SuBXeRo Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 a pair of minty looking forte II's have come up in my area and i was wondering if i could get some input on them. How is their low end bass extension? If you had to pick a reference speaker to compare their low end to, which would it be? I had a pair of heresys and i like their sound for vocals, i assume these are just as warm sounding? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merkin Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Owning three sets of fort II's I'd say that there bass extension is excellent and the tractrix gives exceptional mid range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Love them. Performance far exceeds what you will pay. I think they sound better with neutral to warm amps. I have used my Fortes and Quartets with 70's Marantz, 80's and 90's Denon integrateds, B&K amps, Luxman receiver, and I think all combinations sound fantastic. How is their low end bass extension? Very punchy and not boomy, but make sure the passives are not too close to front wall or too far out, 10 to 15 inches should do it. If you had to pick a reference speaker to compare their low end to, which would it be? At one time I would say they might compare closest to RF-7's down low but now that I added my Acurus A250 to my system, I think my RF-63's sound pretty similar. I had a pair of heresys and i like their sound for vocals, i assume these are just as warm sounding? With the Crites titanium diaphragms, the highs really do extend, with the stock phenolics, the highs are rolled off a bit. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuBXeRo Posted February 16, 2012 Author Share Posted February 16, 2012 the pair is going for $550, i wouldnt pay that for them, id like to get them for $350 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 the pair is going for $550, i wouldnt pay that for them, As mentioned, the performance easily exceeds price but $550.00 is more than I would pay. id like to get them for $350 That would be nice, but $425.00 to $475.00.00 is more realistic. With original boxes, easily near that range. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuBXeRo Posted February 16, 2012 Author Share Posted February 16, 2012 oak with consecutive serials Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 You can re tune the passives if you want to ge more bass and lower bass. The Forte already has probably got about the lowest 3 db down frquency of any Klipsch out there at 32 Hz. Drop about 3 ounces on the passive and tell me what you think. I would recommend that you brace and stiffen the cabinet before you do or you are likely to have the back baffle slapping the mid driver under hard drive.Fantastic speaker.$450.00 for a speaker like this is more than fair if it is in very good condition. keep your eyes open for a beater set of cabinets and you might them for three hundred. Best regards Moray James. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted February 16, 2012 Moderators Share Posted February 16, 2012 the pair is going for $550, i wouldnt pay that for them, As mentioned, the performance easily exceeds price but $550.00 is more than I would pay. id like to get them for $350 That would be nice, but $425.00 to $475.00.00 is more realistic. With original boxes, easily near that range. Bill That's probably good prices I would think. About 5 years ago (I guess) when prices were a little stronger i got two pair of Oak forte ll's, if I remember correctly one pair 450 and the other 525 . Later ran across a pair of original forte's, Walnut paid 300. "Love them. Performance far exceeds what you will pay." Your right, just look at what you get in that price range, Forte's do very well. [Y] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldmako Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Depending on where you live, 350 may be a bit too low for a really nice pair, but 550 may be too high. However, no matter what you pay you'll be glad you did in the long run. There are a handfull of Klipsch speakers that dominate this forum's "gotta have" column and the Fortes are right up there along with the C-Walls, Heresies, K-Horns and LaScalas. Sure there are others, but if you searched "Forte" you'd need a week to read all the threads and 99% percent of them would be positive. I picked up a pair for 400. They were as new with boxes from the original owner. Oiled walnut. The bottom line is that you can't go wrong, but try to soften the blow by knocking a bit off the price. You'll be glad you did and you'll keep them a long time. What were they new.....$1600? Furniture grade phenomenal speakers for 400 bucks. A steal in my book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davis419b Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 the pair is going for $550, i wouldnt pay that for them, id like to get them for $350 [:^)] [N] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivernuggets Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Excellent speaker. [Y] For $500, if they're in good shape, I would pay that much. With Heresy pairs in the $400 range, the Forte II has much better bass with almost the same footprint. Worth the extra $100. Sure $350 would be better, but they're becoming more rare. You can wait for another pair to surface in your area but it may be a while. Offer $450 and see what he says. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Chi-town Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Depending on where you live, 350 may be a bit too low for a really nice pair, but 550 may be too high. However, no matter what you pay you'll be glad you did in the long run. There are a handfull of Klipsch speakers that dominate this forum's "gotta have" column and the Fortes are right up there along with the C-Walls, Heresies, K-Horns and LaScalas. Sure there are others, but if you searched "Forte" you'd need a week to read all the threads and 99% percent of them would be positive. I picked up a pair for 400. They were as new with boxes from the original owner. Oiled walnut. The bottom line is that you can't go wrong, but try to soften the blow by knocking a bit off the price. You'll be glad you did and you'll keep them a long time. What were they new.....$1600? Furniture grade phenomenal speakers for 400 bucks. A steal in my book. I paid $1,000.00 for my forte II in 1992. Clear Oak finish and consecutive serial numbers brand new. In today's dollars that would be at least $3,500.00 for a pair if offered new today. INMHO the forte II is a better sounding speaker than the Cornwall. In fact the forte and forte II started to canibilize the Cornwall market when both were offered from the mid 80's to the mid 90's. My pair look as good as the day they came out of the boxes. I still have boxes and all original paerwork. Bottom line: if mint, consecutive and original boxes they are a steal at $500.00! