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KLF-20, Heresy IV, Forte III


Smokinone

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A question about these 3 speakers. I now have KLF-20 with the Crites Ti tweeter and crossover rebuild kit installed. I am deliberating on an upgrade and am looking for opinions. I like the KLF-20's but kinda wondering if an move to the Hersey IV would be an upgrade over the KLF's. I am thinking, just by looking at the specs, that the Forte III would be the ultimate upgrade for me. However, the pricing may be a little over the top for me unless I could find a used pair. I also would be trying to squeeze in the Forte's although the Heresy IV is just 1" narrower. I also noticed the power rating on the Heresy and Forte have 100 watt less capability than the KLF. I currently have a Luxman R-1050, but I will be getting a Fisher X-100 back from AEA Audio as it;s getting restored. Was my father in laws who just passed. The Amp was sitting for at least a decade prompting the restore. I think any of the 3 should handle the low output from the Fisher.

 I also like the Walnut versions and the new retro style grills on the newer Klipsch as my KLF's are light oak.

 I guess I might ad that although these would serve dual duty for TV surround, I mostly listen to vinyl in all genre's(except opera).

 

 Any opinions or thoughts would be appreciated.

 

 Thank you.

Edited by Smokinone
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do what ever you like but don't sell your KLF20 until all the smoke has settled. Your dual KLF20 tens will push a lot more air than a single twelve inch woofer can no matter what size cabinet. The mid horn in the Forte lll may be nicer than the one in the KLF20 but you may find that you prefer the sound of a ten inch woofer over that of a twelve as they do sound different. Personally I like tens over twelves but fifteen's can sound very good and they launch a larger wave and they push more air. You need to do some listening yourself to find out what you like.

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20 hours ago, Smokinone said:

A question about these 3 speakers. I now have KLF-20 with the Crites Ti tweeter and crossover rebuild kit installed. I am deliberating on an upgrade and am looking for opinions. I like the KLF-20's but kinda wondering if an move to the Hersey IV would be an upgrade over the KLF's. I am thinking, just by looking at the specs, that the Forte III would be the ultimate upgrade for me. However, the pricing may be a little over the top for me unless I could find a used pair. I also would be trying to squeeze in the Forte's although the Heresy IV is just 1" narrower. I also noticed the power rating on the Heresy and Forte have 100 watt less capability than the KLF. I currently have a Luxman R-1050, but I will be getting a Fisher X-100 back from AEA Audio as it;s getting restored. Was my father in laws who just passed. The Amp was sitting for at least a decade prompting the restore. I think any of the 3 should handle the low output from the Fisher.

 I also like the Walnut versions and the new retro style grills on the newer Klipsch as my KLF's are light oak.

 I guess I might ad that although these would serve dual duty for TV surround, I mostly listen to vinyl in all genre's(except opera).

 

 Any opinions or thoughts would be appreciated.

 

 Thank you.

Why would you think any of them would be an upgrade over KLF-20s?  Said nicely, a "not too smart" move would be to get rid of the 20s, other than maybe for aesthetics.

Now if you are playing with tubes and you like tight tuneful bass , if the amps are not of very high power and damping factor, the KLFs may be tough to drive.  If you are not worried about it then the KLF20/30 are one of the tough to beat Klipsch speakers.

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19 hours ago, moray james said:

do what ever you like but don't sell your KLF20 until all the smoke has settled. Your dual KLF20 tens will push a lot more air than a single twelve inch woofer can no matter what size cabinet. The mid horn in the Forte lll may be nicer than the one in the KLF20 but you may find that you prefer the sound of a ten inch woofer over that of a twelve as they do sound different. Personally I like tens over twelves but fifteen's can sound very good and they launch a larger wave and they push more air. You need to do some listening yourself to find out what you like.

 

 I have read that about the pushing more air with 2 10's, and it makes sense although I don't totally understand it all.. I had replaced a pair of RF3 II with the KLF-20, and I still do have those. I liked the sound from RF3, and going to the KLF's took a little while to adapt to.

 Good advice though as I have in the past, gone backwards.

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3 hours ago, ricktate said:

Keep the KLFs better to keep them than to wish you had them back. Find someone close see if you can hear different ones. Im close to KC MO if your in the area. 

 

 Thank you for the offer. Wish I was closer, I'm in Southern Nevada.

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3 hours ago, Alexander said:

 

The power rating differences should not be a factor unless you are trying to entertain your neighborhood. :)

 

Have you considered going to the a55g mid range driver offered by Crites? I was very pleased when I did this in a pair of klf-30s.

 

 No...😃...I don't want to rock the neighborhood, I'm in the "If it's too loud, you're too old"...I'm in the too old stage I guess. The only real comparison is a pair of Cerwin Vega AT-12 my nephew has, and kinda liked the way they sounded. Not really apples to apples comparison though.

