New to Klipsch, considering Forte

[Kopek]

Hello, this is my first post here and I appreciate any constructive feedback.

I have the WAF pretty much covered because I promised to sell my early 1984~ish 48" tall x 18" wide Infinity RSIII-B's as well as a PAP 15" Trio OB DIY project - and a few other mid 1980's reasonably sized speakers. Promise is to have speakers which can be closer to the wall, rather than the 3' out from the front wall.

I went over sizes and find the Cornwall just a little too wide and they are probably too much for room size.

Almost everything in my system is DIY, the exception being a Fisher SA-300 EL-34 from the year 1960 which is currently having parts ordered for a rebuild. At 35w it's nearly double in power from anything else I have.

I would like to try an American made Heritage series speaker and can be talked out of it.

Amps will continue to evolve, but have the option to buffer low power SET tube amps with DIY Pass F4 monoblocks. 

Listening area has an 8' ceiling, no room treatments other than a plethora of large dog beds and couches, floor is wood on concrete slab with 50% coverage area rug between speakers which will be on the wood floor. It's the living room of a 1450 square foot house. Listening position will be 15' from the front wall. Back wall is 25' behind the listening position, have high back chairs going over ear height. Speakers probably placed 9' apart on center and not have ideal placement, there is just no way to do it with the shape - and therefore horns come to mind.

Shying away from the Heresy because I would need to build a really good sub, which would be quite expensive. Easily $1200 DIY for a 12" sub and amp. 

I'm not committed to new from factory, and probably can't afford it unless it is Heresy. What to look for in used, do we assume they have all been modded?

I'm not sure of the story behind Chorus, but see some big fans here.

Listening tastes vary, but there will always every now and then ya gotta get the Led out and let Hendrix do his thing. Joni and Ella need to sing. Those recordings that Miles did in a hurry to get out of his contract, they are the up there at the utmost of importance. Coltrane. Rush. Bartok. The Blues, including some that are only in mono.

Thanks, and hope I didn't go too long. Did it because some people frequently say "need to know more".

[Shakeydeal]

I think you have made a good choice to go with a Heritage speaker. If I'm reading this right, the length of your room is ~40'? If so, that's a pretty big room for the Fortes. What is the width? I know you said the CW was too wide, but it can be as close to the wall as the Forte and still sound pretty good. It will certainly fill that big space much better. But I'll go you one better. If a CW will fit, so will a lascala.

 

I'm a little curious what you were powering the Infinity speakers with? Those aren't very friendly to low powered amps.

 

Whatever you decide, going from 88db sensitivity speakers to 99db is going to be quite a treat.

[Peter P.]

You can't go wrong with Fortes and they can sit close to the front wall (2-10"). If they're available in AUS on the used market go for it but I was

under the impression they were rare down under. Also consider Chorus or Quartet but Fortes are the benchmark.

 

Sounds like you're a DIY'er, but would Heresy IVs with a pre-built sub be more cost effective? From a price standpoint, you could

always buy the Heresies and delay a subwoofer purchase.

 

Shakeydeal is right; the efficiency of Klipsch Heritage speakers will not only blow you away, it will blow THE NEIGHBORS away!

 

And please sell all your other speakers to please the wife.

[Ceptorman]

Your budget and speaker availability will help with your decision.

[Toz]

I never met a Cornwall I didn't like.

[Kopek]

I use the First Watt F4's to power the 88dB Infinity speakers, quite low on power at around 20w - voltage gain into them is from 6SL7's. I've run them parallel for close to 50w, but even with a significantly overbuilt power supply, it's just not enough to really drive them - I could bridge them for more, but the power supplies don't have what it takes. Can keep on cranking up the power, but at some point it's just stupid. 

I've also used an Adcom GFA-5300 that has some punch, occasionally fun to listen to. The 35w push pull EL34 from the Fisher isn't bad, and after an upgrade of speakers it will be more than enough.

A 2A3 SET by itself or buffered by the F4's for more current is what I'm looking to try next. Maybe it will be in the form of an Elekit TU-8900 with transformer upgrade so I can try 300B's at some point.

The room is indeed that deep, but lopsided. Half of the room ends 6' behind the listening position where a dining area goes back for the other half of the room. Half of the room is open on the side, and indeed a lot of space to fill. 

I'm in South Austin, nothing currently available locally so a road trip is likely to be in my future. I'll audition some at the local retailer, check to see if the used gear place survived the pandemic.

My wife is indeed informed about WAF and doesn't show agitation because the sound is great. The decision to get rid of them for something that fits close to the wall made her happy. The La Scala's were frowned upon, the Cornwall still got a raised eyebrow, the Forte were smiled upon, even more than Heresy with a big sub in the corner. Can I really get away with 6" from the wall with them? I said "close to the wall", she heard "against the wall" in reference to placement. Currently the fronts of the baffles are 42" from the front wall so anything is an improvement. Forte yes, Cornwall maybe.

First thing is indeed to sell the other speakers!

