chuckears

I've recently had the notion to do something similar, only with Cornscalas as the mains, and a custom-built center like this with front-firing woofers instead of the horns. A potential problem is that I would be placing the center at floor level, and would most likely need to angle the midrange/tweeter assembly upward slightly - the display I would be using would only be 20 inches above the floor. Just dreaming, for now...

The Inception Blu-Ray special features disc has the music soundtrack in 5.1 - incredible bass and surround. I wish all recorded music came with this much clarity, fidelity, and power...

Ahhh.... I see it now (it must have been very clean when you took the pic, or my middle-aged eyes are in need of assistance)...

So how does it sound? ...and how does that opening on the bottom affect the bass response? I'm assuming it is not sealed, and that the result is that of a slotted/ported bass enclosure...

Wrench722, It will be very interesting to hear about how this turns out... I have developed a hunger for a fully horn-loaded home theater, and have always come up with the center channel/height issue; I have thus far been leaning toward more of a "Cornscala" theory (with front-firing cone woofer/bass boxes sandwiching the mid/tweeter section), but this design intrigues me. Are you planning to bi-amp (or even tri-amp) this center? I have my doubts about an amplifier being able to handle two 15-inch woofers, along with the midrange and tweeter... I would tend to try a separate amp for each bass module, and one for the midrange and tweeter horns, but I am no designer or engineer.

Sorry, double post...

Sorry, triple post...

It looks like he did fine with the edge-banding, as his post in the 2-channel form displays. Beautiful work, and I would love to hear how they sound - even with the "one and a half" corners he is using in his listening room. I am cursed with only "half" a corner in mine, as I have a window too-close to one corner, and no corner at all available for the other channel (the wall opens into a hallway). I'm sure my wife would be glad to know that it is this room feature alone that has prevented me from going K-Horn... my Fortes will have to do for now, as they have for the past 22 years (although I am still on the lookout for that perfect deal on a pair of La Scalas [])

It looks like he did fine with the edge-banding, as his post in the 2-channel form displays. Beautiful work, and I would love to hear how they sound - even with the "one and a half" corners he is using in his listening room. I am cursed with only "half" a corner in mine, as I have a window too-close to one corner, and no corner at all available for the other channel (the wall opens into a hallway). I'm sure my wife would be glad to know that it is this room feature alone that has prevented me from going K-Horn... my Fortes will have to do for now, as they have for the past 22 years (although I am still on the lookout for that perfect deal on a pair of La Scalas [])

...I am constantly amazed by how owners have let these speakers degrade over the years; if I were fortunate enough to own K-Horns, I would never let them deteriorate to this condition. It is good to know that this pair now has a good home with someone who obviously cares... I'm sure you will enjoy them, both aesthetically and acoustically, for many years to come... BTW, I ran my Fortes for years with the same model Carver amp you own; I will be curious to hear your impression of the match after you give it a try...

Wow... seeing these pics makes me wonder what (if any) improvement might be had with my 22-year old Fortes; they are oiled oak, and in very good condish, but the lustrous grain you have improved and brought out is astonishing...

John, Speaking of the frequency being a concern, I note from the specs that the Forte II midrange is assigned to handle from 650Hz to 7000Hz, whereas the Heresy III (which sports the K53-Ti) is listed at 850Hz - 5000Hz - from your experience, this has not caused any audible problems. In other words, the K53-Ti that you installed has no problems reproducing the wider range of material your Forte II crossover is sending it? (I'm not saying you are wrong - just wanting to clarify so we're all on the same "frequency" - pun intended [])

http://www.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/03/obit.pete.postlethwaite/index.html?hpt=T2 He made every movie he was in better and more interesting. I loved his "Kobayashi" in the Usual Suspects. I hate it when the good ones have to leave...

Thanks! Now to discuss the "need" for this to the Significant Other []

After getting smart and comparing the drivers' specs on the website, it looks like the Forte midrange (K53-K) is 1.5", compared to the Heresy III's 1.75"... it looks like the diaphragms might work, but not the whole driver...

