jdbeachbum Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 Hello, I had put Al K.'s crossovers in my La Scala's and the results were so good that i asked him if he had anything for my FORTE's. He said he didn't but always wanted to develope one for them because of all the requests that he has had. I offered him one of mine to play with and his research and design have a thread on this forum. I really didn't know what to expect but i took over the other speaker to him this morning and we put the new design and the stock one side by side for a comparison. Now please understand that my knowledge for the finer details of high end sound can't compare with many of you dedicated audiophiles. All I know is that there was a clear difference between the two (but not as extreme as his universals for my La Scala's) and the new had a much cleaner, full, sound across the board and was louder at the same volume level. Al said this was from making the crossover more efficient but you should really ask him about the particulars- I'm sure he would answer any questions one might have. Al was wondering if the tweeter was going to be "too hot" but we didn't hear that at all. It sounded fantastic in my opinion! I'm not writing this to promote his product since his name speaks for itself but i would like to thank him for taking on the task of upgrading my speakers. Hopefully, he can market this new design for FORTE owners so that others can reap the rewards that i just had completed. Jak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 the first solidiers on Omaha Beach were not called guinea pigs, they were called brave! Thanks solider, for going first - you have cleared the path for the rest of us! ALK Fortes! Alright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Klappenberger Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 HI jack, Our little listening session this morning was quite enjoyable. It was the first I actually listened to this or any other Forte model. My assumption that the tweeter would be to hot was definitely all wet! After thinking about what I heard I think that my impression of the speaker with the stock crossover was similar to the sound of the stock Khorns that I remember from hearing them in stereo store demos years ago. That is that they had a very "obvious" high end. Some might call it "in you face", maybe even harsh. The new network seems more civilized. The tweeter was definilty no too hot. The test was a very nice flick-of-the-switch A-B test. I had a relay box hooked up to the typical wall outset wired to a wall switch common in modern living rooms. We could swap speakers by simply turning on the lamp next to my listening chair with the wall switch! Al K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbsl Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 Al once you figure out what you are going to charge for a pair let me know. I have a pair of Fortes that later this year I'd like to try the crossovers. I've been unemployed for the last 9 months and just started a new job so I don't have any money for anything right now. Later this year say Dec I hope to have enough for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdbeachbum Posted June 21, 2009 Author Share Posted June 21, 2009 Al, that was a good idea how we could switch over instantaneously right in the middle of a note to hear the difference between the 2. These Forte's in general have impressed me. Colin, thanks for the pat on the back, but really don't deserve it. It was a no brain-er for me to let Al tinker with them. If i was close to Dean or Bob C. I probably would of done the same with them given their reputation. With the end result being so satisfying, I'm glad Al lived close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 Nope, Al was your guy for this particular project. Bob likes the Klipsch designs and I basically just sling a lot of solder around. I will say it would have been more of a fair comparison with the stock networks rebuilt with some good capacitors -- the OEM epoxy coated Mylars are terrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Klappenberger Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 Dean, I would like to compare a stock Fortes to compare new and old caps too. I got a gut hunch new caps might actually make this particular speaker sound worse! I just looked again at the frequency response plots of the Forte with the old and new networks. I set one plot right over the other and "blinked" them like an animator would do to see motion. The new network clearly showed about 3 dB MORE high end then the old speaker yet the old one sounded much more treble heavy and "sharp". I can't explain why this would be so. Better caps could only pass more highs which you would think would make it sound sharper still! Go figure! BTW: I just finished installing the new network in the other speaker of Jack's set. I wanted to look into mounting it on the partition at the bottom. I decided not to and put it right where the other one went, on the side next to the passive radiator. The old cables are easily reused. Just set the network on the floor, wire it up, set it in and screw it down. Al K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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