001

i'm a long time adcom fan & have had many of their offerings paired with many classic klipsch speakers from kg5.5's, cf-4's, fortes & chorus ii, to k-horns. IMO the gtp400 is one of the lesser quality preamps they offer & could be part of why you're not overly impressed. try stepping up a couple model #'s to the gtp 500ii, 565 or especially the gfp555, the gfp doesnt have a tuner but is supposed to be the best sounding adcom pre of that era & has a very good phono section. also i have read that the 545 amp is one of the lesser sounding amps of that series, not sure why because it has more power than the 535, but lots of people say its sound quality is lacking & it falls apart at higher volumes. the 535ii i had sounded very very good for the power it made & for all but max volume it sounded better than the 555ii, but for louder level listening the 555ii was much better. on high efficiency speakers like klipsch the first few watts are what really matters so maybe thats why the 535 sounded better at all but max volumes. the 555 has better bass & impact at higher volumes when critical listening isnt a factor. if you can afford it the newer higher end adcoms are very nice too, the 750 preamp is a very nice unit. & as mentioned above the 5300-5500 mosfet series amps are supposed to be nice too, some like them better than the original 535-555 (ii) & some dont. all depends on your system & ears. i also have a marantz 1060 that sounds very nice when used as a integrated, but really sounds good when used as just a pre with the adcom amps, noticeably better than the adcom gtp500ii preamp.

gotcha

Ok sorry, sounds like that works too. Maybe fortes are different than the forte 2's I've worked on, but what I did was remove the screws holding the circuit board & autoformer to the plastic "cup" & was able to just flip it over & gain access to the solder side rear of the board, didn't have to desolder anything. Speaker placement always depends on room limitations & lay out, I'm sure they are fine as is if they sound good to you!

So you removed the wires from the binding posts? I suppose that way works but if you do it again, its so much easier to pull the passive & unhook the wires from the drivers terminals, then you pull out the entire crossover, binding posts & all. Avoids the desolder & resolder of the wires to the binding posts that you mentioned was difficult. From the research I did, I found many say the resistors dont really have an effect on the sound like the caps do & is probably not needed, but the mills resistors are of better quality than the stock cast ones. Probably not worth the effort on these though. I'm pretty sure they make a black stain that will help the scratches, but if they are too deep they may need to be sanded out & restained, or many people just use paint to recover these black speakers. They look pretty good in the pics. Also, depending on your space limitations, I suggest getting these off those high stands, it really hurts the bass output & the whole "ear level" thiing is way over rated IMO... maybe tilt them back a bit to help project the sound upwards if you are standing a lot in the room. But if you can, place them on the floor & into the corners of the room as much as possible, maybe a foot or so from the back wall & no more than 2-3 feet from the side walls & toed in a bit, it will really increase the bass output which the fortes are known for. Funny how they hold their own & maybe even exceed your $3000 jbl's. fortes are great speakers!

Looks good! The j-hook trick to make lead extensions works great, I stood the electrolytic cap up on end like the original was, but that was on forte 2's which have a bigger board & different arrangement I think. Did the speakers have any sound problems with the original caps, or did you just want to change them due to age? If they were sounding ok, the sound improvement migh not be as dramatic as mine were, it was like there was a blanket covering the mids & tweets on the one speaker, after the caps upgrade they sounded like brand new speakers. But at least you know yours are good for another 25+ years!

Glad it worked out for you. Many people say caps need some break in time, some say not. I "think" I noticed the sound seemed to smooth out after a few hours of medium volume. Let us know your impression on how they sound.

Yes, I meant to pull the terminal cup, but in order to remove it from the speaker you have to unhook the wires from each driver... looks like he used a little stand to set the cup on with wires still connected. I found it easier to remove it all the way & work comfortably on a table, works either way though. For removing the old caps I found it easier to just grab the cap with some needle nose pliers then touch the solder gun to the spot of solder from the backside & gently pull the cap... it will break free & pull out & should leave a nice open hole to insert the new caps leads. Then any minor remaining solder will just get re-flowed with the new solder. It doesnt take much solder at all, just touch the solder to the lead as you heat it & it will flow into the hole & lock it in place, then cut off any excess leads with side cutters. That desoldering braid is mainly for larger amounts of solder where it needs to be completely removed, for small caps like these you dont really need to wick away the solder. Also try to be carefull with the gun/heat, you don't want to get the board too hot, might damage the printed circuits, just enough to melt the solder to free the caps, then same for install, just enough time to melt the solder. Maybe practice soldering the old caps or small pieces of wire to get the feel for how much heat & time is needed. it's not difficult, just take a little practice & patience. The film caps are axial so the new axial caps will fit pretty easy into place, my tips for adding an extension with "j-hook bends" was mainly for the electrolytic one & it stands up on end. But I suppose it could lay on its side too.

