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Forte I vs Chorus II


Alex Defender

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3 hours ago, jimjimbo said:

The Chorus 2 far outperformed the Forte 1 when it came to bass response in all aspects.  I hope this helps, if even just a little.  

Sure Jim your opinion can be helpful and can influnce for the better my choice.

You said that, so did you find that the Chorus 2 goes deeper in low frequency even more than the Forte 1?

If so this means that Klipsch was fairly rough in frequency response measurements.

 

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23 minutes ago, Alex Defender said:

So do you think that Forte I sounds overall better at low volumes than Chorus II? What exactly do yo mean by this? Thanks nick.

I will clarify. I’ve never owned Forte 1’s. Only Forte 2 and 3’s. Most prefer the Forte 2 over the 1 and the 3 seems to be the standout. I owned the Forte 2 at the same time I owned the Chorus 2. I powered both with SS gear. Probably went through 10 different amps on both. Ended up with some old Carver gear on the Forte 2 and a Yamaha M-85 amplifier and C-85 preamp on the Chorus 2. I do not listen to rap or classical music, but pretty much every other genre. The Forte’s probably did sound a little more balanced at lower volumes. For me, it’s really hard to compare the two because I believe it’s like comparing apple to oranges. What ever you do, don’t listen to the Chorus 2 if you end up with the Fortes. 

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1 minute ago, Alex Defender said:

Sure Jim your opinion can be helpful and can influnce for the better my choice.

You said that, so did you find that the Chorus 2 goes deeper in low frequency even more than the Forte 1?

If so this means that Klipsch was fairly rough in frequency response measurements.

 

Since this was at least 4 years ago, and lots of gear has been rotated around here.....I'd have to say, from a pure frequency perspective, that it's not easy to tell a significant delta, however, when exercised with increasing amp power, the Chorus 2 eclipses the Forte 1 in depth and tight "thunk".....I listen at moderate to higher levels dependent on the music choice.

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46 minutes ago, Alex Defender said:

Thanks for sharing.

Did you ever made a direct comparsion beetwen your forte 1 and a Chorus model?

It’s funny but back in the 80s there was no internet and so unless you were reading audio magazines you would never know what was really good equipment. I knew of klipsch because my older brother had a pair of Klipshorns so my dad and I went to the closest high end stereo store that carried klipsch. My dad did not have useable corners in his beach house so we did not even listen to those but listened to the other speakers in the heritage lineup and the chorus was part of that listening experience I can’t  remember what it was about the Fortes that made us decide on them but we both just loved how they sounded better than others in the line. Remember sound is subjective. Now 34 years later I might like the chorus or lascalas better but on the day we brought home the Fortes we just loved their sound. When my stepmother saw them in her living room she had a hissy fit but my father would have gotten rid of her before his beloved Fortes. Now when I listen to them I think about my dad and he would love that all these years later I’m still rocking out to his Fortes. ps - I loved my dad we were pals that spoke every day and he was one of my biggest supporters and his smile when popping in some Linda Ronstadt into his NAD CD player could light up a room - I miss my mother and father so much.

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On 12/26/2020 at 5:43 PM, Alex Defender said:

@JMON Could you tell me the tonal differences you remember between the two? 
Did Chrous II sound brighter and less balanced than Forte I? Any differences in bass response? thx

It's been seven or eight years since I sold the Chorus II and I didn't to any kind of "scientific" comparison.  I simply replaced the Chorus IIs with the Fortes when the Chorus IIs were sold.  I had been listening to the Chorus IIs on occasion in a small office room for maybe a couple of years.  They sounded good, but when the Fortes were brought in, I was quite impressed.  They seemed to sound more "lively" and with deeper/more bass.  They just seemed to be a little bit more enjoybable to listen to, but I have to admit I didn't listen to those Fortes for very long.  I ended up moving not long after that and ended up selling the Fortes sometime after that, not really using the Forte's again except to demo them to the new owners.  There was a time when I had the Chorus II in a large room and they did sound good, they were able to fill the large room with sound probably a bit better than the Fortes could've (though I didn't have the Fortes at that time).  One thing that seemed to be surprising is that the Chorus IIs didn't seem to be that efficient -- it took a lot of power to get them going.   Keep in mind though that I had other very efficient speakers that I was more used to which included Klipschorns and La Scalas, but even my Cornwalls seemed more efficient and I believe Chorus II and Cornwall efficiencies are supposed to be comparable.

