wipster

Actually Bluesboy created the video camera body and gearing out of an unspecified hardwood, while his father, Bluesman, turned some crystal on his lathe to make the lenses... it's powered by a small wind turbine and the recording was captured on film made from hemp, so if they're ever audited, they can smoke the evidence...

No worries Neil, thank Don's Dad for the video, he took it all himself about 4 years ago, pretty cool. I can't wait for the sequel, "Dad's Engines, The Search for the Revenge of the Ghost Protocol."

Might want to take a look at the NewEgg website, they've got most of their Onkyo receivers on sale and there are several fine receivers you can pick up for around $500, such as the TX-NR609 or the HT-RC370 (THX certified). The SR805 I purchased refurbished a few years ago (to replace a not bad Sony) was one of the best investments I ever made, really made my Fortes sing. Of course, if you have the chance, go to an A/V store and listen to what you're thinking of buying first, in as close to your setup as possible... there's no substitute for your own ears. Happy hunting!

The only flaw in the experiment that you outlined is that you didn't state whether you level matched when switching between speakers. Without that, it's almost impossible to draw definite conclusions. We considered if level matching would be necessary, but honestly there was not enough difference between the efficiency of the Fortes (98 dB) and the Heresy's (96 dB) to make a difference, at least one that we could distinguish. At very high levels you could discern a slight difference in volume, but that's not why we were comparing the speakers... we wanted to see how different the tonal quality was, and it was a learning experience, as there was more than we anticipated. If I were doing a blind A/B comparison for Stereophile, I'm sure I would have all the proper equipment to perform proper level matching; however, we were just three guys having fun and we more than accomplished our goal, flaws and all.

A Nectar, It's interesting that you brought this up, as we just did an experiment that kind of validates your concept, if only from an analog v digital perspective. I recently rebuilt the crossovers on my 1975 Heresy's, definitely a heritage speaker. As they have been rode hard and put away wet many times in their 35 plus years (I had relegated them to garage and wedding reception duty), we also refinished the Walnut veneers, built new risers, and changed the polarities per the “Dope From Hope” issued 36 years ago (these had Type D crossovers). When we powered them up, using a Scott LK-48 for power and listening to Petty's "Damn the Torpedos" on vinyl, we were absolutely blown away at how good they sounded... unbelievable improvement! Anyway, I was so impressed that I decided to bring them in to the great room, specifically to be the dedicated speakers for the separate tube-based system for listening to vinyl and SACD's I had recently put tgether(Eico HF-85 pre and 2 HF-50 mono amps). My home theatre system uses Fortes for the main speakers with an Onkyo SR805 and I had been using a Niles amp switcher to use the Fortes for both systems. I've always considered the Fortes to be the second generation of heritage speakers, as they came out about the same time as the CD emerged and have a more modern look, as well as a spectacular sound. While we were moving things around to properly place the the Heresy's, we decided to do a blind A/B comparison between the two speaker pairs. I had a spare speaker switch (I save everything... I think I have the first patch cord I ever bought), so we were able to easily switch between the speakers without the listener knowing which speakers they were listening to. While both speaker pairs sounded great, it was obvious to the three of the people listening (all Klipschoholics) that the Heresy's clearly sounded the best of the two with vinyl and the Fortes clearly sounded the best with CD’s and digital feeds, all with the same amplification (the tube system)... almost like they were designed that way and maybe they were? I know when I first heard the Fortes, a CD was used, and obviously an LP was spinning when I first heard my Heresy's. Even though we were using tube amplication for this test, I would bet money that the Heresy's sound better using tubes and the Fortes would sound the better of the two using solid state (note I did not say they would sound better using solid state because when I was using the Fortes both both amps, they sounded better using the Eico's as well, even though the Onkyo is a great sounding SS amp). Thought I would share, as this experiment was a lot of fun, with some definite conclusions about heritage speakers and analog v SS at least.

Craig, I don't even know you and it's good to hear from you! I was just more than a bit concerned by your absence from the board, as you are rather a constant poster. While I'm sorry that you had a bad last six weeks (believe me, I'm out on long-term disability, so I kinda know the feeling), I'm really glad to hear that you're OK, as I'm sure a lot of other Klipschers are as well. Take your time with the info on my HF-85's... I bought another one off of eBay Sunday night and hopefully that will get me by for a while (if I ever hear from the seller). Look forward to speaking with you sometime in the future,

This gets weirder by the day... it seems a little early for him to go fishing, at least according to the posting on his website from last year, and if he were to be unavailable for any significant time period (and it's been a couple weeks now) I would have thought he would have put a message on his webpage and/or voicemail message and/or e-Mail "out of office" reply. Weird scenes inside the goldmine indeed...

