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Forte III wood finish


KJH

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I saw a post about the cherry finish being quite light on the Forte III, almost pinkish or unstained.  If I compare the photos on the Klipsch website between Forte III and Cornwall III (just for comparison), there does seem to be a big difference.  It does look like the Forte is stained, but the Cornwall photo looks more like a piece of fine furniture, much darker and richer.

 

People who own these, what do they really look like?  Are you happy with the finish, or do you think it's too light?

 

I'm afraid of taking delivery on $3600 of speakers and having them look like they came from Ikea.  The distressed oak and walnut finishes look like they are also lighter than typical Klipsch Heritage.  Should I be thinking of the black ash to be safe?  They would go in a room with lots of dark red/brown oak trim and furniture.  Wood that looks pink or blonde will clash badly.  And even though I said oak, it's nothing like the Klipsch "distressed oak".

 

I don't have a way to see these in person without driving several hundred miles.  And I don't want to judge based on web photos.

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I know how you feel, I was wanting the Distressed Oak also but was worried it was to light, so we went with the Walnut. 

 

This is a picture of the Forte lll in Walnut and the Cornwall lll also in Walnut. We just wanted something not real light and are very happy with both of these. 

The ones that say 2006 are the Cornwalls. The Forte lll's actually look a little darker than that picture, the room was a little brighter.

 

Welcome

speakers cw.jpg

speakers forte lll (1).JPG

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Their finishes are different - at least based on what I saw.  ..I listened and to both in Cherry.   While I thought the F3 sounded great (though not as nice as the CW3's) I didn't care as much for the finish.  I thought it kinda strange that they had different finishes though both were Cherry.  ..Yes, the CW3 is deeper and a bit glossier.  It's not that the F3's aren't attractive, they are. ..But definitely lighter and a bit duller.  If I bought the F3's, I would probably chosen Black Ash or Walnut.

 

CW3's in Cherry.  Our built-in cabinet and floors are also Cherry and match the speakers quite closely.  ..The Forte Cherry must be a different strain or something.  

 

 

021218.jpg

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Thanks, you guys are the best.

 

dtel, I can tell from your photos (realizing those are walnut) that the new cherry finish on the Fortes will be too light for me.  I have a room with wood trim and furniture very similar in color to ODS123, your speaker looks amazing.  (oh, and nice amp)

 

From a listening standpoint I'd love the Cornwalls with the 15" direct radiating woofer, but I feel they would be physically too big for the room which is only 13x13.  Heresy makes no sense, I'd have to put them up on boxes, I might as well keep my E-V 16a's (40+ years old, woofers refoamed, crossover caps probably dried up, bought them because I couldn't afford AR3's).  The Cornwalls would be less of a change for someone raised on acoustic suspension speakers, but I am less into classical now and wanting to feel like I'm at a live concert, and I think the F3's would be fine.  And like I said, Cornwalls would just be too big for the room.

 

It sounds like I have a couple options.  Black ash is an option, audio gear can always be black, nothing to write home about, but doesn't clash with anything.  Actually, the black ash looks pretty nice on the website.

 

Or per jimjimbo, I can contact Cory Harrison (are we not supposed to say his company name out loud on the Forum?) about special ordering them in the darker stain.  I assume there would be a price bump and an 8 week wait, I could live with that.

 

dtel, you sound happy with the new stain, so that's good, I guess it depends on the room you're putting them in, as well as personal preference.

 

I have to wonder though what Klipsch was thinking, it seems like New Coke to me.  What if someone is trying to use F3's with other Klipsch speakers for more than a 2 channel setup, you'd want them to match.  And how many people will order F3's sight unseen on the assumption the finish is like other Heritage series speakers, and upon arrival, immediately send them back to the dealer?  Don't they already have a couple special edition finishes for something like $100 extra?  Why not add dark/original walnut and dark/original cherry to the list?  If dealers don't stock them, you would have to wait the 8 weeks, but at least you'd have the option, and you'd be aware that the standard finishes are lighter.

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It might be worth your while reaching out to Klipsch and asking if they can custom build a pair of F3's in the CW3's Cherry finish.  This can't be so unusual a request.  ..As you suggested, what if someone was trying to match F3's to their CW3's for a HT setup?

 

 

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Basically there is natural cherry, which is supposed to be unstained, and the traditional cherry, which does have a stain.  Natural typically only comes on Forte but you can custom order it on other Heritage speakers, and also vice versa, you can order the Fortes with the stained cherry.  Here's a few pics so you can tell the difference.  

