jhawk92

Check out his feedback too, especially the items he(?) bought from Goddesshopstyles. Some pretty hot numbers there for the significant other as she models the speakers???

Mandi- A few years ago I took my Academy down to a fellow forum member's place as a way to audition it with his set of Chorus IIs. He had a KLF-C7, and after hooking up the Academy, he was sold. Just a few months later, he located an Academy and sent the C7 packing. Chickey, feel free to add your thoughts here.

Chickey- Too funny! I saw those auctions today as well. I was almost tempted to ask if she would deliver them for an extra fee. You could get a pair of Fortes AND a pair of Quartets and have a great time. I think I like these two items better... http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3714679229&indexURL=2&photoDisplayType=2#ebayphotohosting and http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3714679229&indexURL=1&photoDisplayType=2#ebayphotohosting Frz- While BLO may be best for those speakers, I'd go for something else for the hand rubbing...something with a little less fumes.

Pop- Great story. My modest HT started out with a pair of Forte IIs, and it has been quite a path since then. As others have recommended, a center channel speaker and a sub would do wonders for your HT experience. For music, the Fortes more than hold their own, but can certainly benefit with some sub-help in the HT realm. You'll get lots of advice on subs, Klipsch, SVS, Paradigm, Hsu, etc. I really like my SVS as it blends well with both movies and music. For your center channel, don't go with the KV-4. It was made for the Epic line of Klipsch and is too bright in comparison to the Fortes. Depending on how much room you have, look for another Forte as a center. That will sound great. Or, if you have enough $$, find an Academy. But those are pretty rare and very expensive on eBay. For the money they've spent lately, $700-850 (an obscene amount for one speaker), you could get 1-2 pairs of Fortes and really round out the system. Or you could look for a KG 2.2V, which would sound pretty good. Or a KV-3, which is what I had as my first center. The KV-3 is pretty reasonable on eBay and pretty compact, as is the KG 2.2V. Best of luck in your yearning!

Dee- Yeah, a bass bin doesn't seem all that imposing without the HF cabinet on top. I used the foam pipe insulation for both the tailboard and sides of the HF cabinet as 3d mentioned. I think there was a small improvement overall, but as Edster mentioned, I know they have been snugged up properly, and that's the best part. I'll be interested if you get the HDBR-recommended material and see if there is a difference.

Dee- You pretty much hit the nail on the head with your post. I'll see what things are like over there and if things work out, I'll take the camera along. fini- Sounds like fun. I guess somewhere in the middle between CA and CO...guess that's somewhere in Utah! Stan- I'll try and get some more info on the drivers. Since they are pretty low power units, I guess we shouldn't crank them up too heavy? I'd hate for the paper to go up in smoke, but then I figure if that was going to happen, it probably already would have. Would you say we need to do anything special in terms of preventative maintenance on these? The '47-48 comment may be about right, as that would put Dad at 6-7 years old.

Guy- Thanks for your comments. They have been in the family for lotsa years. I was chatting with Dad today and he said they could very well have been made somewhere in the 40s, as he remembers the cabinets being in houses they lived in during that time. I don't know that you can crank these like you can Klipschorns, but they sound pretty good. We were just listening to a classical FM radio station, as we didn't have a CD player handy. I figure we'll try that soon. Stan- Welcome to the forum! Thanks for your inputs. Yes, the other cabinet is in equal condition. I'll have to tell Dad to flip them over! I guess it makes sense that the location it's in is the only place for it. Very interesting information about the history. I'm so far out of my league here it isn't even funny. I'm happy trying to understand my '68 Klipschorns (I was born in '69), and these are probably 20 years older, if not more. And a Rock Chalk Jayhawk to you! Obviously, I'm a later-model Jayhawk. Bob- Thanks for steering Stan our way. I can see him becoming a valuable resource for folks here on the forum. Gil- I can't confirm your hypothesis on why the tweeter was added, as I certainly wasn't even a glimmer in my Dad's eye at the time. And, unfortunately, my grandfather passed away about 4 years ago, so I can't talk to the source. As far as how things are wired, in the pic below, the white wire that runs from bottom-right to the crossover, is attached to binding posts on the speaker back. The crossover then has three sets of wires out, two to the woofer and one to the tweeter. Ed- Happy to make a contribution to the really vintage part of the forum. Dad's just happy to have them up and running since he grew up with them. Dee- Thanks. I never would have figured there would have been such an interest in these. I guess historical audio has its fans. My grandfather was pretty meticulous about caring for his gear, and seemed to go for high quality. Now I really wish I would have known about tubes 4 years ago when he passed, as I would have jumped on that Fisher 400. It was mint, as I recall, and in my "youth" thought it was quirky having to wait for the tubes to warm up. Had I only known. If folks need more/better pics for identification, or curiousity, let me know and I can take some more. It would give me a reason to see family and let my parents be grandparents for an afternoon. Obviously we won't be cranking these to shake the foundations, but are there any precautions we should take? It sounds like these are pretty rare, and while I don't think dad will want to sell, what would these be worth?

