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thenewold

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Posts posted by thenewold

  1. Hey All. I posted last year about my Forte I restoration project, and wanted to follow up on my experience. Once I finished the Forte, I started a second larger format horn project with a pair of Altec Lansing A8's pulled from an old theater in San Diego. I've been running those for several months, and am now back to using the Forte with my latest amp - the Toolshed Amps Euphoria Stereo 45. Matt Formanek is no stranger to these forums, so you may already be familiar. 

     

    If not, I recommend his site - http://toolshedamps.com for more photos and specs, etc. 

    Disclaimer: I helped Matt build his site this winter. (Donated my time) I've no incentive to write/post reports, outside of wanting to share the excellent quality of TS Amps with you folks here.  

     

    I bought my E45 last summer, and have been driving both the Altec's and Forte with it since. Being a flea-watt amp, I didn't expect much - if I'm honest - despite the Forte's 98db rating. My listening space is small (13'x10'x9') and quiet, so I don't need much power to get where I want to go with playback. I have a great digital chain and a nice analog setup (Clearaudio Concept 'table w/2M Blue, and Lounge Audio LCR MKIII phono pre) running directly into the E45. I had Matt build mine as an integrated, because I intended to use it primarily as a headphone amp. It has both headphone and speaker outputs, and will switch between 8 and 16 ohms. I also use Audioquest Nighthawks as my primary headphone. While ultimately I do intend to get another more powerful amp, this setup is very satisfying driving both speakers and headphones.

     

    First, it's very quiet for a DHT amp. Even with 'phones, I hear only the slightest hum when no music is playing. There's no hum pot on the E45. It's extremely quiet for this type of design. Of course, the 45 tube is known for low distortion, great tone and timbre, and tremendous insight...I'm loathe to use 'detailed' as a description but it is that. 2 watts or so of output limits it's use, but for Klipsch Heritage owners, this is perhaps less of an issue.

     

    For the past couple weeks, I've had the Forte back in the room (actually selling them, and am happy now there's been little interest!). Whoa. Running the amp about 1:00 or '7 to 8' on the dial, and I'm getting (dependent on the material) excellent drive and power from this pair. Describing sound is kind of silly - so subjective - but, this rig does exactly what I want from my hifi. It's delivering the nuance of a performance, realistic tone, plenty of scale and drive in my space. No, it won't deliver pants flapping low end, or ultimate grip and control of those big lf drivers, but that's not what this design is about, ya? Again, I'll be grabbing another 10-20 watt amp later on. That said, the bass has enough control and reach for my space and preferences. My listening preferences are all over the map - from heavy rock, jazz, electronic, limited hip hop and some classical. 

     

    In the end this experience confirms for me that the heritage line easily competes with other modern designs, and of course does the 'live' music sound better than most. If your preferences lean more toward nuance and a realistic tone, vs muscle and scale, then a DHT amp may be worth looking into. 

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Euphoria_ST45_Front1_Small1.jpg

  2. Time to clear the house - I'm providing links to my posts covering the Forte project, instead of dropping the photos here. Will add photos of the Dynaco soon.

     

    I've a pair of Forte I that have been restored/upgraded with Crites crossovers (also upgraded with some nice parts) new Ti tweeter diaphragms. Original mid drivers, lf drivers, and passives. They sound beautiful. Cosmetically rough - I stripped the black paint and stained the veneer underneath. These were purchased last year, and were not cared for prior to my purchase - the stands should be rebuilt, I think. Many spots where the veneer is gone. A good purchase if you're wanting to restore the cabinets. Again, they sound awesome, so also good if you're less concerned with the look. I have the grills too - one badge missing. They look worn, and never used them.

     

    Asking $800

     

    http://thenewold.co/the-vintage-project-klipsch-forte-crossover-updates/

    http://thenewold.co/the-vintage-project-forte-i-stands/

    http://thenewold.co/the-vintage-project-klipsch-forte-i-great-lows-and-no-highs/

    http://thenewold.co/the-vintage-project-klipsch-forte-i-listening/

    http://thenewold.co/the-vintage-project-klipsch-forte-i-almost-finished/

     

     

    Also have a Dynaco ST70 I traded for last year. DIYtube mods installed by another owner. Sounds good. Including the full tube complement. 

    Asking $500

     

    Finally, I've a Dynaco ST150 amp. Not sure of it's history, but I've had it on the shelf for years.

    It's working, though likely needs a cleaning and recap. Power switch is always on, so also needs to be fixed. 

    Asking $100

     

    Will consider fair offers on all of these. Prefer local pickup, so you can see and listen to them.

     

    Thanks,

    Darren

     

  3. Selling the recently restored Forte series I. Cabinets are a bit rough. Stands need refinishing. All electronics are upgraded-

    Crites diaphragms in the HF driver. Mids and woofer are original and in excellent condition. Crites crossovers upgraded with Jupiter Copper/Foil, Duelund JAM and Obbligato caps. Duelund resistors. Duelund tinned copper wire.