The axial leads are easy to make work, just clip off some of the excess length on the bottom lead to use as extensions, you make small little j hook bends in both ends & solder them together to make the top lead long enough to bend & run down the side of the cap. When done right it mimics the radial caps leads & lets you place the leads into the holes of the board. If you have average or above soldering skills this should be pretty simple to make them work... trying to fit other oversized caps on these small boards is more difficult & simply not needed to get the sound improvement of new caps. You dont need to remove the drivers, with the passive radiator removed just unhook the wires from the terminals & the complete assembly comes out & lets you work on a table or bench. Mark the wires of course so they go back to the right locations. Its a good idea to glue in the peg inserts of original fortes, the forte2 uses magnets that dont come out. I would suggest a silicone adhesive type caulk for that, but elmers glue would work too, silicone seals better & doesn't get brittle over time like elmers could. Either will work fine. The cabinets of the fortes, quartet & chorus are built much better than the KLF or KG lines & usually never need reglued, don't think I've heard of any having problems. But if you want you can always run a bead of a quality wood glue along the seams, gorilla glue works great for this. & a few other tricks you can do that moray james has mentioned is to wedge a piece of rubber inbetween the back of the mid magnet & the rear panel, it acts as a brace to the big rear board, just enough to put a little pressure on it. & line the interior part of the mid horn with a dynamat type material to dampen the horn, same with the woofer basket. & another mod is to add about 2oz of weight with some washers to the rear passive at the center pole, this is supposed to tune the bass down a few hz, some people disagree with this & think it will damage something but I doubt thats the case & have never heard or read of any problems. good luck on the caps & post some pics when it's done.

I'm far from a cap expert so I can't say either way about those stock film caps, but from what I understand the current poly caps you would use to replace them are of a much higher quality then the stock caps, & they are new. I think its worth a few bucks to get all new poly caps, like I said the film caps in my fortes were indeed bad, replacing them made the speakers sound like they should. & yes the 47uf cap would be rather large & expensive & it doesnt need the benefits of a good poly cap. I have used the daytons & a few other similar priced brands in other speakers over the years & have been very happy with all of them. I'm sure the expensive caps are nice & they do have their place, all comes down to your budget... if you drive a 1985 mustang with 150k miles that you paid $1500 for then $2.50/qt oil is probably fine, but if you drive a new 2016 mustang with 500+ horse power that cost $50k then im sure you want the top of the line $15/qt synthetic oil. & putting that expensive oil in your old mustang wont make it run any better, just makes your wallet lighter!

These speakers have an electrolytic cap for the woofer roll off part, the others are film, but due to age they can all fall out of spec. I had some forte 2 that the mid & tweets sounded like crap in one speaker & not quite as bad in the other, at first I thought it was bad diaphrams but when I tested them with a meter they were within spec. So I took a chance & replaced the caps with some daytons from parts express, hooked them all back up & BAM, night & day difference. They were a completely different speaker, full bass & crisp clear mids & tweets. IMO, you do not need to buy the expensive caps, & many of them are physically larger & require a seperate board to mount. The improvement is from replacing the aged possibly out of spec cheap caps with new & better quality caps. For the average person with average gear, I highly doubt the human ear can tell the difference between a quality poly cap that costs a few bucks vs ones that cost 5-10x more. Granted, for very expensive top of the line speakers & gear like tubes or SS amps hat cost thousands of dollars etc then yes a more expensive cap may be in order, but for fortes & other "mid-fi" speakers & gear, you will be very happy with a decent cheaper cap like the daytons. & getting the same values as the originals will keep the sound exactly as klipsch designed, just better quality parts. The stock caps probably cost pennies each!

both mids & tweets checked out good. thanks again

thanks............................

ive been reading about the new a55g mid drivers & saw the comparison to the k55v dual phase drivers. the dual phase have been called the best/better sounding version of the k55 models. also looks like they were only available for a very short time (1982) i happen to have a pair of 1982 k-horns & am pretty sure they have the soldered terminal dual phase k55v's. can anyone tell me how to identify these drivers? is there a part # that will confirm it or another way like i have to remove them to see the dual phase plug? im considering upgrading to the new a55g but would keep the k55v if they are the dual phase plug version. or may replace some k55m's i have.

thank you sir. i will check mine out again to compare. last time i checked them was when i had the x-overs out & dont remember the exact number.

