vondy

Did you happen to take pics or do a walk-through on replacing them? I have at least one light still out.

I think I paid the guy $150 -$100 for the refurbish. It was a spare time gig for him and it took several months. I'm sure it would be much more if you sent it out to a full time pro. I'll deoxit again, have done so several times over the last several years. Yeah I always leave the volume down when turning on. There's all sorts of noise at startup, especially with the volume nob. It goes away shortly after. Now it's just the slight hiss and buzz from the Aux input. None of the controls seem to effect the buzz, other than clicking off Speaker A, all noise goes away. The High Cut Filter also cuts the hiss down if I push it.

I will check all that out. Thanks.

[quote post="2109291" timestamp="1485657555" name="dwilawyer" userid=" A Yeti cooler, not so much (different story). I have a Yeti. One of the best damn things I've ever owned. Now it was a Christmas gift and my wife had a 20% off coupon for it so that justified the purchase for how we use it. They are definitely a redneck status symbol but they are worth every penny if you use them. I'd pay more for a quality product built in Hope. But there is a limit and it really depends on how good it is. You'd have a hard time convincing people here to pay the same or more than a Forte III. It would really have to shine. A Forte is a lifetime product as well, the 15 has amps to go out so that might turn off some of us more hardcore guys. I do love the design. My wife even said she thought they looked great, even better with the grills off! I was shocked cus she usually could care less but she does love vintage furniture, etc., and you got the looks right.

Nah. I held the cables apart, moved them around, tried to make sure they were not close to any other cables, etc. This sound is pretty faint, you have have your ear right in front of the speaker. If I unplug the cables, there is a slight hiss which I just attribute to the vintage amp not being dead quite. With the cables plugged in, the hiss becomes more of a crackle. You can't hear it form the MLP but I don't know if it's "messing" with the sound in any other way. I PM'd you, let me know if you didn't get it.

Yes, a forum member refurbished it for me a few years ago. Both channels doing it. I'll happily take you up on your offer if you have no need for them. Will PM.

So I've noticed some noise coming from my Fortes with the with no music playing. Volume doesn't make a difference. If I unplug the RCA cables from the AUX it goes away. Both speakers, doesn't matter what input the knob is turned too. Doesn't matter if the cables are plugged into anything else either. I've tried different cables, the best being Monoprice's "premium" version. Those are like $3 cables. All make noise. Now I'm not a cable guy but I know quality RCA cables in car audio make a difference with noise. Should I spend a bit extra on these? Any recommendations?

I didn't realize how big the 15's were till I saw them next to the Forte III in these pics. They are like Cornwall size. That horn is huge. Really interested in hearing what people say about their sound compared to the Forte III.

Would love to compare the Forte IIIs to my Forte IIs. Would love to know the specs as well. Good work guys!

100 watts RMS? The meters on my carver TFM-15 rarely ever go above 1 watt at 75-85 dbs. Can't imagine listening at 100 watts for an extended period of time. I would also say check polarity if you haven't yet.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I believe the Fortes mechanically as good as they get. I've checked inside and out several times. Bought these from a forum member and they were well taken care of. The harshness is not some big glaring problem like a bad driver, etc. It's more of a fatigue issue I guess you would say. Kind of like hearing someone in the next room with a really annoying voice yapping away for an hour. After speaking more with Chris, I believe a lot has to do with the recordings. So I'm even going to have to do some EQ work or find speakers that are just less revealing of less than perfect recordings. The analogy that comes to mind is that Klipsch's high end speakers are like Ferraris. Given the perfect track and conditions, they are a dream to drive. Put them on a regular everyday road with traffic and potholes, you are going to be wishing for something else. Problem is, our homes and recordings are regular everyday roads, tough to drive the Klipsch down. Full disclosure, I've never driven a Ferrari or have owned a pair of the bigger Klipsch. klipschfancf4, thanks for that very helpful post. I would agree that sometimes people just prefer a different sound or do not have the ability to get their speakers where they want them. I also agree that Klipsch are great and I love the brand. But I don't think there is anything wrong with exploring alternatives. I'll look into your suggestions. Still looking more into the EQ deal at this point.

Using Emotiva Stealth DC-1 for a DAC. I've experimented with all sorts of sources including vinyl. This is what I'm afraid of at this point. It may very well be that I need a less revealing speaker. I'm working with Chris on some EQ knowledge so let's see where that leads me.

I'll look into EQ, my knowledge is pretty limited at this point. Two vintage amps have been my HK 430 and my current Carver TFM-15. The carver is the warmest so far.