 Thanks,

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1 hour ago, pzannucci said:

Why would you think any of them would be an upgrade over KLF-20s?  Said nicely, a "not too smart" move would be to get rid of the 20s, other than maybe for aesthetics.

Now if you are playing with tubes and you like tight tuneful bass , if the amps are not of very high power and damping factor, the KLFs may be tough to drive.  If you are not worried about it then the KLF20/30 are one of the tough to beat Klipsch speakers.

 

 I really don't know if they would be an upgrade, or even a lateral move, that's kinda why I'm asking. The first set of let's say real speakers I've owned were the RF3 II's, and I thought they were outstanding, still do. A coupla years later I bought the KLF's, did the Crites updates, and they had a different sound, a little more bass to them I think, but sound nice as well and that's what I am listening to now.

 The Fisher Amp has about 18 WPC, I have not got it back yet, and I haven't had or heard any tube equipment other than the Fisher about 30 years ago, and my memory is not that good. I would imagine it should drive any of the speakers in this discussion as they are have great sensitivity.

 The Heresy IV new line is ported at the rear, previous versions weren't, so I imagine there is a little more bass than the originals? They also look great.

The Forte III went to a 15" passive radiator at the rear while the earlier versions had a 12". Again a little more bass? I really don't understand how the passive radiator works. But also these are great looking speakers. But, the RF3 and KLF are nice looking as well although don't have the retro look.

 Going from the 8" RF3 to the 10" KLF seemed to have gained a fuller sound, so I guess my line of thinking that the 12" on the Heresy and the Forte would also up the fullness, if that's the right terminology.

 Thank you for the response, I kinda depend on the audio forums to keep me in an informed state, and have in the past avoided making some, lets say, sudden purchases on a whim.

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1 hour ago, Smokinone said:

 

 I have read that about the pushing more air with 2 10's, and it makes sense although I don't totally understand it all.. I had replaced a pair of RF3 II with the KLF-20, and I still do have those. I liked the sound from RF3, and going to the KLF's took a little while to adapt to.

 Good advice though as I have in the past, gone backwards.

The RF3 is a good loudspeaker perhaps you simply prefer a two way over a three way I do. My KLF20 are reconfigured into three driver two ways. A good two way does a lot of things right and you can listen to them closer and you eliminate a crossover section that you no longer have to listen to. It takes better drivers to build a top notch two way that is the reason three ways exist they cost less to make. Wide band drives are not inexpensive to build.

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 I thank you all for the responses. They have led me to waiting until I can, if ever this virus thing disappears, get to listen to the Heresy IV and the Forte III for a comparison.

 I would like to say that the KLF's didn't sound that good when I bought them and that's when I decided that if I bought them at reasonable price, I would do the Crites upgrades to them. After that they sounded better, I think the last guy in didn't get the polarization correct as they sounded much better, but not as awesome as I thought they should be.

 In preparation for the Fisher, I removed the PD277 and put my JVC QL-Y66F on line and put a new Nagaoka MP200 on it. Well, much to my surprise, the KLF's came to life for me. Now, I had a Denon DL110 and a Sony XL-MC1 on the PD277 at some time with the Denon in place last, and while I thought they were doing the job, I find that evidently I don't know how to set up the TT, or there are some problems with cartridge compatibility or both. Most likely me. The KLF's now sound better than I have heard them.

 

 I think I may still at some time hear the other 2 speakers mentioned, but it seems a lower priority now.

 

 This is why I visit the forums. I get some great advise, and it also acts as a needed buffer from a seat of the pants purchase.

 

 Thanks again to all.

 

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My klf-30s sound very good in my house in North Carolina but when I brought them down to the Florida house they sound quite a bit better to my surprise. I guess the point I am trying to make is where you have your speaks can greatly effect how they might sound. The two rooms these speakers are/were in are very different even though the overall cubic volume of space were similar.

 

And yes, all of the same electronic gear was also moved to the new location.

 

 

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On ‎12‎/‎27‎/‎2020 at 9:09 AM, Smokinone said:

A question about these 3 speakers. I now have KLF-20 with the Crites Ti tweeter and crossover rebuild kit installed. I am deliberating on an upgrade and am looking for opinions.

 

 Any opinions or thoughts would be appreciated.

 

 Thank you.

Since you moved up from RF-3's to KLF-20's there's still room for growth IMO in some of the older "classics" that can be found used for a lot less money than the new ones you mention, unless you insist on new then I'd also throw out for consideration the RF-7 III's.

 

Older speakers I believe might be an upgrade over the 20's are the KLF-30's, RF-7 1 or II, CF-3 or CF-4 and the Chorus 1 or II.  The RF-5, RF-63/83 or forte 1 or II maybe be a little more to your liking as well but maybe considered more of a lateral move to some.

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