chuckears

No, there was no feedback at all; 46 out of my first 47 transactions were reciprocal feedback (only one never bothered), but my last four transactions have seen me leaving positive feedback, with silence from the other party. I just don't find it equitable for the big sellers to rack up hundreds and thousands of feedback comments, while the little guys like myself aren't being shown the love... it's like eating at a good restaurant, leaving a good tip, only to have the host/hostess ignore you when you walk out the door. The silent "screw you, we didn't need your patronage".

Just got stiffed for the fourth time in a row... I ALWAYS pay literally within a few minutes of purchase, and provide positive feedback the same day I receive my order. Guess I'll just stop playing, and treat it like any other online purchase.

I have lately experienced a dearth of reciprocal feedback from eBay transactions for which I have provided positive feedback; the last three (two purchases and one sale - components for speakers/crossovers and a DVD box set) have met with complete silence from the other party. I think the honeymoon is over...

Speaking as a someone who does not own one of the models to which you refer (Fortes were all I could afford way-back-when), but who has listened and loved music and film soundtrack material for over 25 years, I would say that a better question would be, "Do these speakers accurately reproduce the sound which is fed to them?" From the very small amount of listening experience I have with these (K-Horns for an afternoon), I can say that I have never heard more accurate reproduction; never felt as much that I "am there" listening to the actual instruments, vocals, sounds, whatever was thrown at it. This sound has haunted me for years, but alas.... no corners in my house, and not near enough cash to burn to make that particular audio ghost go away any time soon... I am not well-versed enough in soundwave engineering to answer your question more specifically, but if you ever get a chance to hear one of these models (properly placed), you will realize that the question is moot. It just works.

I think that this impression, while well thought out, would not bear fruition: Remember that your RF3's - even though they sport three drivers - are missing the midrange of the Chorus II.... not having to reproduce the mids allows for that big old woofer to concentrate on its task of reproducing the (in the case of the Chorus) 600 Hz and below, which it does most sexily, as those who own them will attest to. (That big 15" passive helps out with the lowest octave more than some people realize). And the midrange, picking up the largest percentage of sound, is even sexier. The RF series sound very detailed to me, I will admit, but there is an accuracy, and large soundstage, and natural "live" sound, that the older models reproduce that I cannot find in anything else made in the past decade or two... Your problem, like mine, is that there is very little opportunity to listen and audition a model that has not been produced for roughly 15 years... you have to either trust in what those of us on the forum claim, or find someone nearby to give you a listen. I did not hear Klipschorns until about 5 years ago, and the sound has haunted me ever since. The most accurate reproduction of actual instruments that I have ever heard, bar none...

Kudos on your find... I have enjoyed mine for 22 years now. NOTHING I have heard in the shops these days sounds as good - as real, alive, balanced, whatever you want to call it. This includes some models that are being sold, for reasons I cannot fathom, for several thousand dollars a pair.

The desirable thing about the way he has them set up (not "co-located") is that it eliminates placing the bass information at the location of the subwoofer; no matter what a lot of people will tell you, deep bass is not omni-directional. Of course, room geometry has a LOT to do with it. I just know that when I had a single sub in the corner, I could frequently tell the bass was coming from it, but when I slipped a second sub between my main and my display (sadly, no corner on that side), it balanced everything out beautifully, AND increased output from 3 - 5 dB.

I didn't notice this thread back in '04, but I have noted the same while watching these programs with the Mrs. I think I have seen one or two instance of large displays, and virtually no stereo systems. I started building my own shortly after getting married in 1984; with the advent of home theater, one 17' wall in my living room is dedicated...

Just be patient; it took me a few weeks to find my Academy (on audiogon.com, although I also tried eBay). The KLF-C7 is going to be the best match, and I would not settle for anything else (except for a third KLF30, but placement becomes an issue in the typical home setup).

I would recommend saving until "the bank" is bigger, and spring for something higher end... Klipsch speakers LOVE high quality amps - whether you are in the tube or solid-state camp - and you would be doing your ears a great favor by going over your budget. I ran my Fortes for years with a respectable 120 wpc Carver amp, and I was not too disappointed. When I sprung for a higher end amp (the McCormack DNA-1 Deluxe), I heard live music from them for the first time... it was transcendent. I would go separates, and better quality - and yes, used is just fine, but like the previous poster has indicated, it is unclear as to what specifically you are looking for- separates (best), a receiver (worst), or an integrated amp (sometimes tolerable)...

MIne (from 1988) had the T2A...

I was joking.. I am sure PWK never said any such thing.. in fact didn't he pass before the Forte came to be?? He passed in 2002, years after the development of the Forte; AFAIK, he was very familiar with the model, and (according to what rumour or site you are reading) either he or his grandson had/have a pair in his office.

Rivernuggets, Don't sell your Sony short... I have either the exact same model, or one similar, and it sounds better than others I have tried, and that are higher rated. I find that my Sony provides a very neutral and uncolored SQ, through my Anthem AVM20 and McCormack HT1.

This is how I watch every movie, especially for the first viewing, and necessarily for a Chris Nolan film. I've been known to get distracted when I have a lot going on, but I can usually enter a hyper-aware state when viewing an much-anticipated flick, and "get it" the first time. Having noted all of that, I needed a second viewing to "get" the first 20 minutes completely... (In my small nuclear family, we always make sure we "go" before the movie - we made it through multiple theatrical viewings of all three Lord of the Rings films without having to leave the auditorium...)

