Forte risers

[michaelhigh]

I removed the risers from my Fortes. They sit on Bag End II sub cabinets, one on each side, of course, and the sub cabinets are 40" off the ground. That puts the Fortes, all told, without risers, at a height of 72". My room is 15 X 24 with the ceiling being on a slant from 7 1/2' and 8' (the only dimension that isn't equilateral), by the way, and they sit roughly a foot off the short wall very nearly against the side walls toed in a good bit. They sound fine. Anyone see any inherant problems? I know it's said that the tweeters should optimally be at ear level when seated, but it seems that removing the risers tightened the bass response. Could those who have removed the risers on their original Fortes and have them placed off the ground on tall subs a la PA stacks chime in with their experiences? My bed is directly behind my primary listening position, and they sound fine back there, too. As for the response "it only matters what YOU hear", I'm interested in others' experiences as well. When I solicit a response it's with that in mind that I ask. That taken into consideration will reduce the frustration level of those who insist on making the "it only matters what YOU hear" response, and I can gauge the results of others' experience (or lack of same) against that which I receive when tweaking or augmenting a process with adjustments of any kind. Thank you for your patience and participating with my seemingly anal exercise(s). It's for the sake of discovery that I use this method to validate a process or discard it as a snake-oil placebo effect.

[dtel]

I had removed all my risers from my Forte's also. I use them for HT, the front L & R are on other speakers which put the top of the Forte's at almost 6'. The center channel is on top of an entertainment center (sideways) which is over 6' tall, it is tilted downward and the 3 rear are mounted sideways tilted down about 8' in the air.

It was this or nothing considering I don't have the room for them to go any other way, other speakers are in the way.

I think it sounds fine, perfect, probably not but good enough for me. []

[Ski Bum]

Hola High-

Welcome to the forum!

I have an unforgiving room regarding placement; 13x16x9, only corners available, and not much room even there. So I have my forte ii's (footers removed) up on some ~10" steel stands, to decouple them from the floor a bit and raise the mid squaker above furniture/other obstructions, and shoved way back into the corners on the short wall with 45 degree toe in, Klipschorn style. The mid horns are right at ear level, with the speaker axis crossing about 4' in front of primary listening area. No subs. I was worried about overbearing, tubby bass being so far into the corners (the back corners of the cabs are only 6" away from the walls), but amazingly enough the bass is tight, dry, very solid to well below 40hz, and very cohesive w/ the rest of the sound. While I'm realizing more room gain, there is no bloat, just that fantastic, larger-than-life Klipsch Heritage thing in spades.

Lots of people would probably disagree with the severe toe-in and extreme corner placement for the forte/forte ii's, but getting them off the floor does wonders (on the floor that deep in the corners does indeed result in pretty fat, bombastic bass). It works for me, very well, actually, particularly with the placement restrictions I have. Now the forte's seem anemic and shrill when not placed deep in corners, at least to my ears. It seems to me that the forte ii's demand corner placement to restore full frequency response. Plus, by fully utilizing room gain, I maximize the forte's already high sensitivity and get to use lower power amps.

Listening to Garaj Majal right now, and the bass line is so life-like, unrestrained, and huge, I'm just lovin' it. I can practically see the strings vibrating. Yeah, baby, that's what it's all about!

[dtel]

with the speaker axis crossing about 4' in front of primary listening area.

That sounds like there crossing a little to far in front of you ? I tend to like them crossing just in front of where you would sit, to me it makes the soundstage sound wider, but it could be the difference in rooms also ?

[Ski Bum]

That sounds like there crossing a little to far in front of you ? I tend to like them crossing just in front of where you would sit, to me it makes the soundstage sound wider, but it could be the difference in rooms also ?

The point where they cross is right over the foot of the bed. It sounds great there too.

With the 45 degree toe in, it seems like I am hearing more direct sound and less room interaction. Although the room is well damped, the left wall and decor is somewhat reflective; any excessive exposure to the direct sound really affects things adversely. After trying all different degrees of toe in, this is what I found to work the best in my room. Walls vanishing, transport you to the venue type performance. On par with my M&K nearfield setup, which images spectacularly.

[dtel]

I have some speakers in the bedroom with the same toe in, I didn't realize it was a bedroom, I did it the same way.

[michaelhigh]

This is my experience too, crossing just in front of the sitting position.

[Ski Bum]

This is my experience too, crossing just in front of the sitting position.

The classic Klipsch recommended method. It works.