Last Lemming Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 Best $800 bucks spent. to me it sounds like a whole new speaker. all the things about the III I liked are still there except now there’s: 1. More coherent frequency response 2. Smoother frequency response 3. bass is waaaay better - deeper and tighter, I even had to check if my REL sub was on. It wasn’t. 4. Soundstage is wider and deeper 5. No etch to sound at all if in doubt do it! 7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Chi-town Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 Glad you are happy. After owning forte II for 30 years, I upgraded to IV's about a year and a half ago. They are a wonderful speaker. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Wolf Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 Are better Forte IV or Cornwall IV? 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 the CW IV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Last Lemming Posted December 30, 2023 Author Share Posted December 30, 2023 I’m not sure the CW is better, but rather different. Depends on your preferences, other gear and room. I preferred the Fortes - obviously per my post above. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bananas and Blow Posted December 31, 2023 Share Posted December 31, 2023 Thanks for sharing your experience. Pretty sure this isn't supposed to be another CW vs Forte thread. I'm surprised the bass is that different. Would have imagined the differences being on the other 2 drivers moreso. The new cross-over making the difference perhaps. I'm thrilled with the bass on my Forte IVs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djcindc Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 So, I received this kit for Xmas and installed it that day. My experience was just the opposite and I'm trying to determine if I did something wrong. I loved my IIIs, but like so many of us, I couldn't resist the promise of something even better. But now my upgraded III/IVs sound like everything Klipsch-haters think about Klipsch speakers -- bright, harsh, fatiguing. I can't really listen to them for more than a half-hour or so before I throw in the towel. I'm using high-quality upstream components -- Decware SE84UFO (with 25th anniversary mods), Line Magnetic tube DAC, BlueSound Node 2i — and this setup sounded magical before my upgrade. Question for you: The terminals on my new tweeters were not marked positive/negative as the directions said they'd be. I wired them the way the originals were wired, with black on top, green on bottom (with terminals to the left when looking in from the front). Is that how yours are wired? I can't help but think something isn't wired right, but I've double-checked everything. That's the only thing I can think of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Last Lemming Posted January 4 Author Share Posted January 4 Sorry to here your issues. I did it like the below. It’s a pic from my install. did you verify the mids were wire right? It’s hard to see the little red line on the terminal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Last Lemming Posted January 4 Author Share Posted January 4 (edited) The only other thing I can think of is the wiring might be wrong somewhere else when you installed it. Unplug the speaker wires and speaker binding panel and start there. Failing that pull the tweeter and mid and recheck those. That being said I can’t imagine you did anything wrong, the install is simple enough even considering the tweeter. Which is the same tweeter as you already have except for a phase plug which is supposed to smooth things out. Supposedly the crossover accounts for most of the change anyway. I’ve read from another Forte IV owner the quality of the binding posts are not good. Hard to disagree with that. I’ve ordered some copper posts and I’m going to solder the wires. He did this mod and said the sound got even smoother. Easy enough mod and easy to reverse. BTW the image above the original is on the right. Edited January 4 by Last Lemming 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djcindc Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 (edited) Thanks for the reply. I'm traveling until tomorrow but will double-check all of my connections when I get home. Just curious: Was the improvement obvious immediately for you or did the speakers take a while to "break in"? I'm a bit or a "break-in" skeptic. I'm sure there's something to it for some components, but I think in most case it's just the listener's ears adjusting to a different sound. Still, I'm curious about your experience and whether it was an immediate "Wow!" or a gradual "Yeah, I think I like this sound better?" Edited January 4 by djcindc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Last Lemming Posted January 4 Author Share Posted January 4 For me it was immediate. Even before I sat down in between the speakers I heard a difference. I hope you find something that’s causing your distress, so you can resolve your issue. Failing that if everything is hooked up correctly and you still don’t like it I suppose you can always put back what you had and sell the kit. Though that’s always a major PIA. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 1 hour ago, djcindc said: Thanks for the reply. I'm traveling until tomorrow but will double-check all of my connections when I get home. what kind of amplification are you using , do you have 8+4 Ohms taps , if you do , switch them around . