Tancred Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 I've been listening to my new to me Fortes for a little over a week. Horns stir strong opinions on both sides, and if I'm being honest I never considered Klipsch an "audiophile" brand. I was actually very happy with my B&W CM5s (now for sale if someone is interested), but I wanted to try something different. I found the Fortes at what I thought was a good price and the owner was close enough for me to audition. Needless to say, I brought them home even though the audition room was less than ideal. I'm glad I took the chance. These things reveal more than I've ever heard from music that I know well. Do they image as well as the B&Ws? No, but they're pretty close. The British speakers also have a little more definition as well. For me, where the Fortes excel is in involvement. They bring you into the music. If you're not familiar with it, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's Will The Circle Be Unbroken was recorded with minimal engineering, as I understand it everything was mastered straight to two tracks. The result is an intimate, natural sound. The three-album set captures the conversations of some iconic bluegrass artists between songs that really adds to the experience. Why am I telling you all this? Cause I was there. Practically speaking. These speakers put me in that place. In chorus sections, I could pick out individual voices. These Fortes have had their caps replaced, so perhaps that's a factor. I also have the luxury of a dedicated listening room without any compromises in speaker or seating placement—I don't think you can exaggerate the importance of that when it comes to good sound. On the downside, these speakers revealed an annoying hum in my turntable that wasn't so apparent before. I had to add an additional ground wire to the tonearm because the sound was more than I could bear. Also, some records just don't sound so good anymore. I think I'm finally hearing a truth that was obscured before. Despite that, these 1985 vintage speakers have impressed me beyond what I was expecting. Here is the gear I use with the Fortes: Marantz TT15S1 with Clearaudio Virtuoso cartridge Marantz PM15S2 Limited Edition integrated amp Adcom ACE-515 AC Enhancer Kimber speaker wire cut to shortest length possible Coming soon: 4wpc Spud 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ski Bum Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 More sensitive speakers do reveal more of what's fed to them, warts and all. It's a worthy price to pay for that "involvement" you mention. Regarding imaging/soundstage, the more narrow pattern of the fortes can take advantage of time/intensity trading and thus they're capable of imaging trickery in ways that your old B&W never pull off. If even just for shits and giggles, try them with rather extreme toe in, where the speaker axis cross well in front of the main listening position. Doing so will expand the sweet spot into a much more broad sweet zone, and perhaps more importantly, it will stabilize the image (it doesn't change when you move around in your chair). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave1290 Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 Welcome to the Forum! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 Poorly recorded material that you like a lot is best listened to on less revealing loudspeakers. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emile Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 Welcome to the forum. Haha ... YES, "that's what this is all about." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tancred Posted February 16, 2019 Author Share Posted February 16, 2019 Great tip on positioning speakers, Ski Bum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cincymat Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 21 minutes ago, Tancred said: Great tip on positioning speakers, Ski Bum. What version Fortes do you have? I found Forte 2s to sound better with less toe in and about 12” from the back wall. La Scalas and H3s sound best with more toe in. iMHO, of course, YMMV as they say. Cincy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tancred Posted February 17, 2019 Author Share Posted February 17, 2019 Mine are the original Fortes. I'm liking the serious toe in like Ski Bum suggested. It does seem to preserve the imaging. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted February 17, 2019 Moderators Share Posted February 17, 2019 Welcome If you get a chance to listen to some of the other models., you would be surprised at the different but similar sounds characteristics. It's hard to explain. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete H Posted February 17, 2019 Share Posted February 17, 2019 6 hours ago, dtel said: Welcome If you get a chance to listen to some of the other models., you would be surprised at the different but similar sounds characteristics. It's hard to explain. Welcome to the forum. What he meant to say is now you need to buy a few more pair of Klipsch and get into the ditch with the rest of us, chasing down the "best" of what Klipsch has done, only to find out that your first pair will always be remembered as really good and the will reside in one of your many setups. 😊 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.