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hi. just wondering what are the main differences between the original & 2nd series of fortes & chorus speakers? aside from the obvious like the passive radiators in the fortes going from 12" to 15". or the ports to passive on the chorus. & what are opinions on which versions sound better? i own a set of original fortes & love them, but have always wondered if i'm missing anything worth while compared to the 2nd version. i'm looking for a set of chorus to add to my collection & wondering which one is "better." i've heard & read mixed reviews, some swear the original chorus are better & some like the 2nd series.

yeah that didnt blend too well. sorry i should have clarified, you cant just sand one or 2 spots & stain just them, after sanding the stains & scratches etc, you need to sand the entire surface to get it to look as light as the spots you concentrated on. its almost impossible to match a spot in the middle of the surface. maybe if you did the entire top it could match an untouched side, but not just a spot in the middle. if the stainisnt penetrating it needs to sit longer, the suggested 2-5 minutes was just a starting point so it didnt get too dark the first time around. also since they are laquered, the stain wont absord evenly if you have random spots heavily sanded. are we sure they are laquered? is there an "O" in the oak letters on the tag? my apologies again for not completely explaining every aspect of this, i assumed some of it was self explanitory. try to resand the entre surface to match the spots you sanded, then do another coat of stain & let it sit for 10-15 minutes, apply a little heavier on the heavy sanded spots & even let sit a little longer in those areas if needed. do you have an electric sander? that might make sanding the large areas a little easier, you can get one from harbor freight for very cheap, $15-$20.

mine was from earlier in the morning.

darn it! but he told me he had the chorus's ive been looking for... & he wanted to buy my woofers!

for jumpers, since they are so short, any 16ga OFC wire would be fine & easy to connect. you dont need big fat wire for that. my cf-4's went through many gear changes while i had them. at first they were just hooked to an onkyo 105wpc receiver & used for 2ch music & some occasional 5ch movie. then as i got other speakers to dedicate to home theater use, they were moved to 2ch only duty hooked to adcom seperates. the adcom at 200wpc made them really come alive. like you said the more power (clean) they get the better they sound. they are rated at 1200 peak & a very high continuous power. due to the high efficiency they sounded good down lower too on both my onkyo & adcom gear. i would increase the bass a bit at lower levels or use "loudness." i felt they were a little large for casual TV listening, ive never been one to use a stereo for "normal TV viewing like news or sitcoms etc... & never got the whole "crank up a football game thing" why would anyone want to listen to a cheering crowd & announcers calling plays through their stereo?!? the tv speakers have alwys been fine for me on that kind of stuff. your 100wpc receiver should be fine for the time being, but after you get them refinished they really do deserve some "better" gear, look into a better brand receiver if you want both music & movies ability, or get some nicer used seperates if new isnt in the budget. you can fine good deals on used amps & preamps on ebay CL or even on this forum.

lookin good! i would have skipped the filler for the gouge too if it sanded out to look better, restaining it will improve it alot & not be so obvious. i should have mentioned the sanding block too if you decided to do the whole speaker, thats a lot of area to sand. & im sure you know but be sure to sand with the grain. cross sanding will create scratches that will show up in the stain & look like crap. forearm cramps? try sanding an entire 70's firebird (or any car) for repainting prep. then color-sanding (wet-sanding) after the paint for buffing. then swirl remover & waxing the car. that causes complete body aches & numb forearms & hands. then do that all week as your job! its not my job but i feel for teh guys that do that. ive repainted 2 firebirds & did most the prep work. p/e posts should be fine, do one speaker & keep the other original. get some good wire for the jumpers, untill you can get another amp to bi-amp them!

if you use minwax stain i would stay with minwax poly, they are pretty cheap at home stores. yes you can try doing half & half on the bottom just to see how close it matches, but unless its to your liking i would lightly sand the entire speakers to get a fresh surface to lightly restain & then a coat of poly. but i have had good luck doing just the top on a speaker, the golden oak stain was very close match to the rest of the cabinet. if the sides are in good shape, aside form the gouge, maybe just clean em up real good & see how they look. no need to do them if they are good & you can get the tops to match. also, sometimes the stain will raise the grain just a bit, so after its dries good you may want to do a very light sanding to smooth it out, as long as it doesnt change the color too much. once you test the bottoms you will see its really pretty simple to do staining.

