Anyone else do the Forte III-to-IV upgrade? I'm not impressed (yet)

[djcindc]

I'm just curious if anyone else has done the Forte III to IV upgrade kit. I just finished installing mine (a generous Xmas gift from my wife). First impressions: Meh.

 

First of all, despite what the instructions say (and what common sense would dictate), the terminals on the new tweeter aren't labeled. There's no red dot, no plus sign, nothing. I took a chance and wired it the same way the original tweeter was wired (with negative on top when the terminals are on the left). A little annoying to have to guess how to install the tweeter. Beyond that, though, I don't hear all that much of a difference in the sound. It's only been a couple hours, so maybe they need to break in, but after reading so much about how the IVs are significantly better than the IIIs, I was expecting a noticeable difference. They sound about the same to me. If anything, they sound a bit brighter and more strident ... more fatiguing 

 

We'll see how they sound a week or so from now. But at the moment, I can't recommend. 

 

Anyone else out there take the leap and do this upgrade? How were your results? 

[John Chi-town]

I did not perform the upgrade, but I do own forte IV's.  Prior to that I owned forte II.  I have heard the III's in a different environment.  The most significant difference between the III and IV is the steep slope network.  Granted the tweeters and mid drivers are different, it is subtle.  I think the networks need some time to burn in properly as well as the diaphragms in the horns.  What I noticed most between the III and IV was a larger sweet spot and deeper bass.  I would let them run as background music for a few days prior to another critical listening session.  I think additional burn in time will provide the results you had hoped for.  

[djcindc]

Thanks for the reply. I hope you're right. I'll give them a bit of time. 

 

In the meantime, do you have yours raised off the ground or flat on the floor? I raised my IIIs about 8 inches (on solid blocks, no open space beneath). I preferred them up like that, but I'm wondering if the IVs would sound better on the floor. (I know, I know ... try and see for myself. I just like hearing about other people's experiences.)

 

 

[John Chi-town]

12 minutes ago, djcindc said:

Thanks for the reply. I hope you're right. I'll give them a bit of time. 

 

In the meantime, do you have yours raised off the ground or flat on the floor? I raised my IIIs about 8 inches (on solid blocks, no open space beneath). I preferred them up like that, but I'm wondering if the IVs would sound better on the floor. (I know, I know ... try and see for myself. I just like hearing about other people's experiences.)

 

 

I keep directly on a carpet floor with no toe-in.  Straight out in my listening environment.  It has been my experience that raising off the floor more often than not, lowers the bass output and mids, due to decoupling from the floor.  If you take a look at my profile, I have a photo of my current set-up.  

[jjptkd]

8 hours ago, djcindc said:

I raised my IIIs about 8 inches (on solid blocks, no open space beneath). I preferred them up like that, but I'm wondering if the IVs would sound better on the floor. 

 

 Have you tried setting them on the floor and tilting them back? It usually doesn't take much tilt to get the horns aimed where you want them.

[Tom05]

Sounds familiar, my buddy had initially regretted getting married to his fourth wife, but soon realized that he had indeed made a good decision 🤓Give it a little time .

[Last Lemming]

I just did mine, and sorry I don’t understand why you’re not hearing more of a difference. I would say they almost sound like a different, more refined speaker, from the same company. 
 

the difference was immediate as soon as I turned on the stereo without any break in at all. 
 

what type of equipment are you using?

 

by the way, I totally agree with you about the labeling of the speakers. I did the same as you with the tweeter, and barely noticed a small red mark on the mid range, had I not seen that it would’ve been a total tossup.
 

 

Edited December 29, 2023 by Last Lemming

[PAKALOU]

Bonjour à toi ami américain, j'aimerais aussi passer du forte III au IV, c'est un peu cher quand même ! mais depuis que j'ai fait exploser les tweeters avec mon ampli parasound HINT6, je pense qu'il faut vraiment que je le fasse !
Pour le moment j'ai utilisé du JBL 2412H qui sonne très bien avec !! sinon je pense qu'il faut faire très attention à la phase. Il faut revérifier le câblage sinon vous perdez toute la beauté de la stéréo et les basses s'annulent d'une enceinte à l'autre et peut-être même les aigus, vérifiez donc vos phases du câble externe mais aussi tout le câblage interne !

[Marvel]

From PAKALOU:

 

Hello to you American friend, I would also like to upgrade from the forte III to the IV, it’s a bit expensive though! but since I blew up the tweeters with my HINT6 parasound amp, I think I really need to do it! For the moment I used JBL 2412H which sounds very good with it!! otherwise I think you have to be very careful with the phase. You need to recheck the wiring otherwise you lose all the beauty of the stereo and the bass cancels out from one speaker to another and maybe even the treble, so check your phases of the external cable but also all the internal wiring!