mifanning

Just listed some original Forte speakers, with upgraded tweeters and X-over by Bob Crites, in the garage forum. Pick up only in Greenville, S.C., near Atlanta and Charlotte.

Just listed some original Forte speakers, with upgraded tweeters and X-over by Bob Crites, in the garage forum. Pick up only in Greenville, S.C., near Atlanta and Charlotte.

Even if you are not a big DYI person (which I am most definitely NOT) you should consider replacing the X-over and possibly the diaphragm for the tweeters. I did both and the results were impressive and easily heard. There are two guys that I know who do the X-over -- Bob Crites and Chris Munson a.k.a. Popbumper, who answered an earlier post on this thread. With the X-over, you just pull out the passive radiator on the rear of the speaker to create a space to make your connections. Then you pull off the speaker connection cap, snip the wires on the old X-over, which is affixed to the rear of the cap (after making sure you know where the wires are connected), connect the new X-over and voila! As for the diaphragm, it is even simpler: you just remove some screws, pull out the old diaphragm and put in the new one. About a 10-minutes process max on each speaker. If you think your speakers sing now, you're in for a real treat.

veloceleste, I do have the Crites titanium tweete diaphrams, as well as his X-over... both really transformed the speakers, with the X-over probably having the greatest effect. As for the Olive music server, it is awesome. I have not as yet tried to record vinyl to the hard drive but I understand it is fairly easy. I record in FLAC mode to cut the CD file in half with no loss of quality. I just posted the following on the 2-channel forum, in response to a query by InnerTuber: InnerTuber, you might also consider a dedicated unit, such as an Olive music server, through which you can: Rip and tag your music collection to the built-in hard drive Use the built-in CD drive as a precise transport to feed an external dac (via coax or optical digital outputs) or feed directly into a power amp via a remote volume controlled RCA line output Burn a CD from the internal CD-RW drive Archive music from an external analog source (e.g. vinyl) to the internal hard drive Control the Olive music server via a network computer or wireless PDA (e.g. Nokia 770) Wirelessly stream Internet radio stations (or music from another computer in your home) Transfer music to/from an iPod, as well as playback files stored on an iPod Connect an external USB hard drive to playback and backup your music collection Plug your headphones into the built-in 1/4" headphone jack mounted on the front panel (with built in volume control) I had my Olive Musica modifed by Vinnie Rossi at Red Wine Audio, so it plays totally "off the grid" without the prospect of AC interference. Vinnie also adds a 75-ohm BNC digital output jack so you can hook up to an external DAC but I use the Olive's internal DAC, which sounds fine to me. Vinnie also upgraded the standard 180gb hard drive to a massive 750gb hard drive, so I don't believe I will be running out of hard drive space soon! If I do, I can always connect to an external hard drive via one of the USB connections. As does DrWho, I use FLAC compressiion. Sounds great to me. I use this source with an RWA Signature 30.2 integrated amp (also "off the grid") and my venerable Klipsch (original) Forte speaker, modified by Bob Crites with his X-over and titanium tweeters. I am a happy camper! If any of this is of interest, you can check out the following links: Olive music servers <www.olive.us> Red Wine Audio mods <www.redwineaudio.com/Olive.html> Hope this helps!

InnerTuber, you might also consider a dedicated unit, such as an Olive music server, through which you can: Rip and tag your music collection to the built-in hard drive Use the built-in CD drive as a precise transport to feed an external dac (via coax or optical digital outputs) or feed directly into a power amp via a remote volume controlled RCA line output Burn a CD from the internal CD-RW drive Archive music from an external analog source (e.g. vinyl) to the internal hard drive Control the Olive music server via a network computer or wireless PDA (e.g. Nokia 770) Wirelessly stream Internet radio stations (or music from another computer in your home) Transfer music to/from an iPod, as well as playback files stored on an iPod Connect an external USB hard drive to playback and backup your music collection Plug your headphones into the built-in 1/4" headphone jack mounted on the front panel (with built in volume control) I had my Olive Musica modifed by Vinnie Rossi at Red Wine Audio, so it plays totally "off the grid" without the prospect of AC interference. Vinnie also adds a 75-ohm BNC digital output jack so you can hook up to an external DAC but I use the Olive's internal DAC, which sounds fine to me. Vinnie also upgraded the standard 180gb hard drive to a massive 750gb hard drive, so I don't believe I will be running out of hard drive space soon! If I do, I can always connect to an external hard drive via one of the USB connections. As does DrWho, I use FLAC compressiion. Sounds great to me. I use this source with an RWA Signature 30.2 integrated amp (also "off the grid") and my venerable Klipsch (original) Forte speaker, modified by Bob Crites with his X-over and titanium tweeters. I am a happy camper! If any of this is of interest, you can check out the following links: Olive music servers <www.olive.us> Red Wine Audio mods <www.redwineaudio.com/Olive.html> Hope this helps!

