ClaudeJ1 Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 Of all the Heritage and Extended Heritage line, the best balanced speakers INMHO are the forte II and CF4. I have owned forte II since new in 1992. I will never part with mine. If you are running a good high current amplifier, that has ample reserve power for "Difficult Loads, or Passages" you will find little need for a subwoofer since they dig to 32KHZ, if not slightly lower. Keep an eye on your local Craigslist, Audiogon, etc. Unless your really remote somewhere odds are you can avoid shipping. Best regards, John They were both designed by Roy Delgado, now Chief Engineer in the Pro Theater line. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaudeJ1 Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 The KG4 is a great speaker but the forte II is better. I would keep forte II over KG4. Good luck on your search. Best regards, John No kidding. Two different animals. Bigger 3 way vs. smaller 2-way. Not even close. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Chi-town Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 (edited) The Tractrix horn in the forte II and Chorus II was groundbreaking INMHO to say the least. The Current Heritage line including Cornwall III & Heresy III all have tractrix horns in them. As well as the RF7 II line if I am not mistaken. In a nutshell the forte II is slightly more forward in a good way, as well as covering a slightly wider range of listening position vs. the original. If you close your eyes, no Klipsch speaker reminds me of a true "Live" performance, regardless of genre. Edited December 14, 2014 by John Chi-town Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Chi-town Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 The KG4 is a great speaker but the forte II is better. I would keep forte II over KG4. Good luck on your search. Best regards, John No kidding. Two different animals. Bigger 3 way vs. smaller 2-way. Not even close. Agreed. Don't like to slam others peoples choices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skelt Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 I am sorry for the confusion. If I connect Fortes to the 8 ohm tap on the amp, the amp will run hotter than if connected to the 4 ohm tap. I was using Fortes and Tangent 400s on a Kenwood 150 wpc and that configuration blew the transformer. i am not sure what your Kenwood unit is - or what it can do - but if you are not connecting them correctly - it will damage one or the other or both - speakers and amp or AVR etc, - you have to really try to use a amp which can handle 4 ohms - you cant match 4 ohm speakers to a an amp or any unit that can only do 8 ohms - it will run hot at the least and shut down - blow the amp - and can even damage speakers - you want alot of power clean - no distortion going to the speakers - That picticular amp has a switch for either 4 or 8 ohm operation. I never had that problem and I have 6, 4 four Forte ll's and 2 originals connected to a standard AVR, a older Yamaha RX V730 for HT and it runs barely warm with heavy use. Now is that the woofer reading or before the crossover ? The T/S for the Forte 1 woof is 3.4DCR. If you measure before the crossover add in the 3mH coil(.3 ohms?) and it is still below 4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjptkd Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 I've owned and compared side by side the Forte I & II and would say that they sound very much alike, not sure I could distinguish one from the other accurate enough in a double blind test. Even with the larger passive the bass seemed the same to me with the only real difference I could hear was in the mids. It was subtle and took a lot of A-Bing back and forth to really recognize it was there at all. The CW III and H III have a Tractrix tweeter but exponential mid horn, I believe the same as what's in the Forte I. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaudeJ1 Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 (edited) The KG4 is a great speaker but the forte II is better. I would keep forte II over KG4. Good luck on your search. Best regards, John No kidding. Two different animals. Bigger 3 way vs. smaller 2-way. Not even close. Agreed. Don't like to slam others peoples choices. Me neither, I was just saying how different they were. The KG-4 was a great speaker and was father to all 2-way speakers that came after it with passives or ports. I had a pair in my CAR! Edited December 15, 2014 by ClaudeJ1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 The Tractrix horn in the forte II and Chorus II was groundbreaking INMHO to say the least. The Current Heritage line including Cornwall III & Heresy III all have tractrix horns in them. As well as the RF7 II line if I am not mistaken. In a nutshell the forte II is slightly more forward in a good way, as well as covering a slightly wider range of listening position vs. the original. If you close your eyes, no Klipsch speaker reminds me of a true "Live" performance, regardless of genre. John: the CWlll and the Hlll only have small tractrix tweeters lenses in them and the mid horns are the lowly K701 most unfortunately. The RF7 and RF7ll both have hybrid conical tractrix horns as do the KLF series and the CF series (and a whole bunch of others). Forte is a Heresy in a larger vented box (that uses a passive). The Forte ll uses a very different (and much better) mid horn (and a larger passive). The same mid horn used in the Forte ll can also be found in the Quartet and the Chorus ll as well as one or two pro Klipsch designs and I agree with your appraisal of the quality of these speakers. Best regards Moray James. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expresso Posted December 16, 2014 Author Share Posted December 16, 2014 i cant seem to get a hold of a pair of Forte II - i had a deal almost and it didnt work - so my question - i can find a few orginal forte models - is it worth getting the original forte or try to wait for a Forte II to show up - ? a friend of mines has the II - i like it - but never heard the original so cant compare really - what do you think - wait for the II or just get the original if i can ? i dont want to be disappointed since i already know what the Forte II is like - just the look alone of the huge horn is making me want it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Chi-town Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 Patientce is a virtue....... I thought I saw a member listed a pair in the garage sale section of this forum in Fl. How long have you been looking? Since you stated shipping was a requirement, scour the Craigslist ads in metro areas within several hundred miles of you. Yes they are worth waiting for. Shouldnt take long to find the right pair. Good luck. John 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expresso Posted December 16, 2014 Author Share Posted December 16, 2014 i have check - i just started to look - got the itch and want a pair now - i actually seen a very good condition Forte Original - i asked if they would bring it to me - deliver or drop it off - price was not bad i think - i havnt heard back and i havnt really decided - i would hate to get the first model and then find a good Forte II - that would drive me nuts - i hardly never buy from CL - but i guess i can try - i dont trust it really - thanks - so you feel its worth going for the II instead ? what if i get a great price on the first model - ? what do you feel would be a great price for the first model that would make you say ok i take it for that amount - ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjptkd Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 I've owned and compared side by side the Forte I & II and would say that they sound very much alike, not sure I could distinguish one from the other accurate enough in a double blind test. If you can land a nice pair of the originals for around $300 I'd say go for it. If a set of the II's come along you can always just resell the originals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolz Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 I have a pair of forte, 2 pairs of forte II along with 2 pairs of Heresy and a pair of Belles. I keep going back to the forte II for my critical listening. Most members have spent a lot of time and money chasing the perfect sound. As indicated by others be patient. There is a good group of folks giving you that advice because we all have been in your place rushing to experience that perfect sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expresso Posted December 17, 2014 Author Share Posted December 17, 2014 yeah i guess your right - i am going to regret it if i rush somehow one way or another - i may have found a few forte II - looking around - not sure if they still have them for sale - but one is going for 850 and i do need them shipped no matter what - i think thats too high - another pair for 700 - i may follow up on them to see if they are still for sale - i am not sure what is a fair price - minus shipping - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 I modified a set of Quartet with a pair of Bobs ti tweeter diaphragms and a set of Klipsch ti mid diaphragms and a set of KLF20 woofers (remove the bezel they drop right in and 2.5 ounces on the passive. Superb bass extension better than a Forte ll upper twenty response. Put them up on 14 inch stands simply amazing. Yes I braced the cabinets and re damped them with HD fiberglass. Superb loudspeaker. If you like concert levels and whack get a set of Chorus ll and do the same thing. You have options own all three modify them and decide what floats your boat. A modified KLF20 will be even better but you will probably have to deal with the baffles but removing the baffles makes brace work easy. I have modifies two sets of KLF20 LOVE those woofers personally more than my CF3 woofers but that is my personal taste. The more you own and the more you modify the easier for you to know exactly what you like want and to get it. Best regards Moray James. PS: Quartet Forte ll and Chorus ll all share the same mid horn. When damped and treated properly the KLF20 mid horn is a better mid horn but totally stock I would prefer the Forte ll mid horn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heritage_Head Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/csw/ele/4765853157.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 i wonder how much of a difference in sound is between the original and the II forte - i see a few more orginals for sale with the smaller mid horn - I've had both side by side and done listening tests and measured response curves in a listening room. The original sounds pinched, restricted, squonkier in the mid range. The II eliminates this and has a more solid low end. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expresso Posted December 17, 2014 Author Share Posted December 17, 2014 http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/csw/ele/4765853157.html thanks - i will follow up on this one - i dont seem to find anything on GL - i must be doing something wrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expresso Posted December 17, 2014 Author Share Posted December 17, 2014 http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/csw/ele/4765853157.html thanks !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expresso Posted December 17, 2014 Author Share Posted December 17, 2014 how bad is having a hole in the dust cap and the other pushed in - does this affect the speaker at all - things like that drive me crazy - to see it pushed etc, - is they any way to replace just the dust cap - ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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