Roshisan1 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I purchased a set of Forte II's new in 1995 and used them for about 5 years. They have been stored in the original boxes at my parent's house ever since. My wife had me talked into getting rid of them, but I thought about how much I loved those speakers. I told her I changed my mind and we have to find a place for them. I previously powered them with an ADCOM GFA-6000/GTP-600 combo which I thought sounded pretty good at the time. I thought the low end needed more power though. What are your recommendations to make my Fortes into an awesome two channel system without spending a fortune? I am looking for clarity, quality of sound and the kick drums on Stranglehold to punch me right in the chest. I have an ADCOM GTP-600 that I would like to use as the pre/pro in 2 channel bypass mode and I am leaning toward ADCOM power for the woofer, but I am very open to suggestions about biamping, placement, etc. Thank you for your time and advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 For the best bass output Forte IIs need to be about 12-15" from the back wall. As far as the amp is concerned there's a lot of good choices: Emotiva, Outlaw, Marantz are other good alternatives to Adcom. I've been extremely happy with my Panasonic receiver. Fully digital amplification, dual amp mode that outputs 200 watts per channel. You can find them for around $125-250 depending on the model. Its the Panasonic SA-XR series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papashawn Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 When I bought my first set of Forte II's from someone at work, he was nice enough to give me his ADCOM preamp and amp too. The preamp didn't work, and the amp needed a replacement fuse to get working. Once I replaced the fuse, I listened to some music through the amp using my yamaha receiver as a preamp, but I wasn't pleased with the sound. I sold the ADCOM stuff to help pay for some more Klipsch gear (I think I bought a pair of KG2.5's to use as surrounds), but back to the amp, I thought it sounded too rough and bright, for my taste. I had my Forte's as the left and right channel in my 5.0 setup for quite some time, being driven by an outlaw 7500 amp. Sound was excellent. I would put it in direct mode and play CD's through it and there was bass for days. Placement with these will definitely go a long way. As Wuzzer said, 12-15" away from the wall is key. You may have to play with it a bit. I've got mine toed in slightly, but they are always around that 12" mark from the wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merkin Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Forte II's are my first Klipsch. Placement is definitely a priority. 12 to 15 inches should work well to let the passive breath. I used a 100 watt/ch sony ES series and it worked well. No lack of base. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhing Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 I recommend you contact Bob Crites of Crites Speakers to possibly upgrade your crossover capacitors, internal wiring and tweeter diaphragms. His upgrades refine the sound while maintaining all the goodness of Klipsch Heritage speakers. http://www.critesspeakers.com/ I've had many audio friends over and they were astounded by the level of frequency extension, transparency and smoothness from my Forte II's with Bob's upgrades. I installed the updates myself and saved a lot of money. I also installed higher quality Pomona 3770-X Gold-plated Copper 5-way speaker binding posts. Klipsch sells a replacement midrange driver/diaphragm that refines the midrange. I have not tried this yet, but it is in my plans. Many Forte I and Forte II owners swear by this upgrade. As good as the Forte II's are in stock form, Klipsch didn't use the best components in their crossovers and wiring to keep prices within reason, so making these upgrades really bring the best out of this design. If you do some research on the Web, there are many Forte I and Forte II owners who have upgraded their speakers in this way and some have installed expensive boutique components like capacitors costing over $200 each! Speaker placement is critical to obtaining optimum sound. I encourage you to try various arrangements that will suit your preference. Some people even recommend raising the height of Forte speakers to bring the midrrange horn to ear level. I have used both solid state and tube amps with my Forte II's. My personal preference is to use tube amplification. I have an updated and modified Dynaco Stereo 35 power amp and Audio Research LS7 tube line stage for my power amp and preamp. If you haven't tried an EL-84 tube amp with your Klipsch speakers, I recommend you try one. My amp only puts out 17 watts, and it gets plenty loud. Dynakitparts.com sells a very nice replica Dynaco Stereo 35 amp kit that comes close to the sound of an original Stereo 35. http://www.dynakitparts.com/store/product.aspx?id=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fwphoto Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Got to agree with pretty much everything rhing posted. I replaced the tweeter diaphrams in my Forte IIs with Crites titaniums & am pleased with their smooth & extended response. At some point I'll probably replace the standard x-overs with Crites replacements or rebuilds. I originally powered mine with a "vintage" Marantz 