AudioFrog

Jerohm, Aural exciters only process upper frequencies and, under a scope, produce true distortions of the original signal to draw out detail. The BBE does not alter the amplitude of the original signal. It splits the signal at two given crossover points and resplices them to shift phase and adds very slight delay for lower frequencies. The original signal is the same otherwise. The BBE plug-in is a software solution that typically does not yield nearly the same result as a hardware-based one like the 482i or 882i. These are 4th generation BBE's by the way. Zzounds (where I got mine) has a 30 day return policy for anyone who cares to try one out. Your loss if you don't.

Duke, Actually it introduces a slight phase shift for mids and highs and a slight delay for bass frequencies so that the speaker's driver can better handle that particular frequency's modulation without distorting (breakup of the driver's diaphragm or cone) If that is called distortion then it sure sounds good. BTW: Your listening room is the single biggest distortion producting element of your audio chain.

I have a pair of Forte II's with the Munson crossovers and I am very happy with the sound... or so I thought! Recently I was experimenting with various receivers and amps with the Forte's when I thought I would try a nice new Crown XTi2000 DSP pro amp. When I was researching the amp I stumbled upon folks raving about the latest generation BBE Sonic Maximizer so I bought the BBE 882i to go along with the Crown. To make a long story short, the Crown turns out to be simply amazing (on it's own). Bass extension! Clean highs! Cleanly articulated midrange. But wait! It gets better! In goes the BBE unit and magically all that 'wood cabinet' congestion is completely gone, replaced by a completely transparent, very deep soundstage. I kid you not, the BBE completely cleans up the sound WITHOUT any detrimental effect on the original source. It has no signiture. The end result leaves the Forte's as simply the best I've heard, period. End of story. The BBE is very well built and uses 1% mil-spec resistors in the signal path. I have the complete balanced version feeding the Crown but you can get XLR to RCA cables for non-balanced setups. It's a 19" rack job but it's attractive. Disregard anything you might think about signal processors and try one out. You'll thank me, guaranteed! http://www.bbesound.com/products/maxim/882i.asp

Not mine but I saw this out there. Some other Klipsch stuff out there today too. http://raleigh.craigslist.org/ele/186183404.html

http://cgi.ebay.com/Order-Custom-Forte-6inch-Risers-Forte-Klipsch-speakers_W0QQitemZ320001319131QQihZ011QQcategoryZ61378QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem When my Forte II'a were damaged by UPS, I went looking for replacement risers for them. I found a guy on Ebay that was selling replacement Cornwall risers and contacted him about building custom replacement risers for the Fortes. Not only did he build them but we made them 2" higher than the origianal riser with a 1/2" tilt. To say these risers are awesome is an understatment. The original risers are truly pure junk in both construction and materials (cheap glue, wood staples and brittle plastic mounts). Michael was able to match the color (Oiled Oak) perfectly and the Forte's sound much better with the additional elevation, eliminating that slight one-note midbass boominess. The Forte pictured in the auction is my mine! I just wanted to pass the word about these to help someone who has helped me reconstruct these fine speakers.

Sorry guys. The image upload thing on this site isn't working. I'll try again later. Ed

I posted earlier that my Forte II's were damaged by UPS. Here are some pictures. I am still wondering if the chunk of wood out of one of the corners can be repaired to look original without reveneering the whole speaker. The risers are crushed and I'm looking for someone who can make a replacement pair to match the Oiled Oak finish. Thanks, Ed

Interesting. Thanks for that input. More than likely I will have to resort to having someone custom make the risers for me. I wish Klipsch had some old inventory laying around but they don't. Ed

The finish on the Forte's is OO (Oiled Oak). Thanks, Ed

Great info! Thanks! Do you know if it is an expensive undertaking getting them both reveneered? I have no idea what the costs generally would be and I am unable to do it myself. I don't even own a router. Ed

Thanks. I will look for the code on the label when I go home for lunch (if I get a lunch today []) Ed

During shipment, UPS took a couple of chunks of wood out of the rear edge of one of the Forte II's cabinets. I am looking to get someone to repair this but they may have questions about the wood used in these cabinets. I am not knowledgable about woodworking or what is possible for repairing wood. Are the Forte II cabinets made out of solid oak? If not, what are they made out of? Is it possible to 'fill in' the missing chuck with wood putty or some other stuff and refinish the area so that it looks nearly new? Thanks, Ed

Thanks to UPS, I am now trying to reconstruct my Forte II's. Both risers were crushed by them during shipment. I know they don't really add anything to the sound of the Forte's but I am trying to get them back to original condition. Please contact me if you want to sell your risers. I believe my Forte II's are oak but I'll check to be sure. Thanks, Ed

I am worried they will only cover the insurance for the 1 Forte leaving me with one good (but useless) Forte. UPS is already starting to weasel about the packing thickness so it looks like a battle brewing....

courtesy of UPS. I was all excited about receiving my Forte II's and when I came home for lunch, there they sat on my porch. Oh boy! The excitment was shortlived soon after I unboxed the first one. I nice big chunk of wood taken out of the side! I sat in disbelief. This couldn't be! This thing was packaged very nice. Proceeding with unpacking I discover that UPS apparently dropped the speaker vertically and completely smashed the wooden base (enough to splinter it all over the place). I didn't even bother unpacking the other Forte. Another piece of Klipsch history ruined and out of circulation. Luckily they are insured. In this situation, since the speakers are in 2 different boxes and a single replacement Forte cannot be purchased, do you think UPS will reimburse the total insurance for the pair or just the one speaker? I do not know if the other speaker is damaged or not at this point. Ed []