thiels and Vandersteen sound the same, no, but they share similiar design features, and have similiar sound qualities. When I have listened to Thiel speakers, they were driven by Mac equipment, and they sounded pretty good to me. When the time came to put the HT speakers in the family room, I got all the Vandersteen product and started to set it up. The wife and I started to listen to movies and music, and wouldn't you know it, my trusted Vandersteens didn't sound as good on alot of the movies and music that we listened to. I was lucky to find a pair of Fortes in walnut some years back and for chuckles we A/B'd the 3A's vs the Fortes. And what do you know, for the majority of the families listening needs, the Fortes just sounded better. I was shocked, I didn't want to think that my trusted 3A's couldn't cut it against an 18 year old Klipsch speaker, but they didn't for the most part. Both I and the wife sat for hours listening to music and movies on both systems, and it came down to the Klipsch Fortes. Now having said that, the wife will admit that on certain well recorded selections of music, the Vandersteens are life-like, uncanny in their ability to make you forget there are speakers in the room. The only problem is that the Vandersteens are ruthless when it comes to how music is recorded. Crap in, and you get crap out, and most recordings of pop music are recorded very poorly today. Now my story has a happy ending, my loving wife let me keep both sets of speakers. We have our fantastic Fortes in the family room set up for a soon to be all Heritage Klipsch HT. The Vandersteens are up front in a the adult sitting room, where for critical listening I can just escape the maddness that surrounds us, and enjoy very well recorded music. The main point for you to consider, how critical of the music are you. The Mac and Thiel combo will sound fantastic, but I think on very poorly recorded music, just like the Vandersteens, you may be disappointed. Where as on the Klipsch speakers, most everything sounds great or at least good. The Thiels will be very fussy when it comes to set up in your room because of the time and phase alignment issue also, the Klipsch are easier to place in the room. So as many of the other forum members have said, its all about compromise, what is really important to you ? Do want to chase something that you can't have (perfect sound), or just sit back and enjoy the music and have fun. I love my Fortes, and say, go with the fun speakers, life is way to short to to get caught up in the chase for perfect sound. About your specific speakers the CF-3s, I have never listened to them. I have listened to most of the Heritage series, and would reccomend that you give them a listen as well. I hear that the Cornwall III is quite the speaker, or even some used Fortes. I know there is a member here who has a Mac set up with 5 Forte II's, I'm sure he could tell you more about that specific match, Mac and Heritage. There are plenty of members that can help you with the specifics of the CF-3 vs RF-83, they may chime in later. Hope I have given you some insight into your quest for musical happiness. Best Regards Todd (Vandyman)

Michael, Thanks for the offer, I really was interested in the Acedemy. The otherFortes were just the frosting. What I really need is a single Forte I for a center channel speaker. I'll just keep looking for the right opportunity. This is a good brotherhood, when members like you are generous to offer other members the chance to get a hold of some fantastic heritage classics like the Fortes. Again, thanks for the offer. Todd (Vandyman)

Joe, Thanks for the tip. I have looked at them also. I think the shipping would be too much. I had a sweet deal for 4 Fortes in oak for $600, but the shipping from the west coast was more than the speakers almost. I do need the Acedemy center, I'll see where it ends up at at the closing on Sunday. I know it will run up even further from the $ 230 range as of this evening. I live in the Chicago area, and I would drive to pick up the speakers. Good luck ! Todd (Vandyman)