Thanks AF... my needs may not be as urgent now anyway as I just purchased another HF-85 off of eBay. This one looks and reads good, so keep your fingers crossed... ;-)>

Thanks David... I did leave a voice mail message for him last week, so hopefully he'll get back with me fairly quick. I was just concerned that something may have happened to him, that's the main issue. One thing's for sure, there is absolutely nothing wrong with having too much business in today's economy, especially in Michigan!

Thanks Gilbert, that puts my mind at ease.

I've got a couple HF-85 Eicos that I want to send in to get rebuilt so I sent him an e-Mail over a week ago and left a VM for him earlier this week, but have yet to get a response. There's nothing on the NOSValves webpage that indicates there is a problem. I also checked this Forum and it doesn't look like he's posted since mid February of this year. From the postings I've read by and about him, this seems rather out of character... I hope everything's OK and he's alright.

Yes the room will determine what sounds best. Mine are on a long wall about 12' to 15' apart and toed in gives the best results for me. It sounds like the specific room size, type and furniture dictates the toe in/no toe in preference, and that makes sense. I myself have an 18' x 18' room, with the right Forte placed about 1.5' from the side and back wall and the left Forte 1.5' from the back wall and open on the side, since that's where the dining area starts. I could definitely tell the difference in bass and also a reduction in harseness in the mid/treble when I pointed them straight ahead. One of my Klipsch fan(atic) friends agrees with me on the difference in sound, another not so much. FYI, the review that started this is available at http://www.soundstage.com/greg01.htm... it's a few years old, but I found it enlightening. Wish I'd have kept all my old copies of Stereo Review... if I remember right, I think Julian Hirsch loved the Fortes. Also, since we're discussing Forte I and II upgrades, I also use an Academy for a center channel... has anyone had experience using any of these diaphragm switches and/or network conversions on an Academy? It matches so well with the Fortes right now, I don't want to screw it up. BTW, FYI, IMHO (I'm going for a record) the addition of the Academy was probably the best thing I did for my soundstage for movies, SACD's, and BD's... the front three are almost transparent, really noticeable when sweet sounding autos drive across the room at 12,000 RPM! Check out for a great stereo version of what I'm talking about and TURN IT UP!!! It's almost orgasmic...

Congrats OE! I'm sure you'll be happy and I'm very glad your wife is... too many remotes can be a real sore point in marriages. Maybe that's why they named the product "Harmony"... LOL!

Wuzzer, I concur with your assessment on the placement... the center placement seems better to me as the side... it's so good it almost sounds like five speakers!

Thanks Moray, appreciate it. FYI, Crites does list a Xover assembly as well as a kit... that's more up my alley as I'm much better at replacing than repairing.

Thanks John, great advice, much appreciated!

Thanks Bill, much appreciated! Since you have a pair (of Fortes), one other question: Do you toe yours in, aiming at a sweet spot, or just aim them straight forward (since they're not corner dependent). I read a review not long ago that suggested to just aim them straight, and I honestly think they sound better that way

With my Forte I's, I'm using an Onkyo TX-SR805 for A/V and surround SACD's, DVD-A's, and BD's (through an Oppo BDP-80) and it sounds great, very defined... much better than the Sony it replaced. For stereo, I'm currently feeding the Pre-out of the Onkyo to a pair of Eico HF-50's and that sounds fantastic... really changed the way the Fortes sound, much warmer and takes away any harseness. Hope to have my HF-85 rebuilt in a couple weeks so then I'll be tube all the way on the 2 channel end... can't wait!.

Gents (and any ladies as well), Need your educated opinions. I currently have a pair of Fortes that I am considering upgrading using some Crites components. I would like to switch out the diaphragms for midrange and tweeter with the units Crites offers, especially the titanium tweeter. If I do so, do you think it would make sense to upgrade the crossover at the same time? Are the new diaphragms designed with the Crites Xover in mind (or vice versa)? I've also given thought to upgrading speakers from the Forte to the Forte II before I make said upgrade.. For those of you who have had (or listened to) both speakers, do you think that would be worth it? By the time I buy some II's and sell my Fortes, it would probably cost me roughly $200. The diaphragm upgrade is about $140 and the Xovers about $250. Money isn't that much of a consideration, but I would like to know everyone's opinion of whether of not it's worth it. Thanks for your thoughts oh fellow Klipsch fans and fanatics,

Nice-looking LP storage unit! Where could I buy one, or is it homebuilt? Islander, This particular unit is homebuilt, but if you're seriously interested, we could arrange for more discussion. This is a solidly built unit that is a very nice piece of furniture and I'm actually surprised that none of the hi-end audio rack folks haven't come out with something like it. "BluesBoy," a semi-frequent poster on this forum, is the craftsman that built it, and he's made a lot of custom equipment and media storage furniture in the past, along some killer speakers. He recently moved back here to Eastern Washington, so we're not too far away from your location... just a hop, skip, and long ferry ride! It will probably be a few months before the furniture and rest of the family gets completely relocated from NC though... Let us know if you're seriously interested,

One of the members of this forum has probably the best idea I've ever seen for record storage... it's lind of like a file cabinet for records, which allows for storage like the unit you've located, but keeps the wife happy because all the albums are out of sight. Here's a picture, hope he doesn't kill me: Pretty damn good looking record storage if you ask me. How much would you be willing to pay for one of these?

