MiguelATF Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 I'm on the verge (knock) on wood of purchasing a pair of original Forte speakers. The room/space they are going into is roughly 12 x 12 - it's sort of a sitting room in an old farmhouse - but it actually opens out into a second, equal-sized old living room. Due to constraints, the speakers need to be positioned very close to - if not right next to - the old wood-paneled walls in this farmhouse.... The Fortes, in addition to their horns (treble & midrange) and cone woofer, in the FRONT - also have a "passive radiator" (looks just like another 12" woofer - which is in the BACK of the speaker. So, question number one is: how much space has to be in between the speakers and the wall behind them ... for the passive radiator feature to work? What would be 'optimal'? What would be 'acceptable'? Will I be in big trouble if I position these speakers close to (say within 6-8 inches of) the wall behind them? I'd appreciate any and all thoughts on this. Thanx!!! -- Miguel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornEd Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 We understand your concern, Miquel, and welcome to the Forum... and the joys of Heritage Klipsch. Obviously, there should be some distance between the wall and the passive radiator for it to do its thing. However, in my experience, the best guide is your ear... and you might be surprised at how little a distance or how small an angle change toward the listening area can make. So, this is your opportunity to experiement, for the acoustic specifics in your particular listening area go along way to determining the proper angle and distance for idealizing your speaker set-up. Keep us posted on your progress and... ENJOY!!! =HornEd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leok Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 I have found that about 12" from the rear wall is fine. 24" and beyond begins to not matter. So, all your experimenting will be within 2' of the wall (that's clearance behind the speaker). The speakers work well with as little as 3" of clearance. I'm listening to them now, and they're probably 4" from the wall .. the bass is a little uneven but fast and extended. Nice speakers. leok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
16YearOldAudiophile Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 I have speakers in a room relatively the same size (11 by 13) so my placement options are limited. Although i dont have a rear firing woofer, passive or active, my speakers are rear ported, and i find that the further back they are the more boomy of a sound is yielded. everyone knows this, but is it a safe bet with a TWELVE INCH woofer THAT CLOSE? But the other gentleman is right, trust your ears. Nate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 Please let me suggest that you do make the purchase. I expect they will work very well in the physical setting. I have Forte II. As you may know, the Forte II uses a larger bass driver and passive radiator. I have them in my office and the dimensions are about 12 x 12, or perhaps a bit larger. It is a bit of an odd set up because they are behind my desk, in the corners. You can imagine the geometry. The rear edges of the boxes are about 3 inches away from the walls. But that puts the center of the passive radiator about 8 inches from the corner. The performance is excellent. There is a concern over how close you can place a vented port, or a passive radiator to a wall and not spoil the whatever the designer had in mind. Naturally you wouldn't want it flush against a wall because you're stopping up things. At a slightly greater distance away from a flush wall, the response may be improved beyound what the designer anticipated. Probably, six inches or 12 inches is not going to hurt anything beyound making some deep bass notes stronger. I'm confident the Forte will give you very good performance in the room you describe. You are going to love it. I can send you (or anyone else) the magazine review of the Forte if you give me your e-mail or postal address. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted January 9, 2003 Share Posted January 9, 2003 I'll throw in with Gil on this. I believe that passive radiators require a minimal amount of space behind them, on the order of 3-4" is all. I've had my KG4s and Forte's (both with passives on the rear) that close to wall with no ill effect. DD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiguelATF Posted January 24, 2003 Author Share Posted January 24, 2003 I've got the Forte II's now. About 10 feet apart, maybe a foot out from the wall. I've tried various positions - angling in slightly, straight ahead - and, interestingly, the sound/s vary from where one is sitting in the room, vis a vis the speakers. But, to make a long story short, they are phenomenal speakers. I honestly thought it would be difficult to improve on my faithful old (large original) Advents - but the Forte II's are definitely clearer and bring out much more in mid range and higher registers, than the Advents do/did. Interestingly enough, the one are where the Forte II's do not beat the Advents - and, arguably, may be slightly inferior to them - is in low frequency and bass notes. Though the advents only have a 10" woofer (which looks more like an 8"), their bass responses are shockingly powerful, rich and 'warm'; the Forte, by contrast, seems a little 'clipped' and harsh. Both are excellent speakers, however; and I'm very pleased so far with the Forte II's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 Glad you like 'em as much as we do! Not surprising that the mids and highs sound clearer to you. To me, that is the "live" sound of the Klipsch that makes a lot of other very good, very expensive speakers sound like they are under a pile of blankets. I found the bass on my Forte's to be excellent - authoritative, quick, deep. Could be the placement, of course. DD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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