chuckears

With the angled ceilings, it's a little awkward determining placement on the ceiling. Just wondering if there are methods or tools others have used to locate placement as accurately as possible.

Discussion Starter · #1 · a moment ago Looking at installing four in-ceiling speakers for Atmos and DTS:X - I was wondering what simple tools are needed to determine placement? I am aware of the recommendations, and wish to get as close as possible to the 45-degree angle from the LP suggestion. A couple of challenges: a vaulted ceiling (the peak of which runs from the listening position to the front soundstage), and the sweet spot is only 3 feet from the back wall. I am visualizing a 2-beam laser level/pointer with a bubble level to determine the horizontal, and the beams adjustable like a compass. I haven't found anything (at least, not for a reasonable cost) that fits this description.

Yours are first-series Fortes, manufactured sometime between 1985 and 1989; whether the terminal plate is round or square will narrow it down a bit, but I don't remember which years equate to which style of terminal cup.

It's a living room, 17x17 feet, but open in the back right corner to a dining area, and open in the front left to a hallway; the Mrs. has always given me the front soundstage wall to do with as I please. She is down for the in-ceiling speakers, especially given their ability to blend in nicely. The room height at the apex of the vault is 12', with the usual 8' on the side walls. As nearly as I can tell, the angle of the vault is around 50 degrees - the height speakers will be angled instead of down-firing, but this model has the adjustable woofer and tweeter, so there is room to calibrate the angles after installation.

I'm looking at installing in-ceiling speakers (CDT-5800's) soon, to bring Atmos into my existing 5.2 system, but there are special considerations in the room I'm placing them: My listening/viewing position is two feet from the back wall. This cannot be changed. I have a cathedral ceiling, the peak of which runs in a path straight from the sweet spot to my display. If I install 4 in-ceiling speakers, the recommended 45-degree angle from the sitting position to the speakers front-back is possible, with the front pair a little over a third of the distance between me and the front soundstage, and the rear pair almost to the back wall (and almost directly above the side-surrounds on the wall). I have read some recommendations that, in this scenario, it is better to go with just one pair of height speakers, placed just a little in front of the listening position - but I don't want to miss out on the potential height-surround material I might otherwise enjoy. Also, with the angled ceiling and the ability to point the drivers in pretty much any direction I wish, I would like to think that I can overcome placement issues. I would also like to think that it helps that I have the ARC system that came with my Anthem AVM70 to dial in room response curves. Does anyone have experience with this type of arrangement, or input about which scenario would work better?

I had exactly the opposite experience Academy vs KLF-C7; I ran the C7 with my (original series) Fortes, but could hear very distinct - almost out-of-phase - differences with material that panned, or was shared by the Fortes and the C7. I had previously tried to use an RC-3, and the difference was even more stark. When I finally scored an Academy, that weird sound transition went away. The Forte and Academy definitely do sound different - you can tell even better when doing manual channel test tone pans; orc when someone walks from middle to either side while speaking, and the sound engineers correctly mix the sound to follow. However, there is not nearly the same weirdness in the timbre of the sound as with the other centers I've tried, at least to my ears.

I've owned my Fortes since 1988, and the best they've ever sounded was with a McCormack DNA-1 Deluxe and McCormack TLC-1 passive preamp. There was a punch, realism, and detail from that set-up - which included two Hsu 12" subs dialed in perfectly - than I had heard with my previous Carver setup, or since with HK, Rotel, then back to McCormack, but with an Anthem Processor for HT duty. I've gotten a lot of that life-like sound back with purchase of a different DNA-1 Deluxe, but something about that passive preamp getting out of the way and letting the music get through cannot be repeated with modern processing, at least none that I've sent through the pipeline.

These pop up used for a decent price every now and then, and they appear to be similar to an Academy, but with a lower extension (and the obviously different driver layout on the motorboard). Our aging ears are wanting something a little more robust, and since the Forte mains aren't going away any time soon, I'm wondering how this would work in our modest living room setup... bear in mind there is a limited height allowance available, so another floor-stander is a non-starter.

They were pretty ubiquitous on the used market back in the late 90's and early 2000's, and they pop up on ebay and usaudiomart.com pretty consistently; not very many make their way to audiogon any more. Also, their asking price has remained consistent the past 20-plus years, and has in fact gone a little higher since everything went haywire a year and a half ago. The ask on the DNA-1 Deluxe was over $1000, but I was lucky enough to score it for about $200 less.

I had a Rotel 5-channel, 100 wpc (RMB-something-or-other) when I first expanded into HT, and it was the deadest, non-musical sounding amp I've ever tried with my Fortes. Both the Carver before it, as well as (and especially) the McCormacks I owned before and after it, were exponentially better-sounding.

