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Theatrical Forte


nlt6mor

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I have revived my old Klipsch Fortes for modern tour of duty.  Have done the crossovers.  Now I need to do a center channel.  I have found a pair of Fortes locally to buy.  Currently I would have to buy the pair.   One problem they are in Oak oiled finish and mine I am trying to match is in Walnut.   I am looking for some advise before I spend more money.

 

Can I strip ( chemical and light sanding) the Oak finished and re-oil with a darker walnut?   I would probably use Watco.

 

Bigger question.  Has anyone redid  a new motor board on Fortes to accommodate horizontal placement?  I know the current motor board is glued into the sides of the current cabinet.  Can I just cut out as much of the current board as possible and glue and screw the new one over the top of the current board?  Would have to remount the grill clips,  and add some 3/4 inch walnut trim in the space between the grille and old cabinet.

 

This would have some increase in interior box size.  How much does that matter?  I would use some of that space up with additional bracing.  The passive will no longer sit directly behind the 12 inch woofer.  How much does that matter?   Any other effect of this remodel operation?

 

If successful on the first one,   any one else need a Oak Forte for a center and want to buy the other one? 

 

Thanks for any old guy advise. Seems like a lot of work,  but I really enjoy my current 45 years old Fortes.

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Your Oak will never match the walnut, the grain is very different for starters but you could maybe get the color similar with some stain testing on a scrap piece of Oak.

 

+ or - a few % of the cabinet volume will make little difference.

 

Your easiest way to change the motorboard horn section would to be to first measure if the horns will fit turned 90 degrees.

 

If they do remove everything from the cabinet and trace a known to fit square pattern.

 

Cut out the horn section of the motorboard with your circular saw by plunging your blade on the inside of your pattern.

 

Measure twice and cut once, there will be no second chance.

 

After your plunge cuts are complete just use a handsaw to remove what stock is left.

 

Take your old motorboard section and make a copy of it with some new stock, router is best but any method will work.

 

Cut out your horn mounting pattern.

 

Screw some scrap wood to the motorboard overlapping the cutout in areas in 3 or 4 places where they won't get in the way.

 

Glut the snot out of it with PL Premimum x3 and install the new horn section to your cutout motorboard arranged how you want it.

 

Screw the new horn section of the motorboard to your scrap wood you installed, one screw is enough to hold it in place while the glue dries.

 

After a few hours scrape away your ezcess glue and let dry for a day.

 

Bondo and paint the motorboard so it looks like it was never tampered with, you can remove the installed screws if you like beforehand.

 

Install your old parts.

 

You should be able to reuse the grille with this method as well depending on what you need to cut out.

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The outside of the midrange horn is 10.25 inches.  I don't think I have the room below the woofer and for sure not above the woofer. I am just not seeing how to get around moving the woofer also.   By doing that much rearrangement,  will the timber change of the speaker?  That would make it somewhat foolish to start with a forte in the first place!  That for your help.  if they would fit that sounds like a good way to do it.

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For those of you much smarter than I and probably better hearing also,    would a completely rearranged Forte motor board change the original timber?

Looks cheaper and less work to find a KLF-C7 and be done.  But if I can match the timber of original Forte,  that is the what I want to do!

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 you can lay the Forte on its side and listen with the horns in the vertical orientation and decide what works best for you and go from there. the differences in volume that you are talking about are not a concern. you can also experiment with aligning the horns for best focus of sound but that means pulling the horns installing blanks into the openings and setting them (the horns) on top of the cabinet to do so.

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For those of you much smarter than I and probably better hearing also,    would a completely rearranged Forte motor board change the original timber?

Looks cheaper and less work to find a KLF-C7 and be done.  But if I can match the timber of original Forte,  that is the what I want to do!

I'm kinda building a little HT set-up..... I've had a set of Fortés for a coulpe of years. A few months ago I found a KLF-C7 on CL for $150.... I couldn't pass it up...So far I like the sound it has....it's far better than the little speaker I was using.

