Forte owner says high!

[michaelhigh]

Hello Klipsch owners and others, my name is michaelhigh (Michael Hy Yaffe), and I thought, even though there seemed to be no formal intro section, I might take the time and opportunity to do so, and commence the confab. I'm looking forward to chewing the fat on various audio-related topics from computer audio to 2-channel home audio. Recently I purchased a nice set of Heritage Fortes from a tech friend of mine who also sold me an awesome Harman-Kardon 430. I have a terrible problem. Actually if this were the worst problem I had I'd be well-set... I have a number of receivers at my disposal, and I want to get some impressions from those here who might have had individual experience running any of these receivers with Forte I's, and what the highlight moments might be, or conversely, the downsides, of the respective listening seshes. Vying for primary position in my main 2-channel stereo system (in order of importance as estimated by size and power)...1) Sansui 8080DB, 2) Sansui 771, 3) Harman Kardon 430, 4) Kenwood KA-405, 5) Marantz 2215B. I have various sets of speakers, but for the sake of this exercise, I want to pair one of these with my Fortes. Rather than starting to pair them off physically as the workout from all that lifting would send me straight to my refrigerator, I would hope to engage some opinions on which unit is most worthy given the high sensitivity of my Fortes, and as of now, the Harman Kardon is up and running with the Sony XDRF-1HD giant-killer HD tuner pumping KSHE 2 HD (Simon And Garfunkel "Bookends" in it's entirety) locked in in glorious stereo. Anyone up to the task? Hope I haven't asked too much for my first post. I trust the taste of those here, with some of the finest end components available on earth, can shed some light on my quest. Thanks, everyone, and I look forward to the intercourse (of ideas, of course)...

[Rivernuggets]

Welcome to the Forum Michael! Very glad you're here.

This may not be too helpful to your situation, but I enjoy Forte IIs with a Harman Kardon 730. Compared this HK alongside many other solid state receivers. This one always wins. Having a brighter delivery, second place goes to the Sansui 9090DB.

Others will comment on something closer to your setup. Best of luck finding 'the one'. Or five........

[michaelhigh]

I'm so tempted to leave the HK hooked up, I'm running it right now with a near-perfect source (I can't imagine anything sounding any better, but the big Sansui will be the one to beat). The Sony HD tuner is the cleanest source I've spent more than 30 minutes with in a long tme! I must say, however, that I'm running 4 JBL E-140's in a sub config with Bag End II's, 2-15's each, and a Crown XLS-802, 800 wpc @ 4 ohms per... The bass handling of any receiver and the Fortes will not be an issue, as the subs go with no matter which receiver wins...

[Ironsave]

Welcome To The Forum.....

This is a direct copy of my reply to your (similar) post in the General section..... (I believe that is where it was)....

My opinion is try them ALL. Same CD or songs; same input; etc. Eliminate the variables.

You already have them; so the onus is on you. (If you did not; then seeking opinions would make more sense.)

No offense; but TRY THEM ALL. It may be a pain.... but try them....

You must realize... Your ears are different than mine.

Picking one on a recommendation and going with it is a disservice to yourself.....

(Trust me!)

Good Luck. Let us know your impressions.... Perhaps the finalists.....

(After a bit of experience; maybe we could help sway you)....

[michaelhigh]

Very helpful, in fact... My listening habits are such that I'm not going for sheer volume, as in a car audio shootout, but quality of sound and integration with my subs are the main criteria. Your receivers are in my wheelhouse to compare with. Thanks for responding. Now playing...David Gilmour "On An Island" Holy sheet!

[michaelhigh]

I'll post in the other forum to continue here... I'm confusing myself and everyone else! Sorry

[michaelhigh]

Now playing... David Gilmour "On An Island"...Holy sheet!

[Ironsave]

I'll post in the other forum to continue here... I'm confusing myself and everyone else! Sorry!

Nah... No need to be sorry......

There are many resources here.... the search function will likely yeild results regarding different receivers.

