levimorenos Posted September 23, 2004 Share Posted September 23, 2004 Hullo from Italy!!! I have a pair of Forte II and I do not have bass response...it means I do not have that kind of bass I would like to have... deep and smooth. I play a DVD Rotel 985 with a Rotel processor RSP985 and two final ampli Rotel RB 985 + Rotel RB976... but the italian dealer told me that Rotel doesn't fit with Klipsch Forte II... He suggested me to change the amplification with a newone but he couldn't give advices about a perfect match... Some could help me to solve this problem, I would like to have deep bass with a Woofer K-12" active and a passive KD-15".... Thanks to all of you! Sebastiano Levi Help from USA!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerohm Posted September 23, 2004 Share Posted September 23, 2004 ---------------- On 9/23/2004 1:37:04 PM levimorenos wrote: Hullo from Italy!!! Rotel RB 985 + Rotel RB976... but the italian dealer told me that Rotel doesn't fit with Klipsch Forte II... Thanks to all of you! Sebastiano Levi Help from USA!!!! ---------------- Well everyone is welcome to their OWN opinion, but Rotel and Parasound amps drive Forte IIs just FINE. Their neutral/warm characteristic complements the Forte II's slightly forward sound. I am not sure I could tell the difference between the two brands of amps driving Forte IIs ... they both sound EQUALLY good to me ... without spending ridiculous amounts of money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomac Posted September 23, 2004 Share Posted September 23, 2004 Try different placement positions. Those speakers have excellent bass potential with any amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leok Posted September 23, 2004 Share Posted September 23, 2004 The Fortes are likely to give you more bass if you put them in a corner. Aren't there some nice Italian tube amplifiers? Unless you listen at very loud levels, you can do well with only 10 or 20 Watts. Some transistor amplifiers produce excessive distortion at low outputs which causes efficient speakers, like the Forte, to sound thin. Many tube amps sound much better at the low power the Fortes use. Leo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heresy2guy Posted September 24, 2004 Share Posted September 24, 2004 I've heard a lot of things about Klipsch speakers before (good and bad) but I can't seem to recall anybody suggesting a lack of bass with the Forte/Forte II models. Interesting posts here over the past few days: a set of Heresys that don't sound loud enough with a 110wpc amp and now a pair of Forte IIs that seem to lack bass. It sounds to me like the speakers in both cases are probably fine but that the problems lie within the amp or the preamp. Klipsch Heritage are very, very finicky about the power/signal fed to them. I know this to be true from reading many, many posts here on this forum as well as my own little personal example. My Heresy IIs sounded like garbage when connected to a Technics 100wpc receiver but literally seemed to transform themselves when connected to an HK430. It was truly like night to day. Klipsch heritage absolutely need good input, or should I say the right input, or they sound pretty aweful. But that shouldn't account for Heresys not being "loud" with 110 watts or a Forte or Forte II being bass-shy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckears Posted September 24, 2004 Share Posted September 24, 2004 I ran my Forte's passably with a 120-watt Carver amp for years. It was only when I upgraded to a McCormack DNA-1 Deluxe that I found out what kind of bass these beauties are capable of. The amp is high quality, which the horns love; plus, it has plenty of raw power, which the cone woofers (and passive radiator) need to give you a great slam. These amps are regularly available on the used market for roughly half their original retail. They are a terrific bargain, and the only amp for my Fortes that have helped the music bring me to tears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerohm Posted September 24, 2004 Share Posted September 24, 2004 ---------------- On 9/24/2004 3:26:29 AM chuckears wrote: I ran my Forte's passably with a 120-watt Carver amp for years. ---------------- Now Carver, and at least the original ATI amps, are two that "I" would definitely NOT recommend when using Forte IIs. Although the Fortes would sound crystal clear, my ears would become fatigued (actually hurt) after reasonable periods of loud play. Everybodys' ears work a little differently. Bass never seemed to be a problem with ANY of the amps I tried. (Most) Music content typically doesn't contain exaggerated amounts of bass. Rent "The Wall" DVD. The scene during the Bomber buzz was the first time I realized what the Forte IIs were really capable of doing (without the assistance of sub mind you - I am using them all the way around however). The crash scene in Castaway is also pretty memorable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Blacksmith Posted September 24, 2004 Share Posted September 24, 2004 I think you need to play with placement a little bit more. My fortes love to be about 16 inches from the wall and near a corner. In this placement, they have enough bass to shake the walls and feel it solidly in your chest. I am using tubes to drive them but the Yamahas I had in the past did a fair job, I like the sound that the Yamahas had but many find them a little bright. The tubes do a much better job though, no going back for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InventiveAudio.com Posted September 26, 2004 Share Posted September 26, 2004 Buy a Sub kit from Parts Express and call it a day. You'll never get deep wrenching bass Notes out of any Klipsch speakers. My first system were Cornwalls that had OK bass but nothing to run home to tell mom about. Then I bought a Sub. It was an amazing upgrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckears Posted September 26, 2004 Share Posted September 26, 2004 ---------------- On 9/26/2004 9:18:59 AM InventiveAudio.com wrote: Buy a Sub kit from Parts Express and call it a day. You'll never get deep wrenching bass Notes out of any Klipsch speakers. My first system were Cornwalls that had OK bass but nothing to run home to tell mom about. Then I bought a Sub. It was an amazing upgrade. ---------------- While I agree that a quality true subwoofer is essential for reproducing the deepest bass, and to enjoy the most realistic performance on better recordings, the truth is that the Forte is capable of some prolific bass by itself, given the proper power and placement. I have always followed the advice to get the passive