Buddy Shagmore

pringlere, what did you decide on?

Very cool setup man! It's nice to have what you want. I see you play guitar too. Listen or make...it's all good! Congrats!

Congrats! What will you drive them with?

Get the Forte III's and enjoy your favorite music at the level of excellence and excitement you deserve! Incredible, breathtaking speakers. Your ceiling is low, but your room is deep. I say go for it! They are tall, so stands are likely unneeded, but you could add them later if so desired.

Anyone have a chance to side by side these? I am curious as to what the differences might sound like. I have a pair of minty CHII's that have new Crites crossovers and Ti diaphragm tweets, which I am very pleased with. I don't find them lacking at all.

Awesome! You surely are on Cloud 9! What did you listen to first?

No experience with the Heresy IV's. Just have Chorus II's and HP 3 headphones. I would think any of the Heritage line would excel with this amp. A nice feature is the trim knob when using headphones. There are 4 settings...I like the setting +6. Modern recordings with bass up in the mix, really sound amazing. "Music Volume 3 Herb Alpert Reimagines the Tijuana Brass", "Tramp" by Steve Miller, and "Adore You" by Harry Styles really kick. This is a very fine unit, I recommend it highly.

Yes, the Marantz was restored by Tom at Northridge Electronics in Simi Valley, CA, and functions like new. No issues at all. LEDs too. Wonderful receiver, I am keeping it with the idea of building a 2nd system. I am fighting off the urge to go audition the Cornwall IV's...already spent a pile of scratch on the Yamaha!

I set it up a few hours ago, paired with a Yamaha CD S2100 SACD/DAC, into Chorus II's. Before this, I used a Marantz 2245. My initial impressions are very good. My old warhorse Marantz is warmer, but the Yamaha reveals more and finer detail, and is a bit tighter with the bass notes. On Junior Brown's "Read 'Em And Weep", I hear his finger squeaks on the acoustic guitar I never heard before. The dynamics are stunning, and the horns and strings on "Ski Run" by John Barry are very clear and tight. The bass and treble controls, and the VU meters are useful and up the drool factor. I feel I got an upgrade with this unit. The Chorus II's are a good match. I surely now have the finest hi-fi system on my block. 😎

That is another possibility, but questionable. PWK was not always right...but he was never wrong! 😉 Then perhaps my Chorus II's likely only go down to 44hz, if Klipsch was fudging or wrong on the numbers (by 6hz or so) back then.

18hz! How low can you go? At any rate, I am not complaining about the performance of any Heritage product. I had Forte 1's (32hz) for about 30 years. At that time, I scored a mint pair of Chorus II's (38hz), and played them side by side for comparison, before I sold the Forte's to my good friend. While the Chorus has a bigger, fuller overall sound, the Forte did go deeper. Comparison was done listening to "Declan" by Jeff Beck, which has some filling-rattling deep bass. The Chorus just did not hit the lowest note like the Forte did. I haven't done any comparison with the F-III, but I would like to suggest that the 38hz rating on the III is BS. Perhaps to sway a buyer into going Cornwall IV (34hz) or Khorn (33hz). Because why should a mid level Heritage product go lower than the big guns? YMMV.

Why does the Forte III only go down to 38hz, when the Forte 1/2 go all the way to 32hz? Seems like the new version got the short end of the stick. What did they do differently this time?

Willland, I was not meaning to imply that you need any upgrades. Your collection is awesome! I was suggesting that I am leaning towards adding a 2nd system for myself, since I just bought another component. My 2245 isn't going anywhere, I couldn't bear to lose it. I bought a 2245 at age 19, a long time ago, and I am sentimental over it.

I hope so. Currently using a vintage Marantz 2245, restored, which is wonderful. The stereo bug has bitten me again, thus I got the hankerin' to try something new, maybe will lead to having a 2nd system in my crib. The Yamaha should be here on Tuesday. It will (so far) be the most expensive component I've acquired. This could lead me down the rabbit hole, right? Willland, looking at your collection, I perhaps am preaching to the choir?

No experience with either, sorry. Perhaps no one here has either. One has much more power, both cost an arm and a leg. I went on the cheap compared to you, I just ordered a new Yamaha A S2200, to pair with my Chorus IIs, and my Yamaha CD S2100 cd/DAC. Good luck, and let us know which direction you went.

My light Oak's came in a few days ago, new in the box. No issues with Uncrate Supply. I don't have a headphone amp (yet), so I plugged them into the stereophones jack on my Marantz 2245. Works great, as expected. I am really enjoying these! There is a big advantage to private listening, if you live with others. I haven't had good headphones since the 70's. With the 2245's 3 band eq, I can adjust and fine tune to taste. Very full spectrum, lots of detail, not lacking in the least. Comfort seems good to me so far. You'll have to 'scuse me now, I need to have another listen...

I also have a near mint pair of Chorus II's. I power them with my restored '71 Marantz 2245, and they sound awesome. The sweet spot for me is with the volume knob up about 1/3. Plenty loud, warm, dynamic, with no distortion. If I was going modern, I would get a new Yamaha A S2200 integrated.

According to Eric at Sweetwater, there has been issues with the supply chain for the HP3. So they can't produce them right now, but expect to resume production asap. Nobody seems to know when exactly. Same with the HP 3 headphones.

I am a long time 2 channel lover. My setup is a Marantz 2245, Yamaha CD S2100 (silver), and Chorus II's. I have been window shopping for a new integrated amp, just in case, heaven forbid, my old ('71) receiver gives up and dies. I notice it is rare to find an integrated with tone control knobs. What's up with this? Isn't this a step backwards? My first step into quality hi-fi was a '71 Sansui 2000A, it was very nice, but it only had bass and treble knobs. I checked out the Marantz, and of course it had a mid knob too. So I sold the Sansui (wish now I'd kept it), and bought the 2245. I see the new Marantz PM8006 has 3 way eq, but it doesn't come in SILVER. And silver is a must! The Yamaha A S2200 comes in silver, but only has bass and treble...no midrange knob. Otherwise, the Yamaha is a very handsome piece, and of high quality... the Marantz appears less so. (I notice other parts of the world (Europe, Asia) have the Marantz in silver...thanks a lot Marantz!). I like to keep things simple, I don't want an outboard eq unit. Please educate me on why having no tone adjustments, or only bass and treble, is a step up in audio enjoyment? Isn't fine tuning a recording according to your room and tastes part of the fun?

I just ordered HP 3's in oak from Uncrate Supply for 15% off MSRP. I can't wait to get them! I instructed them to cancel my order if these are returns, open box, or scratch and dent. Keeping my fingers crossed. I hope these are not counterfeit. Edit: Uncrate assured me that these are new in the wooden box, with the gold seal intact. Whew!

I use Watco Rejuvinating oil. It really nourishes the veneer. I apply it about twice a year.

Forte 1's are awesome speakers! I had a pair for almost 30 years. I sold them to my pal, and I can go listen anytime. I did the Crites titanium tweeter diaphragm upgrade. I wonder if there is a way to pull the dent out of the passive? Congrats! What are you driving them with?

Well, what do you think?

I ran my Forte I's with a circa 1988 Yamaha RX 900U receiver for many years. It was always a bit harsh and brittle sounding. I finally replaced it with a Marantz 2245, and heavens to mergatroid, what a difference! Night and day! Edit - July 11th - I pulled the trigger on a new Yamaha A S2200 integrated a few weeks ago. It sounds fabulous with my Chorus II's. I think Yamaha has come a long way in the 30+ years since my old RX900U. I'm glad I gave them another try. Still hanging on to my '71 Marantz 2245 though.