I agree with the canyonman, but it would be good to have an opportunity to A/B them. Are you considering using the Chorus/Quartet for a surround system? Add an Academy and maybe a sub and that would be pretty frackin' good IMHO. I've never had any exposure to the RF series, but own and currently use Fortes, KG1's, and an Academy in the house; KG.5's in the bedroom, KG1's in the office, Heresys (that I've had since '76) in the garage; KSB1.1's on the deck; used to own Cornwalls; and currently have a pair of mid '80's KHorns that I'm holding on to to test/compare in a friend's man cave in a house he's building... obviously I love the heritage Klipschs. I've heard good things about the RF's as well, with exception of no bass... apparently having a subwoofer is a must. While it's nice with the heritage speakers (for shaking the floor at least), it's not an imperative. Have fun with your selection my friend, but try to listen to both side by side with the same amp and source if possible. Also, why does the guy want to trade? Seems a bit unfair to him/her if you ask me...

I found the 880 couldn't deal with the required lags during boot up of the items before a command was sent:Watch Netflix (with one button); in order to do this I needed: Oppo 93 On (wait to boot, my longest boot up time) Onkyo pre/pro ON (wait for it to boot) Vizio TV ON, wait to boot then switch to HDMI 3 as this is where I had direct video from Oppo 93 HDMI 2 out Onkyo pre/pro switch to Blue Ray input Oppo select "Home", cursor down 1, select Now control Netflix menu for movie selection and control pre/pro volume . I guess I'm lucky, 'cause I don't have to wait for my equipment to "boot" after I turn it on in order for the command sent by the 880 to be recognized... e.g., to watch a DVD, I have to turn on my Samsung 61S750 and set it to HDMI, turn on my Onkyo TX-SR805 and set it to HDMI 1, and turn on my Oppo BDP80... with the disc (BD or SACD) inserted, it pretty much figures out what's in there and the 880 is set to send the proper commands after that (play, pause,etc.). I will agree, my Oppo takes the longest time to come to life, but overall, the 880 is pretty much done with it's macro in 20 seconds or less after I press the "watch BluRay" function and everything works fine. I have never tried using the Oppo to play Netflix though and I can see where that might be a problem going straight to it because of the Oppo latency. I have a dedicated computer for watching Netflix, YouTube, listening to Rhapsody and all other things digital, and for that I have a really BIG remote, a wireless keyboard with a roller ball embedded... it works great! For evertything else though, I've never had to wait for the individual pieces of equipment to do anything but turn on and they always go to the setting I've specified in the macro. Thanks to a divorce, I've used one of my 880's through three different configurations of HDTV, Receiver, and BD/DVD player and it's always worked without a hitch. I can't speak for Direct or Dish as I go with Charter due to their superior internet speed. Good luck on the programming, that can be a beatch... you need to find a 12 year old, they'll figure it out in a heartbeat (while texting, listening to tunes, and surfing on their iPhone). Just thank goodness we're not in Japan right now...

OE, I own two Harmony 880's, one for the great room and one for the bedroom, have had them for at about five years, and I have yet to find a piece of equipment with a remote that it will not operate/emulate. I do agree with everything that USENET says above, especially the line of sight issue (because of IR) and the charging cradle issue (I have a slightly different workaround, but it's easy to fix, plus the batteries last a least a week without needing a recharge). However I do use one of them in conjunction with a remote control extender (have to be able to change channels while in the bathroom you know... LOL) and that takes care of the line of sight issue. FYI, I just looked on eBay and there are a bunch of 880's on there for an average price of $60. I absolutely love the macro concept, plus the fact that all of the codes exist on the Logitech website, so when you buy new equipment, chances are the codes will be available for download... it handles all of my equipment and it's quite varied, including the remotes for Windows Media Center. That's what is so great about this, you easily set up the task you want to (e.g., Watch the HDTV) and it automatically turns on the appropriate equipment and sets it to the proper settings, with the remote functions like volume and channel set to operate the piece of gear used for that purpose. One other thing, the ergonomics of this remote were designed very well in that it fits perfectly in your hand... it can easily be used with a single hand and thumb, just like it was made for it, 'cause it was. I absolutely love mine (you can't tell can you?). Anyway, if I were in your shoes, I'd buy a good looking 880 off of eBay and see what you think. Your investment is minimal and it's an easy way to see if it fits your needs... if not, you can probably sell it for the price you paid for it. Happy hunting,