wdrazek Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 I picked up a pair of Forte 1's about a year now and it is the time to raise their performance. After many hours of reading here and elsewhere, I have some questions for those who have upgraded their Forte's or other extended Heritage models. My strong bias is towards products available from Klipsch and BEC. Not to dis anyone else, I am just more comfortable making changes that are closer to the original intention of the designers. Question 1: Will the full crossover upgrade from BEC provide a worthwhile upgrade over his cap replacement given the much higher cost? The cap upgrade can be had for 1/4 the cost of a full crossover replacement. I would rather spend elsewhere if the additional performance is not in line with the extra cost. Question 2: Klipsch offers a titanium diaphragm for the mids. Apparently, it extends the upper range of the mid and tilts up the response at the top of the range. Unless there is a fairly simple fix for this I would rather avoid it. Is there a simple fix that I have missed? Question 3: BEC also offers a phenolic diaphragm upgrade for the mids. I have read that this improvement is not as dramatic as the Klipsch titanium diaphragm. OTOH, it does alter the mid's frequency response characteristics. How significant Is this upgrade? Question 4: Lastly, would improving the internal wiring improve matters? I'm not talking cryo-treated .9999999999999 pure silver with magic pixie dust, just a good 'Blue Jeans cable' type upgrade. One thing I have no question about is the BEC titanium diaphragms. They are definitely on my list. Thanks for the tips, advice and especially for sharing your own observations and experiences. Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 On the issue of recapping or replacement crossovers, I'd strongly advise for recapping. The rest of your crossover will be just fine. BEC is the guy to deal with because what he does on crossovers is to (as close as possible) restore them to factory spec. The difference and improvement in sound has been astonishing to me by just doing this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Q # 1) if you are good with soldering as in good at it sure buy the kit of parts and install them yourself. Why not? Q #2) I hav ti mids im my heresy in my H3 in my Forte in my Forte ll and in teo pair of KLF20 and I have zero issues with hoe they sound. I compared them directly to BC's phenolic mid diaphragms and there is no contest do not let the extenced response issue (if there is one) stop you from going Ti now if you want to evaluate the filter mod Bob has later do so but don't wait the difference is too big to give up. Q #3) see Q # 2 above Q #4) your average cable upgrade will not buy you much over what is there stock, just twist your pairs together and if you really want to hear a difference remove the spade connectors and solder to the tabs but be careful and pre tin each bare wire first you dont want anymore heat than absolutely necessary on those tabs. Suggestion get some dynamat or similar constrained layer damping and damp the back sides of your K702 and your K79. If you would like to consider other mods have a look at my thread at AK intitled "are your woofers sqawking" internal brace and stiffening is a must and you can gain a lot of quality bass by adding 3 ounces of dead weight to your cabinets. Make sure all your gasketw are fresh and tight so horns woofer passive terminal cup. Read SET12's great thread on modifying hie Forte crossovers at AK long but rewarding befoe you rush off to buy parts. You can take a look at the post below to see what I did brace wise on a pair of Quartet and a pair of KLF20 last summer just for and idea of what you can do brace work makes a huge difference. I think it fair to say that the original intention of the design was to make a very good speaker whic was affordable. So you can figure a lot of corners were cut. Buy or build yourself a pair of 12 inch high four post stands (remove the factory riser) and get your horns up to ear level and make your speakers look great at the same time. Fo a good idea of how this looks go check out the Slylan Stands at skylanstands.com look on his euro site at the Harbeth M40 for a similar size cabinet on a set of four post stands. Very nice. Hope this helps and is of interest and welcome to the forum this is a great place. Best regards Moray James. http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=372783&highlight=klf20 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilson Hines Posted February 25, 2023 Share Posted February 25, 2023 On 3/28/2012 at 6:51 AM, wdrazek said: I picked up a pair of Forte 1's about a year now and it is the time to raise their performance. After many hours of reading here and elsewhere, I have some questions for those who have upgraded their Forte's or other extended Heritage models. My strong bias is towards products available from Klipsch and BEC. Not to dis anyone else, I am just more comfortable making changes that are closer to the original intention of the designers. Hey guys, I just made arrangements to buy a nice set of Forte 1's. I haven't picked them up yet, but according to the pictures, they are very close to being perfect. Only a couple visible signs of wear and one of those is on the back (just a rubbing spot). The speakers and passive radiators are pristine, which is unusual from what I've seen in eBay and Facebook marketplace posts. Questions: Who is BEC and where's his website or whatever so I can look at caps or crossovers? Is it worth upgrading the speakers in the Forte I to newer model speakers? Got any thread links you think may be interesting to me? Thanks again for your input. I know this thread is from 2012, but hopefully you guys can wake up for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted February 25, 2023 Share Posted February 25, 2023 18 minutes ago, Wilson Hines said: caps or crossovers? klipsch offer factory capacitor kits which are direct replacement parts , Forget Aftermarkets , if you want the optimal sound Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilson Hines Posted February 25, 2023 Share Posted February 25, 2023 4 minutes ago, OO1 said: klipsch offer factory capacitor kits which are direct replacement parts , Forget Aftermarkets , if you want the optimal sound So, what kind of pricing do they run? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilson Hines Posted February 25, 2023 Share Posted February 25, 2023 (edited) It took me a bit to figure where BEC was at, but I guess he's at ... https://critesspeakers.com Edited February 25, 2023 by Wilson Hines Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted February 25, 2023 Share Posted February 25, 2023 Just now, Wilson Hines said: So, what kind of pricing do they run? Contact .........https://jemperformanceaudio.com/ /Authorised klipsch Crossover repair center (412) 401-6915 theaudioroom@verizon.net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilson Hines Posted February 26, 2023 Share Posted February 26, 2023 14 hours ago, OO1 said: Contact .........https://jemperformanceaudio.com/ /Authorised klipsch Crossover repair center (412) 401-6915 theaudioroom@verizon.net You know, after reading his website, I think "if it ain't broke, I'm not fixing it." I figured the crossovers could use refreshing, at least the capacitors. We're talking 40 year old speakers. But I'm thinking they'll do just fine. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjptkd Posted February 26, 2023 Share Posted February 26, 2023 7 minutes ago, Wilson Hines said: You know, after reading his website, I think "if it ain't broke, I'm not fixing it." I figured the crossovers could use refreshing, at least the capacitors. We're talking 40 year old speakers. But I'm thinking they'll do just fine. Try them out first see how you like them. If interested in changing anything use google search for other forums as any talk of variation from factory spec is banned here as of late. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff. Posted February 26, 2023 Share Posted February 26, 2023 @Wilson Hines, I replaced the factory(polyester) capacitors with Erse polyester/mylar capacitors in an ‘84 pair of Cornwalls and a ‘90s pair of Chorus 2s within the last few years. It was moot at best. I could discern no difference one way or the other. My takeaway was that polyester capacitors not subjected to brutal extremes have generational longevity. I have also played around with polypropylene capacitors in other Klipsch speakers that came stock with polyester caps. They always sound brighter. More resolution and clarity at low volumes, “harsher” as you crank them above 90db, from the listening position. One thing I always found to be an improvement from where my ears sit is the titanium tweeter diaphragms. They simply weren’t available originally and were used in later models. Biggest bang for the buck and reversible. CAVEAT: if you go that route take your time, they are delicate, ask me how I know… Fortes are a great speaker, but if and when you decide to take the next step, a stock speaker holds it’s resale value better. Cheers, 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted February 26, 2023 Share Posted February 26, 2023 5 hours ago, Wilson Hines said: I'm thinking they'll do just fine. no worries , most owners of Forte 1 barely push them to their limits in their living rooms so whether the caps are worn out or not makes very little difference . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted February 26, 2023 Share Posted February 26, 2023 6 hours ago, Wilson Hines said: You know, after reading his website, I think "if it ain't broke, I'm not fixing it." I figured the crossovers could use refreshing, at least the capacitors. We're talking 40 year old speakers. But I'm thinking they'll do just fine. I just got an LCR meter a few days ago and tested it on the caps from my Forte II and Chorus IIs (so maybe five years newer than your speakers I am guessing). All of the caps were in spec, including the electrolytics, except for two 6 uF electrolytics in the Chorus IIs that are silver (feeding the Autoformer). Looking at the Forte I schematic you only have one 47 uf electrolytic. All should be fine. If you ever do decide to check them out, at 1 kHz the polys all measured around 0.3 to 0.4 ohms DCR and the electrolytics measured 0.1 DCR. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilson Hines Posted February 27, 2023 Share Posted February 27, 2023 I appreciate all you guys chiming in and giving some feedback! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted February 27, 2023 Share Posted February 27, 2023 There is nothing coming in that measures egregious, yet everyone is reporting improvement. I haven’t had anyone tell me that it sounds the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted February 27, 2023 Moderators Share Posted February 27, 2023 19 hours ago, Deang said: There is nothing coming in that measures egregious, yet everyone is reporting improvement. I haven’t had anyone tell me that it sounds the same. Clearly it’s the brand of solder you are using. You should never give up that secret. Travis P.S. what’s the “being facetious” emoji again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.