Edited February 1 by Kopek

[Shakeydeal]

I wouldn't place them against the wall because of the passive radiator. But they will work well 4-6" off the wall.

 

It still sounds like a lot of space for Fortes to fill. But that's subjective, depending on how loud you listen and your expectations. I had Forte IIIs in a 416 sq. ft. room and although they sounded good, just could not pressurize it the way I like.

[Fido]

I have Forte IVs as my mains and a REL S812 Sub in my 14" x18" living room and they easily pressurize my room. The IVs have much more energy in the lower mid bass than my previous Forte 1s do. I would have bought Cornwalls or La Scalas if I had the room but the Forte IVs fit perfectly and are very WAF approved. They scale well in our space and to me thats important. 

[Southern]

I have Forte'1's and I am still enjoying them.  If I was in the market for new speakers I would consider the Forte IV's.

I prefer to listen to my music at near concert volume levels which I have my Forte's 12" from the rear wall to optomize the low bass.  

This works out well since the front of the speakers are flush with my entertainment cabinet which doesn't make them look like they are protruding out into my room.

 

 

[Bossfan]

Forte 2 here. I just think they are the total package. Works great in just about any size room. Detail is excellent. Soundstage is big. I’ve never felt the need to add a Sub. Great with any style of music.

[Idontknow]

Forte 1's here and love them. 

[geoff.]

@Kopek,

 

Klipsch had a couple of sleepers I didn’t know about until I found this forum. A little taller and about the same size as the Forte’s footprint, but only in black, the Tangent 4000, and especially 5000 are outstanding performers. 

[the real Duke Spinner]

My Forte 2 we're fantastic. 🙂

[Natertots]

For what it is worth, here is what Cornwall's look like sitting about 6" off the back wall. The wall they are on is about 14 feet wide (they are centered on the wall) and that is a 55" screen on the one on the left (some day I will get around to getting it on the wall mount). I often listen at low levels and they perform well. 

 

I am sure that Cornwalls or Fortes can sound fine 4-6" off the wall. That is not to say that they wouldn't sound better with more space behind them. The Cornwall's would likely perform better fully against the wall since they are front ported. As already mentioned, the Fortes have a radiator on the back and you will want a some nominal amount of clearance so you don't hamstring them.

 

If you haven't already, I would encourage you to make it a point to listen to a Forte or Cornwall before taking the dive. I bet they are going to sound quite a bit different than your Infinitys.

 

You asked about what to look for in used speakers and I would say it depends a lot on which version you are looking at. There is a significant price difference between the original Forte and Forte IV. However, it is also my understanding that there are also noticeable improvements between most generations. If you are looking at Forte I/II, it is not uncommon to find them with modifications, especially Crite's tweeters, but I wouldn't say that it is typical. As a DIY person, the common modifications to the I/II's are well documented, easy to perform, and usually reported to generate notable improvements.

 

If you are looking into III or IV, I would guess the majority of them will be stock.

Edited February 16 by Natertots
added detail on speaker layout

[CWelsh]

I'm using Forte IIIs powered by a single Pass designed ACA (8 wpc) in a room that is approximately 6,000 cubic feet. And, my room does not lend itself to optimal placement or either speakers or listening position. I do not listen at particularly loud levels, and feel the Forte provides more than enough. Even with the low powered ACA I can drive the speakers to what I consider extremely loud. My back of my speakers are about 12" from the from the wall and I find the bass very satisfying. I still want to play more with positioning, but it is pretty good as it is.

 

 

[Shakeydeal]

Looks good! 👍

[Swanny88]

Looks great 👍 

[Bananas and Blow]

On 2/16/2024 at 7:03 AM, CWelsh said:

I'm using Forte IIIs powered by a single Pass designed ACA (8 wpc) in a room that is approximately 6,000 cubic feet. And, my room does not lend itself to optimal placement or either speakers or listening position. I do not listen at particularly loud levels, and feel the Forte provides more than enough. Even with the low powered ACA I can drive the speakers to what I consider extremely loud. My back of my speakers are about 12" from the from the wall and I find the bass very satisfying. I still want to play more with positioning, but it is pretty good as it is.

 

 

 

Nice clean room that is perfect for Fortes. I think they like room to breath. One benefit of Fortes is they don't have to be close to the wall so you can get a little more 3D depth to the sound by pulling them out into the room a bit.

[MikeM]

Forte IIs here going on about 23 years with them and they've been through a few moves and in several different listening spaces.  The best ever was an older home with hardwood floors and high ceilings about 16x25 ft.  Have carpet in current home and they still sound great.  I've been using a Scott tube amp which I think has 17 watts per chan.  I've never felt it was insufficient power but really have nothing to compare it to.  No way to really "audition" something these days without just buying it.  I think the Fortes's are pretty forgiving and lend themselves to a wide array of music styles and environments.  The passive radiators allow for plenty of base. I've never felt bass-starved with them.  They don't have the prestige of other Heritage models but are a really good value for the money if you can find a nice pair. I did have a chance to hear Chorus IIs at one point and they were also amazing.