good points by ryan... agree you dont need the conditioner,its usually for soft woods like pine etc. the golden oak stain will make them look great, but be carefull on the 2 coats, its only required if you want it darker, the longer you let each coat sit the more it absorbs & darker the wood gets. i would do one light-med coat & let it sit for a few minutes them wipe off. reapply a 2nd coat if you want it darker. apply with an old cotton rag, shirt or towel & wipe off with a clean spot of the rag. if you were just doing the tops the spray is pretty good in that it self levels & avoids brush marks, if you are good at spraying paint then you could do the entire speaker, but a foam brush is nice too & eliminates most of the streak marks. work in a dust & debris free room & keep a wet edge & follow the directions on the can of stain & poly. & dont shake them, always stir or you will get air bubbles. also dont use the oil if you are using the stain & poly, surface needs to be as clean & oil free as possible to get good penetration of the stain & good adhesion of the poly. & i feel that since these were laquered originally you want to stay with a stain/poly finsih, the oil wont penetrate if there is residual laquer in the grain. the poly is the sealer/protector & will keep the finish as nice as it can be, will even protect from future water stains. as with auto painting... 90% of the finished product is in the prep, make sure you sand them evenly & get the stains out as much as you can but be carefull & try to think of how far into the veneer you are sanding... lots of sawdust means you have removed a lot of the veneer. but if you focus on one area like the stain, you will start to feel a valley in that area, so try to keep it even or "feather" out the edges of an area you sanded more of. same with the gouge, only sand enough to allow for a flush smooth area with the rest of the wood. i prefer the satin finish for oak & other woods, semi can look too glossy & be uneven if not mixed up well or as you work it can settle in the can & create uneven results, the satin is the best all around sheen & is very close to the original klipsch finish. maybe practice on the bottoms if you arent comfortable to attack the tops or sides right away? practice makes perfect!

thanks for the post, they look nice but i agree, a little pricey. thats ebay prices there. i see them go for ~$600 all the time in nice shape. actually just missed a pair of oak ones for $450 but it was a 4hr drive. probably would have done it but they sold in less than 24 hours!

just bumping this up. please let me know if you have or know of any chorus 2 speakers for sale. i'm not too picky on the finish, prefer walnut or maybe oak. (walnut will match my fortes & k-horns tho) i realize its a slim chance to find any & im not the only one looking, but worth a try....

wow! very nice. the whole family together for a picture.

you are welcome, happy to help where i can, ive got lots of help from others on here myself about my k-horns. the foam looks original & will usually look new as nothing really gets inside the speakers. the wire im not sure on, my cf's were series 2 & i cant recall if it was the clear jacket type wire you show. the brace looks like factory klipsch plywood scraps too but will let others confirm that one. regardless, it looks like some decent speakers & as long as the boxes dont rattle up loud you should be good to go with just cosmetic reapirs.

welcome to the club. ive been searching for some decent priced chorus 2's for awhile now.... how about if i find some i will let you know & you do the same for me???

i would be very interested in the k-horn grilles if the other member doesnt show. pm sent

hi, sorry to hear the boards were that loose. i will give my opinion but im sure others & moray james will have some "bettter" opinions. 1) plywood is ok but mdf may be better as its less resonate. also standard pine 2x4's cut up or 1"x1" is fine for other areas of framing/bracing. 2) i have seen a few klipsch that had variations in the amount of foam. basically they just layed in in there loosly on the sides & curved it around the top. keep it away from blocking the ports if possible, other than that, just mimic how it was originally. 3) i have never did the frame/screw approach but im sure its pretty simple, just attach some 1x1's in the right place to screw the boards to. but if you arent upgrading these to keep for a long time i dont feel thats needed, the gorilla glue or tight bond is VERY strong stuff & will last the life of the speaker. when applied right & fully cured the gorilla glue is actually stronger than the wood itself. it will pull apart the plys of plywood or break up MDF before it lets go. 4) i would just reglue that panel, taking it off is a lot of work & as stated above could cause more problems & effort than its worth. 5) i've never used the titebond on speakers so i will leae that to someone that has. however, i strongly suggest looking into the gorilla glue, it really is amazing stuff & when applied right (according to directions on the label) it expands & creeps into seams & areas i dont think titebond will reach. rough up the surface as much as you can, (80 grit sand paper) or even remove the thin layer of melamite & either glue will be a lifetime repair IMO. good luck!

