tnr Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 I am going to temporarily place and use Forte I's in front of Khorns while renovating my basement. What would be the recommended minimum distance with these having passive radiators? I will experiment, but would also appreciate input. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 (edited) Distance? Distance of what to what? It really doesn't matter I think. One of the moderators here, long ago, was asked about how far ports can be from a wall. He said, half the port diameter. I wonder how that applies to direct radiators (or dual ports) but I'll assume that holds and we can get a 12 inch passive as little as 6 inches from a wall. I think that means the distance before the port or passive ceases to operate properly. This is a far cry of what is good or okay as far as performance. At the office I have my Forte II toed in, in corners with the back edges just about touching the walls. No lack of bass but I have not dared use a loudness setting. They really sound balanced at all levels. Like I've pointed out before, the office has a suspended ceiling and for purposes of room size it could be like a five sided room with the ceiling not there at all. So corner reinforcement perhaps is not like regular six sided rooms. I expect that if you have to move the Forte's out into the room you'll be missing some bass but they are so dang good, you can live with it. At home I put my Quartets on 18 inch risers and next to the 37 inch flat screen which is out in the room so I can sit fairly close. I have not tried conventional music. But. Watching Star Trek Next Generation something good happened. The rumble of the Enterprise's engines came though very nicely. Regarding how close you can sit . . . again at the office they are 5 feet behind me overall. They sound good but obviously this is not the preferred listening set up. But I'll say that that 5 feet away is okay. That is also true of the TV set up. There is no perception that the three drivers can be localized. As far as the too close issue. My understanding is that the fabled BBC monitors were balanced for it. However, this was for speakers in the van where the chaps were monitoring sound for recording or being sent back to the studio. They were about 2 feet away. Actually, I wonder about any automobile installation. The room (with windows closed) is probably one one-hundredth of even a small mixing studio. Windows open or top down makes it closer to outdoors. I have a lot of faith in the Forte, Chorus, Quartet line. I think you'll get good results. Smile, WMcD Edited July 29, 2014 by William F. Gil McDermott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnr Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 Thanks for your response, WMcD. Just referring to the distance away from the wall, or in this instance, my Khorns, which are in corners, of course. I thought Forte II's were front ported, but I see they are the same as Forte's, so I am happy to hear you have your's nearly touching the walls and plenty of bass. I thought I would need at least 6 - 8 inches. I will try them just an inch away and see how they sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 No, wait, wait, wait. When I say the back corners are up against the walls I mean there is some space in the triangular prism space defined by that and they have about one-eighth of a inch on either line of intersection. If you're going to back them up against a wall or the K-Horns, I'd leave six inches, just to honor what the moderator said. Best, WMcD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnr Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 Got it. Thanks for the clarification. I thought they needed more room to breathe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Chi-town Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 I keep my forte II 18 inches from the wall and about 8 feet apart. My listening position is 15 feet away from the speakers. I prefer them straight forward with no toe in. Pure "Nirvana" with audio and video. Best regards, John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnr Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 That is likely ideal. I've had them about that distance from the wall, but not that far apart, only due to lack of space. However, I am seeing another option to get me close. Thanks John! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Chi-town Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Your welcome. Both the forte & forte II use passive radiators. The original forte has a 12 inch passive, while the forte II sports a 15 inch passive. The only other difference between the two is the mid range horn. The original forte has an exponential, while the forte II has a tractrix mid range horn. If you have the space both versions need room to breath from the wall. At minimum INMHO 12 inches, but my preference is 18. Best regards, John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeFord Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 Forte's too close to the back wall can sound far from optimal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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