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doesnt klipsch say to not use wax on the oiled finishes? thought i read that in the heritage speakers manual.

thank you sir. i should have mentioned i have replaced many surrounds & dust caps before on other home & car speakers but your tips are great for ones who may not be familiar with doing this. also aware it doesnt change the sound. its more of a cosmetic thing for me... or perfectionism, or OCD type of thing, i like to keep my gear & speakers & stuff in nice shape. hate it when people push in dust caps! lol. & on that same note the material does matter, to me, i want it to look right & match the other one. think what they call felt is a very close match to stock klipsch. dont tell moray james about the mass thing... a paper dust cap weighs probably 5 grams.... 2 big washers weigh 2.5oz! i think i want to stay the same size, the new cap has a lip to meet the cone, just like the stock one. when i cut the inside of the old cap off it will leave that very thin lip that is whats actually glued to the cone, i will just glue the new cap right onto that lip & it will be the exact same size. the cap will be raised the thickness of the material but hardly noticeable... compared to going to a 5" cap. would like both caps to match, incase i ever sell them, &, on account of that OCD thing!

if you mean they have a laquer clear coat then a stain or watco/howards type oils will not do much if anything for them. the wood is sealed by the laquer & would need to be sanded to restain the wood. it might suck up a little color if the laquer is dried out but i wouldnt want to oil laquered or poly coated woods.

may need to replace a dust cap on my forte2 passive. it is a 4.5" cap but my question is what material would it be? paper or felt? simply speakers has a goood assortment of caps but some are paper & some are felt. i think i would call the forte cap felt as you can kind of see "fibers" or hairs like a felt material vs solid smooth paper. anyone ever had to replace these caps & know for sure what material it is? i will try all the other trick to pull it out first but so far tape & a househole upright vac have failed. shop vac is next.

trust, if they were walnut or oak i would seriously be considering a road trip. but they have to be priced a little better to justify 8 hours one way! hope someone can take advantage of these. maybe the karma will come back to me???

thanks for the advice, but as you can see in the pics, i need some color added back to the sun faded top. dont think clear would help that.

looks like a nice setup for the price & he will seperate at about $700 for the chorus. a little too far for me otherwise i would be all over them. good luck to those searching for these! http://columbus.craigslist.org/eld/4905502934.html

thats good to hear you had good results on the k-horns. what oil did you use? i like lemon oil for maintnance but it does have a slight smell to it for a short time untill it exaporates. never thought of olive oil, i use it for cooking & salad dressing though! im debating on the watco vs howards myself for my fortes that need some refinishing on the top of one thats sun faded, but i think the howards is best for my situation since it has some stain in it.

thanks for the link geoff... & welcome to the klipsch forum. i think i decided on trying the howards since its available locally for pretty cheap & has some great reviews. im more concerned with restoring the finish/color of the top you see in the pics, its sun faded & howards has some stain in it. these arent antiques or very old that they need special cleaning which is what the "kramerize" product seems to be intended for. but on that subject, what is the best way to clean the surface of oiled klipsch cabinets? just mineral spirits or a household cleaner like 409 or jjust some mild dish detergent & water? very lightly sprayed on a cloth first, not direct on the wood. any opinions on how to deal with the "spots" i show? sand or rub lightly with steel wool first to remove the darker areas then blend in with the howards??? anyone ever seen the stain spots like that on their klipsch speakers? probably more common on the walnut or darker stains.

thanks artto. im not in a hurry per say, but sooner the better. i will PM you for more details. thanks again.

klipsch doesnt think so.... http://www.klipsch.com/forte-floorstanding-speaker/details You have chosen a discontinued Klipsch product. For information on the latest Heritage series, please click here. The three-way Forte was first introduced in 1985 and manufactured by Klipsch until 1989. While no longer in production Forte model loudspeakers are still owned and listened to by Klipsch fans around the world as part of two-channel audio and home theater surround sound systems. To connect with other people who are passionate about audio and interested in Klipsch products visit our open forum bulletin board.