1152DC integrated (my avatar) and was pleased. However, I wasn't long on this forum before I got the bug & opportunity to try out some tubes. I now run a "restored" & partly retubed Dynaco ST-70 amp & PAS-3 preamp & am continually blown away by the difference between them & the Marantz. Way more detailed with a huge soundstage for starters. Positioning Fortes, as others have noted, is critical for maximum sound quality. I spent a very pleasant afternoon playing music & adjusting speaker placement before I found what is, for me & my music choices, the best spot in my listening room. In my case the Forte IIs are about 16 inches from the back & side walls of the short side of the room & towed in ever so slightly. I sit about 14' from the speaker fronts, a little more than half-way along the long side of my room.I can close my eyes & place individaul instuments in fairly exact positions across the soundstage. Its enough to make me regularly cry. :-) (Some music has that effect on me!) Anyway, like others I have found the grail (for my $s) to be Forte IIs & tubes! Of course, YMMV. Good luck, Frank W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arug4 Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Its a shame wasting all those hi-powered ss amps on such sensitive and good speaker. I certainly agree with the Crites crossovers and tweeter diaphragm upgrades, but look for a low powered (less than 30 watts) tube - preferably SET - amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhing Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Its a shame wasting all those hi-powered ss amps on such sensitive and good speaker. I certainly agree with the Crites crossovers and tweeter diaphragm upgrades, but look for a low powered (less than 30 watts) tube - preferably SET - amp. I'm curious what SET amps can drive the Forte II's with authority and punchy bass. I like to listen to a wide range of music including heavy rock and large orchestral music. The times I've heard Forte I's and II's driven by single ended amps, the combination would reproduce the mids and highs well with good imaging, but the scale or size of the music presentation, separation and bass went AWOL. I know quite a few people who will biamp or triamp with SET amps for mids and highs, but use something else for the bass. Or I find that many SET enthusiasts tend to listen to less complex music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arug4 Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 I'm currently using a SEP (single-ended parallel) 6l6 amp made by Niteshade. It puts out 14 watts of pure Class A power driving the Fortes to whatever level is necessary. I do listen to much complex music (just finished listening to Mahler's 9th) and small acoustic groups alike. I also alternate this amp with the TAD-60 push-pull amp which can be used in a SE fashion or ultralinear with 6l6 or other octal tubes. For this amp I get either 25 or 50 amps. But I also have used a 4.5 watt 421A tube based amp, which, I agree, is a mite too little for Mahler. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ski Bum Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 I'm curious what SET amps can drive the Forte II's with authority and punchy bass. In a small-ish closed room, with the fortes corner loaded, a mere two watts will do the trick. The bass remains surprisingly tight with corner loading of forte's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roshisan1 Posted January 18, 2012 Author Share Posted January 18, 2012 Thank you all for your responses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BE36 Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 I'm curious what SET amps can drive the Forte II's with authority and punchy bass. In a small-ish closed room, with the fortes corner loaded, a mere two watts will do the trick. The bass remains surprisingly tight with corner loading of forte's. Forte IIs were my first klipsch, used them in four diferent houses. 10 -12 inches from both the rear and side walls is the first thing to get right for the bass out put. Try moving them around an inch or two at time until they sound right. I had Adcom pre and 5500 amp. Bass could either be all most zero or shake fillings loose depending on speaker placement relative to the corners. They can great sound givin a good source and amps, a lot closer to La Scalas & Khorns than most that have owned two of three would admit. Best bang for the buck speaker I have ever heard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ski Bum Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Try moving them around an inch or two at time until they sound right. A calibrated mic and RTA software really helps too. Also, for my ~13x17x8 room, I have to consider the different bass response of the SETs. If I switch to proper ss power the added response quickly overloads the room, and the speakers must be further from boundries. With the slightly reduced lower registers of the SETs, deeper corner loading is pretty much required to restore flat response. Either approach can get you to a state of hypnotic awe as the speakers just vanish and you're left with a huge, convincing soundstage. a lot closer to La Scalas & Khorns With full Crites upgrades, they're baby Jubs! [](Yes, I've heard Jubilees.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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