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Just hooked up the Chorus II-First Impressions


Imsjry

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Hi gang.

 

I've been rocking a pair of Forte II's (all original drivers) for the past few months and loved them, but always wondered what Chorus II's would sound like in comparison. Found a really nice pair in the Chicago area and did not hesitate. 

 

First impressions;

These things are beasts! I did not expect them to dwarf the Forte's in size but the Forte seem almost puny next to them. Sonically, I'm running them with a Parasound 1500ii power amp/Yamaha CX-1 Pre. I'm not sure what i was expecting, but compared to the Forte's, the sound is not a radical difference. I would say the Chorus have a meatier, thicker sound which makes sense since it has the larger woofer. Overall i think they are very similar in the mid and highs. Don't get me wrong, they are amazing and next to the Forte's are the best speakers I've ever heard, I just point this our for people who may think there's a "night and day" difference because there isn't.  I'm curious if this is the general consensus from those that have heard both? I've read varying reviews on the different sites but had to hear for myself. 

 

I don't have them in placed corners but set about 8 FT apart and toed in slightly. The is the same setup as i had with the Forte's. Any placement recommendations would be helpful!

 

Now to decide which ones to keep long term. Not a bad problem to have!! Needless to say, I am a very happy Klipsch owner at the moment. 

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47 minutes ago, Imsjry said:

First impressions;  These things are beasts!

 

I've not heard either one, but of the two the Chorus II's hold the most interest for me.

 

Which is better?  I'd say listen to your favorite music on both, keep the set that sounds better to your ears, in your house, with your amps.

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5 minutes ago, wvu80 said:

 

I've not heard either one, but of the two the Chorus II's hold the most interest for me.

 

Which is better?  I'd say listen to your favorite music on both, keep the set that sounds better to your ears, in your house, with your amps.

 

That's just it....from first impressions I cannot say which i like "better". And I was expecting that to be obvious!  

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I’ve owned a couple pairs of each (Chorus II’s and Forte II’s) and loved them both.  I find the Chorus II’s are the more accurate, flat response speaker.  The Tractrix mid has a wonderful textural quality that does really well with guitars in my opinion.  The Forte II’s are a really fun little speaker (comparatively)  that dig lower in the bass registers and have a bit more impact.  I love cranking them up with rock and modern, bass heavy music.  Chorus II is the guy in the room wearing a suit, the Forte II is the guy in the leather jacket but each can do the other’s job well enough.  Two of my favorite speakers for sure.  If I find another set of clean Chorus II’s in walnut, I plan on grabbing them and not letting them go.

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In my experience, Chorus IIs perform much, much better at higher volumes when driven with good quality SS amps.  Turn em up, and you will gain a whole additional perspective.....

 

8ft apart is a bit close for me.  10ft minimum in my experience, and, you didn't say where you were placing them relative to the back wall.  Makes a big difference, but then you already know that with Forte II.

 

I can just about guarantee that your next step will be to sell the Forte IIs, keep the Chorus and then buy a nice pair of La Scalas.  And then, sometime in the future a pair of Khorns.  It's the logical progression of things dontcha know?

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Chorus really do respond to power and they will not only come to life but they will go places Forte cannot. The Chorus uses a pro high power woofer the K48 in contrast the Cornwall uses a K33 woofer and is happy to play on small flea power amplifiers. So which is better is a matter of application. With available power the Chorus can do things the Cornwall or the Forte cannot. What you are after will determine which model will suit you best, the Chorus and Cornwall will both outshine the Forte and are not that much larger. All respond well to upgrades especially to titanium diaphragms for the horns and fresh new capacitors for the crossovers.

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57 minutes ago, moray james said:

Chorus really do respond to power and they will not only come to life but they will go places Forte cannot. The Chorus uses a pro high power woofer the K48 in contrast the Cornwall uses a K33 woofer and is happy to play on small flea power amplifiers. So which is better is a matter of application. With available power the Chorus can do things the Cornwall or the Forte cannot. What you are after will determine which model will suit you best, the Chorus and Cornwall will both outshine the Forte and are not that much larger. All respond well to upgrades especially to titanium diaphragms for the horns and fresh new capacitors for the crossovers.

 

So I’m giving them 200WPC and with very minimal volume level, will blow me out of my living room. But the same went for the Forte’s. I’m not sure how loud you guys play your music but at a certain point, there is only so loud you can go. 

 

Listening more now with a favorite album and I keep coming back to the fullness. The Chorus just sound fuller and meatier then then Fortes. But I’m still not sure that’s necessarily a good thing. I notice I’m getting some “listener fatigue” which I never had with the Forte’s. But damn, acoustic guitars and bass sound AMAZING!! 

Edited by Imsjry
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I too have have Forte IIs and Chorus IIs. Cornwall 1, II and 3s as well. Of that bunch Chorus IIs are what I kept. Regarding size Cornwalls were just too big for my spaces and not easy to stash away for future use. One reason that led me to keep the Chorus is similar to your impression of the speaker sounding fuller than the Forte II. Another factor for me was value, I kept the speakers I had the least money into that gave me the best performance. You can't go wrong with any of these speakers.

Proper placement of a "lesser" speaker could perform better than improper placement of the "better" speaker. Just something to consider.

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Very surprised the Chorus' did not out-perform the Forte's (with the same 200wpc).  Had Forte's and thought they were "anemic" compared to my KPT-904's (which use the same Pro woofer as the Chorus).  Never had Chorus' in the same room, but listened to my neighbors set and was impressed.  Could there be something else going on? :D 

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59 minutes ago, Imsjry said:

I’m not sure how loud you guys play your music but at a certain point, there is only so loud you can go. 

Haha ... have had my CF-3's and KPT-904's up to 120dB's :D 

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1 hour ago, Imsjry said:

So I’m giving them 200WPC and with very minimal volume level, will blow me out of my living room. But the same went for the Forte’s. I’m not sure how loud you guys play your music but at a certain point, there is only so loud you can go.  

It not so much an issue of level but of having the necessary supply and power to provide for peaks when required the Chorus is a less efficient speaker that's all and it has far greater power handling capability. As to fatigue you may fine that fresh caps and titanium diaphragms solve that for you. If that does not get you where yu are wanting to be look up stream to your other components first on the list would be your transport or player if that is what you have. Don't make the mistake of throwing the baby out with the bath water.

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4 hours ago, jimjimbo said:

In my experience, Chorus IIs perform much, much better at higher volumes when driven with good quality SS amps.  Turn em up, and you will gain a whole additional perspective.....

 

8ft apart is a bit close for me.  10ft minimum in my experience, and, you didn't say where you were placing them relative to the back wall.  Makes a big difference, but then you already know that with Forte II.

 

I can just about guarantee that your next step will be to sell the Forte IIs, keep the Chorus and then buy a nice pair of La Scalas.  And then, sometime in the future a pair of Khorns.  It's the logical progression of things dontcha know?

+1

Lmao not that long ago I would have probably argued this post to death. When I saw a pic of La Scalas... "Ha! Never!'. 

 

I may have mis-spoke a little.....

 

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So can those more knowledgeable explain why i get "listener fatigue" with the Chorus at higher levels that i did not experience with the Forte's? Is it a difference in the horns between them? I used to get the same sensation with the KG 4.5 model and when i got the Forte's I was so happy it went away. 

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