yep, fortes. still a great price & comes with what looks like a 8" sub, plus the brown speaker & a jbl sub. for $200! hurry up & get em if youre interested... the flood gates have been opened!

isnt this more than they sold for new?? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Klipsch-Forte-II-Main-Stereo-Speakers/171683408936?_trksid=p2050601.c100272.m3467&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140813112422%26meid%3D201775729ba44a798acf867a8c4be988%26pid%3D100272%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D380624764210%26clkid%3D4242778263760899974&_qi=RTM1963931

correct.

thanks but im looking for chorus 2, not fortes....

weekend bump... missed a couple pairs in the last month or so in my area so still looking. looking to OWN, not to re-sell. please let me know if anyone sees any in the midwest or if anyone is considering parting with theirs. cash in hand for a "fair" price or possible trades for other klipsch speakers or s/s gear. thanks!

i agree with what opus said. however, as he mentioned i think there are others, members & non members that basically just poach this section to find "deals" with no other intention but making money. have seen quite a few posts as of late that members actually say thats what they would do. "oh, thats a great deal & theres money to be made." nothing wrong with that i guess, but to me that is taking advantage of this section & other people, members & non members. if your goal is just to find deals & poach off this section you are basically a "flipper" & ruin any good deals for others. that can be frustrating to others that are really just looking to OWN a certain model of klipsch speaker, upgrading or adding to their system. once something is posted here its pretty much a race to get it & all youre doing is fighting with other "members" that may or may not have good intentions. & on the same note, has anyone noticed all the "WANTED" ads on craigslist lately for "VINTAGE STEREO GEAR" those guys are exactly what im talking about, they are "vultures" with no other intention but to buy stuff super cheap & then turn around & flip it for a huge profit, i know of quite a few of them in my searches lately. if you watch craigslist regularly you will see speakers or gear that was listed a few weeks ago for a great deal that was snaked by a vulture only to be relisted for 2-4 times what they paid. ruins the hobby. personally i have owned & sold maybe 5 pairs of klipsch speakers over a 15+ year timeframe, sold each pair for basically what i paid for them, i didnt jack up the price because of what the market was or has become due to false factors. its kind of like the barret-jackson auction effect on classic cars, just because a super rare or top level restoration mustang sold for $50k does not mean every run of the mill mustang out there is worth that. same applies to "most" klipsch speakers, these arent rare by any means there are probably 10's of thousands of fortes, & chorus & other heritage speakers out there that should sell for less than half what they sold for new. but because of the flippers all the good deals you see get snagged up & then prices jaked up so they can make a buck. sorry for the long rant, but after you see that happen it becomes obvious there are those types out there & that is what ruins this hobby for others just starting out or wanting to upgrade or change their system. unfortunantly the alerts section has started to contribute to this. bottom line, if you see something you want, probably best to not post it here, & as opus said, if you see something you know another members has been looking for, PM them the info because posting it here just attracts the vultures & its all down hill from there!

just something to think about on the break in thing... if these were open box speakers or "returns" there is no telling how long the prev owner(s) had them. theoretically they could have 100's of hours on them or at least as much as you have before the guy decided he didnt like the way they sound. i would hook up the new one by itself for a few hours at mid volume & even do a left/right comparison to the other good one you have &/or the broken one. that will tell you if there was really an problem with the other 2 or if you just dont like the heresy sound compared to the klf.