Yep, that would do fine. Thanks.

TC- Hmm, very interesting. I'd be interested in some more details on those Altec's. Would you pull some/all of the existing components out for new ones, or mix/match? So the L-pad is what is mounted on the side of the speaker? We could tell a difference as we rotated the dial, but not sure if all was working as it should.

JT- Ok, will have to keep an eye out for them. I wonder if the top would fit inside the riser on a Forte?

All- Thanks for the kind words. Yes they are a pair, but the other one does not have the label on the back, and the tweeter is mounted differently. It is mounted with two wood struts below the woofer, whereas the one pictured is mounted from the side. Both are in virtually the same, excellent condition. The full cabinet picture speaker does not have the Jensen cover, as you can see. The close-up woofer pic is from the second speaker. TB- Thanks for the link on Jensen gear. I'll be checking it out. I'll see if I can do your flashlight trick. I guess I should have thought about that when we were working on them. Krusty/Sheltie- Yeah, they sound pretty good, though not really in a prime location right now. My parents are cleaning out the basement so they are tucked in a small area right now. DrBill- Interesting that the tweeter and crossover are mods. It kinda makes sense on the tweeter, seeing the way they were mounted. I'll be intersted if I can see anything in the woofer area from the front. Forgive me, but what is an L-pad? fini/mark- Well, they could very well be early 50's if not in the 40s. Dad said he remembered his father bringing them home when he was little, and Dad was born in 1941. Yeah, those cabinets are pretty big, I think at least 3' tall so I wouldn't doubt I could fit a TV inside. IB/jt- Not sure what Dad's preference would be on these; leave alone for posterity or retrofit them with other components. I'll have to see what he thinks. But I figure he'll leave them "stock" for a while and see how they sound. Is there anything special we need to do with them in the meantime? Any easy tweaks? I'm sure you'll all shake your head on this next point. My grandfather was powering these with a Fisher 400 receiver that was in MINT shape. Unfortunately when he died a few years ago, another family member snarfed the 400. I guess something happened to it, maybe output tubes wore out, but they took it to a repair shop, and they guy said it wouldn't be worth fixing. They ended up leaving it there!!! I wonder if the guy didn't know anything about it and didn't want to try, or if he knew what was on the counter and was less than honest! At any rate, Dad is happy that they are up and operational since they have a great deal of sentimental value, if not any real monetary value. Thanks again for the comments and I'll be interested in any more info I, or you, can provide. Rob

Ok all you "vintage" folks, here is a question for you. I finally got a chance to check out a pair of Jensen speakers that were my grandfather's and are now residing with my parents. We hooked them up and they sound pretty good. Dad seems to remember the cabinets were custom-made, and while not sure of the year, thinks it was back in the mid/late 50's. Pic of one of the cabinets. It doesn't show up in this pic, but there is a knob on the right side that is attached to the crossover. I guess the knob is part of the "High Frequency Control" that is mentioned in one of the label pics. This is a pic of the back of one for identification. Here are a couple of pics of the label on the back. Sorry I didn't realize my digital camera would do a photo stitch on macro. So we cracked open the back and found a 15" woofer and what appears to be a horn tweeter, mounted on the bottom of the speaker! Here is a close-up of the tweeter. Remember, it is mounted below the woofer, and is horizontal. I rotated the pic so you could read the details better. I seem to remember Klipsch looked at using E-V drivers in early models. Here is a close-up of the woofer. Finally, one of the crossover. I rotated this pic as well for easier viewing. It is mounted at the top left of the cabinet as you are looking at the back. You can just make out the edge of the crossover in the open back pic above. Looks like these speakers are two-way, so that's a twist on things. I couldn't figure out a way to shoot the drivers from the front, so no pics there. I really can't imagine why the tweeters were mounted so low. Any ideas? Woofers were in good shape, so we hooked up an older receiver and things sound pretty good. Didn't get much time to critically listen, as we were pressed for time. So, are these worth hanging onto, for more than sentimental reasons, or is there some value in the components? Any thoughts/info would be appreciated. Thanks. Rob