I have been following the progress of some who have switched out their stock Forte and Forte II phenolic midrange diaphragms with the titanium diaphragm from the new Heresy III's; I see that it is an exponential horn like the Forte I, and am wondering if anyone has an idea if the entire driver (K53-Ti) can be swapped out with the Forte's original K53-K? I have had the Crites titanium tweeter diaphragm for a few months now, and am getting the itch to tweak a little more...

SET12, I will be anxious to hear your impressions of the Titanium midrange diaphragms; I recently switched my Forte's tweeter diaphragms with the BC titaniums, and while I cannot claim as big a change as my crossover upgrade provided, I hear midrange changes much more readily, given the variable ringing in my ears ("tinnitus"). Am I correct in inferring that the whole driver upgrade would not work with my exponential horns - that I would need to stick with the diaphragms only?

I still have this issue, and back in the day, read the review about a dozen times. When I was shopping for a wider-range speaker than my Boston Acoustics A-60's, I was impressed by the frequency range of the Forte, and by this review. Hearing a pair of Cornwalls suspended from the ceiling/corners of a local business, then finally audtioning the Forte at the nearest shop that carried Klipsch (about 200-mile round-trip), I very nearly ordered them via catalog, when a local car audio shop expanded to include Klipsch, including the Forte. I was already sold on them from the road-trip audition, gave them a token audition at the local shop, and loaded them up in the Buick (one in the trunk, the other in the back seat). One move from a rental duplex to our current house, and they have been in roughly the same spot in my living room for the past 20 years... I swapped out the crossovers and tweeter diaphragms this year, along with upgrading to Cardas Binding posts, and am still loving the (mostly) full-range sound these provide. I have not heard anything new out in the market - other than Klipschorns - that has impressed me more, including some fairly expensive Martin Logans, B&W's, and Focals. While I recognized a few years later how mostly deaf the reviewers at Stereo Review were, I still give props to the late Julian Hirsch for bringing this speaker to the foreground of my attention...

BTW. after having seen my last new release of the year (True Grit), I can state categorically that Inception was my favorite film of 2010, followed by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt One, Toy Story 3, The Social Network, and Iron Man 2.

I don't think the director (Christopher Nolan) would go along with making a sequel... he seems to have more artistic integrity than that. ...and before someone mentions his Batman films, the superhero movie genre is completely different, having been adapted from a serialized form (comics). Nolan's Memento and the Prestige are stand-alone stories, and Inception feels the same to me.

I have owned neither speaker (22 year Forte owner), but after hearing the glorious midrange on the KHorn (same as your LaScala) - if you listen to any orchstral music, my ears think the LaScala would ace the Cornwall in reproducing the sound of live instruments. Just a sonic hypothesis on my part, but let your ears be the judge - just make sure to bring along music you know and are familiar with to audition.

I have performed both upgrades on my 22 year-old Fortes this year; the crossovers made an obvious (to me) improvement in clarity and definition of instruments and voices. The titanium tweeter diaphragm upgrades are harder to quantify, possibly because I suffer from a moderate amount of tinnitus ("ringing" in the ears) that blunts some appreciation of very-high treble material. BTW, if you go ahead with them, be VERY careful when handling the new diaphragms; the titanium is roughly the thickness of aluminum foil, and you don't want to touch or make contact with anything on them (I dented one in slightly while handling them, but was able to restore it back to position with no visible tearing...)

I'll be wearing my Klipsch hoodie with pride this holiday season []

That's one sexy center channel; I wish that Klipsch had done something similar for the older models - my Academy center is pretty sweet with my Fortes, but I sometimes would like a "bigger" sound from it, and my brain tells me that the four bass drivers and tractrix horn on your RC-64's are capable of much greater output than the traditional 2-woofer solution...

>Sigh< Good Grief![]