Forte II vs Chorus

[Anotherforumname]

I am a long time audio enthusiast-audiophile and have owned many speakers over the years, I have owned my share of klipsch as well, the best pair of Klipsch I ever owned was a set of KG5.5's. Klipsch has been one of my favorite for a long time as I remember drooling over a set my friends dad owned when I was a kid. Anyway an opportunity has come up to buy a set of excellent condition Forte II for 425 OBO or a set of Chorus line 1 for 600 OBO good condition and I was wondering which one is better? they are both bone stock. I don't know if I will get either at this time, like I need more speakers but you never know, I have been wanting to get back into some Klipsch though. Thanks for your time.

[WMcD]

It is difficult to answer. I don't know of a side by side comparison.

I heard a pair of Chorus (I) under poor conditions. Away from a corner and overdriven. I did not like them.

I own Forte II and believe they are the best direct radiator (non-bass horn) that can be had, IMHO. But I'd love to hear a Chorus II.

The Forte II have the advantage of the "Tractrix" midrange. Forte (I) had the exponential mid and Klipsch substituted the tractrix mid in a "mule" and found it so impressive that they created the Forte II. Forte II has a bigger passive than the Forte I. Apparently they liked that mod too.

The Chorus (1) has ports rather than a passive.

Looking at history, the Chorus was a replacement for the Cornwall. But then Klipsch created the Chorus II, Forte II, and Quartet (I) which all used a tractrix mid and passive (drone). This may well have been the zenith of performance. It is a little bear, momma bear, and papa bear family.

There has been some traffic in the past where Forte I and Forte II have been talked about. At least one person said he found no difference. By implication, the exponential mid (as in Chorus I) and the tractrix mid made no difference. My thought is that maybe, in a good room, that could be so -- but it is contrary to what Klipsch seems to have experienced. That being that the tractrix is a very good advance. And they did not go to passive bass radiators for nothing -- despite added cost.

Were does that leave us with your request for information? I'd recommend the Forte II. You can't go wrong. What you're talking about is a reasonable price for Forte II and I'm very sure you will like the sound very much.

WMcD

[Anotherforumname]

Thank, I was leaning more that way anyway because they're cheaper and in better condition. I like the passive 15" radiator on the back. I am wondering on how they compare to the KG 5.5's I had?

[beeker]

If you can try to demo both with same cd and amp. They are both a
good price but if the forte II's were in good shape offder $400. In a
great world both would solve it all.

On the other hand the 15" driver in any klipsch cabinet is incredible in optimum conditions. What are looking to drive each with and what conditions will they be in? The Chorus will be a bit easier to place in a sense. For optimum performance the forte2 needs a corner in my opinion.

It is a tough call and i would let the money do the talking. If you need to save buy the forteII. I would offer the chorus guy $500 and if he dont, move along . . unless he meets you at $525-550 or wherever you would feel more comfotable. I have used all the above as mains at 1 time or another and would probably get the forte 2's if he would go $400 although $425 is a good price but asking for a deal might help make the decision. Many people i Know have the chorus 1 as their forever to the end of time mains in large collections a couple in particular. I also know groups that say the forte II is the best klipsch speaker ever made and their pockets are deep.

It would be up to you after a demo, and i would be a bit honest to the seller/s. Your golden ears make the difference within the space and use you have for them...by the way if you still own the kg5.5's get the chorus for sure. Again in my opinion you would have a very even range between the 2 compared to kg5.5 & forte II although any of the 2 or all 3 sound good together. good luck!

[Anotherforumname]

Thanks for the reply. I would be powering them with a Rotel 990BX 200 watts per channel RMS into 8 ohms. Not able to put them in corners, the left one is close but generally try to keep speakers away from the corners due to reflections. I have room treatments. I sold the KG 5.5's a long time ago.

[moray james]

if you look at the numbers the Forte ll extends far deeper than the Chorus does so level aside you get a better balance with the Forte ll compared to the Chorus. I think that you need to decide what woofer size that you prefer. They all sound different the all have different compromizes. You should also be considering the CF3 and or the CF4. The CF4 with dual 12 inch woofers will push far more air than a single 15 inch woofer can and the two way design of the CF series will integrate is a far shorter distance than a 3 way will making it much more domestically adapatable in that you can sit much closer to it than to a 3 way design. The prices of both the speakers that you are looking at are good but neither is a stunning deal. I would not be looking for a Chorus or Forte as both use the K701 mid horn I would only be interested in the Forte ll and the Chorus ll as they both use the same hybrid tractrix mid horn. You have options so why not check them out? Do some woofer size comparrisons and decide which size you like the best then go from there. That will make your sellection process much easier. Best regards Moray James.

