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Am I crazy to keep Forte ii over Chorus ii'??


Imsjry

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Hi all! I was lucky to score nice pairs' of stock Forte ii and Chorus iis and after swapping them in and out of my living room to compare, I may be learning towards keeping the Forte's over the Chorus. I know this will ultimately come down to my preference, but am I crazy?! I've had each in for about a month of serious listening before moving between them. 

 

I have a smallish living room where I sit about 8 feet back from the speakers, with them being in the corners about a foot out from the wall. While there is no doubt the Chorus ii's have the bigger/fuller sound, sometimes that "bigness" of sound seems to overpower the sweetness in the dynamics. The Forte's seem to retain that sweetness while also packing enough punch to rock the room.  

 

My biggest decision will be based on which one sounds better at lower volumes, so that's what I'm still trying to decide. 

 

So, is this just a case of the "better" speaker just not fitting well into the room design? I hate to get rid of the Chorus and greatly regret it down the line, but for now I think the Forte ii's just sound more "right" in my space. 

 

Thoughts??

 

 

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1 hour ago, Imsjry said:

I know this will ultimately come down to my preference, but am I crazy?!

Maby but I don't know you so I can't say if your crazy or not ?

But the smart thing to do would be to keep whatever one sounds best to you, it's that simple. 

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55 minutes ago, jimjimbo said:

 Since you have listened to them both in your room, it’s all about which one you like better…  personally, I prefer the chorus over the forte, but that’s just me.  Enjoy. 

 

So in your opinion, what does the Chorus do for you that the Forte's do not? I started this thread to hopefully gain some incite and experiences from folks who've heard both which might help guide me in this ever important decision.

 

Don't get me wrong....I absolutely love the Chorus II's which is why this is difficult. I know it should just come down to my personal preference, but maybe my ears aren't the best judge in this case is my fear.

 

For example, when playing The Cars "You're all I got Tonight", the Chorus IIs make me bang my head and pump my fist and sounds like The Cars are rocking out in my living room. When played through the Forte's, it still rocks hard but also sounds more nuanced and detailed. Hope this makes some sense....its hard to describe "sound". 

 

Yesterday i got it in my head that the Chorus ii's might be best for a single guy who loves to listen loud and rattle the house often, while the Forte ii's are perhaps more suited to lower levels and critical listening. Or that could be utter nonsense. 

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15 minutes ago, Peter P. said:

You HAVE to consider aesthetics as part of choosing a speaker.

 

Sounds like the Forte's are a better match for your room size. Sonically, the Forte's play lower than the Chorus. Keep the Forte's, mail the Chorus's to me.

 

What does "play lower" mean. Do you mean bass frequency?

 

Thanks! 

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2 hours ago, Imsjry said:

 

What does "play lower" mean. Do you mean bass frequency?

 

Thanks! 

Yes, the fII dig slightly deeper. They're a tad less sensitive as well, but with your room and close proximity that doesn't matter.

 

Each speaker/room pairing is it's own idiosyncratic acoustic thing, and from your description the fortes are the more copacetic match.

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I have had some Chorus speakers that sounded pretty sour until a recap. I would check the drivers out and do a recap before I kept Fortes over Chorus. Chorus is my favorite over Forte and Cornwall any day. I hear one that does not sound really good I know something is wrong.

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I have owned several pairs of each over the years and each has its advantages / disadvantages. I really think specific room acoustics and equipment matching could play a big role in which one person might prefer one over the other generally speaking.

 

 

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2 minutes ago, garyrc said:

 

What counts is Speaker + Room + Placement + Recording Quality + Ears +Taste + Mood + Desired Range of Sound Pressure Level + X + Y + Z.    Only you can say.

 

You posted this as I was typing my response but yeah I agree 100% 

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6 hours ago, Imsjry said:

My biggest decision will be based on which one sounds better at lower volumes, so that's what I'm still trying to decide. 

 

So, is this just a case of the "better" speaker just not fitting well into the room design? I hate to get rid of the Chorus and greatly regret it down the line, but for now I think the Forte ii's just sound more "right" in my space. 

 

Thoughts??

 

 

 

Just keep both and be done easy enough. Chorus do tend to be a bit forward on the mids and light on the bass at very low volumes a subwoofer can cure that if that is an option. 

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10 hours ago, garyrc said:

 

What counts is Speaker + Room + Placement + Recording Quality + Ears +Taste + Mood + Desired Range of Sound Pressure Level + X + Y + Z.    Only you can say.

Can't argue with that but I also know sometimes you need to restore something in order to hear it's full potential. Buying a car firing on 6 cylinders out of 8 and then saying it does not perform right is not a fair test of potential.

 

  After having gone through many sets of Klipsch speakers I never begin to assess them until I have checked all drivers and done a recap. You get a set of speakers this old and just plug and play you are not getting what they are capable of.

 

 

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Please don’t think the Chorus don’t sound amazing, recap or not. What I’m saying is that they sound almost a bit “much” in my room compared to the Forte. It’s such a BIG sound that to me the Fortes just sound more mellow and nuanced. The Chorus are way more in your face. 

 

Do others feel the same overall between these two speakers or is it just a “room” placement thing?

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15 hours ago, Imsjry said:

...Do others feel the same overall between these two speakers or is it just a “room” placement thing?

It's not "just" a room thing (DaveA makes a valid point re vintage kit, ), but it is the most influential thing and something you can manipulate.

 

The biggest practical difference between your speakers is sensitivity, so for a valid comparison you would have to set the volume about 3db higher with the fortes. Under such circumstances, the fortes may sound equally forward as the chorus.

 

Both chorus II and fII rely on boundary reinforcement for balanced tonal response, so play with how deeply into corners and/or close to walls you can place them. Doing so with the chorus could restore the bottom end to balance with the mids. You'll be surprised by how dramatic a difference a few inches make, particularly as proximity to corners increases.

 

So my suggestion is play around with placement, including toe-in (just as you can tune the bass with placement, the narrow controlled pattern of the mids/tweets can be taken advantage of, e.g. don't place speakers so the main listening position is directly on axis, don't spray high frequencies on walls adjacent to the speakers, expand the sweet spot by taking advantage of time-intensity trading...).

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I compared the Forte II's and Chorus II's for about 1.5 seconds before I picked the chorus II's. I have since listened extensively to Forte II's (my friend's) and they do sound incredible. But going back to the Chorus' always reinforced my decision. When my friend listened to the Chorus' for the first time, he regretted buying the Forte's (the store where he bought the Forte's didn't have the Chorus').

 

I sold the Chorus' several years ago because I moved into a smaller place, and I have missed them every single day.

 

Cabinet and crossover improvements will give the Chorus' all and more of the detail of the Forte's

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