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On 12/26/2020 at 9:02 PM, nickyboy6100 said:

... Tonal difference between the two is a very subjective matter. You really need to hear both to make a judgement for yourself...

I agree with this statement.  After reading this thread, it appears I'm not the only one that preferred the Forte, but it does seem that the vast majority that have heard both prefer the Chorus II.  Those that haven't heard both are hopefully not commenting on which ones are better. 🙂  While I may have preferred the Fortes, that doesn't mean that you would.  The ideal situation would be for you to buy both and sell the ones you prefer least.  Just be careful, you might end up keeping both sets!  Both sound like Klipsch so I do like both and would probably consider buying either again if a local set in walnut oil popped up at a reasonable price.

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8 hours ago, jimjimbo said:

...  I believe that the Forte 1 performed a bit better overall at lower volumes regarding tonal balance, but the Chorus 2 excelled when run a bit higher...

I would also agree with this.  If extreme volumes were my objective, I'd take the Chorus IIs (just bring a big amp).  The Fortes can still get pretty loud, but I would prefer the Chorus II at the higher volumes.

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Both are great speakers don't think you can go wrong with either one. Each one has its own properties that I could see influencing a person to prefer one over the other based on the usual variables like room acoustics and size, equipment matching, type of music and how loud you listen etc. and of course the big one personal preference. Both speakers can sound bright or harsh with the wrong equipment or in a bad room and both can have good or bad bass response depending on equipment and or room.

 

If you drag your feet too long I'm afraid someone will make the choice for you, good deals on these speakers do not seem to last so I'd say flip a coin or if money is tight buy the forte's.

 

 

 

 

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4 minutes ago, Southern said:

Keep in mind that Alex plans on driving them with an 8W SET amp, not sure if this would weigh the coin in one direction.

First thing I learned here is that the Chorus likes and can take the watts...

Not looking to debate but, the kind of watts available with SS equipment.

Thanks!

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42 minutes ago, billybob said:

First thing I learned here is that the Chorus likes and can take the watts...

Not looking to debate but, the kind of watts available with SS equipment.

Thanks!

Also not to debate but I drive the woofers of my Fortes with 270 watts of SS power and the mids/tweeters with 30 watts of tube power which they can not only take but rewards me with concert volume levels and chest thumping bass.

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I had Forte I's for about 25 years before a scored a mint pair of Chorus II's. I played them side by side to compare. While the Chorus had a bigger, fuller overall sound, the Fortes went deeper. My source music was Declan by Jeff Beck, which has some very strong and deep keyboard bass. With the Chorus', my raised foundation wood floor just did not vibrate with the same deepness and authority as with the Forte's, when those low notes were playing. The good news is, I sold the Forte's to my pal, so I still get to enjoy them when I am at his crib. I do love the Chorus's just the same.

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4 hours ago, billybob said:

Decision time!

Before they are sold.

Flip a coin...

Don't worry, here in Italy there is economic crisis due to Covid, fortunately therefore I don't think someone will buy them soon, business has been slow. 🙂

Edited by Alex Defender
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23 minutes ago, Buddy Shagmore said:

I had Forte I's for about 25 years before a scored a mint pair of Chorus II's. I played them side by side to compare. While the Chorus had a bigger, fuller overall sound, the Fortes went deeper. My source music was Declan by Jeff Beck, which has some very strong and deep keyboard bass. With the Chorus', my raised foundation wood floor just did not vibrate with the same deepness and authority as with the Forte's, when those low notes were playing. The good news is, I sold the Forte's to my pal, so I still get to enjoy them when I am at his crib. I do love the Chorus's just the same.

Thanks for sharing buddy.

Aside the low frequencies response, what differences do you remember in tonal balance when you made the comparsion?

Which of the two sound somewhat brighter, harsher or less balanced than the other? 

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