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Forte 1 vs RP8000F II


gmarcm

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I have a recently acquired pair of Forte 1 with the tweeter upgrade.  As much as I want to love them, I just don't.  Good on some stuff but harsh and fatiguing on others.  I am using higher wattage solid state amp, mainly streaming on Tidal.  I am intrigued by the RP8000F II.  Reviews say that it is smoother and more punch in the lows that the version 1.  Just an all around better speaker.  Just curious how they will compare with my Forte 1.  I know I am comparing a 35 year old speaker to the newest technology, but will it be just a totally different type of sound?  Easier to listen to?  I'd like to hear some opinions on the 8000F II, and opinions on them vs. the Forte 1.

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11 minutes ago, gmarcm said:

Good on some stuff but harsh and fatiguing on others.

 

Garbage in, garbage out. Horns are revealing and not always very forgiving. This sounds like a source material issue. I mean, some stuff sounds good, right - so how can it be the speaker?

 

What tweeter "upgrade"?

 

The RP8000F gets a lot of positive press. However, the midrange is not reproduced by a compression driver, but by cones. Those two sounds are very different. All of the higher end Klipsch stuff uses midhorns and compression drivers.

 

With that said, yes, you might like the 8000's better.

 

 

 

 

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 Room acoustics, speaker / listening positioning, equipment matching and as Dean already pointed out source material all play a big role hard to figure out exactly what's going on or if different speakers will be an improvement or not with the information provided. I would play with speaker positioning a bit before giving up on them, with a passive radiator they need to be just right or they can sound thin. Post pictures of your room if you can, list your equipment if you want to try and pinpoint a solution.

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Modified Forte I vs RP 8000fII ? . Modified is a big red flag for me , because you just don’t know what you’ve got , that’s the bottom line . I really like the Forte I , to me never harsh , maybe a little too much bass with some music , (for my taste) . I’ve got the Identical  cousin version of the 8000’s the RP280F , Side by side they stand up very nicely to the HeresyII , slight edge to Heresy for their warmer smoother presentation.I’d say Forte and 8000’s are both very  good , it comes down to personal preference. My preference would probably  be Forte by a slim margin.🤓

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The only modification is new tweeter diaphragms.  I did not hear them with the old ones, but everything I have read and heard is that they are smoother and not as harsh as the originals.  Many people have made this simple and inexpensive upgrade.  I run an Integra DRX-5.  About 95% of my material is from Tidal.  The Forte 1's replaced a 25 year old pair of Revel F30, and frankly, I feel that I made a mistake by selling the Revels.  Live and learn.  I have not heard the 8000F II so it is kind of a leap of faith if I get them.  Just going on reviews and word of mouth.  8000F was a slight improvement over the 280, but the 8000F II is supposed to be quite an improvement over the original 8000F.  I have spent time repositioning the Forte 1's.  I have them roughly 18" from the back wall, slightly toed in.  Room is fairly large.  There is just something missing with the Forte 1's.  I appreciate the replies and opinions.

living room - forte 1.jpg

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35 minutes ago, Tom05 said:

 I’d say Forte and 8000’s are both very  good , it comes down to personal preference. My preference would probably  be Forte by a slim margin.🤓

 

I've never heard the newer models but felt the same way about my old RF-5's I thought they held their own quite fine next to a pair of stock forte II's I had which really surprised me.

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5 minutes ago, gmarcm said:

I have spent time repositioning the Forte 1's.  I have them roughly 18" from the back wall, slightly toed in.  Room is fairly large.  There is just something missing with the Forte 1's.  I appreciate the replies and opinions.

 

 

 Are you strictly a 2 channel listener? How loud do you listen? Have you considered trying a nice integrated or separates, any tube products? As I stated in my post above I felt the older RF-5's which are similar to the newer 8000's were very comparable to the forte's and those are 20 years old these newer Reference speakers are supposed to be significantly better. My brother has the 600-II's and he told me they are extremely clear and detailed, I haven't heard them yet but he is very happy with them.

 

 I will say though that the forte's can sound very nice, they are one of the best for their era and were / are very popular for a reason. I'd consider moving up on the electronics end a bit but that can get costly. 

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Almost all of my listening is two channel, but I do use the DRX-5 for 5.1 when watching movies.  For that reason, I won't change to a different source at this time.  I am pleased with the Integra.  Sure, an integrated or separates would make a difference, but that isn't in the cards at this point.  My 2 channel listening isn't at ear bleeding levels, but I do listen fairly loud at times.  Mainly jazz... Yellowjackets, David Sanborn, etc.  Another thing is that I utilize the streamer and DAC in the Integra for Tidal.  I'm sure the addition of an external streamer/DAC would serve me well.

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The 280’s offer extreme high frequency detail ,  The  Forte’s just  cant match them in this regard,(8000II ?)nor can my Heresies, Quartets ,Lascala’s, Khorns, they just can’t match them for hf detail  . I turn the treble control down a little on the 280’s , as they  may cross the line  a bit with  too much detail,and a little bright, tone control took care of this for me. The bass on the 280 is nicely extended for music , but a bit thick (mine maybe too close to wall)  I cut this as well . The RP line is very good , I think their pretty hard to beat ,particularly for the money, maybe they would suit your taste better ,good luck , give them a listen 🤓

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Well; I am with @gmarcm Had Forte I/II's and never was really pleased by them. Good sounding speakers, but they never "filled the room" with music. Tried "upgrading" them by adding K-510 horns but was never successful - the 510's "blew" away the Forte's making them sound like cheap little speakers. 

 

Think the 8000F's would be a marginal up/downgrade. (I am NOT familiar with them.) Instead of contemplating those, I suggest you look at some Klipsch PRO speakers. 

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As much as I would love Cornwalls, I haven't the space or the budget.  i ordered the BP-8000F II and they should arrive by Thursday.  I am anxious to give them a deep listen.  I'll listen with them for a few hours, then switch back to the Forte 1 for comparison.  Then do the same several times.  Actually not sure what to expect.  I'll give a report soon.  My personal feeling is that break in is overrated.  After a few hours they should sound about as good as they are going to.

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