Forte4Life

LoveroKlipsch- I appreciate your reply, and I must say my technical experience comes from visually seeing what a 6x9 car speaker looks like mechanically, coupled with what I have learned from this site. Therefore, your reply is a bit above me, I must admit. I think I understand that the free air resonance measurement means just that- outside of a cabinet, thus no influence. This would be a reference point to compare different qualities of speakers, head-to-head. So if I understand, you have tried all 3: the K-24, -28, -31? And the K-31 is the best option for the Forte cabinet? (Closest to original, K-23 sound?) And the K-31 has only 4 mounting screws, right? Will I need different screws/hardware to mount rather than wood screws as are 'stock' in the Forte? Seems I read on here that the K-31 uses different hardware. It makes sense what you say, that the sound qualities of an individual speaker are cabinet dependent. I didn't think about that when looking at the spec sheet. Thanks for enlightening me. -Mark

soundbound, Thanks for painting a picture for me on what to expect. I'm afraid it might be the voicecoil, as it sounds like a small spring bouncing around inside. But since it'll have to most likely be rebuilt, I'll remove the dustcap anyway, just to see into the heart of the beast. If I don't go the rebuild route, I'll be looking at replacing it...but Klipsch doesn't make the K-23 any longer, so I'm also looking into options to replace it with a comparable Klipsch woofer. I've learned from this forum that the woofer is matched to the cabinet, so I need something with similar charcterstics to the original. Boy, I sure wish they still made the K-23...it would be so much simpler! Thanks for your help, Mark

Wow.

November 2002 found me driving thru Hope. I stopped at a hotel, borrowed the phonebook and called to ask about a tour (I didn't know they had moved to Indy). Was politely told that no tours were available. My time was short, so I didn't press it. If you find out the latest, please post. I certainly 'Hope" you have better luck than I.

djk, That's a great idea that I somewhat entertained initially, but sort of shied away from. But you're right...nothing to lose. And that sounds wise- to leave a small ridge to reattach another dustcap. Question tho- since it is only a dustcap, is it even really necessary? I read on the forum that the dustcap has no sonic effect on the output of the speaker, so I'm thinking of leaving it off. Thoughts? When I removed the woofer from the cabinet, I did the "shake test" and can hear something rattling around inside the dustcap. It actually sounds like a wire bouncing around in there. Could it be the voice coil has come apart? If it is a simple glue repair, what type of glue do you recommend? The procedure is to glue the tinsel to the cone, correct? Also, is there anything under the dustcap to solder? Thanks, Mark

loveroklipsch, Thanks for your insight...do I understand correctly that you put the K-31 into the Forte cabinet? I haven't had the time to check the specs on the K-31 yet, or to talk to the Klipsch guys. But when I saw the spec sheet that one of the forum members put out recently and it showed the freq response for the K-24, I was surprised like you that Klipsch recommended it. Since then, I've tried to get as much info as possible before making a decision. My big concern in that I don't want to lose the awesome bass of the Forte. Does the K-31 reach as low as the K-23 (32 Hz?) Or close to it, anyway? You are correct about finding the source of the problem. That *may* be another issue, since my amp has been acting up. It's a Denon POA-2400, old school, made in Japan. I know, that's where I got it way back in 1988. Anyhow, I can listen to it all day at low volume (9 o'clock position). If I turn it up to 1/2 throttle (12 o'clock) or more, it will play ok at that volume for a few minutes( ~10), then fade to barely audible. If I return the volume to 9 o'clock, it will gradually increase from barely audible to normal 9 o'clock level. I have absolutely no idea what is going on. It is definitely not overheating...I've run this baby a lot harder for a lot longer without problems. I also have a cooling fan in the cabinet, cooling only the amp. And there is plenty of free space around it. But I haven't yet found a good amp shop in my area (New Mexico). In the meantime, I have a smaller Denon amp that I am using, and can troubleshoot with. Thanks again for your help, and I'm curious to hear about your experience with the K-31 in the Forte. BTW, it's the K-31 that only has 4 mounting screws instead of 8, is that correct? Mark