[jason str]

The Forte II has a very nice overall sound and can deliver lower bass notes but the Chorus will give you a better kick in the pants with the cast 15" ported woofer especially under high volume.

The Chorus in my opinion has a better live concert sound but the Tractrix horn of the Forte II will sound more mellow and easier on your ears.

Both have their strenghts and weaknesses, its a coin toss if you cant hear them first.

Both are priced decent if the cabinets are in nice shape, i would go have a look at both sets before they are gone.

[Anotherforumname]

I have sent both an E-mail and I will go check them out if I can. Thanks for all your input.

[beeker]

Please update your findings. Interesting debate on your venture. Yeah that rotel, well yeah is all i will say...it will do well with both. Now i will say auditioning both with about any slurry of music you will very likely find the forte II trump with your rotel. That rotel will push the chorus fine although i would lean forte II in this situation. Now if you were using a home avr or smaller amp then i would say chorus . . . by the way love your avatar

[Ohiopatriot]

Give him700-800 and just buy both. Always buy any(most) klipsch whenever you possibly can. No way to be wrong[8-|]

[Anotherforumname]

Thanks about the avatar, The chorus guy is still MIA and just heard back from the forte ii guy this evening he said he would take $400, I didn't really ask though and might check those out tomorrow but already am getting some slack from the wife so this might be getting shot down before its up. She has been real understanding and supportive, hell she let me get these 5 and a half foot tall Infinity speakers so we will see. The chorus guy was open to trades and that was more of a possibility as money is kind of tight right now. I guess I will go check out the forte ii tomorrow and go from there.

[Anotherforumname]

Well no reply from the Chorus guy as of yet and the Forte II probably wont happen right now because of some unexpected or forgotten bills not to mention my wife changed jobs to a lower paying job, I got some stuff for sale and if he still has them then I will go check them out or see what is on the market at that time. What are the general thoughts about the Cornwall series 1? I might have a chance to get a pair of those in a trade.

[moray james]

from a resale point of view the CW is more popular than the Chorus so if you can swing a good deal and if the CW are in good condition I don't think that you can lose out and if you like them why not? You can modify Chorus or Chorus ll to give you a little lower bass extension than you get with a CW though I supplse you could lengthen thevent on a CW but I don't know how much would need to be added for say 3 Hz more extension. You can experiment with either CW and Chorus versions. I think the mid horn of the Chorus ll Forte ll and Quartet is a better mid horn than the K600 of the CW. But as I said if the trade is a good one and the CW are in nice shape you could stand to make a bit on a sale later or on another trade again and the more time you spend listening to speakers the better able you will be to decide which suits you best from a size and sound point of view. Sounds like a trade would be worth while for you now. Good luck and best regards Moray James.

[beeker]

I agree with moray that the cw is more popular than a chorus. Myself where im using my chorus there is room only for chorus or i would possibly have cw's sitting there. Then again my personal favorite speaker is a chorus 2.

To me the cornwall is the same as the chorus within many functions. I would not hesitate on a trade on some cw's. You will keep them forever. I can understand the bills and wife situation as can we all. We have them cause they bring us too reality. All my klipsch has been had through trade buy and selling. I will make a point i always resort to here. I view the standard of klipsch speakers by the cw 1, they are what i see, the 1's are better than the current cw's imo and many others for various reasons. It is a true monitor. No bass bin, networks to wire and very easy to place in a room xept for their size. Reason i enjoy the cw1 most and you will be able to keep forever and never get tired of...there are tons of upgrades you can undertake with them, done at home by yourself...or sent to say crites and you can install. They just sound good in stock form as well....Just be sure to test the cw's first. Turn them up 3/4 on the owners amp then listen for at least 10 seconds and if its not perfect then there is some kind of issue. I say this because the guy wants to get rid of them through a random trade and all cw's that are being got rid of is always for money, not for trade. When you own a set of cornwalls you will be set for life. If you need money you sell them they are like gold so check them out 1st.

