Shielding Forte I from Television

[gbreda]

Trying this post in 2 areas.

I have just purchased a 32" television and my Forte I's are giving it problems. The magnets are strong enought that I cannot put these speakers anywhere near the TV. Angling has helped but not completely.

How do I sheild these speakers?

[InventiveAudio.com]

Perhaps you can use wire and hang them from the ceiling. I would also call Klipsch or Layne Audio and see about buying a bucking magnet for your woofer's magnet. They also sella special metal that youcan put between the speaker and your TV. That may help too. I have a Heresy on top of my audio cabinet and it doesn't bother the TV. I guess I'm lucky.

[gbreda]

Trader

My ceilings aren't tall enough to hang the Forte's from. This would only put the woofer magnets at the height of the television. I did remove the woofer earlier today to see of that was the problem. It was not. Apparently even the horn's (tweeter and midrange) are giving a problem as well. I do have a Reference Center Channel speaker on top of the tv. This is only a year and a half old and must be sheilded because it does not give any problem.

[Malcolm]

Bucking magnets may help. Klipsch should be able to provide the correct sizes for the woofer, squawker and tweeter. Just be aware that the results probably won't be as good as current shielded speakers. In addition to the bucking magnets, they have a high permeability can connecting the back of the bucking magnet to the front of the magnet circuit. But the results may be good enough with just the bucking magnets.

Shielding the Fortes themselves from the outside is probably not feasible. It is possible, but you probably wouldn't care for the look or the cost.

You might try elevating the speakers. You don't necessarily have to hang them from the ceiling. You just need to find a height that moves the stray magnetic field from the speakers to a less critical point. You might try moving them forward or back if you have not tried yet also.

If the magnetic field is strong enough to distort the picture but not magnetize the shadow mask, there is another solution. The TV can be tweaked to give a better picture in your unusual magnetic environment. However, this requires a technician that knows what he is doing. It used to be standard practice with the first color TVs to make this kind of adjustment when the set was installed. Now the manufacturers just build for a nominal magnetic field in the region where the sets will be sold. And most service technicians have no idea how to properly adjust a set.

If all else fails, you could sell the Fortes and buy something older. The older Heritage line speakers had alnico magnets. The later ones had ceramic magnets. The construction of the alnico magnet circuits resulted in less stray magnetic field. I have a 27" TV sitting directly on top of a 1972 Heresy on its side and have no problems with the picture.