New tweeters and crossovers were done in response to the harshness. Didn't notice much of a change in harshness but highs seemed more detailed. I'm pretty sure the harshness is coming from the midrange. I feel like I've exhausted myself over the years trying to tame it. I'm at the point where it's just to much work and I don't think a speaker should take that much involvement. Maybe with a tube setup it will calm down but I can't be throwing that kind of money into them hoping it will work. I think there is some merit to the phrase everyone hates here, that "horns are ____." I believe that they can be the best sounding speakers but it takes so much work to get them right, and in my case, I don't think there is much else I can do short of buying a new house with an extra room for them. There has to be a reason 99% of speakers don't have horns. I'm guessing it's room issues. I know everyone here loves horns so I'm not trying to dis on them. Most of you guys take this as a very serious hobby so I fully understand where you're coming from. While I see this as sort of a hobby of mine, I'd rather spend more time listening and less figuring things out. Just don't have the funds or time at this point in my life. All that being said, I'm not going out to buy anything new soon so I haven't jumped ship just yet.

Chris I'm over in East Dallas, around White Rock Lake and the Arboretum.

This is not a large room and it's pretty filled with furniture and a rug. I've gotten lasers out and changed positioning etc. It helps some if you are sitting right in the MLP. My goal is to not have to always be in that MLP. Here's what i'm after. I want the whole room to sound good and the MLP to sound the best. Right now the whole room sounds harsh and the MLP sounds the best, but still harsh. Make sense? I don't want to run people out of the room if they are not sitting in my lap. They may not be getting the full effect but I want them to say, "hey, those speakers sound great," not "turn that down, it's hurting my ears" at moderate listening levels. I would not sale my Fortes before I was sure a new set of speakers would work for me BTW. I understand your concern about me not being happy with a new pair. My pre-Klipsch speakers were these big JBLs from the early 90's I had since high school. I never recall any music having that harsh sound in any room, and they lived in several houses including this one. They were DR. Thanks for your suggestions derrickdj

I've had a revelation of somewhat recently. I don't make the time to sit down and listen to my music as much as I want to. Why? Because most of the time, instead of listening to my music, I'm listening to my speakers. In my case, I spend all my time trying to figure out why these fantastic Forte II's have such a "grating" sound. Why is the mighty Forte II harsh and fatiguing? I've upgraded to Bob's tweeters and crossovers, tried 5 different amps, multiple sources, good recordings and bad, etc. Hell I've spent more time moving the speakers around the room than I have listening to them. Even built some really nice risers to get the mids up to ear level. What I've come to realize is, it's just not really worth it. What's the point if you don't want to listen to them? I'm not going to cover my walls with foam or buy a new house with a more ideal room just for my speakers. I'm not going to throw out all my music and convert to only listening to Jazz pre 1980's music. The Forte II's sound best listening to something acoustic with a single instrument at moderate volumes as long as you are in the narrow sweet spot. Once you turn them up or get multiple instruments going, they go to hell. So, I need to switch so I enjoy listing to my music again. Looking for any recommendations. My goal would be to get as close to the artist being there without it being harsh. I need a more forgiving speaker, forgiving of the space and less than perfect recordings. I'd trade some detail for smoothness. I do want punch and that live sound though. I also want a quality product, yet I can't spend much more than I have on my used pristine Forte II's so used is fine. I'm not apposed to other horns if there are some that are more mellow, newer RP series any better? I have a feeling it will be back to direct radiators though. I know I can't have it all but there's got to be speakers out there that make me want to listen to them and I know you fine people can help out. Thanks!

So have you installed the heritage cloth on your grills yet? Is like to see how that turns out.

I hated the old connector, it only went in one way and had to click in. The lighting is so much better, and faster. I also don't see a problem with them getting rid of the 3.5mm jack since they are supplying an adapter. You have the option of better audio transfer through the lighting port or a free adapter to use your existing headphones. There are plenty of things apple does that pisses me off but I think this one has been blown out of proportion. Now why have they not introduced wireless charging is the real question, if "wireless is the future" according to Tim Cook.

Yes

Will get you one tomorrow when I get to work.

SOLD I have an Emotiva Mini-X for sale. Less than a year old, bought new from Emotiva. Not a lot of hours on it, just some 2ch weekend listening here-and-there. Asking $150 + shipping. Local pickup in Dallas or I can ship UPS from work in the original boxes.

PM sent

Below is a side-by-side comparison of the two rooms. In the bedroom, all doors and blinds were closed. Ceilings are 8 ft. in both. The kitchen area connected to the living area is larger than the bedroom FYI. Would a cornscalla be a better fit to energize the area? I'll probably go with a sliding barn door to close the living room off when listening, that also helps keep the sound down at night when everyone else is asleep.

Floors are hardwood, rug in from of the speakers, lots of furniture and shades over windows. We are pretty much stuck with this layout. Like I said, next project will be a sliding barn door to close the room off. If that doesn't help, might have to think about getting some speakers that are easier with this room. I don't know if that means I need something bigger like a cornscala, or do I need something more mainstream like from the reference series, or even another brand that is less sensitive to room placement.