Even if they sound "not perfect" no big issue unless you hear the issue get worse. you are climbing a ladder here from forte to chorus now cw's next belles?

Then again i may be wrong and they are just too big for the guys music room or he just wants somthing new. Cornwalls are keepers as are any klipsch speaker but cw's are just a bit more of a mainstay. Big but not huge and sweet upgrades and easy to work on just a fun great speaker however you get'em

[Anotherforumname]

I just got home from looking at the CWs and they're real rough, The cabinets look like they have been dragged across the concrete floor on all sides and have some water damage on bottom. The woofers look like they are from some Realistic Mach ones and about an 1/8" of dust on them, no grills. I did not even hook them up and decided to pass.

It looks like this project is going to be put on the back-burner for the time being. Thanks again everybody.

[Anotherforumname]

The general census I am getting from this forum and others is that Tube amps generally sound best on all vintage Klipsch speakers. Any opinions on that? It has been a long time I messed around with tube amps. Or do they just require good clean high current power to sound good like any great speakers deserve?

[beeker]

several years ago i traded for my first true 500x2@8ohms solid state amplifier. At the same time i got a nice vintage12x2@8ohms tube amp. I was running 5.1 to 7.2 at the time and could run equal stereo on all channels. I ran the 500x2 ss on main fronts and ran the 12x2 tube amp on my surrounds...anyhow mains were cornwalls and surrounds were klipsch thx ultras. The 12x2 ran on the cw's or klipsch ultras kept up with the 500x2 on the opposite pr of speakers very very well. I also tried many many other setups at the time using solid state at front and tube surrounds in all modes through several pre amps including an adcom gfa 500II in stereo as well as side by side and without computer comparisons then or now tube just sounded amazing. If you have not tried a tube amp i suggest you do just to check it out. I try everything and use what works best for the best price possible these days.

I currently use a few tube amps in rotation biamping mids/highs at the moment but sort of prefer new, modern tube amps with new tubes although have several vintage tube amps and nos tubes in my collection. i prefer new myself due to the maintnance and upkeep of vintage tube amps.servicing equipment is a must. new tube amps use new tubes better than old with new and vice versa...depending on upgradesof vintage equipment. My vintage amps are original no modern caps although 2 in particular were 60's factory ceo modded.

What im getting at is that it is in the ears of the beholder . . . . litterally. I prefer solid state due to cost(actually tube if i could afford)although not using that old of vintage klipsch. The sensitivity of klipsch speakers is where you will find the key. khorns with a sensitivety of 105db on a 5 watt tube amp is so much more efficient than anything period. I use for my main room 2 center pro heresys with a sensitivety of 103 each both on approx 60 watts on tube amp which equals a lot in ss comparison of wattage. Tube wattage should be multiplied by approximately 3 to equal its solid state cohorts. Then using vintage or new klipsch being so efficient you get some major purity in sound.

This is in somebodys avatar here in the forum...horns like tubes and woofers like solid state and its true although you can find a lot of profound fun comparisons between the 2 although this sttement is very true to the ear

[Anotherforumname]

Thanks for the info, I tried tubes a long time ago and they were a pain. I liked my Carver M1.5t because it mimicked tubes without the hassle. After I got my finances in order the market for used Klipsch kind of dried up. Then some speakers I have been looking for for a long time became available, then some others that were just too good of a deal to pass up. I will continue my Klipsch quest sometime in the future.

[Shakeydeal]

Unless you have a speaker that is a very difficult load, a "good" tube amp will almost universally sound better than a "good" SS amp if musical involvement is your goal. There are good and bad examples of both technologies and I have heard some great sounding SS amps (Plinius and SmC modified McCormack come to mind), but in the end, tubes rule the day for me. Sure, they can be a hassle, but this is not generally the case. I have owned a VTL for almost three years now and have done nothing but check the bias occassionally, no adjusment necessary. And when it comes to Klipsch Heritage speakers and their efficiency, I see no reason to ever go down the SS path.

Shakey

[beeker]

I cannot agree enough although im running my crown on my chorus 2's at the moment and just cannot get enouph. I do have some pro klipsch 2502c's(pro heresys)with a db rating of 103 on my modded yaqin 10L at the moment to get my tube fix too yet the crown setup is my main stereo. Gotta say tho my yaqin sounds better. Yet again this crown sounds good right now