hi. glad to weigh in with some advice/opinions. i owned my epic for about 15 years & had some cf-3's too. so i am very familiar with them, but probably not as good as some other on here, moray james should chime in eventually, hes done some upgrades to his cf-3's i think. the brace & foam is factory from what i recall. the medium oak indicates it is not an oiled finish, so re staining & a coat of poly is all thats needed. as for the gouge, if it broke the veneer then all you can do is use some wood filler, preferably one that says its "stainable" so it will at least blend into the color a bit after you stain them. or you can try some old english now & see if it hides it to your liking. minwax golden oak is the closest stain to the klipsch medium oak i have found. just put that speakers side facing in or out on the least visible side so the gouge doesnt show & bother you. the only other thing i would suggest is to hooke em up now & play some bass heavy music at higher volumes & listen to each speaker up close listening for any cabinet vibrations, some times on these post heritage series speakers the cabinets can come loose, more so on the KLF & KG series, but worth checking before you do all the refinish work, youd want to repair the lose cabinets while you are doing other work. inquire about that if/when its a problem. in that shape i imagine you got them for a good deal, so with a little effort you will have a great pair of speakers. IMO they are one of THE best speakers klipsch made & are very under rated & under appreciated. wish i wouldnt have sold mine.... even after owning the "mighty" k-horns.

xo's & mexico sticker are factory & very clean looking. the cabinets are rough but looks can be deceiving. get some 220 grit sand paper & sand lightly & carefully just to even up the finish over all, then concentrate on the rings & spots untill they are gone or improved as much as you can get them. youre working with about 1/32" veneer so dont sand to rough & go through. look at the stickers for what finish they are. if its OO thats oiled oak & all you need is some good furniture oil like boiled linseed oil to protect them & give some color back. if its laquer then you want to sand the entire cabinets evenly to remove the original thin laquer & then re-stain them with the color you like, i woudl suggest natural oak or golden oak for a little darker color, then use some minwax brand satin polyurethane to protect, either brush on or spray. spray might get a better finish if you arent goood with smoothing the brush strokes & it doesnt need to be thick at all. you can of course use laquer but its a little harder to apply & get a good finish. the poly stuff works excellent. enjoy the refinish process, the results are well worth it. cant beleive people treat their speakers like that... why do so many high dollar klipsch speakers have water rings & stains like that?!?

cool, glad the post was easy. pics of the veneer tops will show how bad the stains are. the veneer is pretty thin but you will be able to improve or eliminate the marks. hook them up & give them some power, they handle 1200 watts peak, so 110 of clean power wont hurt them. that doesnt mean full blast though, most avr receivers are maxed out around 60-75% of the volume knob. beyond that its just distorting. i bought the woofers for backups just in case. but since i just sold the speakers to help fund some corner horns, i obviously dont need them. actually i have 3 of them. i thought a center or sub would be a good DIY idea too. where are you located? enjoy the speakers!

hi. i used to own the cf-4 too. great speaker. looks like you have the series one, serial # reads 251st day of 1994. you should be able to fix the posts pretty easily, & the wood is veneer & should be able to sand it & re oil or stain it. i have some new klipsch replacement epic woofers if you happen to need a woofer or 2. https://community.klipsch.com/index.php?/topic/148881-new-epic-cf-4-woofers/

just saw your for sale ad, think its safe to assume what you decided on the comparison. like i said ive only heard the mythos in the store 1 time & they werent this model number. comparing any speaker to klipsch can be tough, especially if you like or are used to the sound of klipsch. i love my klipschs & my def techs, they are not apples to apples so each one has its strong points. if i had to choose one, i would pick klipsch too. still curious to hear your reviews of the 2....

