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Forte III


kink56

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So, liking my Heresy IIIs and my Forte Is and NOT being able to listen before I buy Forte IIIs does not make any sense to you?  It is not a stretch to think I WOULD like Forte III based on my experience with Forte I and Heresy III, is it?    I am not going to drive hundreds of miles nor fly in somewhere just to listen to them.   Tucson is not only in the desert, it is a desert wasteland as it comes to culture and "nice stuff".      The salon stereo stores that existed in the 1970s-1990s no longer exist. 

 

So, I wonder how many more people are going to suggest "listen before you buy?"   

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I won't suggest that, because it is not always feasible. But just because the forte I is less demanding doesn't mean you don't need to work more with the III to get it right. I don' think you have put in that work. I have heard them both and the III is clearly the better speaker.

 

I have also heard the super zero and just shake my head at that comparison. But, to each his own......

 

Shakey

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8 hours ago, kink56 said:

So, I wonder how many more people are going to suggest "listen before you buy?"   

 

7 minutes ago, Shakeydeal said:

I won't suggest that, because it is not always feasible.

I agree.

 

8 minutes ago, Shakeydeal said:

But just because the forte I is less demanding doesn't mean you don't need to work more with the III to get it right. I don' think you have put in that work.

Maybe this review and it's suggestions will apply also to your situation.

http://www.soundstage.com/greg01.htm

 

Bill

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The "listen to them first" argument is always safe, but not always practical.

 

There are not that many of the new Forte models out there. It is doubtful that many stores carry them and not likely that one of your friends will have them. 

I remember when I went for Jubilees, they were not carried by any stores and the closest ones around, that I could get an invitation to demo, were at least a seven hour drive away. In spite of this, after some research I went ahead and got the Jubilees anyway. I have not regretted that for a minute.

 

So, sometimes it can work out but it is taking a chance of course.

 

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I just think you have to give them some more time. I too am coming from klipsch Heresy 3's and at first I did not like the new forté. That changed dramaticaly after a couple of hundred  hours of playing. I am very confident in saying that the Forte's need a lot of break in time. Now it is one of my favorite Klipsch speakers. I play them with tubes aswell with solid state amplifiers.

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I just think you have to give them some more time. I too am coming from klipsch Heresy 3's and at first I did not like the new forté. That changed dramaticaly after a couple of hundred  hours of playing. I am very confident in saying that the Forte's need a lot of break in time. Now it is one of my favorite Klipsch speakers. I play them with tubes aswell with solid state amplifiers.


Same experience at my place. FIII is in another league, compared to the HIIIs they replaced. Fuller sound. More impressive. Still, they lack the smooth, balanced sound from the Heresy.

Yesterday I disconnected the 22W SET amp from Line Magnetic and hooked up my old workhorse, Classé CAP-150. 2x150 bold and warm transistor watt from the Canadian hi-end company.

Got the sense of losing resolution immediately. Sounds muddy and dark compared to the SET-amp with NOS Mullard preamp tubes. BUT it grows on me!

Now I can play bad recordings without ear fatigue. It’s actually very detailed, and dare I say more natural sounding? More forgiving at least.

The SET-amp and Heresy was a match made in heaven. On Forte not so much in my room.

Thinking about selling the SET-amp and try a Luxman, McIntosh etc.

Does it make sense? Tubes and horns and all that...
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On 5/30/2018 at 4:19 AM, hammershaug said:

Thinking about selling the SET-amp and try a Luxman, McIntosh etc.

tube or solid state McIntosh?  I am continually blown away by the sound from my Forte III and McIntosh MX-113/MC752 combo.

 

My Klipsch dealer recommended AT LEAST 60 hours of burn in time for the FIII.  Mine definitely smoothed out after a good 60+ hours.

 

 

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1 hour ago, isotopesope said:

tube or solid state McIntosh?  I am continually blown away by the sound from my Forte III and McIntosh MX-113/MC752 combo.

 

My Klipsch dealer recommended AT LEAST 60 hours of burn in time for the FIII.  Mine definitely smoothed out after a good 60+ hours.

 

 

 I think if you were blindfolded you would have a very hard time hearing any difference between Mcintosh tube or solid-state gear. Mac engineers ALL their amps  to be ruler-flat at all audible frequencies.

 

A few years ago  I spent quite a bit of time comparing a new Mac tube and solid-state amp and I could not reliably distinguish between the two. Nor could the sales person at the dealer.  

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To be honest, I’m considering many things. Mostly solid state. Right now I have borrowed another integrated tube amp; PrimaLuna Dialogue with KT120. Seems to be a better match than the LM SET-amp. Sounds really great! Best I’ve heard on my Forte III so far.

I’m also interested in a almost new McIntosh MA 5200 for sale in Norway these days. $3600 is still a lot of money, and I find It hard to splash out without knowing the result...

Anyone tried a big Mac or PrimaLuna on FIII?

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On 6/7/2018 at 12:51 PM, isotopesope said:

My Klipsch dealer recommended AT LEAST 60 hours of burn in time for the FIII.

 

that is the big problem.  We don't have a real dealer -- BestBuy is it.

 

 With what little I know ... I can say that my [I'm kinda embarrassed to admit] R15M's did get a fuller sound as they broke in.. I did hear the "bloat" at certain frequencies mentioned by the OP. I listened to his set up. Where it is coming from is an open discussion.

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3 hours ago, hammershaug said:

To be honest, I’m considering many things. Mostly solid state. Right now I have borrowed another integrated tube amp; PrimaLuna Dialogue with KT120. Seems to be a better match than the LM SET-amp. Sounds really great! Best I’ve heard on my Forte III so far.

I’m also interested in a almost new McIntosh MA 5200 for sale in Norway these days. $3600 is still a lot of money, and I find It hard to splash out without knowing the result...

Anyone tried a big Mac or PrimaLuna on FIII?

 

I am using a Mcintosh MA6600 to drive my new Cornwall iii’s.  It sounds great  While my amp is 100 W more powerful than the 5300 I very much doubt that will matter. The fortes are so efficient that they won’t need much more than 20 or 30 Watts  at the very  most .   While my speakers are a little more efficient I seldom see the wattage meters go beyond 5 W. And it is crazy loud at that point. 

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  • 5 weeks later...

IMG_0036.thumb.jpg.eabcd109dc0f78f18fff8b3495687dc9.jpg

 

Out of the blue, this shiny piece from Germany took the SET-amps place. I guess it will stay there for a long time. A very good match to the Forte III, with it's transparent and very detailed sound. Yet still, an organic midrange with some warmth. Bass response has become tight, articulate and deep. 

 

So, what about the LM 218 SET amp with new tubes and NOS Mullard? I don't know. One thing's for sure; nothing(?) beats the presence and weightless presentation of voices from a SET-amp. 

Someday I will switch between those two very different amps, play a handfull of well known songs, write down some notes and maybe publish the result here.
 

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