     

    Come check them out.b8b1dd8d1a3e6dd5b19aabd3cfbbd146.jpg599580568d5347f1831ac542607e798b.jpgd98788ccef0a530ab1cf01ed71d624a9.jpg1eb139f72c254e20bfb56eb57471476b.jpge53ac7c53c09d52c04dc142e0002df98.jpg

     

    Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

     

     

  4. Been running the Forte for a couple weeks now. Using Crites crossovers. I am slowly replacing the stock caps with my own. The first move was to drop in a pair of Jupiter CF 1.5uF - I had these on the shelf from a previous project. After running those for a week, I added the Duelund JAM 1.0uF caps. These are a new 'budget' line from Duelund. Really digging how they sound now. 

     

    In the meantime, I got an offer to trade my Tekton speakers for a modded Dynaco ST70 (DIYtube). So I'll run this until my new amp is built. 

     

     

    forte_xo_up1.jpg

    fortexo2.jpg

    ST70_6CA7z.jpg

  5. Alright, new XO's are in, and I'm running them for a bit before I mess with setup. 

     

    Question on positioning in a small space:

    With the passive drivers what happens if I push the speakers closer to the wall?

    Currently have them about 30" from the front wall.

  6. Hello! 

    I've had both the Primaluna Prologue premium integrated and an Amps&Sound Mogwai more recently. I don't have Cornwalls and haven't heard the Dialogue HP. Both amps offer great sound, though the PPP offers more features like multiple inputs, remote, etc. The Mogwai is more budget friendly and offers the same tube rolling opportunity if you get into that. Of course the HP has 10 times the output of the Mogwai. I've also got Matt from ToolShed Amps building a 3watt stereo amp for me now. I'll post on that down the road. There's no substitute for listening in your space, of course. In my experience both PL and A&S are solid amps with good sound and reliability. Never had issues with either.

  7. I did something similar...tape and heavy paper over the front/drivers. 

    Ya, I dig it! Much better than the black paint, even with the scars. Some damage to the veneer - not sure where these lived before I grabbed them. 

     

    Hah! Thanks for noticing...we got a new mattress today.

  8. 3 hours ago, ACM said:

    I had the same problem with my forte 2's. Ended up getting some hairpin legs, 10" long. This brought the mid horn closer to my seated ear height and made the asthmatics blend better with my wife's decor. Win, win! 

    IMG_0440.thumb.JPG.1bd5d65cc08642f3652885858170ed84.JPG

    Nice! Did you find any material change to performance with that kind of lift?

    I was wondering what raising the speaker beyond the original design might do.

  9. Hello! 

    This may be more complex than you want to get...but http://www.sonore.us/Sonicorbiter.html connects directly to your network via ethernet cable and has both USB and optical outputs. You could stream Tidal for example with this but you'd need a DAC or pre with optical inputs.

     

    I have been using their microRendu for streaming, and it is a fantastic product. But it's more expensive and is limited to USB output. I connect it to my dac. I've alot invested in my digital chain. Still, Sonore are making great gear for streaming music.

  10. Hello! Have you decided on an amp? 

    I have some experience with more contemporary midline tube amps. I drove my 98db Lore with the 3 watt Ampsandsound Mogwai for a time. Good entry level tube amp with plenty of opportunities for tube rolling. I've driven same speakers with a  Primaluna Prologue premium integrated too. I've now got a pair of Forte I here and Matt from ToolShed is building me an amp. Hope to have everything running in several weeks.

    • Like 1
  11. 1 hour ago, oldred said:

    Risers are pretty easy to fix...The brackets can be reattached with a hot glue gun...you could drill a couple small holes through the the plastic corner brackets and screw them on.

    Just use short enough screws ( not to break through the outside of the risers).

    Taking off all the old veneer ...you will need a heat gun and a good L shaped scraper...and a little work (patients). You can get adhesive backed veneer from Rockler.

    Just cut into 2 3/4 inch strips and re veneer the sides.....staining to match is not so easy....use some of the veneer scrap pieces to match .

     

    See photos.

    George

    WP_20151203_16_53_15_Pro.jpg med.jpg

    WP_20151203_16_53_20_Pro.jpg med.jpg

    WP_20151203_16_56_59_Pro.jpg med.jpg

    WP_20151205_14_45_57_Pro.jpg med.jpg

    And, those cabinets are gorgeous.

     

  12. I just bought a pair of Forte I and will be setting them up in a small space. I have room to get them off the front wall - approx. 30". 24" from the sidewalls and 7' apart. Listening position about 7' away. As a starting point, similar to my old speakers position.

     

    I'll be driving them with a low watt tube amp. 

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