(Also regarding replacing caps in your Fortes; cabinet refinishing; grill cloth; you name it).

You need something; post it in the Garage Sale section.....

(Best part about these Forums? THE PEOPLE. We are almost like family; always striving to help and offer opinions that may help)....

Again... Welcome!

[michaelhigh]

Thank you Ironsave. I look forward for some high-level discussion here. I'm sure others will fall in after a while. Thanks again.

[dtel]

I look forward for some high-level discussion here.

OH OH []

Welcome

I know it's not what you wanted to do, but sometimes "parts" just play well together for no apparent reason.

I would try just what he said, try them and see what sounds best to you, the only ones I have experience with is the HK and the 8080, but really whatever sounds best because any of them will have enough power.

[michaelhigh]

Please tell of your experiences with those two amps and how they interacted with the Fortes... just curious. Thanks.

[moray james]

Welcome and congratulations on the new to you Forte speakers. I recently got a set of Forte ll speakers myself and am impressed with them. I decided to go the route of upgrade first and found that they are a very good speaker right from the factory. There are some good options to take as far as upgrades go though. New crossovers are a wise ides given you have Forte l's and the caps in the stock networks are all getting old. Al Klappenberger of ALK Engineering has a fully redesigned crossover (for the Forte l) available as a kit or you can download the schematic and build it for yourself. Al's new circuit deals with a number of issues left undone at the factory and the net result is a more uniform impedance curve which make any amp happier. Next on the list are new diaphragms for your horns. Bob Crites has new upgraded phenolic diaphragms for the mid horns and new Titanium diaphragms for the tweeters and Klipsch has a new Titanium diaphragm for the mid horns. There are a number of posts here discussing the benefits of these parts that you can look into. A simple thing which I did with my Forte ll as a stopgap to new custom made harnesses for inside the speakers was to sort out the internal wire sets from the crossover and twist each of the pairs. Check to see your cabinets are air tight (cover the holes drilled for the magnetic grill inserts) and install new driver gaskets (flip your woofers 180 degrees) and make sure the passive has a sound leak free suspension. The passives can often get damaged with no cover when they are moved about. I found a few small holes in one of my passive suspension and fixed it with some adhesive good as new.

A buddy of mine just got a Sansui AUD 11 Mkll which he restored and modified extensively including installing a mosfet output stage. This is a fully balanced bridged amp and it sounds wonderful with amazingly low distortion being balanced and bridged it does not get any lower. The amp (even stock) is stunningly good and makes the Forte sing with a good source. I have never been a receiver guy so I cannot give you any good leads there. There is a lot that can be done by way of upgrades to many amps but old receivers and intigrated units are a lot of work and have many age related issues and so often get left behing as a result. My friend rebuilt and modified a Luxman L480 this past summer and also switched out the transistor output for a mosfet one and it is a beautiful sounding amp but again a lot of work. A old Hafler 200 or 220 can be more easily worked on and turned into a fine modern day sota amp but only if you want to go that direction. Just thought I would add a different perspective to give you some alternate angles to consider. Even though the Forte are efficient they really do seem to like the control that haveing some horse power brings. I am sure that they can also sound excellent with some small tube amps. I have an Antique Sound Labs Tulip which is very modified and which is a 2A3 stereo amp that has excellent bass. I have yet to have the chance to run my Forte with this 3.5 watt beast but I am expecting that the combination will be very good. Lots of way to skin a cat as they say. All the best to you and I think that you will find that you have come to the right place. So many great people here in this audio family with incredible experience. PWK sure did a fine job on the Forte. Regards Moray James.

[Coytee]

Welcome Michaelhigh (as well as Moray James) !

Question... I understand not wanting to lug things around. Could you set them up together?

Meaning... Take the Sansui 8080 and say, the HK 430. Take your source and plug one leg of it into the left channel of the Sansui. The other leg of it into a channel on the HK. Play them as a mono source so you could switch left/right and do your own 'shootout'?

I guess a mono signal would be best... not sure how you'd do that unless you used a "Y" adapter to consolidate them and then another to split them back.

