Forte I + Academy - Suggestions for Rear Surround Match

[kaltree]

Hi,

I'm fairly new to the forums here, and am excited to be tapped into the wealth of knowledge here. My current arrangement has a pair of Forte I's up front with an Academy center channel. I have a pair of cheap rear surrounds that I knew would be a disaster when I pulled them out of the garage. And yes, they do sound miserable.

Given that the Forte and Academy both have the exponential horn for high frequencies and are a good timbre match, what would be a descent match for the rear surrounds? Ideally, I would like to find something that isn't too big (smaller than a Forte), and could be etiher in-wall or stand mounted - however most of the in-wall mounted drivers I've come across so far just don't sound right.

Thanks,

Kevin

[fastlane]

KG 2.2 or KG 2.5's on stands are popular as surround speakers with that setup. That is what I use (kg 2.5's).

[Cal Blacksmith]

I have the same front 3, my sides are quartets and I have KG1.5s for back speakers. The sound is awesome YMMV!

The Quartet is the smaller brother to the Forte (but not by much!) and I have mine on 16" stands to bring the sqwaker up to ear level when seated. So I am within your specs !

[alkemyst]

I'd say the Quartets would be the best match, followed by fortes or academys. I don't think the Forte I was the best match to the academy though. You may want to move the Fortes to the rear and upgrade your mains.

I currently have Quartets and an Academy up front and RS-25's for surrounds due to no where to put floor standing or enough room something bigger. I had to compromise for mostly my room layout and then WAF a bit + a bit of being realistic on the impact it'd have on the room.

I can't complain though...if I did listen at reference level I am sure the RS-25's would not be able to keep up...I am also sure as surrounds they'd probably not be really disappointing...just a bit soft.

If I could do any setup for 5 channel surround sound (not counting subs) I'd have in order:

4 quartets, academy

Chorus II up front and my Quartets in the rear with an Academy

all Chorus II's

[RichardP]

Smaller speakers from the KG series are a good bet, as already posted. I used the KG 2.2s at one time and got a great surround field that blended quite well with my Forte fronts. So, any from the KG 1.2, 1.5, 2.2, 2.5 series should do well and are not terribly hard to find. Perhaps others will comment on their experience with other choices, such as the KG-1, KG-2, or other lines. A great deal of rear channel material from movies is ambient, incidental sound, so an exact timbre match is less critical than it is for the front three speakers (exceptions being occasional front-to-back or back-to-front jet flyovers or some such unique/rare effects).

Perhaps as critical for the rears is your ability to position them optimally. Most people will, by room necessity, have the rears closer to their listening position, compared to the fronts. Being able to aim the rears toward your head, and get their output level balanced with the fronts, will make a big difference in acheiving a seamless blending of the multiple speakers. This might argue in favor of smaller speakers on stands, unless you have a large cabinet or shelves behind your listening position.

[Budman]

Hi Kevin, welcome to the forum. i could be wrong but wouldn't the best match be the heresy 2

[wuzzzer]

I recently purchased KG 3.5s as side surrounds and love them with my Forte II fronts.

[kaltree]

Thanks everyone for all of the great feedback. I've certainly been eyeing the new Heresy III's, but just don't have room for them (or the cash). I'm thinking for size reasons, a pair of KG 1.5/2.5's would be a great fit. The Quartet looks to be a beautiful unit, and I agree - I'd put the Quartet up front and move the forte's to the rear. I bet that would be an incredible sound experience. If someday I get to build a home theatre room, I'm definitely keeping those in mind.

Thanks again. This community is terrific.

- Kevin