Seems to me it's good bit of work to turn a Forté into a center.....unless you got mad wood skills...I know I don't....

Also just a thought....if ya wanted to stay with-in that "heritage" line how about a Heresy?? Again just a thought.....

MKP :-)

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 you can lay the Forte on its side and listen with the horns in the vertical orientation and decide what works best for you and go from there. the differences in volume that you are talking about are not a concern. you can also experiment with aligning the horns for best focus of sound but that means pulling the horns installing blanks into the openings and setting them (the horns) on top of the cabinet to do so.

I like that idea,  just build a new little box to house the tweeter and midrange side by side horizontally!  A six inch high and twenty long box on top. That puts them up closer inline  with the L and R midrange. Sounds better than moving the woofer.  I like new thoughts. Thanks James

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I would be sad if you cut up a forte.  :(

 

I'm with Jason about getting the finish to match walnut. The best you could do us use a poly/stain mix and apply several coats. Each coat will darken the previous, where a stain and then poly would only darken the grains in the oak that actually absorb the stain.

 

If you are a do-it-yourselfer, there is always learning how to veneer. It's quite a satisfying thing to learn.  :)

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For those of you much smarter than I and probably better hearing also,    would a completely rearranged Forte motor board change the original timber?

Looks cheaper and less work to find a KLF-C7 and be done.  But if I can match the timber of original Forte,  that is the what I want to do!

I'm kinda building a little HT set-up..... I've had a set of Fortés for a coulpe of years. A few months ago I found a KLF-C7 on CL for $150.... I couldn't pass it up...So far I like the sound it has....it's far better than the little speaker I was using.

Seems to me it's good bit of work to turn a Forté into a center.....unless you got mad wood skills...I know I don't....

Also just a thought....if ya wanted to stay with-in that "heritage" line how about a Heresy?? Again just a thought.....

MKP :-)

 

I started months ago looking for Heresy,  Academy and such.   But both of these appears harder to find that the Forte themselves.  The two Oak ones I can get for 350.   I would have to add a new crossover and the midrange diaphragm.  I don't mind a little work,  just care about the integrity of the sound.  Pretty silly for an old guy that can't hear anymore over 4K!   Don't have to bother with the new diaphragm for the tweeter,   can't hear it anyway.

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 you can lay the Forte on its side and listen with the horns in the vertical orientation and decide what works best for you and go from there. the differences in volume that you are talking about are not a concern. you can also experiment with aligning the horns for best focus of sound but that means pulling the horns installing blanks into the openings and setting them (the horns) on top of the cabinet to do so.

I like that idea,  just build a new little box to house the tweeter and midrange side by side horizontally!  A six inch high and twenty long box on top. That puts them up closer inline  with the L and R midrange. Sounds better than moving the woofer.  I like new thoughts. Thanks James

 

you are welcome. this way you can always put the Forte back together as it was so no harm ever done.

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... OR ...

 

If you have the money, get the Forte, place it vertically, and hide it behind an acoustically transparent movie screen, and get a projector.  If your AVR or pre/pro have Audyssey, or something else that corrects the high frequencies, it will compensate for the small difference in HF response caused by an AT screen.  The Forte is a great speaker.

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... OR ...

 

If you have the money, get the Forte, place it vertically, and hide it behind an acoustically transparent movie screen, and get a projector.  If your AVR or pre/pro have Audyssey, or something else that corrects the high frequencies, it will compensate for the small difference in HF response caused by an AT screen.  The Forte is a great speaker.

I have gone back and forth over projector or 1080P LED 60 to 75 inch many times.  I do have to get one to complete this project.  My wife does not like the projector idea.   Some I have talked said you would spend more money getting a projector to look as good as a LED TV with a darbee.  I am worrying about audio first as music will be my priority.  But good idea and I would like the image being closer to the floor than what I will be able to do with a horizontal forte.   I bought mine new in the early eighties.  Put them away for about 15 years and just getting them back out.  I like them.

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... OR ...