Just tossing ideas out there for you.

We'll get to sessions of listening to Marie after you've been here a while [:^)] []

[twistedcrankcammer]

High! Michael and Moray and welcome,

I like the twist on your name in the thread title Michael.

Both the Sansui brand AND the Marantz brand get high marks with Klipsch speakers, but I agree with both Iron and Coytee here. Just because one model sounded best to someone else, doesn't mean it will to you. I will let you in on a little secret..... PsssT!.... Come closer!.... There are actually people who like the sound of Bose!!!! If that doesn't prove my point, nothing will.

Again..... Welcome to the forum, come in, sit down, and stay a while!!

Roger

[davis419b]

Hands down it is the 8080db for me ! It is my favorite of the XOXO series from Sansui and I have them all. I also have a H/K 430 that was given to me by a forum member and it is also one of my favorites ! Sansui just seems to have the best bass of all the vintage receivers I have owned.

[John Chi-town]

Welcome, and enjoy all of your "ear candy" options!

[dtel]

Please tell of your experiences with those two amps and how they interacted with the Fortes... just curious. Thanks.

I really can't compare, I gave the Sansui to a friend a long time ago (like a dummy) because the front light was out. I really like the HK with the forte's when I had put them together.

[michaelhigh]

Thank you, Coytee, and MJ, too! All great suggestions, especially the AB double mono idea with two receivers, never before considered the value in that kind of comparison. I hate to jump to conclusions but I'm thinking it might come down to a final battle for dominance between my 430 and my 8080DB. To make matters worse (I'll be here awhile!) I took a quick scan of this entire section (2-channel audio), and found many places to discuss the 430 and Fortes in general. I hope to find chances to pop into many if not all those places over time to impart my impressions as they present. It appears that as a receiver the 430 is generally accepted and HK itself is widely used, so that is a good sign that others have had good luck with pairings including the 430. The stock debate of SS vs Tube will surely be raised along the way as I delve into the topics of discussion in this forum. I hope, eventually, to set up at least one or two additional rigs to give a separate perspective as I continue to evaluate the remainder of my gear together and individually. I have, as evidenced by the gear in my signature, many varied options to explore as I pair and combine various ingredients much like an audio gumbo. I see many postings on the HK 430, and about HK in general. As I become more well-versed on the sonics of my 430 I will chime in to those threads. If I repeat my mentions of the pleasure the HK is providing, I apologize in advance because it is consistantly singing every time I turn it on. Likewise as I describe the flawless operation of the Sony XRDF1-HD HD tuner. It's assuming a position of dominance in my listening day as it provides a really nice randon element as well as a perfect audio source of familiar music that I've never actually heard before in spotless playback quality. In fact it is a totally identical version of the FM station I grew up on, only much much deeper than the original and it sounds TONS better... I don't see myself in too many other non-related areas, so by and large I will be in places my signature equipment will allow me to comment on from varied levels of experience. As the receivers eliminate themselves I'll report back from time to time to comment on where I am in the overall quest I've undertaken. Other systems will emerge, no doubt, as the shootout continues. Aside from my normal 2-channel ramblings my studio will be a topic I'll mention from time to time, I just don't allocate as much time for songwriting and multitrack recording as I have in years past. I have been dabbling in electronica quite a bit lately, so the studio is still a nice little sand box to play in fairly often. The analog vs digital debate will certainly come into play as well as we roll along. I'm anxious to meet Marie (!) as mentioned above, too. Let the fun begin!

[twistedcrankcammer]

Marie Osmand..... Blech!! [+o(] Erp!!!

Roger

[Erniek]

I noticed that you are running Adcoms with your Fortes. I am curious as to your experience with this setup. I too own a couple of Adcoms (5400 and 535) and currently use them with Vandersteen 1 & 2"s. I own a pair of Forte 1's and will doing upgrades and inserting into a vintage system I am assembling down the road. I have a Sansui 771 that I am going to use in this system.