radiator as close to the wall as possible: the inside back corners of my Fortes are an inch from the back wall. The outside back corners are around 3 or 4 inches from the wall, following the placement guideline of "looking down the throat" of the horns. I have no complaints... I get a pretty accurate and live sounding result... What the subwoofer does for music (besides reproducing the lowest notes) is transport me to the recording venue; the subharmonics caused by the room characteristics are what allow for this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strabo Posted September 26, 2004 Share Posted September 26, 2004 ---------------- On 9/26/2004 4:30:48 PM chuckears wrote: While I agree that a quality true subwoofer is essential for reproducing the deepest bass, and to enjoy the most realistic performance on better recordings, the truth is that the Forte is capable of some prolific bass by itself, given the proper power and placement. ---------------- I totally agree. For a long time I used a KSW-150 with my Forte's, that is, until I got better amplification. Now they play down to their rated 32hz just fine, the 150 was only rated to 31hz and became useless. Before that I could not figure out why the two were listed to go so low on paper. Now I know, the Forte is very capable and the 150 is gone. If you get a sub for music you will need a good one that plays clean down to 20hz IMO otherwise it won't be worth the investment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMcGoo Posted September 26, 2004 Share Posted September 26, 2004 "You'll never get deep wrenching bass Notes out of any Klipsch speakers."- Wrong!!! Most Klipsch floorstanders are capable of producing excellent bass, IF set up optimally. Proper placement and good amplification are required. I have owned many different Klipsch speakers, but did not get the best bass until I added an amp that drives low impedance loads with ease. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwinr Posted September 27, 2004 Share Posted September 27, 2004 ---------------- On 9/23/2004 1:37:04 PM levimorenos wrote: Hullo from Italy!!! I have a pair of Forte II and I do not have bass response...it means I do not have that kind of bass I would like to have... deep and smooth. ---------------- Hi, Sebastiano. The Rotel RB985 is a THX certified 5 channel power amp rated at 100 watts per channel. The RB976 is a 6 channel power amplifier rated at 60 watts per channel. I have heard the RB985 but not the RB976. I have a later Rotel 2 channel pre-power combination (RC995 and RB991 rated at 200+ watts per channel) and I've tried it with my Klipchorns in place of my usual tube integrated. This Rotel combination certainly punches some decent bass out and is quite smooth as well - not as good in the mid range as my Jolida though. It would be a shame to scrap your entire Rotel system on the say so of a dealer who obviously hasn't heard your system in your home. This would cost too much money and may not give you what you're looking for anyway. I would investigate other options first before making drastic changes. Perhaps part of the fault may lie with your Rotel DVD player. I don't know this one. Is it a low cost example? A better DVD player may give you a greater bandwidth and more punch in the bass. I would be a little surprised if the fault lay with the Rotel power amps. Maybe your speaker positioning could be improved. I am sure you have done this, but if you moved your speakers a little closer to the wall, this may help. Also moving them a bit closer to room corners can help too, but take care you don't get muddy bass instead. Maybe you should have a look at your Rotel processor. I don't have any experience with these, so I'm just guessing, but have you setup the processor properly for your speakers? Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aviserated Posted September 27, 2004 Share Posted September 27, 2004 I have a B&K pre and power system with remote tone controls. I like tone controls because they give me more controll over bad recordings and there are more bad recordings than good ones. Simply turn up the bass on your system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shock-Late Posted September 28, 2004 Share Posted September 28, 2004 ---------------- On 9/27/2004 10:58:54 AM aviserated wrote: I have a B&K pre and power system with remote tone controls. I like tone controls because they give me more controll over bad recordings and there are more bad recordings than good ones. Simply turn up the bass on your system. ---------------- "turning the bass up" generally means, on most preamps, boosting the 100-200hz section, and that's not what one needs to do if he wants good BASS. A sub might be your best option, but then you need a really good one. or maybe a better source (I personnaly never listen to 2 channel music on my DVD player...yurk) or you may buy a NAD amp. Digs low in the bass with klipsch speakers. hell, no, it ISN'T easy to get good bass from Klipsch speakers. sensitive they are, bass monsters they aren't! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aviserated Posted September 29, 2004 Share Posted September 29, 2004 My Forte 2's are bass monsters in my small 11 by 15 room without a sub. I here well defined bass not sloppy bass with DVD movies and stereo playback. The bass response depends mostly on the quality of the recording. Buy a good sound check CD. Forte's love high current solid state. www.audioadvisor.com can help you with your amp choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thoriated_Tiger Posted September 29, 2004 Share Posted September 29, 2004 Never heared a Forte (I or II) be called bass-thin. If anything, they can be a handful in the wrong room =o) As far as amplification goes, I run my I's with a tube amp and tube preamp. In-room response is nearly flat with a nasty +10db bump at 50 hz -- that's the room. (assymetrical, one speaker is near a corner, the other isn't.) Bass guitar at high (realistic) levels rattle everything on the wall. Picture frames, etc. At more sane levels, even as low as 70-75db, kickdrums thump one in the chest. Pipe organ buzzes your innards. I'd call that sufficient bass ;o) Perfect ampli for the Forte? It has to be clean. And I mean *clean* at 1 watt. If that first watt is garbage, you'll *never* use the speakers. It has to be able to handle a 4-ohm load comfortably. 20-30 watts is enough for these speakers to drive 'em to triple-digit spls without clipping. There's no real reason to use a 100+ watt amp with these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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