Curious if anyone has or can measure the ohms of the chorus 2 mid driver &/or the tweeter? i recently purchased a pair of WO ch2's & they didnt sound as good as my forte2's in the upper mid & tweet areas, they just didnt have that crisp klipsch sound these speakers are known for. so i replaced the caps in the x-overs & noticed an instant improvement & they sound much much better now. but im curious if the prev owner may have driven them too hard or abused them to the point the mid/tweet drivers are damaged. the only way i can think of verifying that is to see what other known good drivers measure. if thats not a good way to determine damage please edumacate me on a better way or if its even possible to determine that with an ohm meter. i just pull the rear passive & unhook the wires to the mid or tweet to eliminate the x-over from the readings. these are the earlier version ch2's with the stapled on paper tags, later ones ive seen have the stick on vinyl labels, not sure if that matters. any help would be appreciated to confirm my mid & tweet drivers are within spec.

i agree with WVU80's idea. just raise the tv a few inches... or, lower the mantle shelf?? BUT, i will say that def tech makes great sounding speakers, most here wont agree with that being this is a brand specific forum or haven't ever tried/heard them, but they sound very very good. just like many other brands of speakers & audio gear do, believe it or not there are other options out there.... i have quite a few different def tech speakers & IMO they sound excellent & in some ways even better than klipsch, especially their midlevel R series, but i wont get into that here. def tech is popular for the bi-polar versions but the mythos are direct radiating & would be a decent match to klipsch R series sound, they have a metal diaphram tweeter & i think klipsch R series do to. & unless you have absolutely no choice to use a center, ANY decent quality center is better than a phantom center IMO. especially in your situation where the tv is so much higher than the main speakers. for home theater you want the mains & center to be at least close to the same heights. & making your mains do the center channel output just hurts the overall performance compared to a real center IMO. if you can get the def tech for a decent price & you dont have an issue mixing brands, by all means give it a try. they come up on the used market all the time & if you dont like it you can resell it.

sorry to hear about your dislike of the forte 2's... you are right that each person hears different & some just dont like the horn sound. i own a pair of forte 2 & had the original fortes, also have many other klipsch, chorus 2, k-horns, kg 5.5, cf-4, etc etc. personally i like them all in certain ways & they all also have their downfalls. i listen mostly to rock, classic rock, some jazz & some newer rock/alt music... on many recordings they can sound "harsh" especially at higher volumes or like you mentioned when there are multiple instruments & the music is very "busy"... although on some recordings they can be rather impressive. but i agree, it shouldnt be so difficult to get that magical sound. i grew up in the 80's & 90's with many other brands of "mid-fi" speakers & gear & higher end car audio, & never noticed the harshness some klipsch can have. so i can identify with what youre saying. heres my personal opinion of suggestions for a more forgiving speaker that doesnt really lose any detail, & doesnt really require a sweet spot.... some here will not agree with this because they are dead set on horns or the klipsch brand. dont get me wrong, i love my klipsch otherwise i wouldnt still own 8 pairs of their upper end models, BUT, i can appreciate other brands & the qualities they have, just like fine women & cars or anything really... variety is not a bad thing! my suggestion for greatly improving the sweet spot & soundstage is with bi-polar based speakers, namely definitive technology. i have owned many of their speakers, initially for home theater & IMO they cant be beat for that purpose, but they are also great in 2-ch stereo as well... in some ways they are much better than standard box speakers. mainly in how forgiving they are for not perfect recordings or less than perfect gear, you can put in a cd that sounds terrible on big klipsch horns & it will sound fine on the def techs. why is that? i dont know, but its a obvious difference.... there is zero harshness or fatigue that you are saying the fortes have. but the most noticeable is how good they sound from almost anywhere in the room, because they have front & rear firing drivers they fill the room with very equal & balanced sound... its not just a gimmick & when done right bi-polar sound is pretty darn amazing. it has the ability to make the room feel much bigger & tone down harshness & the speakers almost disapear when you close your eyes! when watching a good movie they are far better than direct radiating speakers... no sweet spot is required for movies or music but there is still the ideal spot as with any speaker. after hearing almost all their models past & present i feel the best bang for the buck is the last generation of the built in subwoofer models... the 7000 series. i have the 7002 which has dual 5.25 drivers & 1" tweet on the front & same on the rear panel plus a 300 watt 12" powered sub. they also have 2 smaller models & 2 bigger models in that series, the 7001 & 7000sc are incredible speakers but priced a little higher than the rest. the 7002's can be had for well under a grand for the pair. & also the non powered models like bp10 or the biggest ones in that line the bp30 can be had for $400-$600. i have the 7002 & bp30's running in a 2 ch stereo 4 speaker set up & it will hang with the big k-horns & equal the chorus or fortes, but at louder levels has no harshness that can happen with horns . granted they might not have the all out shear volume the k-horns are capable of, but the sound is much more pleasing overall in most situations & you dont have to have a specific selection of recordings that sound good like you do for the k-horns. i realize thats a matter of the klipsch super high sensativity ratings, but if you dont like how they saound & dont have $$$ for tubes or dac's or other specialty gear & x-over upgrades to make them sound good, whats the point? any speaker will benefit from upgrades, buying EQ & DAC's & new caps for the x-overs will improve the sound just like klipsch... apologies to anyone that takes offense to suggesting a speaker other than klipsch, thats not my intent, but if you go to other forums that are not brand specific, you will see many people just simply dont like the horn sound. i for one do like it, in certain situations, many situations... but also have an open mind to appreciate what other brands have to offer. look around on craigslist or ebay etc for some def tech in the same price range as your fortes, i think you will be surprised how good they really are. oh & a big plus is def techs customer service... best in the business. no unobtainable parts or paying for a recone etc... just no questions asked awsome customer service. i am a longtime klipsch fan & will always be, but there really is a whole 'nother world of audio out there, if you give it a chance. best of luck in finding the sound you are looking for.

