cspackler Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 I have a pair of rf52 iis that I'm looking to upgrade. I like the 52s, but you know how it works. I'm building for both music and movies. Currently have them paired with an rp-250c and some rp-150ms. I can get the Forte's for $400. I haven't seen comparisons of the RPs to the Forte iis. Any input? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthews Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 I ran reference for a while (RF-7). A deal came along I could not pass up, a pair of Forte II's for $100. After hearing the sound of the Heritage, the 7's quickly went up for sale and I have never looked back. Those Forte's changed my taste! A Heritage man, from here on out... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cspackler Posted October 3, 2015 Author Share Posted October 3, 2015 Thanks for the input. That was an insane deal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 (edited) Cspackler, Welcome to the forum. If you can afford it, get the forte II's and use them in 2-channel and then get the matching RP-260F's to complete your Premiere HT setup. Of course sell the RF-52's to free up some $$$. Bill Edited October 3, 2015 by willland 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cspackler Posted October 3, 2015 Author Share Posted October 3, 2015 I like the way you think... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusaDude Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 (edited) As a previous Forte II owner (I'm a bit biased) you can't go wrong with that speaker for music or movies... Same with the Chorus II and the KLF 20/30 series. All of those are excellent 3-way speakers from that era, with the bigger Tractrix midrange. The only real issue with those older speakers (assuming the cabinets, veneer and grilles are in good condition) is they would probably need a crossover tuneup. They're all 20+ years old, and to get them back to how they sounded when new, you'd need to update the crossover at some point. Of course critesspeakers.com can fix that for you. And for home theater use, unless you have room for another Forte II (or a Quartet) in the middle. There's not really an exact center channel match for the Forte II series. The typical "horizontal style" center channels from that era... The Academy (a match to the original Forte I) and the KLF-C7 (a match to the KLF series) can be used, but they are harder to find. But as I said, I'm a bit biased and think all of those older 3-way speakers (Quartet, Forte II, Chorus II and the KLF 20/30) sound better than any of the stuff from the recent RF and new RP series (which are all 2-way). The RF-7 series (though also a 2-way) is the lone exception as it uses a much larger 1.75 inch compression driver for the tweeter. However, your ears, in your listening room, along with your placement options, will guide you the best. Whatever you do though, go get those Forte II's. Even if you don't use them for HT, they would be an excellent choice for a dedicated 2 channel setup. And pretty sure you won’t regret the purchase either way. But on the very slight chance you don't care for them, you'd be able to resell them and not lose any money. Edited October 3, 2015 by GPBusa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzog Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 I have found the KG 2.2 works very well as a center to Quartets. Since quartets are very similar to the Forte II, I would imagine the KG would work there as well. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bossman Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 I have a pair of Forte ii's and a pair of RF-3's. Both sound nice, but the Forte ii's sound a little bit better for 2 channel music listening. I still like the Reference series however. I just can't seem to part of them, they are keepers also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 Welcome to the forum. If you can afford it, get the forte II's and use them in 2-channel and then get the matching RP-260F's to complete your Premiere HT setup. Of course sell the RF-52's to free up some $$$. Bill I could not have said it better! Matchout the RP set for HT and keep the Forte II for 2 ch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cspackler Posted October 3, 2015 Author Share Posted October 3, 2015 Thanks for the input. Does anyone have input on the amount of difference between the two in stereo performance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bossman Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 The Forte ii should have much better bass and a more refined sound overall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frzninvt Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 forte' all the way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 Does anyone have input on the amount of difference between the two in stereo performance? Can't make the comparison because I have not heard the RP-260F's. I can say that the forte' II's are wonderful well balanced speakers that can run with speakers costing 4-5 times their current market value. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattSER Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 (edited) I'm a 100% 2ch stereo music guy and I liked my Forte II's better than all the reference towers I've ever had(and there have been a lot), EXCEPT for the RF-7s and RB-75s. I've never heard any of the RP series, but I'd assume I'd still prefer the Forte IIs over the 260's. Edited October 8, 2015 by mattSER Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.