mpmarino Posted July 30, 2017 Share Posted July 30, 2017 Just met a CL seller in the home Depot parking lot. He had listed a pair of Forte II for $XXX.00. The price was too low to print. Heck of a nice guy and he knew he was giving a heck of a deal - I think he was happy to hear I was grabbing them to listen to them, and not flip them. Overall I'd say they are in great condition. I have wanted a pair for years. They can wake the neighborhood, or play nice. Very balanced and easy to listen to. Bass is not 'thunderous', but seems fairly accurate. The rest is very Klipsch-ish. You love it or hate it; most that hate it probably haven't heard it with equipment that 'gets along' with it. Right now I'm listening to Brothers in Arms on vinyl. Amp is my DIY Krell KSA50 Klone and my DIY Threshold NS10 Line amp and Phono preamp. The pre sounds great all around, but the KSA Klone seems to have the perfect attitude for the Forte's. Keepers - I'd recommend trying a pair if you trip over a set 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted July 30, 2017 Share Posted July 30, 2017 Great score. Great demo album with Dire Straits also. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjptkd Posted July 30, 2017 Share Posted July 30, 2017 Very nice! No doubt the forte's are one of the best all around speakers (especially when factoring size and price) and a true bargain on the used market. Also love the walnut finish. You probably already know but the capacitors might need replacing in the crossovers as they're 20+ years old and weren't the greatest quality to begin with. I usually just send mine to Bob Crites to have them gone through and tested. He's very reasonably priced and has a blazing fast turn around time. Anyway, congrats on the score! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtr20 Posted July 30, 2017 Share Posted July 30, 2017 Are you in mass? If so, you beat me to those. Great score! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpmarino Posted July 30, 2017 Author Share Posted July 30, 2017 2 hours ago, dtr20 said: Are you in mass? If so, you beat me to those. Great score! Sorry drt20 - that was me By the look of your equipment list, you needed them like a hole in the head Question to the forum - This is the first time I've seen a traditional style Klipsch without a pleated woofer surround. These seem foam (ish). I've not heard of degradation of the forte II surrounds as being a common issue. Does anyone know the material the surrounds are made of? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff. Posted July 30, 2017 Share Posted July 30, 2017 That is a good question regarding the woofer surrounds. I have been meaning to ask if there is a way of preserving them for some time now. I have PURE silicone paste to maintain airgun seals and was thinking that would work, but I don't dare apply ANYTHING until the verdict is in. And congratulations on finding the closest thing to a "one size fits all" speaker. Aren't Forte II's also the Klipsch speaker with the lowest specified frequency response? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjptkd Posted July 30, 2017 Share Posted July 30, 2017 The original forte woofers had an inverted, pretty thick rubber surround. I've seen them discolor before or get a white chalky coating on them but don't think you'd ever have to worry about them tearing or splitting on their own without outside forces causing damage. I've actually tried to rip one apart on a blown woofer and that surround material is very strong and hard to tear with bare hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpmarino Posted July 30, 2017 Author Share Posted July 30, 2017 Thanks - I'm thinking that it's the chalkiness that makes it seem like it it might be foam. You're right , it feels more rubbery. I wonder if an automotive 'tire gel' might give them back some moisture? For the price point, these things were well made furniture-wise. A little oil, and the walnut veneer is still deep and crisp for something that left Tweeter etc. 27 years ago.. The sound - not perfect, nor is it last speaker that ever should have ever been built..... but I'll probably forget about replacing them for a while. (crap, I bet Cornwalls will fit there too ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staples Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 8 hours ago, mpmarino said: Sorry drt20 - that was me I missed cheap Forte IIs yesterday in MA? Damn, I check compulsively, many times a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpmarino Posted August 18, 2017 Author Share Posted August 18, 2017 Hmm - the Krell Klone is out. I rolled through a bunch of things and when i got to the Pass Aleph mini - my first born diy amp - i stopped cold. Only 12 WPC of single ended high biased mosfet goodness. Freakin beautiful. Let's leave it at that for a while Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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