vondy Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 I finally got around to building myself some stands for my Forte II's after being inspired by some I've seen here. Built them completely out of scrap from my kitchen build I have been working on the last year or so. 3/4 cabinet grade MDF for the box, poplar for the "legs". Glued and pocket screwed. I cut a hole and filled them with sand before screwing down the top. Sprayed two layers of a lacquer undercoater and one flat black oil based paint. They weigh almost 100 lbs with the sand in there. They really get the midrange up to ear level now. I'm pretty happy with them. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-D Rider Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Very nice looking , great job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 (edited) wait til you try titanium tweeter and midrange diaphragms and a fresh set of crossover caps. Very nice job on the stands they really do make a big difference to the stage and image ability of the loudspeaker don't they. All my speakers are set up with the midrange drive at ear level. As PWK once said "we live in the midrange". Edited August 19, 2015 by moray james Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vondy Posted August 20, 2015 Author Share Posted August 20, 2015 Thanks. I have the Crite's ti tweeter diaphragms and his crossovers. Stock mids. I've thought about titanium for those but hesitant. I already find they can be a bit harsh and worried they might get worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Great minds think alike. Err. But maybe inferior minds think alike too? Smile. I made stands for the Quartets. As pointed out, getting the mid up to ear level helps a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Thanks. I have the Crite's ti tweeter diaphragms and his crossovers. Stock mids. I've thought about titanium for those but hesitant. I already find they can be a bit harsh and worried they might get worse. You can do a number of things to make both the tweeter and the mid sound better. You can fit the conical section of the mid horn all the way to just past the transition section with 25 PPI (pores per inch) open cell foam. There are numerous modifications to deal with acoustical and mechanical vibrations in the motor/diaphragm assemblies that will take these driver to another level of performance. Best regards Moray James. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MORE KLIPSCH PLEASE Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Looks Nice... Good job for sure... MKP :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Very nice work. You were inspired by some of the stand that you seen on the forum. I am sure it was not the stands I built for my Forte's, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ski Bum Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 (edited) I already find they can be a bit harsh and worried they might get worse. Regarding the potential harshness, it could very well be from the loss of bass/boundary gain directly resulting from being perched up on stands. Don't be afraid to use the tone controls or eq to fix this if you haven't already. Nice work on the stands! Edited August 20, 2015 by Ski Bum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 I already find they can be a bit harsh and worried they might get worse. Regarding the potential harshness, it could very well be from the loss of bass/boundary gain directly resulting from being perched up on stands. Don't be afraid to use the tone controls or eq to fix this if you haven't already. Nice work on the stands! SkiBum: that's good point to make for folks to keep in mind. If you look at the posted pictures though you will see a fairly standard looking position for a set of Forte ll loudspeakers. I used to place mine even closer to the wall and with the required toe in if I had corners then I would take advantage of those too. To the op don't forget that 2.5 ounces on the centre inside of the passive radiators in the form of a couple of selected steel flat washers will re tune the speaker to about 3 - 4 Hz lower than stock. This does not sound like much but I can assure you that the additional bass extension is a most welcome result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swapface Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Nice DIY project! Looks good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vondy Posted August 20, 2015 Author Share Posted August 20, 2015 You can do a number of things to make both the tweeter and the mid sound better. You can fit the conical section of the mid horn all the way to just past the transition section with 25 PPI (pores per inch) open cell foam. There are numerous modifications to deal with acoustical and mechanical vibrations in the motor/diaphragm assemblies that will take these driver to another level of performance. Best regards Moray James. Moray do you have any visuals showing your foam mod? I'm having trouble imagining it. And where do you find this specific foam? I may also try out your washer mod too, sounds easy enough. Bass hasn't really changed that I can tell since putting them up on the stands. I was hoping the heft of the stands might help keep that from happening. The "harshness", if that's the word I'm looking for, was there when they were on the stock risers. I have the bass turned up a bit and the treble slightly down some. Really haven't had time to listen much since I finished the stands. It's not so much a problem on a quite song or something like Nora Jones, but when you get something faster moving your ears start to fatigue pretty quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ski Bum Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 The "harshness", if that's the word I'm looking for, was there when they were on the stock risers. I have the bass turned up a bit and the treble slightly down some. Really haven't had time to listen much since I finished the stands. It's not so much a problem on a quite song or something like Nora Jones, but when you get something faster moving your ears start to fatigue pretty quickly. If it's only harsh/fatiguing when you crank it, could be amp clipping. A bass boost will eat up amp headroom pretty quickly. Could also be that your amp is not clipping, but actually driving your speakers to painfully loud levels. Fortes can do that. Be careful with your hearing. REW may help get a better handle on your system's response and help with fine tuning (which includes placement, tuning via room gain, which fortes are quite sensitive to). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidt Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Nice job on the stands! Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vondy Posted August 20, 2015 Author Share Posted August 20, 2015 If it's only harsh/fatiguing when you crank it, could be amp clipping. A bass boost will eat up amp headroom pretty quickly. Could also be that your amp is not clipping, but actually driving your speakers to painfully loud levels. Fortes can do that. Be careful with your hearing. REW may help get a better handle on your system's response and help with fine tuning (which includes placement, tuning via room gain, which fortes are quite sensitive to). I never get the volume past 10:00. I guess it's possible, my HK430 only has like 25 watts. It could be the room, etc, playing a roll. I've been interested in trying other amps but don't have the funds now. Thanks for the nice comments on the stands! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 well unless you have rebuilt the HK430 it may well be your amp it has been a long long time since it came out of a box new. As for the foam you can find it at foam supply shop places that supply to the furnature and mattress business. Simply cut a sedge in the same profile as the inside of the conical throat section of the horn and extend it out to just past the transition section which is where it changes from conical to four sided tractric. Hope that helps you, it does not have to be a perfect fit you can approximate the profile you just want it to be snug enough not to be popping out when you play it. You can fill the whole darn horn if you want but the throat is where most of the issues are. You can pay me a visit and I will show you and walk you through the difference of with and without next time you come up north to Calgary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Flames tickets included? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 well I can get you over to my buddies place he has a 100 inch projector. better than being at the game. If you prefer you can always get scalped tickets but not on my income. The Flames had their finest season in a very long time last year and really did put on a show to prove they can play with the best looking forward to more of the same this fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vondy Posted August 21, 2015 Author Share Posted August 21, 2015 The 430 was rebuilt by a forum member here so it's about as good as it gets. Foam method makes sense now thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john toon Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 not a very good pic, but here are some forte II stands I made awhile back. very simpe solid oak. I no londer have them anymore though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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