Tancred

Has been sold.

Price is now $1100

Excellent condition, low hours on cartridge. Includes original boxes, felt mat, Audioquest anti-static cleaner and Riverstone VTF Gage. $1300

The amps have been sold

I'm in Birmingham. And can work with anyone interested on the price or shipping costs. Please text me at 202.215.6898.

Quick Silver Mini-Mite Mono amps, 25wpc. Comes with one set of used tubes and 3 unused 6L6GC tubes. I think I bought these amps on this site. I do not have original boxes. Used these amps lightly over the last 3 years. Would ship in separate boxes or one big box. Buyer pays shipping costs. $800 Can text 205-215-6898

I don't want to highjack the thread, just thought this might be relevant to the discussion. I will be putting a brand new, unopened Aiqin/Oldchen Luxury EL34 set up in triode mode on Garage Sale as soon as it gets here. Will make a great deal on it for anyone wanting to give it a try.

Mine are the original Fortes. I'm liking the serious toe in like Ski Bum suggested. It does seem to preserve the imaging.

Great tip on positioning speakers, Ski Bum.

I've been listening to my new to me Fortes for a little over a week. Horns stir strong opinions on both sides, and if I'm being honest I never considered Klipsch an "audiophile" brand. I was actually very happy with my B&W CM5s (now for sale if someone is interested), but I wanted to try something different. I found the Fortes at what I thought was a good price and the owner was close enough for me to audition. Needless to say, I brought them home even though the audition room was less than ideal. I'm glad I took the chance. These things reveal more than I've ever heard from music that I know well. Do they image as well as the B&Ws? No, but they're pretty close. The British speakers also have a little more definition as well. For me, where the Fortes excel is in involvement. They bring you into the music. If you're not familiar with it, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's Will The Circle Be Unbroken was recorded with minimal engineering, as I understand it everything was mastered straight to two tracks. The result is an intimate, natural sound. The three-album set captures the conversations of some iconic bluegrass artists between songs that really adds to the experience. Why am I telling you all this? Cause I was there. Practically speaking. These speakers put me in that place. In chorus sections, I could pick out individual voices. These Fortes have had their caps replaced, so perhaps that's a factor. I also have the luxury of a dedicated listening room without any compromises in speaker or seating placement—I don't think you can exaggerate the importance of that when it comes to good sound. On the downside, these speakers revealed an annoying hum in my turntable that wasn't so apparent before. I had to add an additional ground wire to the tonearm because the sound was more than I could bear. Also, some records just don't sound so good anymore. I think I'm finally hearing a truth that was obscured before. Despite that, these 1985 vintage speakers have impressed me beyond what I was expecting. Here is the gear I use with the Fortes: Marantz TT15S1 with Clearaudio Virtuoso cartridge Marantz PM15S2 Limited Edition integrated amp Adcom ACE-515 AC Enhancer Kimber speaker wire cut to shortest length possible Coming soon: 4wpc Spud

Thanks for all the replies. I've decided to give the Spud amp created by Jerry Curtis a try.

Nope.

I have a dedicated listening room. Speakers are seven feet apart and about a foot from front wall. The room is 16 wide with an angled ceiling about 10 feet high. My listening distance is 13-14 feet. I listen to all types of music, anything from hard rock to classical. But I'm really starting to dig simple music, acoustic stuff like bluegrass or female vocals recorded without a lot sound engineering. I know a SET isn't for high volume and that's fine. I can always use my Marantz for those occasions.

Hey Folks, Just got a pair of Fortes circa 1985. Now I'm wanting to try SET sound. But I know next to nothing about these low power tube amps. Can anyone recommend some that I should be considering? Will be using my Marantz PM-15S2 as the pre-amp. I'll likely need to buy used or maybe an affordable cottage-industry type since my price range is around $700. Any suggestions of brands or where to look? thanks, Tancred