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Klipsch Forte IV - Wasn't expecting this


dtximages

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I've had a long history with Klipsch.  I sold my Klipschorns over the pandemic and was over the horn sound.  In time's past, the Chorus II and Forte II was favorite Klipsch speaker.  Fast forward to today and I landed a pair of Forte IV's and my old energy is back!  I turned away from Klipsch for a long time and owned many great speakers but none as engaging and exciting WHILE still attaining pretty much every audiophile standard I care about... Not to mention they are SO powerful.  I just "crunk" the dial way too high on some music and my jaw dropped.  They didn't break a sweat and never lost composure and never got bright or honky!!!  

 

I knew the new line was good but this shocked me.  I need to make room for new Cornwalls now :)

 

Other speakers I've owned and loved in order of my personal favorites:

 

STILL OWN IN ORDER OF MY LOVE FOR THEM

Duntech Crown Prince (good luck knocking this big beauty off my number 1 spot)

Thiel CS 3.6

Klipsch Forte IV

 

RECENTLY OWNED IN ORDER OF MY LOVE FOR THEM

KEF Reference 5

Tekton Double Impact SE

KEF Reference 1.7 (never judge a speaker by its age)

Tekton Perfect SET (surprised me! closest to the Forte but less dynamic and big sounding but amazing speaker for the $)

Tekton Double Impact

Thiel CS 2.3

KEF R900

Magnepan LRS (loved them but placement was the problem)

Klipschorn (AA xovers - loved only for jazz and blues not for rock)

Wilson Watt Puppy 5.1 (too bright and too fussy about placement to dial bass in)

Anthony Gallo Ref3.5 (open yes, but shrilly bright and thin sounding)

Tekton Moab (idk what happened her.. I had huge expectations and hated them.  Bloated boomy boxy bass - got better with Townshend Seismic Podiums but still hated them)

Magnepan 1.7 (awful - maybe the 1.7i is better but I gave up on them due to placement)

*This is my personal "enjoyment of ownership" list only.  It doesn't mean anything is bad, it just means I couldn't gain a connection to it or it was bad.  The 

 

Right now im powering the Forte IV's with a Gryphon Diablo 250 integrated and it just manhandles the bass and zero sense of brightness, shrill, or honky in this set up.  Absolutely brings down the house.

 

 If anyone tells me the Forte is not an "audiophile" speaker, I will fight them.

 

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3 hours ago, amheck said:

I'd really like to try some Tekton DI or Moabs.

 

Crazy that there's such a gap between those 2 on your list.


Yeah by all accounts the Moabs are supposed to be the better speakers. I had Pendragons many years ago but didn’t keep them long. I thought they were just ok. And they could be a little boxy sounding.

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4 hours ago, dtximages said:

 If anyone tells me the Forte is not an "audiophile" speaker, I will fight them.

 

 

 I love it! I'm growing more and more curious about the new line specifically the forte & Cornwall seems most everybody loves them. 

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The La Scala AL5 gets very good reviews, too.  The newer cabinet of the La Scala II, the post-2005 model, sounds and looks better, plus the new Celestion tweeter of the AL5, adds up to a very noticeably improved speaker over the earlier model.

 

The Klipsch engineers don’t just sit around drinking coffee.  Even the Heritage Series speakers get steady updates, and the improvements really add up over the years.

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4 hours ago, amheck said:

I'd really like to try some Tekton DI or Moabs.

 

Crazy that there's such a gap between those 2 on your list.

I know, I thought the Moab would be my end game speaker but in my room the bass was way too bloated.  Plugging the ports definitely helped but I always felt there was a gap in midrange power or dynamics.  I just liked the balance of the Double Impact much better.  The Moab is a VERY large not very well damped enclosure.  I suspect that's why you see so many selling used for similar prices to the Double Impact. 

 

If you're looking for something smaller, the Impact Monitors are awesome.  

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I have had the Forte IV since the week they came out.  I love them, big step up from the Heresy III which was great in it's own right.   The Forte IV is much more refined than your granpappie's Klipsch.   Paired with a Toolshed Amps 300b ,  I have spent many late nights listening to them.   Listening right now actually....

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 9/3/2022 at 9:27 PM, Steve. said:

I have had the Forte IV since the week they came out.  I love them, big step up from the Heresy III which was great in it's own right.   The Forte IV is much more refined than your granpappie's Klipsch.   Paired with a Toolshed Amps 300b ,  I have spent many late nights listening to them.   Listening right now actually....

That toolshead amp is beautiful. I remember when you and I got our Forte IVs. They sounded better than I ever imagined and with many hours of breakin they sound even better. I spend many hours enjoying them.

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I have owned forte II for over 30 years.  I am picking up a pair of forte IV, 3 weeks old, A stock in distressed oak with lambswool grills tomorrow.  For $3,500 with original boxes and inserts.  Cannot wait to hear in my system tomorrow night.  I will be putting up for sale my mint forte II with boxes and inserts later this week.  PM me for photos if anyone is interested.

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On 9/26/2022 at 10:10 PM, Fido said:

That toolshead amp is beautiful. I remember when you and I got our Forte IVs. They sounded better than I ever imagined and with many hours of breakin they sound even better. I spend many hours enjoying them.

Thanks ,   It really is a great sounding amp.  I’m having the matching preamp built now. 
 

The Forte IV get better with every upgrade. 

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