mness4 Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 Can anyone tell me the difference between these speakers? I'm considering buying a pair and have all three options available: Quartet (350), Chorus (300) and Chorus II (2 sets...one at 650 and and one at 500-600). I've only seen the CII for 650. The case had a little repair done (black spraypaint on black finish), but it looked ok. What should I expect to pay for each, assuming they are in good condition? Interesting that I could get both the Quartet and Chorus for the price of one of the Chorus IIs. Thanks, Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theplummer Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 Chorus 1's were the first version, ported through the front, no Passive radiator, Good for not optimal corner placement, Not quite as good a performer as Chorus II's, not necessarily because of the Passive, but rather the Tractrix mid horn is an improvement over the I's. Quartet's were a passive radiatior version of Heresy's, I think they also had Tractrix mid horn also. I'd say that the best bang for the buck would be the Chorus I's That seems cheap to me. the Chorus II's are priced about right. I can't really say about the Quartets though as they don't come up for sale too often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted October 19, 2009 Moderators Share Posted October 19, 2009 I listened to the Quartets for the first time this weekend and I have to say, they are fantastic speakers. I picked up a pair for another forum member for $190. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mness4 Posted October 19, 2009 Author Share Posted October 19, 2009 Wow! $190! How did that happen?! My KG4s would get about that. I think I can get the Chorus 1 and the Quartets for $600. I'll probably go with that unless they're beat up. My preference would be the QIIs over the QI, but not for the price difference. If I "settle" for the QI, I can get the Quartets as well and take care of fronts and surrounds for the price of the QII alone. Besides, I looked a bit more and found that most people felt the QI and QII similar, with the latter being a little fuller down low, but that both would benefit from a sub. I was a bit surprised that I didn't hear more about the different horns. FWIW, the same guy also has a pair of La Scala for $800. Not sure if that's a good price, but I don't have the space anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted October 19, 2009 Moderators Share Posted October 19, 2009 Wow! $190! How did that happen?! Sorry, I was mistaken. It was actually $120, not $190. They were on CL for several weeks and I even posted them here in the forums. They started out at $150, then went down to $120 and I ended up picking them up for Bill Land and taking them over to his house. You can read about our thoughts on them here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mness4 Posted October 19, 2009 Author Share Posted October 19, 2009 Wow, great thread. Say, I see a lot of Klipsch in FL. How do you feel about a roadtrip to MN in the winter ;^) This could be a good side business for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mness4 Posted October 20, 2009 Author Share Posted October 20, 2009 Well, I just bought a pair of Quartet and Chorus I for $600. They're in good shape. There's a gouge in one of the Quartets that I'll patch, but otherwise they look and sound good. The Qs are sequential, but the Cs are not. The purists probably would not like that (?), but they sounded really good. I thought I could fit all four in my Saab. I was very wrong. I'm off tonight to look at a pair of Chorus II. I have a feeling I'll be buying them as well if we can agree on $500, the low end of the range. It sounds like the cabinets were refinished to be a tad darker than original Oak...probably also a no=no from the purists. I'll not consider myself a purist though until I reach the KHorn pinnacle. In any event, I'm very interested to see if the CIIs sound better than the CI with the Quartets. I'll sell the odd pair out. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Nice job Mike! I'm thinking a 7.1 setup, Chorus II fronts, Quartet side surrounds and Chorus I rears would be fun. [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mness4 Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 You're gonna get me in trouble...but I like where you're going with that. I saw a gorgeous set of Chorus IIs today. The guy painstakingly restored the oak. They looked better than new. He demo'd them using a 12wpc tube amp. They sounded like velvet. But I did not leave with them. To make a long story short, he needs the money but loves the speakers. He'd sell them in a few days if a money issue doesn't resolve itself. I don't have the heart to do it though. I rather lend him the money and see him keep the speakers than be the one to benefit from that situation. So tomorrow I revisit a pair of black Chorus IIs that I saw for the first time last Sunday. I will probably be coming home with those. So wife permitting, the 7.1 grand plan is still a possibility. So is my sleeping on the couch for a while! