MikeH21 Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 I have some Klipsch floors-speakers,(Forte model), that I purchased in 1987 while in the military (US Air Force) in England. Anyway, I am now setting up my home theater in my newly constructed home and I have a few questions! First, are my Forte's still technically viable as front HT speakers? I hope so becuase I love them!!! Anyway, I have purchased a Klipsch center channel and now I need to get me some surrounds! However, my new home has a very open floor plan and my HT room is about 22 by 18 with a two story celing (20 feet high). Because of this open floor plan,I am going to have to place my surrounds on the wall about 11 feet above my listening area and angle them downward. Anyway, I need some advice about which surrounds could handle that type of positioning be it Klipsch or some other surround! (Preferably Klipsch Though). I hope my Forte's are still usuable because the sound is clear and the bass is wall shaking! Thanks in advance! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerohm Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 Forte's for HT absolutely, but they aren't shielded you know - but probably not an issue either. Heresy IIs would be a great option for your surrounds (and for a center as far as that is concerned)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strabo Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 Welcome to the forum. You will probably find a lot of people on here that have the Forte's somewhere in their HT. If you like them, use them. You don't really need any special magic speaker for the mains in a HT, just the better the speaker, the better they sound. The problem is getting a center channel that will mate well and still fit the room. Other's will probably have good suggestions for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhawk92 Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 Yep, Fortes will do great in HT. What center channel did you get? You could look at KG 1.2/1.5 or KG 2.2/2.5 for your surrounds and do quite well. They are ported, so you would need a bit of space between them and the wall. If you don't have the room, then look at the KG1, which are not ported. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShapeShifter Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 You did not say what model center channel you selected, I would concider using a pair of KSP-S6's. They are no longer in production, a bit hard to find and sometimes pricey, but they are the best dedicated Klipsch Surround Speakers I have heard. So good, they were used as Professional Cinema Speakers. Klipsch Heritage will work too, but are quite large when wall mounted. If you are near a Klipsch Dealer, you could also borrow a pair of the newer Reference Surrounds, then see if the difference between Heritage drivers and Reference make for a suitable match. KSP-S6's get my vote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeH21 Posted April 1, 2004 Author Share Posted April 1, 2004 I have a SC-1 center channel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 Hey Mike! Welcome. Just checked your profile and I see you are about one hour from me. Small world! I second Shape's rec for surrounds (good to see/hear you're back SS), and if you think you might want to try something a little different for a center speaker, I think I can help you. What kind of space do you have for center speaker? What type placement? I have something I could loan you to try out if you're interested. May not be perfect, but I think you'll like it better than the SC-1. The Forte's will sound great, just keep them away from your tube type TV, if that's what you have. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popbumper Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 Mike: Absolutely! My setup has 1986 Forte's as front channel speakers, and I am VERY impressed. I do not have a center channel yet (apparently, the "Academy" is the best match and is very hard to find/expensive). For rears, I am using Klipsch KG2's on 30" stands. Overall, the effect is very nice, and the Forte's do an outstanding job of handling their task. Use your with confidence! Popbumper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.4knee Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 I would look for Heresy's or another set of Forte's for your surrounds. May want to change the center to a Heresy also but its not shielded. You'll get a much better timbre match that way. If you get the Heresy's put them on stands. You'll need a good sub and might want to consider room treatments as well. Placement depends on how many discrete channels you have. 5.1 on the sides facing each other, 6.1 in the rear toe them in. Take a look at the link below. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3088641778&category=61378 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popbumper Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 Interesting, I was told the same thing several weeks back (use Heresy's as surrounds and center with Forte's), and then was told NOT to (by another poster) because of both timbre match AND the fact that the Heresy's would be costly and "wasted" as rear channels (since their "utilization" would be far less). You are also correct about it not being shielded, so might not be a good idea for a center. I guess the point I am trying to make is that opinions vary greatly out in "the real world"; Mike, you may have to "mix and match", though the truth of the matter is timbre match is FAR less significant between mains and surrounds as opposed to mains and center. AS I stated previously, I opted away from using Heresy's and went to KG2's for surrounds, and am very happy with the result (plus, I saved a bunch of money). Popbumper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgb Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 I'll pile on and say I use Fortes for my Home Theater, which is 2 Fortes. Certainly are up to the task. Also, I'd be surprised if the magnets would do much damage through what is pretty thick wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popbumper Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 Well, I've been "forced" to reply one more time...;>). A few years back, wayyyy before I got into HT, my Forte's were set up through a standard receiver and hooked up to a 20" TV (sacrilege)!!! Turns out indeed that the upper left and right corners of the screen became discolored, and I realized that it was the MAGNETS of the speakers that were affecting the picture tube. Moving them farther away helped. Moral of the story: STRONG magnets are not really diminished by thick wood, so DO pay attention if you see any signs of picture distortion according to speaker proximity. Popbumper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgb Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 Fair enough. I've always been able to keep them a couple feet away from the TV, if it was right next to it I'm sure it would cause issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShapeShifter Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 ---------------- On 4/1/2004 11:43:55 AM T2K wrote: Hey Mike! Welcome. Just checked your profile and I see you are about one hour from me. Small world! I second Shape's rec for surrounds (good to see/hear you're back SS), and if you think you might want to try something a little different for a center speaker, I think I can help you. What kind of space do you have for center speaker? What type placement? I have something I could loan you to try out if you're interested. May not be perfect, but I think you'll like it better than the SC-1. The Forte's will sound great, just keep them away from your tube type TV, if that's what you have. Keith ---------------- Mike, You should take Keith's offer to compare a different center. Ask to pay a visit too. He's VERY knowledgable about Klipsch and audio. You can't loose! Keith - Good to hear from you too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerohm Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 ---------------- On 4/1/2004 3:26:12 PM popbumper wrote: Interesting, I was told the same thing several weeks back (use Heresy's as surrounds and center with Forte's), and then was told NOT to (by another poster) because of both timbre match AND the fact that the Heresy's would be costly and "wasted" as rear channels (since their "utilization" would be far less). You are also correct about it not being shielded, so might not be a good idea for a center. Popbumper ---------------- If the system is used purely for HT, that is probably true to some degree, but DTS mixes are (were?) done assuming 5 identical speakers and short of having Fortes all around, Heresy IIs are a good compromise. And if used for music also, it is ideal for NeO6 (which also assumes 5 identical speakers & can't really be fairly evaluated without). 5 Channel Stereo sounds vastly superior when the Mains and surrounds are full range speakers. Sooner or later, a SACD 'may' (right!) be added to your 'stuff', so you might as well be ready. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popbumper Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 Thanks for the informative response regarding matching. I always appreciate when a question is answered with plenty of "reasoning" as to why something is/is not a good idea (backed up by real world application). It gives credibility to the poster as well, since it is more than just "conjecture" or "opinion", having real substance behind it. There are some very knowledgeable folks out here, and this newbie stands to gain much from it. This is the type of information that really HELPS, and does not befuddle. Looking forward to more! Regards, Popbumper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 Have no fear. Forte are great speakers. I have Forte II and love them. There is a valid school of thought which suggests that all speakers in the array should be the same. Therefore you should investigate e-bay for some more of them. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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