I hear the name in my head; the "Mac" in McIntosh sounds so different from the lack of a vowel sound in "McCormack", it doesn't have the same affect with me.

It kind of surprised me recently when three separate salespeople at two different audio/HT stores - all of whom have been in the business for years - had never heard of the McCormack brand. I recently re-acquired a DNA-1 Deluxe to power my mains, with the HT-1 taking care of the center and surrounds. Very accurate, sweet-sounding watts feeding the Fortes. (The QSC professional amp powers my two home-built subs).

I'm fairly certain that this is the complete collection of the Mozart Piano Concertos, recorded in the late-60's and early-70's, of which I own only two discs: featuring Concerto #'s 21, 22, 23, and 27. The sonics and sublime performances - at least, on the pressings I own - are some of the finest sounding classical music in my library. A dialed-in, accurate system will bring you to the venue, and Barenboim's playing is emotive, immersive, and sublime. https://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Complete-Piano-Concertos-1-27/dp/B00000C2KO/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=barenboim+mozart+complete&qid=1627869189&sr=8-3

I've owned Fortes (1's) for years; they still sound fantastic, but I frequently hear comments about the Chorus from the same era sounding better. I haven't actually seen a pair of Chorus speakers up close - at least, not with the grill off - to compare the size of the midrange horns. I know from the spec sheets that they are different (Forte - K-53-K, Chorus is K-57-K); does anyone know what the measurement difference is between them?

So... which is better?

Good luck with the timbre match with the Fortes and the RC64 - I tried an RC3 with my Forte 1's, and it was terrible. Hopefully, the all-newer and modern components will match up. They certainly didn't in my case.

Been using an Anthem AVM20 for years (I know - it's a bit of a dinosaur... the newer, comparable units appear to offer the same quality). Excellent set-up and fine tuning features, and they really care about the audio section.

The best my Fortes ever sounded was with a McCormack DNA-1 Deluxe, which you can find used for around a grand. There is also a passive preamp from that same time period - the TLC-1 - on which I actually used the active section. Very old-school - no remote or digital tech. This was the closest to a live sound I ever garnered from these speakers. I "upgraded" (more transformed) to HT, and sadly sold both of these units; messed around with a Rotel Amp and HK receiver, but ended up back with McCormack (lower wattage) and an Anthem AVM20 HT processor. This set-up works for me for HT and music listening, but doesn't hold a candle to the DNA-1 Deluxe and TLC-1 combo I enjoyed previously, when it comes to pure music enjoyment.

The OP has gone a different direction from his proposed Forte mods for a center, but I would like to offer my impression of the KLF-C7 as a center with the Fortes, as I actually ran one with mine for several months. The C7 is an amazing sounding center channel, but the timbre is not a match to the Forte; the components are just different enough to make it unworkable. Material that is mixed between the center and the right and/or left channel does not sound natural or correct. The best center channel option - a speaker made by Klipsch to be a center - is the Academy, which I have been using for years.

Perhaps I should search BEFORE asking a question... http://www.ebay.com/itm/METAL-DOMES-OF-SILENCE-SMALL-FOR-WOODEN-BUN-FEET-glides-/301339564288?hash=item46293cd900:m:m_IJK64cFveDg4tnmm6rk3w ...they seem a little large - my measurement was more around 1/2", as opposed to the 3/4" these are listed as - but if I have to replace all four on one, it shouldn't break the bank.

I recently moved my Fortes off of the carpet upon which they have sat for over 20 years, in readiness for a laminate floor installation, and noticed that one metal "foot" is missing off of one of them (a small round metal disc that makes contact with the floor). Short of replacing all 8 feet on both speakers, does anyone know where I can find a replacement?

Not sure about "audigon", but I am on audiogon.com daily [:$]

What's a "Hersey"? You might want to check out SET12's C-Core upgrade for his Forte crossovers... They would be my choice if I were looking for a sonic difference fro an auto former upgrade.

I know this is in the Home Theater section, and have no doubt that they would perform great in said environment, but I am also interested in how they do with music-only; are there any owners that have heard the Heritage and/or Classic Klipsch speakers that have a comparison of how the RF-7 II reproduces 2-channel music? I have owned Fortes for years, and have also been enticed by the fully horn-loaded sound of the mighty K-Horn, and just wonder if the RF-7 would compete with the great in-your-face, you-are-there sound I have heard from the older Klipsch models...

Every amp I have tried with my Fortes has sounded different. If you can't hear differences between different amplifiers, then - unless the amps are very similar - either your speakers or your ears are not very good. By "ears", I mean either their physical capabilities or your brain's ability to discern what you are hearing.