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djcindc Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 I'm using a Decware SE84UFO (with 25th anniversary mods, for any Decware fans reading this). It has just one set of taps, but is said to be able to handle anything. It was pretty much the ideal match for these speakers before the upgrade. I've heard systems costing many times as much that I didn't make me anywhere near as happy. I'll be home tomorrow and will dig into this. I have a feeling I did something stupid -- I got the kit for Xmas and, like a little kid, had no patience, so I rushed to do the install. I was pretty sure I did everything right -- I took pics of most steps -- but I could have done something as stupid as incorrectly wire the terminals. I'll report back for those who are holding their breath ... FWIW, I got the kit from Paducah Home Theater and Corey referred me to Klipsch. Klipsch asked me to send a video of how they sound, which I'll do if I can't sort it out myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bananas and Blow Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 On 1/4/2024 at 6:50 AM, djcindc said: Thanks for the reply. I'm traveling until tomorrow but will double-check all of my connections when I get home. Just curious: Was the improvement obvious immediately for you or did the speakers take a while to "break in"? I'm a bit or a "break-in" skeptic. I'm sure there's something to it for some components, but I think in most case it's just the listener's ears adjusting to a different sound. Still, I'm curious about your experience and whether it was an immediate "Wow!" or a gradual "Yeah, I think I like this sound better?" The drivers need 100 hours to fully break in. The tweeters on both my Heresy IV and Forte IV sounded grainy when new. The last thing to really open up on mine were the midrange. It really blossomed and became more open and transparent. It was a gradual change but then one day it was like "wow holy schiit that sound is so alive". Everyone who's a break in skeptic never broke in a pair of Klipsch IV speakers. Both pairs I broke in changed dramatically. I didn't really like the Heresy prior to break in. I didn't notice any change after 100 hours or so (I did not time this). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWelsh Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 On 12/28/2023 at 7:45 PM, Last Lemming said: Best $800 bucks spent. to me it sounds like a whole new speaker. all the things about the III I liked are still there except now there’s: 1. More coherent frequency response 2. Smoother frequency response 3. bass is waaaay better - deeper and tighter, I even had to check if my REL sub was on. It wasn’t. 4. Soundstage is wider and deeper 5. No etch to sound at all if in doubt do it! You have no idea of the problems this post has created for me. I've been happy as the proverbial clam with my Forte IIIs and you've given me a severe case of FOMO! Time to start saving my pennies, I guess. 😉 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djcindc Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 For anyone out there losing sleep over my upgrade woes (I'm sure that is absolutely no one) ... sleep well tonight. I don't know if it was break-in (I let them run for two full days) or changes I made to my room treatments, but all is now good. More than good. The nasally, bullhorn-ish sound I was getting is gone, and I can second the original poster's rave review. I absolutely loved my IIIs and only upgraded because I can't resist the possibility of eking out just that little bit more from my system. This upgrade gave me much more than just a little bit more. The bass punch and finesse, and the depth and layers (it's the layers more than anything!) that I'm now hearing in the soundstage are just amazing. The Decware/Forte IV combo really might have me at the end of my search. I can't see myself wanting to upgrade either amp or speakers anytime soon, if ever. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakeydeal Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Quote I can't see myself wanting to upgrade either amp or speakers anytime soon, if ever. Famous last words…..😆 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Finally, I can get some shut-eye. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fido Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 1 hour ago, djcindc said: For anyone out there losing sleep over my upgrade woes (I'm sure that is absolutely no one) ... sleep well tonight. I don't know if it was break-in (I let them run for two full days) or changes I made to my room treatments, but all is now good. More than good. The nasally, bullhorn-ish sound I was getting is gone, and I can second the original poster's rave review. I absolutely loved my IIIs and only upgraded because I can't resist the possibility of eking out just that little bit more from my system. This upgrade gave me much more than just a little bit more. The bass punch and finesse, and the depth and layers (it's the layers more than anything!) that I'm now hearing in the soundstage are just amazing. The Decware/Forte IV combo really might have me at the end of my search. I can't see myself wanting to upgrade either amp or speakers anytime soon, if ever. Omg you sound like Steve Huff with his never ending best ever reference system. Then next week the next best thing comes along. Lol 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djcindc Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I know, I know ... has anyone ever actually stopped? Klipschorns are still out there calling to me faintly but persistently ... For now, though, I'm very happy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.