Unity_coupled

I built a pair of ALK crossovers for my Fortes and used the transformers, otherwise these are complete. Replacement transformers can be purchased here. $200 + S/H for both boards.

I'm back with an update: Just to preface, both fortes currently have Bob's phelonic mid diaphragms, Ti tweeter diaphragms, and his full forte II crossovers. With the acquisition of a UMIK-1 and REW I'm finally able to shed more light on the problem with some objective measurements. For testing I played a 1khz sine wave on my computer through the optical port with 24/192 sample rate. The spectrum below was captured at the front right amplifier output of my AVR through a voltage divider connected to my audio interface. The signal as decoded and amplified by the receiver is effectively free of harmonic distortion. And here's the same signal recorded from the right-side Forte with the UMIK placed on-axis 2 inches away from the mouth of the mid horn. Harmonics! Similar thing in the left speaker: Is that amount of harmonic distortion in the K-53 normal? Would a titanium diaphragm have less? To verify the mic itself wasn't introducing distortion I pointed it at one of my studio monitors... Not a perfect test but I'm willing to bet the mic (brand new) reads accurately.

After a night of adjusting settings, a couple of gear swaps and much more listening, I've determined the source of the distortion to be the room correction dsp of my MRX 310. Reducing the max correction frequency in the ARC software to 300hz seems to mitigate it. I probably didn't hear it in my other speakers because the fortes are the most revealing.

Does klipsch still have the titanium drivers or diaphragms available directly? How would I go about ordering a set? I've heard it's not as easy as just calling them up... I'm seeing reports from others that the diaphragm from Simply speakers is an authentic part...but I hesitate to spend more money since I just bought ones from Bob, and I'm not convinced the diaphragms are the issue. Is there anything preventing me from nudging the structure so the gap is more uniform besides magnetism (is the magnet structure glued together)?

See my responses below... Can anyone comment on the pole piece centering, and whether or not it's within tolerance?

The source media for the Chopin was a 24 bit 88.2khz FLAC, PCM into my Anthem AV receiver. Other sources and music have it too. The distortion is not present through headphones or other speakers that I connect. I pulled the diaphragms and measured around the gaps with my calipers. I might've spoken too soon...One pole piece is off center by about .007" and the other by about .005. Could that be the source of my problem? I'm tempted to get the titanium drivers (with the magnets) if they're still available.

I was having an issue with distortion (more like a "fuzz") from the mid horns that was audible during quiet music/low harmonic content (especially Chopin nocturnes) in both of my fortes and thought it was possible they had been over exerted at one time, so I ordered a replacement set of diaphragms from Bob Crites. I went along with the guide and installation seemed to go fine, but the distortion still persists in both mids. The pole piece didn't appear off-center and I was very careful to not let the coil contact the magnet assembly. Has anybody else encountered this problem? Is there any chance the titanium diaphragms would fix this?

Thank you Matthews for the detailed photos. They're going to be very helpful... @Moray: I just want to recreate the factory look. I actually have them on 12" stands right now and they sound great.

Is there anything on the underside that's different than the topside (feet etc)? Are the triangular corner pieces the full 3 1/4" tall?

Great pics, Thank you From your pics the 9/16 dimension in my sketch looks more like 5/8, but everything else is in agreement..

That would help tremendously, thanks. Would you be able to also take some measurements of the routed part in question? OK I got some measurements from a guy on another forum. Does this look about right? Thickness is 3/4" BTW.

I just picked up a pair of Forte II's and one of the things I'd like to do is build risers for them to factory dimensions. I've gathered they're 3 1/4" tall and the same outer dimensions of the cabinet but didn't find much info about the routed top edge. Could someone please fill me in?

I'm considering Forte II's to pair with my Marantz 140/3200, but I'd like to audition them first and I haven't seen any pop up on my local craigslist. If you can help me out please let me know. Thanks

I replaced all the internal wiring in my La Scalas with 12ga cable. It doesn't sound any better to my ears, but it looks fantastic. I can't wait to get ALK networks...