Bought some speakers while on holidays....... with pictures and questions

[rad500cad]

I bought a pair of forte II walnut oil from original owner in Marysville Wa while on holidays in the Seattle area. He had them sitting on his dinning room table for demoing about 5' from the wall the bass sounded lame but all the while i'm thinking they should sound good with proper placement from what i've read here. I have only heard Cornwalls about 30 years ago that my cousin had and the Heresys that i presently own, the forte II mids sound alot better than the Heresys i will not compare them to the Cornwalls of 30 years ago from memory hmmm? what did i have for lunch today lol ! He said he oiled them about a week ago with Watco danish natural. i still haven't hooked them up i want to oil them because the tops are dry, bonus there are no stains! And the forte IIs fit cross ways in the back of my ford focus wagon with room to spare, i was all set on getting ChorusII but they are rare as hens teeth up here i've been looking for 2 years.

Questions

1) I've read that they used boiled linseed oil at the factory is Watco danish natural the same?

2) How long does the oder of the oil last, i think it's a bit strong evan after 2 weeks, i open the windows once in awhile.

3) From what you can see in the picture of the Xover are they still stock.

Thanks,Ben.

[rad500cad]

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[MikeFord]

Nice looking speakers, the tops kind of match too, thats good right?

Not a clue on the techy stuff, but guessing once you put stuff on the wood, you keep using the same stuff.

[John Chi-town]

Nice speakers! I cannot answer the oil questions but I can answer your crossover question and recommend placement for you.

Crossovers appear to be stock. Where they mounted to the back of the terminal cup? If so they are more than likely stock.

Place speakers no futher than 18 inches from the wall. The passive 15" radiator works off the wall, does not need to be a corner. I prefer no toe in but that is personal.

Once you get placement and setup complete you can then look into mods such as new/rebuilt crossovers, and new diaphragms for the squaker and tweets.

Enjoy, you have one of the best speakers Klipsch ever made based on price, footprint, etc.

[Marvel]

Watco Oils are a combination of oils, stains, thinners, etc. Boiled linseed oil is made from flax seed. The heating process used causes it to self catalyze and link the molecules. Most people thin it with turpentine or other thinner so that it penetrates the wood more. They both work pretty much the same way, penetrating the wood and then hardening. Non boiled linseed oil will NEVER dry and will get gummy. You wouldn't want to use that. The Watco is fine, too.

Bruce

[rad500cad]

Thanks MikeFord almost all of the speakers i've owned were black these are a nice change, here's a pic of the other one.

[rad500cad]

Thanks John Chi-town i hope i'm not misunderstanding your answer about the Xover but i wanted to know if the caps are original i don't want to start changing things just listen to them for a while knowing that their original or not. These are Dec 1989 fII acording to the tags. Here's another picture of the Xover. Thanks, Ben.

[WMcD]

I haven't seen a Forte II x-over. Maybe people here who have seen them because they've rebuilt them can give a definitive answer.

However, I believe they are original. They seem to fit like an original design would. People who rebuild typically put in what they believe are improved caps which often of of a higher voltage rating and therefore larger. I'd expect the replacements would be of a premium brand where trademarks show. The photo does not show such a replacement.

If I was trying to make a determinination, I'd look at the solder joints on the reverse side of the circuit board. If the components have not been replaced the solder joints on the entire board will look similar.

If there has been some work done, even with similar components being put in, I expect you'll notice a difference. The solder joint will look different and there may be signs of rosen and heating.

I think you should listen and enjoy for a long time before messing with them.

WMcD

[John Chi-town]

Yes, the caps appear to be original. If you are interested in upgrading the parts or completely new crossovers then look into Bob Crites, who is a member of this forum. You can replace the caps or the entire crossover through Bob. The advantage of going with new crossovers is that you get a new and better auto transformer, and since the new crossovers will be mounted on boards at the bottom of the speaker additional mods will be asier to perform down the road, rather than working from a very cumbersome terminal cup. Look up Bob Crites on the internet for a full listing/description of parts/service/ and pricing.

How do the speakers sound to you now? I have owned my forte II's since new when I purchased in 1992. After putting in
Bob's replacement crossovers about a year ago, it was as if a "Veil" was lifted from them from a listening standpoint!

[Ironsave]

Rad,

The Xovers look like a stock Klipsch Xover as mentioned.

Also; I recommend listening to them for at least a few weeks before changing anything, as William said.

(This will establish a baseline).

Mr. Crites is a pleasure to deal with; so when the time comes; it will be all good.

You can purchase his caps or send him the Xovers to do for you; or purchase complete networks. (I believe he has them for Forte/ Forte II).

Good Luck!

[rad500cad]

John Chi-Town and Ironsave thanks for recomending cap upgrades but i want to listen to them for awhile with the original caps. Well it's been 3 weeks and still haven't hooked em up (been to busy 1 step ahead 2 steps back lol) i've oiled them once with Watco Danish oil Natural and want do it again because the tops were very dry.

Another reason i haven't been to gung ho about hooking them up is i'm wondering if they're going to be bass shy like the Heresys because when the seller auditioned them he had them on his dining room table ( that was very dissapointing) i really wanted Chorus IIs but these came up, so i'm going to take my time and make room for proper placement i've read that about 12 to 15'' from the rear wall is what is best, my room is 12'W 17'L. I'm probably going to have that moment, you know, when you hit yourself on the head and say why didn't i do this sooner lol.

Ben

[John Chi-town]

Bass shy??? I have never heard the forte II refered to as bass shy! The forte II bass response challenges all but the best subs on the market! You will have plenty of bass to spare once you set up properly! Get those puppies connected already, and post your thoughts! [H]

[Ironsave]

John Chi-Town and Ironsave thanks for recomending cap upgrades but i want to listen to them for awhile with the original caps. Well it's been 3 weeks and still haven't hooked em up (been to busy 1 step ahead 2 steps back lol) i've oiled them once with Watco Danish oil Natural and want do it again because the tops were very dry.

Another reason i haven't been to gung ho about hooking them up is i'm wondering if they're going to be bass shy like the Heresys because when the seller auditioned them he had them on his dining room table ( that was very dissapointing) i really wanted Chorus IIs but these came up, so i'm going to take my time and make room for proper placement i've read that about 12 to 15'' from the rear wall is what is best, my room is 12'W 17'L. I'm probably going to have that moment, you know, when you hit yourself on the head and say why didn't i do this sooner lol.

Ben

Yes, do listen to them for at least a few weeks first..... This will establish a good baseline.

You will be kicking yourself in the *** because you did not set them up sooner!

Those are possibly the best all around speaker (for it's size) that Klipsch has made.

And yes.... they can kick you with the bass.....