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistedcrankcammer Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 You're gonna get me in trouble...but I like where you're going with that. I saw a gorgeous set of Chorus IIs today. The guy painstakingly restored the oak. They looked better than new. He demo'd them using a 12wpc tube amp. They sounded like velvet. But I did not leave with them. To make a long story short, he needs the money but loves the speakers. He'd sell them in a few days if a money issue doesn't resolve itself. I don't have the heart to do it though. I rather lend him the money and see him keep the speakers than be the one to benefit from that situation. So tomorrow I revisit a pair of black Chorus IIs that I saw for the first time last Sunday. I will probably be coming home with those. So wife permitting, the 7.1 grand plan is still a possibility. So is my sleeping on the couch for a while! mness4, Realize this, the Quartets, Forte II's and Chorus II's MUST be placed in the corners at a 45 degree toe in for propper sound, while your Chorus I's can be placed either in the corner (prefered) or on a flat wall. In addition, the Quartets, Forte II's, and Chorus II's MUST be puled out from the corner. You need to play with the distance to get it absolutely correct, but this makes a MAJOR difference in Bass output, with that in mind, a La Scala at a 45 degree angle pused back to the wall, really wont take up any more space then a Chorus II once you pull that Chorus II out of the corner enough to get optimum sound out of it. Something you should seriously considder.... Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Realize this, the Quartets, Forte II's and Chorus II's MUST be placed in the corners at a 45 degree toe in for propper sound http://www.soundstage.com/greg01.htm From this review and my own trial and error, I don't think a 45 degree toe in is mandatory for proper sound. My Forte's are located in a 13X13 carpeted room with curtains and a bed with full dress and are 14 inches off rear and side walls toed in about 8 degrees. The imaging is spot on with a huge soundstage. I tried to run my Marantz EQ flat but had to turn the bass knob back to about 30% of max with the loudness button to off. I think room size and features play a more important role than toe in. Just from my experience. Bill 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mness4 Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 As Roger mentioned too, I have heard that the placement has to be adjusted to get the right bass sound. I have one restriction on my fronts placement: the corner of each speaker needs to be up against the respective side wall due to screen constraints. However, I will be able to pull them away from the front wall by 1-1.5 feet. In fact, this helps with the screen issue, since the speakers move more to the foreground and improve the line-of-sight to the screen edge. The rears are a different story. I will not have a back wall, so I was just going to see how different combinations sound. I've heard mention of "false walls." Is this anything more elaborate than it sounds? Can someone point me to a thread about this? By the end of the day, I expect to complete the final of my free agent aquisitions, at least for the moment: the Chorus II. Assuming I use those as the fronts and parallel KG4s as the center (not with my curent amp...will need an adcom), the Chorus I seem the best candidate for the rears. However, the Quartets are a better match. This leads me to the false wall inquiry. To round out my system, I'll probably be looking for an Academy front and KGx (x=1 or 2) for the surrounds unless I can convince my wife to go with wuzzer's fine recommendation :^) Thanks, Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theplummer Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 The rears are a different story. I will not have a back wall, so I was just going to see how different combinations sound. I've heard mention of "false walls." Is this anything more elaborate than it sounds? Can someone point me to a thread about this? By the end of the day, I expect to complete the final of my free agent aquisitions, at least for the moment: the Chorus II. Assuming I use those as the fronts and parallel KG4s as the center (not with my curent amp...will need an adcom), the Chorus I seem the best candidate for the rears. However, the Quartets are a better match. This leads me to the false wall inquiry. To round out my system, I'll probably be looking for an Academy front and KGx (x=1 or 2) for the surrounds unless I can convince my wife to go with wuzzer's fine recommendation :^) Thanks,Mike Ok, Now here's where your making a left turn into "NO NO Land". I'll address the false wall question first. I doubt you'll need a false wall for a speaker that doesn't use the wall as part of the horn, Like the Khorn. What you'll be experiencing is a little loss of bass, only because you'll be filling 1/2 space with a speaker placed virtually in the center of a room. If you had a back wall, that'd be 1/4 space, thus focusing the available bass, and if it was in a corner, that'd be 1/8 space, focusing the sound waves into an even tighter space, raising the bottom end (slightly). Don't get too wrapped up in that for rear surrounds, what you want more than anything is a matching timbre. As long as you are using Chorus's of any type, the timbre is going to be virtually unnoticable. You may, and I mean may, see a difference in timbre between the Quartet's and Chorus's, I can tell the difference between Forte's and Chorus's. You'll find that the Chorus's are a more "Foreward" sounding speaker and Q's are going to be a little more "laid back". This is fine, except you'll have to boost the Q's settings to get them to keep up with the Chorus's. Point #2, Take it from me Chorus's DON'T LIKE ADCOM AMPS! ADCOM is about one of the harshest sounding amps that I've ever heard with Klipsch. I keep hereing Rotel is a good one, though I'm a HUGE fan of Sunfire, and their pretty economical in the used market right now. (Your Chorus's will Love the extra power). Also, do not use the KG4's for a center. You'll have a whole bunch of wierd problems by placing two of them together, Lots of standing wave cancellations and transients. I cant remember the exact term for it, but don't do it. Also, don't waste your time