I've seen it twice since it premiered 5 days ago... easily my favorite film of the year so far. It's definitely a must-see on the big screen, and with big sound. Christopher Nolan has become my favorite modern film maker.... one of the few of whom I can say I can't wait to see his next film.

When my system was optimized for 2-channel listening (as opposed to HT), there were a few discs that never left my changer while I was doing the most critical listening: Tom Petty - "Wildflowers", an excellent recording, with a great selection and variety of songs. Sarah McLachlan - "Surfacing", her voice just makes me melt; another terrific recording Daniel Barenboim and the English Chamber Orchestra: Mozart's Piano Concertos Nos. 22 & 23, on EMI (From recording sessions in 1972 and 1967, respectively). Some of the most moving work by a pianist and orchestra that I have heard, and proof that sometimes the older recording engineers knew what they were doing... I would love to hear Mary Chapin-Carpenters' "Between Here and Gone" on my older set-up, but it is another recording that is transcendent...

I have owned Fortes (first series) for over 20 years, and have heard almost nothing (of other brands) in the showrooms in the ensuing span of time that compares... most recently, Martin-Logan, Focal, Def Tech - and forget about any of the mid-brand names- none of these sound as good to my ears. A word of warning: if you take up some of the kind offers to listen to the fully horn-loaded Klipsch (LaScala, Belle, or the mighty K-Horn) at one of our more fortunate members' domiciles, hope that you do not get infected as I did a few years ago. These, properly placed, provide a sound like no other I have heard - even with the extended ("Classic") Klipsch models like my Fortes. There is an immediacy and "live" sound from these bigger horns that I have not heard anywhere other than with live music.

Found one... thanks.

Does anyone have a diagram of the Academy crossover circuit? I would rather not have to get into the cabinet and remove the existing one more than once...

For music listening, your K-Horns by themselves, with as little sound processing as possible, are going to provide the best and most immersive music experience, IMHO. The only purpose of having surrounds for music would be to listen to DVD-Audio or Digital surround (Dolby or DTS) music recordings, which seems to be a rare set-up these days - and in which case the more similar the speakers, the better, even more so than with film material.

I tried the C7 with my Fortes... it was a terrific loud, clear center channel, and I could easily imagine owning and loving it with a pair of KLF-30's. ...but it DID NOT match my Fortes; material that panned across the front soundstage, or that used both the center and one of the mains for locatable sounds did not sound right due to the different voicing between the C7 and the Klipsch "Classic" speakers. It was not until I found an Academy until it all tied together, with a front soundstage that sounded natural and correct - there is still a slightly different sound with white noise between the Academy and my Fortes, but it does not translate negatively to voices, foley, music, or any other real-world listening I've thrown at it/them. I can only speak for the Forte-Chorus-Quartet era speakers; I've read comments both ways regarding the Heritage speakers, with more comments about the fully-horn loaded K-Horns, LaScalas, and Belles being too much for the Academy to keep up with, but with others voicing satisfaction with the mix. I would advise against trying the KLF-C7 with any Heritage or Classic Klipsch...

em.jay, With the high sensitivity of your Klipsch front soundstage, 90 wpc should provide plenty of power (unless you're trying to fill an auditorium, which is not the case). You REALLY need to score a SPL meter and calibrate properly - I have my own calibrated 10 dB below reference level (75 dB as opposed to the ear-splitting 85 dB), and my amps and speakers never break a sweat. I have never clipped a Klipsch speaker - it's part of the wonder of the higher sensitivity of the horn-loaded design. BTW, do you have a subwoofer? If you don't, it would be a better investment over a new AVR, IMHO...

I have become familiar with SET12's upgrades, particularly his outboard crossovers - if I had the available funds and the technical acumen, I could very easily see myself going a similar route...

Something I love about these speakers is their amazing ability shine with better components; I always thought they sounded great, but when I started to buy some higher end gear (and yes, cables), they became even more revealing and live-sounding; I don't know what the ultimate set of components and upgrades would be to bring these to the best possible sound for my ears; I'm sure I would run out of funds (and the patience of my Significant Other) long before I found out...

I recently swapped out the old stock crossover networks in my Fortes with Crites' upgrades - while I had everything opened up, I also upgraded the original binding posts (red and black plastic that I never felt comfortable tightening) with Cardas rhodium/gold plated 5-ways - a very worthwhile upgrade, IMHO. I was prepared for a break-in period that I experienced when I bought these new back in '88, but was surprised at how warm and smooth they sounded right away. Unusually, it is taking a couple of more notches on the volume knob to get these to the levels I'm used to hearing, but this is not necessarily a negative - I am just puzzled by the reason, whether there is something electrically that is not coming through in quite the same way, or if there was perhaps some distortion that I was hearing previously that enables the new crossovers to seem quieter in contrast. I am now considering the titanium diaphragms for the tweeters (and for my Academy center, as well), but think I will spend some time with just the crossover upgrades first. (For anyone who attempts this upgrade, be aware that the stock network, at least on my Fortes, have a helluva lot of solder attaching the binding posts internally - to get the old crossover boards off cleanly, I had to de-solder the connections to the binding posts on the surface of the PCB. Not a particularly daunting task, but a little time-consuming with my low-powered soldering gun). I had fully intended to take some pictures of the second speaker job, but ended up doing it on a whim later at night, and didn't want the flash going off and bothering the rest of the sleeping family...