great info for packing them. however if you cant get flat cardboard to "wrap" them, walmart sells nice double wall boxes for about $3 each. you will need 2 per speaker, slip one inside the other to make one box just big enough to fit the speaker. if you cant get styrofoam, you can use lots of bubble wrap or other box stuffing but the styrofoam is a good cheap way to insulate the speaker. as for the ferry issue, you would need to bring them into town & drop off at a local fedex, ups or usps depot. or a mailboxes etc type store that handles packages for other carriers. fedex/ups should be able to ship them for a decnt price within the usa. where are you located?

didnt realize you already owned the 82's. wow, those sure do look nice, curious to know if you think they sound as nice as they look??? hopefully you have goood power to test them. a common misconception i have found with comparing klipsch to other speakers is that klipsch's high efficiency rating will fool you into thinking they are "better" or "louder" than other brands when doing a true A-B comparison. example: when i got my used fortes recently i hooked them to teh B channnel of my receiver, had def tech bp 7006 on the A ch. i played them for a few friends & they all said "the klipsch are way better" (& granted the fortes are overall "better" IMO than the small little 7006's) but when switching from A to B at the same volume level, the high efficiency of the klipsch gave the impression they were louder because technically they were. however, when turning the volume up a bit to match the DB of the klipsch it was a whole new ballgame, the def techs sounded pretty much as good if not a little better in some ways than the fortes. not as bright & a much smoother high freq & more room filling soundstage, they didnt have the small limited "sweet spot" that most direct radiating speakers can have. bottom line, compare the speakers at equal Db levels so the higher efficiency doesnt fool you to thinking one is "better" than the other. & yes i agree the high efficiency is an atttribute to klipsch speakers... but if you have the power, other speakers can be driven to the same DB level & then a fair comparison of sound can be made.

hi. the serial numbers are off far enough that they could very well be a different series. heres how the number read. 1st one is the 212th day of 1995, definantly a series 3. the info i have says series 3 was introduced in the summer of 95. 2nd one is the 58th day of 1995, early enough that it is most likely a series 2. easiest way to tell is to measure the ports, series 1 & 2 should have about 5" ports, series 3 will have 2-2.5" ports. also series 1 & 2 have a lighter greyish colored mid horn, series 3 is black. its possible that when you sent it in for repair they swapped your drivers into a later box. box could have been damaged on its way there or something. cant believe klipsch would pay to have the entire 100lb speaker shipped back to them for a simple tweeter replacement. hope that helps

def techs are at all best buy "magnolia" stores as well as other chains. & most cities have a klipsch retailer.

seperate subs = something to break too.... & with def tech, you are far from SOL. even when out of warranty you can contact them & 9 times out of 10 they will send you a replacement woofer or amp board for ... wait for it... FREE! aside from being an all around good speaker, def tech has the best service in the business. i have bought a pair of used def tech bi polar speakers with the powered subs, the amp was bad on one speaker, i called them & they sent a new replacement for free, i didnt even have to ask, just mentioned it was bad & that i didnt have a receipt... proactively they offered to send a new one. & on top of that sent a woofer "just in case" it was damaged by the amp going bad. blew my mind to get that kind of service for speakers that were out of the warranty & i wasnt the original owner. so rest assured that def tech will treat you right or you can buy a replacement at their cost. a new sub amp for most speakers is about $80. back on topic, i have heard the mythos speakers in the store & they do sound good & are a direct radiating speaker, i prefer the bi polar models with built in sub. you can get the 7000 series for great deals on ebay or used, & while they sound great for music with good gear, they are ammazing for movie use. i know it can be tough saying other brands are good on a brand specific forum, but i'm just stating my opinion to the question asked. i do like the heritage series klipsch for my main 2ch system & prefer klipsch in general, but i am not biased & feel many other speaker brands have their strong points too.