 

If you have the money, get the Forte, place it vertically, and hide it behind an acoustically transparent movie screen, and get a projector.  If your AVR or pre/pro have Audyssey, or something else that corrects the high frequencies, it will compensate for the small difference in HF response caused by an AT screen.  The Forte is a great speaker.

I have gone back and forth over projector or 1080P LED 60 to 75 inch many times.  I do have to get one to complete this project.  My wife does not like the projector idea.   Some I have talked said you would spend more money getting a projector to look as good as a LED TV with a darbee.  I am worrying about audio first as music will be my priority.  But good idea and I would like the image being closer to the floor than what I will be able to do with a horizontal forte.   I bought mine new in the early eighties.  Put them away for about 15 years and just getting them back out.  I like them.

 

 

Our projector (Panasonic purchased in 2013) and Acoustically Transparent 130" wide screen (Seymour) provide a very bright, sharp image, with more detail and better color than I have ever seen on any TV screen.  I haven't done an A/B comparison in the same room, though.  We project in total darkness; the ambient light falling off of the screen is plenty to navigate by.  The projector is up and out of the way, bolted to a high shelf in the rear (which, in turn, is bolted to the wall)  about 24 feet from the screen, which is retractable (electric) and thus is also out of the way.  If you got one you might want a fixed AT screen to keep your center Forte with a different finish out of sight.  Also, we have 5 seats across, and the image is of very uniform brightness even from the side seats.  We watch 2 to 3 movies per week, and, after about 2.5 years we are still on our first bulb (we have a spare).  Some people use a big, retractable screen for movies and serious TV presentations, and have a modest TV located behind the screen for trash TV (the news, random escape) to not wear out the bulb.

 

One advantage of a projector/screen set up is that you can get a screen with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, so that 'scope films are larger in area than 1.78:1, or 1.85:1, as they were meant to be, rather than being a ribbon-like band across a 1.78:1 (16:9) TV screen.

 

When we were first looking, we were told that it would be hard to get a projected image as good as the best TV image, by dealers who didn't carry projectors and projection screens.  It turned out not to be true, although it used to be.  Two universities I have visited have miserable video projection, even for film classes.  They may represent the state-of-the-art as of 7 or 8 years ago.  But HT projection is much better now, and I'm not talking about 4K.  I honestly don't think 4K would look much better than what we have now with a 130" wide 1080p image.

 

Back when you bought your Fortes, they got one of the most positive reviews in the history of High Fidelity magazine.

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Damn you Gary!  Just kidding,  but I thought I had my decision made.   I know I would really like a good projection system, however to the down side, I just quickly googled AT screens.  The first link that came up was Amazon and the screen was about $700.   I was hoping for a mostly complete visual system for that.  My only other issue is speaker placement.  I currently (real tired of moving the Fortes around) have my speakers about 20' from back wall to back of speaker.  That would mean I would have the AT screen about 36" out from the wall to hide the mismatched center speaker.

 

I think I will continue with the LED idea for now.  Maybe not push the size.  Audio first (room treatment included),  then a LED TV  ( I like the idea of have one for daily viewing),  then down the road as a third step a projection system in front of that TV.  Thanks for your input.

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Damn you Gary!  Just kidding,  but I thought I had my decision made.   I know I would really like a good projection system, however to the down side, I just quickly googled AT screens.  The first link that came up was Amazon and the screen was about $700.   I was hoping for a mostly complete visual system for that.  My only other issue is speaker placement.  I currently (real tired of moving the Fortes around) have my speakers about 20' from back wall to back of speaker.  That would mean I would have the AT screen about 36" out from the wall to hide the mismatched center speaker.

 

I think I will continue with the LED idea for now.  Maybe not push the size.  Audio first (room treatment included),  then a LED TV  ( I like the idea of have one for daily viewing),  then down the road as a third step a projection system in front of that TV.  Thanks for your input.

 

I think some people use spandex for a more or less acoustically transparent screen.  I'm not sure if it produces "hot spots" (visually).  It is dirt cheap, compared to screen material.  The projector would cost quite a bit, though.

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