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RF 7 III vs. Forte IV


mjr4078

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Greetings folks! Looking for some advice/suggestions. I have about 5K to put into a new pair of speakers. The RF 7 III and the Forte IV have caught my attention and was wondering if anybody has had experience listening to these speakers. Sonically, what differences can I expect? I primarily listen to classic rock, hard rock, and metal. I will be driving them with a Rotel amp. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

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10 hours ago, mjr4078 said:

Greetings folks! Looking for some advice/suggestions. I have about 5K to put into a new pair of speakers. The RF 7 III and the Forte IV have caught my attention and was wondering if anybody has had experience listening to these speakers. Sonically, what differences can I expect? I primarily listen to classic rock, hard rock, and metal. I will be driving them with a Rotel amp. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

I don't know why the Forte demolishes the RF7III but have a listen with some earbuds. It's pretty shocking how different they sound.

 

 

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12 hours ago, mjr4078 said:

Greetings folks! Looking for some advice/suggestions. I have about 5K to put into a new pair of speakers. The RF 7 III and the Forte IV have caught my attention and was wondering if anybody has had experience listening to these speakers. Sonically, what differences can I expect? I primarily listen to classic rock, hard rock, and metal. I will be driving them with a Rotel amp. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

any of these 2 speakers will do just fine ,  but  I would go 1 step above ,  why not sample a  Cornwall IV   exceptional value , speakers for life  , no compromises .

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13 hours ago, mjr4078 said:

Greetings folks! Looking for some advice/suggestions. I have about 5K to put into a new pair of speakers. The RF 7 III and the Forte IV have caught my attention and was wondering if anybody has had experience listening to these speakers. Sonically, what differences can I expect? I primarily listen to classic rock, hard rock, and metal. I will be driving them with a Rotel amp. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

While I have not compared those two, it's easy to tell the forte will be much easier to drive (those two cerametallic woofers are famous to need some power, and quoted sensitivity numbers are a bit optimistic on the RF range of products) so if you're planning on using some lower power amps at some point the Forte are the better choice.

Also, the "issue" with the RF7 is the two way design, putting the crossover frequency right where the ear is most sensitive, and forcing the woofers to reproduce a large part of the midrange - which can be seen as a compromise. On the other hand, a pair of RF7 with the right amp probably gives even more scale and SPL than a pair of Forte - the latter would have the edge on tonality and midrange informations. Best would be to listen to both and decide what you like most.

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5 minutes ago, Schu said:

what's with all this 'versus' posts by new members. there seems to be a swarm happening.

Marketing reaching new prospective customers? With all the choices I compare everything since I got online long ago.

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1 hour ago, Schu said:

what's with all this 'versus' posts by new members. there seems to be a swarm happening.

 

Comparing speakers is tons of fun along with enjoying the music. I love comparing speakers and amps. I do the same with telescopes.

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12 minutes ago, Idontknow said:

 

Comparing speakers is tons of fun... I love comparing speakers and amps.

the literal definition of an Audiophile... A completely SUBJECTIVE endeavor (which is why I continue to say why).

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Lol. Yeah, I saw the RF7 vs. Cornwall one. I own the Cornwalls so I might even biased but I think you’d just have to hear them both in person to evaluate. Perhaps the bass may be punchier on the RF7 and cymbals have more zing. Maybe there’s more midrange information on the Cornwalls. Just a guess since I own the older RF3s and the RF 7 is bound to be a much, much better version of those. 

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I've heard forte III speakers and currently own RF-7 II speakers. I love my RF-7II, but I believe there is much more detail in the forte III. From what I've read and heard, the forte IV sound even better. I believe the RF-7 III speakers will have better/stronger bass.

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They are both exceptional speakers, in the end it comes down to a preference for two or three way sound. I lean towards three way. An RF 7 model with a tweeter and mid-range horn set up in a similar fashion  to the Palladium series would be killer.

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Thanks for all your responses. I have ruled out the RF7s and am now faced with the decision of Cornwall IVs or Forte IVs. Space is not an issue so either speaker will be a fine fit. From what I have gathered so far these two are very similar sonically. Keeping in mind that I will be primarily listening to hard rock and metal, do you feel one would be better suited for those genres? Thanks again for your thoughts and opinions. 

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No idea on the Forte but I’ve been on a hard rock and metal kick for a couple of days with my Cornwall IVs and they are great. Megadeath Peace Sells and Anthrax have never sounded better. The big midrange provides texture and detail that I haven’t previously noticed on these tracks. 

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