sorry, not a smidge. i had 3 & they all sold within a week or 2.

as mentioned the klf 30 should have great bass. i think its worth mentioning to check the settings in the receiver/preamp. scrappydude touched on this by saying make sure teh sub is turned off, just to be clear that doesnt mean turn off the sub itself, (but it should be off for testing anyways) it means check the receiver/pre & make sure you tell it subwoofer off or no. i have done this myself once back when 5.1 was new & receivers had sub on/off options. so if you have a sub & it was connected i bet your sub setting is set to on... that will cut bass below usually a default 80hz to the main speakers & send it to the sub. i sold a friend my old onkyo receiver that does this & even though i told him about it he forgot & went for weeks with the bass being cut to his dual 12" main speakers. first time i got to hear it i knew right away it was set wrong, he was blown away when i turned the sub setting off. worth a second check to be sure its set to off, or most new components let you pick full range to the mains & keep the sub turned on.

waste of time calling klipsch, these are long gone. simply speakers will re-cone this with a almost perfect match material & accordian surround for about $50. well worth the money IMO.

Sold- KG1 speakers in matching oiled oak. few minor chips & dings, look great overall. woofers & tweets are nice & speakers sound very good for their size. they make great surrounds for a 5.1 or a smaller 2ch system. $100/pr + shipping. 2 pair available. can email pics if interested. located in eastern iowa

agree with you wvu80, barker is not really special in what he does, but if you check out some of his other clips or the "warm up" clip posted above, he is very good at what he does, & some of the stuff is rather tricky for some drummers... i appreciate his style for what it is. & he has been traditionally taught, pretty sure he did the whole marching band thing in school, he just branched off to his own style. im quite sure he knows & can play all the parradiddles. now steve gadd, hes on a whole nother level! one of my all time favs... the intro & basic beat to "50 ways" is down right awsome! always liked that song & anything from paul simon... & hearing someone play that correctly in person can give you goosebumps & a perma-grin! my friend that is very good can play it almost perfectly. another all time fav drummer of mine & probably one of the best drummers for real style is jeff porcaro of toto fame, & he plays on many other bands albums like steely dan etc. although he passed away awhile back from lawn pesticides, hes one of the best IMO. talk about funky grooves.., the shuffle beat on the song "rosanna" is just excellent & many others of his songs are very difficult to play. i have his instructional dvd. good stuff. my list of favorite drummers is pretty long, each has their own style & skill that i appreciate.

yeah thats a good one too, but i wouldnt call it a "funky groove"... its more of a fast & heavy rock type beat to me, almost sounds like their earlier "punk" stuff. a funky groove is more like the fallen one i posted... & i really like the sound & feel of "i miss you" its a good song all around but the drums in it sound great & are a tricky beat to play.

yep i dig blink 182 & mr barker... been a fan of them for many years & really like his drumming style too. ive played drums for 20+ years, just mess around & self taught playing to easier rock stuff like ac/dc, van halen, & all kinds of other stuff. i have a few friends that play also & one friend that plays in quite a few local bands & teaches from his home studio. hes an amazing drummer that can play almost anything, jazz to rock to modern. i like all the vid clips you posted, but you should check out one of their not so popular tunes... a song called "the fallen interlude" it has a awsome drum beat to it & is a great song for turning up loud on klipsch speakers, it has one of the lowest bass passages ever. carefull though it can abuse your woofers! the drum beat is a continuation of another very good song of theirs called "down". heres a link to both songs but the fallen is really awsome.... turn it up!

wow, what a bargain! wish you could flag ebay ads! http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-KLIPSCH-EPIC-CF3-BLACK-SATIN-SPEAKERS-USED-EXCELLENT-CONDITION-/262410532891?&_trksid=p2056016.m2516.l5255