John Chi-town

Samantha, Welcome to the Forum! You would be looking at about a $275.00 upgrade. When I upgraded my forte II, 3 years ago I payed $175.00 to Klipsch for new drivers and diaphragms. Which was only $10.00 more than just the diaphragms without drivers. A no brainer decision in my mind. I think Bob Crites charged $75.00 or $100.00 for a pair of outboard squawker band pass at the time. INMO a much more noticeable improvement than when I repaced my tweeter diaphragms with titanium. Best regards, John

I never have, nor will I ever attend a baby shower. Best regards, John

Although the response curve will vary from the attached forte II graph, the concept remains the same. A bandpass limits the out put of the squawker driver. Please see detailed description from Bob Crites below: I can provide a little technical information of using the Klipsch titanium midrange to replace the orignal phenolics. On the trace below, the red is an original K-53 phenolic diaphrgm and the green is the K-53TI titanium midrange diaphragm on the same 700 hz horn. We see slightly higher average output for the titanium than the phenolic. The phenolic output drops like a stone at 6khz where the tweeter takes over. That allows the crossover to be pretty simple since there is no reason to roll off the midrange. But, the titanium diaphragm keeps on going, in fact heading for a peak at around 7.3khz before it drops off. So, if the titanium diaphragm is used in place of the phenolic without a crossover mod, you would have the midrange and tweeter both at full output at the same time around 7khz. Bob Crites Attached Thumbnails

I made this modification to my forte II about three years ago. Bob built me a "external" band pass roll off for the midrange horn as well. I beleieve that the titanium are much better sounding than the phenolic diaphragms. The current Heritage as well as Reference line use titanium diaphragms where applicable if I am not mistaken. Best regards, John

The Heresy will require that you add a subwoofer into the equation. IMO Very poor bass response without a sub. The Heresy is a great speaker dont get me wrong, but like anything in this world it has its limitations. Best regards, John

Moray; Yes, as mentioned above i confused the Epic line with the KLF. The KLF 30 is a great speaker as well, aside from the cabinet issues. Best regards, John

Sorry had a senior moment as well. I was confusing the Epic & KLF series. Best regards, John

A quote from an old audio review regarding 3 way vs. 2 way horn design. I tend to agree with this reviewers assesment. Here’s one thing I’ve noticed about horn speakers. Because the efficiency is so high, it’s much easier to use the drivers out of their normal operating range without causing over-excursion problems. This is why you’ll find so many two-way horn designs. You can push most tweeter horns so that they work down to around 2Khz, and keep the frequency response fairly flat. Unfortunately, this results in a less than pleasant off-axis response at higher frequencies. The horn problem most people refer to as "honking" is most obvious with two-way horn designs, and I’ve never liked them because of it. When the engineers at Klipsch were designing the Tractrix midrange horn that is used in the Forte II, they found it could be used up to 20Khz if they played with the EQ on the driver. They didn’t do so; instead, there is a separate tweeter horn for the very high frequencies. Limiting the bandwidth used for the midrange horn lets it cover a horizontal area of 60 degrees smoothly while controlling the vertical coverage for better integration with the other drivers (see Tractrix Horns in the March 1991 issue of Audio for information how the Forte II was created). The fact that the midrange is so well designed is the primary reason this particular model sounds so much better than the other speakers I’ve heard from Klipsch, or from any other horn manufacturer for that matter. Best regards, John

The KLF line is a 2 way design.

Audition the forte II. They dig a little deeper than a Chorus II and although others may disagree a forte II can fufill the same room size as a Chorus II. I bought mine new in 92 and they still put a smile on my face. Best regards, John

Your welcome. Both the forte & forte II use passive radiators. The original forte has a 12 inch passive, while the forte II sports a 15 inch passive. The only other difference between the two is the mid range horn. The original forte has an exponential, while the forte II has a tractrix mid range horn. If you have the space both versions need room to breath from the wall. At minimum INMHO 12 inches, but my preference is 18. Best regards, John

I keep my forte II 18 inches from the wall and about 8 feet apart. My listening position is 15 feet away from the speakers. I prefer them straight forward with no toe in. Pure "Nirvana" with audio and video. Best regards, John

The CF3 is a great speaker, the CF4 even better. I am partial to the forte II. I bought mine new in 92 and have never looked back. The CF series will give you a bit more bass, but it is still a 2 way design. There is INMHO more clarity and detail in a 3 way design. Just my thoughts. forte II would be my choice but everyone has different tastes. PS... Many will agree that the forte II is among Klipsch's most balanced speaker. Best regards, John

Check Craigslist as well. Audiogon is another good source. Best regards, John

Appears to be a great deal! John

No affiliation. http://chicago.craigslist.org/nch/ele/4521900040.html John

No affiliation. http://chicago.craigslist.org/nch/ele/4512680427.html John

Very Nice. I hope they bring you years of enjoyment..... Best regards, John

What's wrong with people? "Everything" LOL..... Best regards, John

you know... I never quite understood this view, even though it IS a view shared by 99% of the folks specially on this forum. I standardized response is that it's a waste... why is it a waste? I would never run any amp I owned near 100% of it's output because I want to limit distortion, so why would it matter in the slightest manner if I owned an amplifier and decided to run it at 40%-50% (or less) of it's output? the only possible argument I can see is that lower output amplifiers generally are less prone to distortion, which I agree with... but my 250w amp's are extremely low in distortion. Since my system ALSO seconds as a semi Home Theater set up, I do need some higher rated amp's for that duty. I guess if you are really driven and need the "grip"... you could bi amp and use a different set up for the LF section. I agree 100% with Schu on this one. I run a 250 Watt dedicated amp as well. It is not so much the additional wattage that makes the difference, but the "Reserve Capacatince" that is available for demanding loads and passages. Best regards, John

SVS makes a great all around sub. I am local to you I believe, about 20 minuets North of Simply Stereo in Hoffman Estates. You are more than welcome to come by and audition my forte II if you would like. Then you can compare the forte to the Heresey. Best regards, John

Blake; Do you plan on integrating a subwoofer with the Heresey's? Since you are asking for opinions, I will provide mine. Heresey's regardless of series require a good sub for proper bass response. I am not a bass head by any means, but the Heresey line is very thin on bass. Do yourself a favor and look at the Extended Heritage Series. Specifically the forte/chorus line. I am partial to the forte II. Footprint is almost identical to Heresey other than the forte II is significantly taller. The forte II will dig down to almost 30HZ..... I have never felt the need for a sub with either music or video. Used values are between $500-$700,00 in excellent shape depending on local market conditions. Best regards, John

Yes. The Right Channel Best regards, John

Sancho Happy Birthday & Many More.... Best regards, John

As others have stated headroom and 72,000uF + total storage capacitance will make all the difference in the world! Best regards, John