Well, in the end, I sold the Lorelei speakers and kept my Forte speakers. The Forte speakers just sounded better on a wide variety of music. And their sensitivity won me over due to the gain issues with my music server. One thing (besides the superior bass from the Forte speakers) in particular struck me: the midrange on the Forte is just pure gold, especially with the Red Wine Audio Signature 30.2 battery-driven integrated amp. The Lorelei speakers seems a bit pinched on some voices, perhaps because the midrange and bass are handled by a single driver. Or, it could have been my set up and room. At any rate, I am a happy camper. Thanks for the thougths from everyone.

Hmmm... two votes for a second system. Well, the garage is a no go and the family room has the home theater set-up, so, regrettably, that is out of the question. Daddy Dee, your comment about PWK's design is right on. A little care and feeding for the Forte's via the modest upgrade route and voila. Sometimes you don't know how good you have it until you walk down a different path. Okay, I will keep you guys posted on my odyssey. Should I decide to sell the Forte speakers I'll see whether anyone here is interested before I go to Audiogon. all best for the holidays, Michael

I thought I would share a journey of discovery. I have a Red Wine Audio Signature (RWA) 30.2 battery-driven integrated amplifier (www.redwineaudio.com) that I absolutely love. My source is a RWA-modified (battery-operated with upgraded parts and 750gb hard drive) Olive Musica server. Unfortunately, the low output of the Olive Musica (1Vrms) compared to a conventional CD player (usually 2Vrms), means I need more amp to drive my speakers. I have a set of 1987 original Klipsch Forte three-way speakers (original owner) modified with Bob Crites X-over and titanium tweeters. My current set-up drives the heck out of the Forte speakers. And the Crites upgrades have just transformed my speakers. Really. But, over the years, I have head about the special imaging of two-way speakers and become enamoured of the thought of new speakers with newer drivers, newer X-overs, the whole nine yards. I am sure many of you have been though the same thought process. To cut to the chase, after much research, I recently purchased off Audiogon a set of used Odyssey Lorelei speakers (retail $2,700) based on user reviews and a terrific professional review http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/odyssey/lorelei.html and proceeded to unhook my Klipsch speakers and cart them upstairs to pack and sell. (I must admit to more than a pang of remorse, having owned the Klipsch speakers from the beginning.) The Lorelei speaker has gotten tremendous reviews from its owners (no doubt anyone who has made a purchase will ultimately love their purchase... but still, these are passionate people) and a respected audio critic thought they were a helluva speaker with world-class parts and a "humvee" of a X-over. (Anyone here know the size of the coils on the Bob Crites X-over? Must be big, I am thinking.) So what happend? I fired up the Lorelei speakers and, no doubt, I heard great music but not the presence I had with the Klipsch speakers. I tried a number of cuts. On some, I thought I heard a more focused image but that should be expected with a two-way speaker system. But I couldn't get out of my head that I didn't hear a signficant difference. Plus, the sensitivity of the Lorelei speakers is 89dB (32Hz-22KHz) at 6-ohms compared to the Klipsch at 98dB (original 32-20KHz but up to, I believe, 22KHz with the Crites tweeter) at 8-ohms, so I really have to crank my amp (remember, my source is not putting out as much as a CD player) to get it to play louder. Okay, now I carted the Klipsch speakers (they are heavy at 56 pounds but with the oak-mounted Crites X-overs feel much heavier) back down the stairs and put them beside the Lorelei speakers and proceded to do some comparisons. There's no doubt that I get more heft out of the Klipsch speakers. No doubt at all! On some cuts, however, the Lorelei sounds a wee bit better. But all in all, I prefer the Klipsch speakers. Now, my dilemma is that my wife has fallen in love with the look of the new speakers. And she is convinced the sound is somewhat better. Sure, the Loreleis are cherry and slim and look sweet. But, I can't get the Klipsch sound out of my head. Plus, from a room dynamics (16 feet by 19 feet with catherdral ceiling) point of view, the Klipsch speakers have a fuller sound. I will admit to some advantages to the Lorelei speakers but is it enough to sell the Forte speakers? I am not sure where this odyssey will lead. I may, in the end, keep the Lorelei's and sell the Forte's. Or, I may sell the Lorelei speakers. Over the holidays, when my wife is out shopping ('cause she really hates this indecision in me... says I need the hearing of a dog to appreciate the nuances) I plan to do some more A and B testing and asking some friends to help me out. Would love to hear thoughts, comments or commiserations! all best for the holidays, Michael