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuBXeRo Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 i went ahead and offered 350 for the pair and that i could do a pickup tomorro with cash in hand as long as i could get a demo and havent gotten a response back yet. Im not pressured, i would like the pair but another pair will surface at some point. At this point it is just an addition to everything that i have and would be nice to have. If i dont get them i just keep my eyes out for the rf-5's i want again or just have both sets. Lordy i need more amps haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 If you had a pair of Forte ll I really can't imagine why you would want a pair of RF5? As nice as the RF5 are with the exact same horn as the RF7 and all that they just have not in their time even begun to establish for themselves anywhere near the mojo that the Forte has and there is a reason for that. Think about it, most would give the mojo roll call as Khorn Cornwall and Forte I would switch Forte for Cornwall but that's just me. If the price difference between to sets of speakers is $100.00 to $150.00 and the difference is rough cabinets rough grills and excellent cabinets excellent grills then spend the extra $150.00. I hear guys sayig they can this and they can that. I will tell you that you can't make rough look excellent and cleaning up rough to decent and installing new grills is a lot more work and material than $150.00 will ever cover. There is also the age old worry that if the previous owner could not even keep the speakers clean what else did he do to them? Sometimes spending a little extra buys you a lot. Someones love care and attention given to a thing has a value. Just my thoughts. Good luck and be patient finding a pair of Forte ll for the right price may your audio karma kick in and get you the right set. Best regards Moray James. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted February 17, 2012 Moderators Share Posted February 17, 2012 If you had a pair of Forte ll I really can't imagine why you would want a pair of RF5? [Y] Me personally I would have a tough time deciding even with the RF-7 compared to the forte ll, but that's just me and what I like. OK I put my fire suit on, the RF anything is just not my favorite, it sounds like it's missing something, kind of cold, sterile ? I can't be lacking midrange my best speakers are 2 way design without a specific midrange? Is it just the voicing of the line being a little different than what I like , who knows ? Yes I have heard them and do own a pair of RB-75's but it's the only Reference speakers we have. In know many people love them and I can see why but everyone hears things differently and this is just my opinion, nothing more. MY OPINION..........#1 the right Pro models, and not by a small margin #2 Palladium #3 Heritage...counting fortes and Chorus #4 RF line the rest I don't have enough experience listening to to really comment, the models I listed I have heard, side by side with each other to compare, quite a few days worth and well over 1000 miles of traveling . But we were very lucky to have many of those models side by side demoed by the people who designed them in the same room. This was done because we wanted the best sound we could possibly afford, size and cosmetics didn't matter ONLY SOUND. BUT it's still just ONE opinion......... []..........light me up [li] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuBXeRo Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 i like the rf-5 because of its versatility with everything i threw at it. I always liked its bottom end at low volumes. I will admit the rf series does very well but lacks in mid range especially when you pit it against the heritage line. I also listen to alot of electronica and the RFs do a better job than the heritage does because electronica isnt supposed to have that warm feeling IMO or atleast its just my preference. And you are right, the little extra cash is worth it to get a minty pair and not have to do anything to them. I have been there and done that with my heresys that i had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Re tune the passive radiators on a pair of Forte ll and tell then tell me that youknow of an RF speaker that can match them for keyboard bass lines. I re tuned a pair of Quartet passives tis way (installed KLF20 ten inch woofers) and bass which was much better than with two HSU VTF2 Mkll subs. No reason a forte ll won't do a lot better. Throw about 3 ounces on the passives and see what you think. You want to tune to about 30 Hz. With bass bigger is better. good luck buddy you will find your speakers or probably they will find you. Best regards Moray James. PS: you will likely want to stiffen and brace your Forte ll cabinets prior to re tunning the passives or you will have the rear baffle slappng the mid driver assembly under hard drive. Powerfull bass like the darkest unsweetened chocolate, mmmm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted February 17, 2012 Moderators Share Posted February 17, 2012 I also listen to alot of electronica and the RFs do a better job than the heritage does because electronica isnt supposed to have that warm feeling IMO or atleast its just my preference. I think your exactly right, the RF line is probably perfect for electronica and styles similar. I don't listen to it much and that does seem to make sense. It's not that I thought they sounded bad just different, good catch. [Y] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted February 17, 2012 Moderators Share Posted February 17, 2012 Re tune the passive radiators That's interesting, one of the few things hardly ever discussed here if at all. Kind of like tuning a ported speakers port size, shape and length, it can change the whole sound. I think your the first with that here, that I can remember anyway ? [H] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Took me over a thousand poste to get one, that's a good hit ratio. The bass on the modifire Quartet speakers is the kind of thing you have to hear and actually experience. I would not have belived me that it could b this deep controlled and mmm good. The beginning of many more to come because I really like Klipsch speakers. Best regards Moray James. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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