zingo Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I current have a highly customized pair of original Fortes (titanium highs, Janzten crossovers and internal wiring, dampened drivers and horns, split cossovers for biamping tube highs and SS lows), and am wondering what people think would be an upgrade that has a similar sound; the all horn loaded Heritage stuff is nice, but I don't have the room, and don't like running a separate subwoofer, Klipschorn aside. I've been reading the Chorus II might be a good option, along with maybe the KLF 30? I'm also not ruling out the Cornwall, but I don't think a Forte II would get me much. My goal is a full range pair of Klipsch speakers that I'll use for mostly music, and that I'll have for years to come. Thanks for the suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 A Forte ll will get you a better mid horn. Ti mid diaphragms will get you a lot. A chorus ll will get you the better mid horn but less bass.You can retune your Fort passive to provide some additional bass control and extension. All you need to do is to experiment with adding weight to the passive I have done this with a Quartet passive and plan to do the same this summer with a Forte ll. I would guess that you would be adding about 2.5 to 3.5 ounces of dead weight. I would start with three and see what you think. Once you finf the weight you want you can hard mount it in place. Brace an stiffening work will make a big difference to the sound of the cabinet and is easy and inexpensive to do. You can upgrade the auto transformers I have German made C-core units much larger than the stock ones you can also use low DCR solid wire air core inductors in the crossover. Those amount to a very substantial difference and might get you to where you want to go. Hope this is of some interest. Best regards Moray James. Ps I guess that you could also consider turnng your Forte into a larger format two way along the lines of Bob C's new Cornscala's. That would be cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zingo Posted February 16, 2012 Author Share Posted February 16, 2012 Thanks for the suggestions. I did upgrade the autotransformers with Crites units which I think did make a difference. I asked Klipsch customer service about about the Ti diaphragms, and they said they would not sell them to me because they weren't designed for my Fortes. Do you know any other way I can get a pair? You think the Chorus II has less bass, even though is has the 15" woofer with 15" passive in a larger cabinet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 The only real and cost effective final upgrade solution is Khorns. Or jubilees, or the large pro cinema offerings. Basically what I'm saying is you'd have to go a lot bigger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Bob's auto transformers are an improvement but they are not as large or as nice as the German C-core transformers which are larger and more expensive. klipsch has a policy of parts for support but not for upgrade. So you would have to have a reason why you needed new Ti diaphragms. You can think on that one. The Ti mid diaphragms fit perfectly. I have them in Heresy lll, Forte, Forte ll and KLF20 all work perfectly. Regarding the Chorus one and or two, neither have anywhere near the bass of a Forte or Forte ll. Chorus drop like a Cornwall at 40 Hz and are 3db down at 38 Hz. A stock Fort will get you to 32 Hz ( 3db down). Driver size has nothing to do with the bass extension. I know some will argur that the bass of a Chorus or a Cornwall is better (more extended) than a Forte and they may well like it 9the Chorus or Cornwall) better but it is not lower in either case. A forte is posibly the lowest response Klipsch speaker out there. I dropped a KLF20 woofer into my Quartet speakers and retuned the passive radiators to 31.5 Hz and the results are stunning, deep controlled articulate bass and more bass than a stock Forte one or two. I see noo reason not to expect the Forte to respond in the same fashion. Brace and stiffening work (to the cabinet) go a long way to better bass weight and control.Hope this helps. You might also consider a pair of KLF20 or a CF3 both of those are very nice. Dual woofers have some advantages over a single larger woofer design. Best regards Moray James. PS: jumping to a Khorn or a jub would be an improvement both are much larger and heavier and you need to consider corners in your room or make some. In both cases you will not get bass extension as low as a Forte but you will get more bass down to about 38 Hz. as best I know. Bass quality is different witht the horn loaded designs. Some have used direct radiators to do similar but not identical. That's just my thought on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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