with an Academy, they Cannot keep up with the Chorus's, for the same reason the Quartet's won't be able to. It's my personal opinion that the Center channel is at least as important as the main's, if not even a little more important. I'd much rather see you take one of the Chorus I's, lay it on its side and place it under your tv, and use the Kg4's as rears and park the other Chorus in the closet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mness4 Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 Thanks for the input. I hadn't thought about the KGs as rears. I'll certainly try that. I'm confused on using a Chorus I on its side for a center though. I was told NOT to lay a horned speaker on its side because the angular distribution of the sound from the horn would be tall versus wide in that case. But then I looked at the Academy center, and I think I saw a vertical horn. So I'm thoroughly confused on that point. I'll check out the amps you mentioned too. By the way, The guy that demo'd the CIIs yesterday used a tube amp and ran off the 4ohm leads. He said there was a huge improvement in sound, especially the bass range, versus 8ohm. Do I have a 4ohm option with ss amps. And if so, which amps would provide this option? For me, this would have to be an external amp solution. Thanks, Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikekid Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 I agree that a chorus center would be perfect....but, my wife would nut up. The Academy works fine for us. (the living room already looks like a Klipsch wherehouse.) Also, the "toe in" depends on your room, seating position etc. I couldn't place the Chorus' very far out from the wall, so I placed a GOOD sub up front, next to the right Chorus. Another sub was placed next to the bay window (side of room) and is being used to take up the bass from the rear KG's. One more is under the end table next to the couch. These subs were set-up so that they do not sound like one of those kids bouncing down the road in their car. The sound is incredible...Highs to lows are POWERFUL and CLEAN... Chorus/Forte/Quartet are among the finest Klipsch made![][Y] Take care Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormin Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Point #2, Take it from me Chorus's DON'T LIKE ADCOM AMPS! ADCOM is about one of the harshest sounding amps that I've ever heard with Klipsch. I keep hereing Rotel is a good one, though I'm a HUGE fan of Sunfire, and their pretty economical in the used market right now. (Your Chorus's will Love the extra power). Amen brother Plummer! Low impedance high power works perfect for me and my ears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormin Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Chorus/Forte/Quartet are among the finest Klipsch made! Bingo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mness4 Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 Can you recommend a model number for either the Sunfire and/or Rotel? Which speakers would you hook up to the amp, just the fronts? Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbon summit Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 You're gonna get me in trouble...but I like where you're going with that. I saw a gorgeous set of Chorus IIs today. The guy painstakingly restored the oak. They looked better than new. He demo'd them using a 12wpc tube amp. They sounded like velvet. But I did not leave with them. To make a long story short, he needs the money but loves the speakers. He'd sell them in a few days if a money issue doesn't resolve itself. I don't have the heart to do it though. I rather lend him the money and see him keep the speakers than be the one to benefit from that situation. So tomorrow I revisit a pair of black Chorus IIs that I saw for the first time last Sunday. I will probably be coming home with those. So wife permitting, the 7.1 grand plan is still a possibility. So is my sleeping on the couch for a while! mness4, Realize this, the Quartets, Forte II's and Chorus II's MUST be placed in the corners at a 45 degree toe in for propper sound, while your Chorus I's can be placed either in the corner (prefered) or on a flat wall. In addition, the Quartets, Forte II's, and Chorus II's MUST be puled out from the corner. You need to play with the distance to get it absolutely correct, but this makes a MAJOR difference in Bass output, with that in mind, a La Scala at a 45 degree angle pused back to the wall, really wont take up any more space then a Chorus II once you pull that Chorus II out of the corner enough to get optimum sound out of it. Something you should seriously considder.... Roger I have found that my Forte IIs sound better with a very small toe in. To my ears 45 degrees was way to much. Of course the best advice is try and try again and what sounds good to your ears is whats right! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theplummer Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Can you recommend a model number for either the Sunfire and/or Rotel? Which speakers would you hook up to the amp, just the fronts? Mike Here's what I have. It's only 5 channel and this one is a little pricy, but if you find one in the $1000 to $1200 range their gone almost immediately. Seems others know what a diamond in the rough these are. If you want 7 channels in one amp, Sunfire also has one called the 74XX series. Any one of them would be great. I can't really help with Rotel, I've only heard that their a good budget minded amp. http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampsmult&1261174847&/Sunfire-Cinema-Grand-signature Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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