Groomlakearea51- How is the low freq response with the K-24's? Did you lose any of those lovely lows that Forte's are so good at reproducing? I read on the forum that the K-24's didn't go as low as the K-23's. Thanks, Mark

Thanks Video Guy. I'm considering having the bad one reconed, since I really want to maintain that original sound. I'm concerned that the K-24 may alter the sound I love so much! Mark

This is an edited repost- sorry. I replied in the wrong place originally. Issue- a bad K-23-K woofer from a Forte I. Klipsch has a K-24-K that will fit in the cabinet. Problem- the K-24 freq resonse only goes down to 63 Hz, whereas the original K-23 goes down to 32 Hz. The K-25 is no longer available either (32 Hz). One of the real beauties of the Forte is it's low freqs...no sub required. Does anyone know how much of that rumbling I will lose from Pink Floyd's "Welcome to the Machine" if I put in a K-24? And will I need to replace both woofers? Or should I think about reconing? And if I recone, will that basically give me back the qualities of my original speaker? Thanks, Mark

Well, after more reading on this forum, it looks like the K-25 is no longer available either. One of the real beauties of the Forte is it's low freqs...no sub required. Does anyone know how much of that rumbling I will lose from Pink Floyd's "Welcome to the Machine" if I put in a K-24? And will I need to replace both woofers? Or should I think about reconing? And if I recone, will that basically give me back the qualities of my original speaker? Thanks, Mark

Great info- Thanks for sharing. Question- I have a bad K-23 (32 Hz) woofer on a Forte I. Klipsch tech folks said a K-24 would work without any mods. However, after looking at your chart, I see the freq resp isn't as low for the K-24 (63 Hz). Would a K-25 (32 Hz) from a Forte II work? The freq response is closer to that of the original K-23, from your chart. Thanks, Mark

Thanks for the confirmation on the swap. That alleviates my aprehension. And to be clear, I would not need to change any of the *electrical bits* on the back of the terminal cup...crossover, capacitor, resistor, and whatever else may be there, right? Just swap woofer-for-woofer, and I'm good to go? As for replacing both, the Klipsch tech guy actually discouraged me from doing so (I asked if I should), saying to give it a listen first after about a week or so 'break-in' period, and then if I decided there was a difference, to order another. So I think I'll take that option for now, since the price for a K-24 is currently $80.06 delivered. BTW, I checked the resistance, and the circuit is definitely open. I even compared it to the other woofer, which gave me a reading of about 5 ohms. And the other woofer passes the 'shake test'! (no loose bits inside the dome). Thanks for all your valuable input. I really appreciate it. Mark

Thanks for the quick reply. I'll check the resistance, but in case I need to replace it, Klipsch only carries the K-24 now, and the folks at Klipsch are pretty sure that it is a direct replacement with no cabinet mods. Anybody have any experience with swapping a K-23 for a K-24 in an early Forte, circa 1987, with round terminal cups? Thanks, Mark

I'm the original owner of these Forte's. Woofer is not working on one side. I removed the woofer and attached another speaker to the woofer's leads....it worked fine, so the signal is good. Re-attached woofer...no signal. Connected woofer directly to amp...no signal. The woofer appears OK visually...no broken wires leading into the cone, and solder connections appear OK. Everything looks good as new...not even dusty. Wiggled everything around, removed/reconnected all connectors. Crossover looks new - no dust, no weird smells. Did the *shake test* that I saw elswhere here in the forum, and there is something rattling around when I hold the woofer dome-down and shake. What now? Remove dome to check connection of wires? Resolder something inside the dome? Can I do myself? Have a pro do? Is this considered *re-coning*? I'm a FNG with an exacto on a speaker, and I sure don't want to dork things up! Thanks very much for your assist. -Mark

Gil- Excellent info. From the replies I have received, I have enough to get started on a solution, and I have an idea what to look for once inside the cabinet. I like your suggestion about using nail polish to strengthen the holes in the MDF. This will be one of my projects for tomorrow. Thanks very much, Cheers, Mark