i just bought a pair of forte2 speakers in oiled walnut & had a few questions on improving their finish. mainly, which of these 2 products do you guys prefer & why? i've done quite a bit of work on refinishing clear or poly coated woods & had great results but never worked on oiled finishes & just want to be sure i dont mess them up. the veneer is in great shape overall, no water rings or damage, but one speaker obviously sat in the sun & the top has faded quite a bit & has very light raised grain in some areas. my question is do i sand the surface with a fine grit paper then apply the oil/restorer of choice? or is it better to use 0000 steel wool or something else. howards restorer instructions say to use steel wool while rubbing in the product for raised grains or to blend out rings & stains. & if i go with the howards restorer what shade best matches the klipsch oiled walnut? they have a walnut & a dark walnut. i assume the standard walnut is best as the finsih isnt very dark on all the OW klipsch i have seen. just dont want to go too dark & not be able to go lighter without more work. can always apply 2 or 3 coats if i want it darker. also on the surface of one speaker are some "spots" where it looks like the stain dribbled some when applied. prev owner was the original owner & said they were like that from day one & the retailer said they see that direct from klipsch sometimes. can these spots be sanded out then re-oiled & look good? thanks in advance

if youre budget doesnt allow buying new & you want an avr for movie use too, i would suggest an onkyo receiver from around 3-5 years ago, the txnr 805-809 series are very good receivers & have most the modern features like hdmi, audesy set up, & 7.1 etc etc. i have an 805 & its rated at 130 watts per all channels & sound great in 2ch music, SACD music or movie modes. for the used prices ($250-350) of a good working unit they cant be beat.

thanks for the info & pics. they are very clean as is but i will do a clean before applying anything or using abrasives. any suggestions on what to clean with? the rasied grain is VERY light, just a few areas that you just barely feel when running your hand over the tops, sides & edges are nice & smooth & not discolored, just dry. its only the top. seems like a light sand with fine papaer would take care of it in quick order & be ready to apply the restorer. any suggestions on the spots i show? looks like the guy applying the stain/oil at klipsch dribbled a few drops & it passed inspection. whats the best way to lighten up just the spots & be able to blend with teh rest of the top? maybe rub just the spots with steel wool then apply a heavy coat of the howards restorer (or even actual stain) untill the color blends in.

i have a single kg5.5 grille for sale. in very nice shape with only 1 very small hole in fabric at top right corner of frame, smaller than a BB & hard to see unless its 6" or less from your face. & being its on the frame its not an "open" hole, the black frame makes it hard to see. rest of fabric is very nice & not faded at all, frame is unbroken & all magnets are there. klipsch emblem is nice too. got this extra grille when i sent in the speaker to klipsch for cabinet repair, it was sent without a grillle & came back with a grille, been in storage for 15+ years. $40 shipped within usa.

thanks for the reply. howards does specifically say to use steel wool for rings or stains/marks. you might want to try it again & see if that helps on your table. yes the fortes are nice speakers, i have the original fortes & the 2's now. originals are in perfect shape but as you can see in the pics the 2's have a sun faded top on one & the spots on the other. will probably go with the howards as its intended more for "restoring" the surface & has some stain in it. just looking for others opinions that have used it or done restoration work to oiled veneers.

i just bought a pair of forte2 speakers in oiled walnut & had a few questions on improving their finish. mainly, which of these 2 products do you guys prefer & why? i've done quite a bit of work on refinishing clear or poly coated woods & had great results but never worked on oiled finishes & just want to be sure i dont mess them up. the veneer is in great shape overall, no water rings or damage, but one speaker obviously sat in the sun & the top has faded quite a bit & has very light raised grain in some areas. my question is do i sand the surface with a fine grit paper then apply the oil/restorer of choice? or is it better to use 0000 steel wool or something else. howards restorer instructions say to use steel wool while rubbing in the product for raised grains or to blend out rings & stains. & if i go with the howards restorer what shade best matches the klipsch oiled walnut? they have a walnut & a dark walnut. i assume the standard walnut is best as the finsih isnt very dark on all the OW klipsch i have seen. just dont want to go too dark & not be able to go lighter without more work. can always apply 2 or 3 coats if i want it darker. also on the surface of one speaker are some "spots" where it looks like the stain dribbled some when applied. prev owner was the original owner & said they were like that from day one & the retailer said they see that direct from klipsch sometimes. can these spots be sanded out then re-oiled & look good? thanks in advance going to post this in the technical section, i realize this isnt really a "2ch home audio" topic.

bump