 

my living room... these are La Scala's but custom ordered with the natural cherry finish:

 

 

Image may contain: indoor

 

 

Forte III but custom ordered in the stained cherry:

 

received_10214423957341501.jpeg

 

 

 

pretty misleading picture of the two different stains, I had these same speakers in my house and they didn't look anywhere near that pale, but a lot of opinions were formed based on this:
 

forte cherry 4.jpg

 

 

 

same exact speaker on the right but in my room, this is natural cherry and more like what it looks like in person.  

No automatic alt text available.

 

 

 

Forte with the regular natural cherry finish:

 

 

Image may contain: screen, living room and indoor

 

 

 

natural cherry but with lambswool grill, in the middle.  this is my personal favorite combination.  

 

No automatic alt text available.

 

 

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3 hours ago, KJH said:

I can contact Cory Harrison (are we not supposed to say his company name out loud on the Forum?) about special ordering them in the darker stain.  I assume there would be a price bump and an 8 week wait, I could live with that.

 

It's only a $50 upcharge.  Basically they wait until cherry Fortes are scheduled and they set one aside and stain it.  It's usually faster than a full blown custom build.  I've done it twice so far.  I'll pm you.  

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Cory, I saw your PM before your forum post, so I'm probably answering out of order.  The photos are helpful.  I don't know what's up with your third photo, different lighting?  That's what scares me, I don't want something that looks like it came from Ikea.  Some people claim natural cherry darkens with age, but I assume that's not what's going on.  The natural cherry looks good in your other photos, for my room though the dark stained cherry would be greatly preferred.

 

Good explanation of the factory ordering process, that clears it up a lot.

 

 

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49 minutes ago, KJH said:

I don't know what's up with your third photo, different lighting?  That's what scares me, I don't want something that looks like it came from Ikea.  Some people claim natural cherry darkens with age, but I assume that's not what's going on.  The natural cherry looks good in your other photos, for my room though the dark stained cherry would be greatly preferred.

 

 

I didn't take that one, it was a customer that is on here and it was circulated but I don't think it is an accurate representation, that's why I showed the exact same speakers in the picture below it, which is more accurate with what they look like in person.  They will darken a little but it shouldn't be super fast, it's the UV rays that darkens pale wood like cherry and maple and that's typically a process that takes a couple years at the minimum.  

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I have three pairs of Heresy III's - in Lacewood, Light Cherry and Dark Cherry.  I just ordered a pair of Forte III's in Cherry from Cory the Man.  I like unstained Cherry because it show the grain nicely.  There are lots of different opinions.  Good to have the choices from Klipsch.

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On 7/21/2018 at 8:50 AM, MetropolisLakeOutfitters said:

 

I didn't take that one, it was a customer that is on here and it was circulated but I don't think it is an accurate representation, that's why I showed the exact same speakers in the picture below it, which is more accurate with what they look like in person.  They will darken a little but it shouldn't be super fast, it's the UV rays that darkens pale wood like cherry and maple and that's typically a process that takes a couple years at the minimum.  

 

@KJH  The original natural cherry Forte’s were mine.

 

No. 1 - Cory is great to work with.  I recommend him. Very knowledgeable in

 

No. 2- The Fortes were very light when I first received them. That’s a Heresy in the old cherry sitting by the Forte in the picture. It was unbelievable how much darker they became in a few months.  They looked like a pine finish when I first received them. They got darker unbelievably fast. All my furniture matches the old cherry finish that the Heresy had.  I had Cory special order the new Fortes in the darker cherry color. Everything’s a match now in the room. If you have any doubts, order in cherry from Cory. I think I got them in 5 weeks. Cory can correct me if I’m mistaken. Also ordered a 64II center from Cory. The Forte’s sound fantastic in any finish.

 

I highly recommend Cory. Give him a chance before you order. I wish I would have found him when the Klipsch addiction started. Unfortunately I started small and upgraded. Get the Fortes first and you’ll be happy.

 

Im waiting for the heritage subs to come out so I can order those in cherry and have the matching set. 

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I called Cory today and placed an order for a pair of Fortes in the darker cherry.  I see he is in the corner of Kentucky closest to me, so I'll have to find an excuse to travel that way sometime.  Still not exactly a day trip.

 

If the lighter color is "natural cherry", is the darker one "unnatural cherry"?

 

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No offense taken.   A little oil darkens them immediately.  I did the same to the heresy IIIs and was surprised how much darker they got immediately.  You can see the difference clearly as you apply the oil.  Remember that cell phone cameras certainly distort colors sometimes (in this case). 

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