Ok, Clu, I'll stay on the sidelines. BTW, I seem to remember the original was larger. If you still have it, send it along via email. BTW2, Carlin loves her blankets. I've been meaning to get a pic of her with them to send along. I'll try and do that this weekend.

georgie- Ah, guess it's probably a good thing I didn't stop that time, as it was in the middle of March and there hadn't been much rain over the previous several days. Also, it was a Sunday, so I'm sure things had been pretty well picked over. But I bet it would be a fun time to dig around for a while. Bob- Now that's something I'd be happy to find. I could certainly afford as much Klipsch Heritage as I wanted and still have enough diamond left over to make a nice anniversary gift!

Texas- You've got mail.

Bob- That's good advice. I'll certainly keep that in mind. I wonder how often the park service does their plowing? It would be neat to find one, and I had given serious thought about going when I was there, maybe finding a nice one to give as a gift to my wife who puts up with my audio habits. Then again, she's got a pretty nice one already. What sort of diamonds are found there, quality and size-wise?

Bob- I was thinking about adding that same attraction. I had a chance to stop there when I was in Hope for Mr. Paul's book signing. Actually, I didn't stop, as I was driving back to Little Rock to audition Tony Reed's Klipsch collection. That was a treat, but I wondered what the diamond mine was like. Maybe someday I'll check it out. This gathering sounds like a lot of fun.

I was searching on the forum as I seem to remember a recent post from someone that described a tribute that Miss Valerie had created for various audio magazines celebrating Mr. Paul's 100th birthday. I don't know how many magazine she sent it to, but as I was reading through my copy of the April/May issue of The Absolute Sound, there on page 103 was the tribute. Great stuff!

I'm pleased that my avatar was worthy enough to be part of this forum family. I remember the first time this surfaced and I got a great chuckle out of it. Speaking of the Vernal equinox, there is always something funny going on with the sun/moon/stars on those "big dates, " as my wife and I were married on the Summer Solstice, at the Colorado Ren Fest, velvet tights and all! JT- I have to agree with you, Heritage monopoles are the way to go. I never bought into the extra pole theory; my then-HT system of Forte II, KV-3, and KG 1.2 proved direct radiators are great in HTs. Now, things are just a bit better with the addition of the Chorus II mains and Academy (soon to be replaced by a horizontal Chorus II). I know you can step it up a notch with a fully-horn-loaded system, but I'm pleased as punch with the system I have and the room I have for it.

Mandi- You've got mail.

You've got mail.

tk- I've always like the Denon/Klipsch sound, so I'd try one out to see if you like it. I am running the AVR-4800 in my HT rig now and enjoy it with both Chorus IIs and Forte IIs. For a short time, I was using an outboard Denon SS amp to power my Klipschorns, and it sounded good. But then I picked up the Scott 299B, had Craig work on it, and that sounds even better. I haven't hooked it up to either the Chorus IIs or Forte IIs, but I want to do that at some point to see how they sound with tubes. I bet they'll sound great.

Here, here. I'm almost a tube noob, so I enjoy reading about other equipment that could make my sytems even better. I'm really excited about some of these home-built ideas; the Blueberry and other fruits from mdeenen, Craig's Scott refurbs and his VRD amps, etc. It's info like this that makes the forum a great place for knowledge. And like Dee said, Craig, don't hold out on us. If you have good Scott tweaks, your "kids" deserve to know about them!

jorjen- Congrats on the purchase. I'll be interested to see pics when you post them. I'm sure you'll love your 67's as much as I love my 68's. Welcome to the top of the world!

I'll agree with Parrot, I'm done with speakers, both in 2-ch and HT. Electronics...well, that's another story. Right now I love my Scott 299B, but I'm thinking about a Scott 130/NosValves VRD combo at some point down the road. And I might try one of the AH! NT4000 CD players. Not sure if I will ever want to do SACD on the 2-ch, but will get there in the HT someday. Now while I may be "done" with speakers, I'm up for minor tweaks to the Klipschorns. I want to get a pair of Bob C's Type A replacement x-overs, and I may swap out the metal K-400 horns for the composite K-401, but other than that, I'll keep these beauties in their stock form.