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WTB: Newbie, Interested in Klipsch in Texas, Budget Ideas?


lkirkpatrick

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Multiple Forte's on CL.  Finding speakers is not hard unless you are trying to get IIIs on the cheap.  If so, good luck with finding them.

https://austin.craigslist.org/ele/d/austin-klipsch-forte-1s/6795193661.html

https://austin.craigslist.org/ele/d/austin-klipsch-forte-1-speakers/6778766525.html

 

Just throw in a set of Crite's Ti tweeter diaphragms. 

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Lots of great feedback, thank you, everyone.  Lots to learn and I definitely plan to head out to listen to some of these different options.   Some great local offers to listen and check out options including Chorus, Cornscala, Lascala, Heresey, and Forte, etc.   I will likely swing by Hope, AR and learn a bit more, lol in April.    Great to know that the old speakers are still holding up so well.   I am going to be patient as suggested, learn and appreciate my Advent Heritage speakers for now, considering the lady's birthday is coming up I probably need to shift gears from frankenmods for speakers, lol.  

 

I do like the upgrade process and uniqueness of getting the right sound for your individual systems.   It appears Klipsch and Dynaco ST 70 is definitely a good match for hyper-efficient speakers.  Considering my listening area is 400 SF tops, smaller will probably suffice and work with my budget.    

 

The enthusiasm is contagious, imagine what I will think after hearing some of these gems.  

 

I saw Yo La Tengo, Built to Spill, Flaming Lips, Black Angels, Bob Mould last night honoring Daniel Johnston.  Makes me want a Fender Jaguar now too - the opposite of Marie Kondo over here.  

 

Again much appreciated.

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There is a rule in audio. Spend around 80% of your amp/speaker budget on the speakers. With the Klipsch speakers you're looking at, because of their super efficiency, you only need a low powered amp. I've tried my Heresy 1.5s with a cheap Class T amplifier, the amazing Kinter K2020A+ (on Amazon for $33 with free delivery in the USA). After Steve Guttenberg reviewed it, I was intrigued and bought a couple to try. I was gobsmacked at the performance of this little amp. It has a wonderful sound, very tubelike actually, so if you like the way tube amps sound, this might be a way you might want to go, and save a packet of money too. Tripath 2020 chips are running out fast so these won't be around for much longer if you want one.

Edited by Oztayls
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3 minutes ago, WillyBob said:

neither

Just an example of what can be had, if you can jump when things come up. I wouldn't part with these.

Sorry, I read it wrong. Sounded like a for sale post. I didn't think you wanted to part with them, very nice setup.

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6 hours ago, lkirkpatrick said:

Wow, I will keep this in mind.  I am fully loaded on pre-amp and amp and happy there.  I am going to go listen to some of these speakers, but that little amp is wild for the price. 

The Kinter K2020A+ has to be the best value in HiFi, ever...unbeatable. (Nice hifi gifts from grandparents excluded!)

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You will be amazed. Here is the K2020A+ sitting on top of one of our H1.5s just so I could hear what it could really do. There is a Lepai model that knocks around too, but it's not as good as the Kinter. The Lepai also has a smaller 3W power supply vs the Kinter's 5W, so that could very well be the difference. Those with the Lepai should probably try it with a beefier power supply just to see if it makes any difference.

IMG_3948.JPG

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After 12+ years, my favorite is stacked KG4's + SUB-12's.  I have ceiling corner locations on the short wall, with the stack on top of Forte' II's.

I invert the bottom KG4's to produce a line-array of four 8" between horns near the ceiling and at seated ear-level.  Room coverage is spectacular, and easily throws 30' into my kitchen/office. Titanium HF diaphragms from Midwest Speaker.  Parallel wiring - series sounds awful - be careful of 2Ω load! ADCOM 7400 100W/ch handles them OK, 200W/ch GFA-555 is much better. Friends love it, newbies are awed by the gigantic immersive soundfield.

You can easily build this for under $1200 at current prices.  Photos to your direct email, they are all way over 2MB!  Good luck!

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I’ve had Heresy I’s, Forte I’s, still have Chorus II’s and La Scala I’s. The Salt Lake City, Utah market is anything but a good Klipsch Heritage market but I was still able to get deals ranging from good to great for each purchase. The Heresy’s were $225 with poor, repainted cabinets. The Forte’s were $395 in 8 of 10 condition. I sold them to a good friend. I got an absolute steal on the Chorus’, paying only $160, in 8 1/2 - 9 condition. The 1976 La Scala’s were $400 because they were the ugliest La Scala’s imaginable. Originally a birch raw finish they had been poorly painted a flat black with flat red dog houses. Then one had been painted a better, but still poor satin black, the second one still red and black. But they were mechanically sound with good, original drivers and AA crossovers.

Like the OP, cosmetics aren’t a high priority but sound quality is. If I had to I would happily leave the La Scala’s the way I got them. With the chips, nicks and dings typical of poorly chaired for La Scala’s I’ve decided to clean them up and make them look a little nicer.

I guess that’s a long way of saying that for your $800 - $1200 budget you should be able to find something you’ll love, especially in a market so much better than mine. Don’t spend another dime on electronics until after you’ve found your speakers. You have great gear already. And contrary to what so many of the “experts” will tell you I’ve found that, at least to my ears, all of my Klipsch have sounded great whether driven with my 3 watt hybrid tube amp, 50 watt class D chip amp, or my Marantz 2265 receiver.

So, which do I prefer of all of them? Hands down the La Scala’s. Each time I’ve switched back to the La Scala’s after listening to any of the others the same thought comes back to my mind; the La Scala’s will never go anywhere. While the bass isn’t as deep as the Chorus or Forte’s I’ve never found them bass shy as some others say. I’m not a bass junky so hitting 20 Hz doesn’t excite me. What sets the La Scala’s apart from all the others is the intensity and impact of the bass. People have tried every way imaginable to describe it. But until you’ve heard them all of the adjectives one can come up with won’t prepare you for what you’ll hear.

That’s my take on my experience with four of the Klipsch Heritage speakers. Hope it’s helpful.


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After getting a scam offer for Chorus II, I have decided to try and do this locally.   I listened to the Kinter through a pair of Klipsch Heresy 3 and it sounded nice, but certainly, no match for the tube amp set up, but adequate as a back-up if something broke mid-party.

 

I plan to head to the Klipsch round up and learn and meet some folks in person.  I am starting to get concerned about the size of these speakers for my little house.  Not to mention I am starting to appreciate my Advent Heritage speakers a bit more, but I am going to keep looking. 

 

I appreciate the heads up, the walmart money order seemed to be the first sign for me, as I recall reading something on this board.  Still love the Heresey 3 sound, but I certainly noticed less bass now that I am listening closely but not enough to avoid.

 

 

 

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