Snookboy Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 I have owned a pair of Fortes since the late 80's and am finally ready to make the jump to HT and a 5.1 speaker system. I am just starting my rounds auditioning speakers and have not gotten to Klipsch just yet. Having enjoyed my Fortes for all these years, they are high on my list, I just haven't gotten to them yet. At this point, albiet without having listened to anything yet, I am interested in the Reference series. One thought I had was if I like what I hear, I might could get by with just the SS, center and sub for now and keep running my Fortes for fronts and the pick up the RF-5s, or whatever I decide upon six months or a year down the road. Anything horribly wrong with that idea? Also, I am powering everything with a Denon 3805. Anyone have experiene with this combo? Any and all comments/feedback will be much appreciated! Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popbumper Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 There have been MANY threads over the past year on the mixing of reference and heritage speakers, and the consensus I have drawn is that it is not a good idea, primarily due to timbre mismatch. FWIW, try to focus on one or the other. Popbumper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popbumper Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 Oops, sorry, I needed to add that I also have Forte's as my L&R AND L&R surrounds. These are great speakers, you will not be sorry if you use them to anchor your system. Popbumper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lipinski Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 Snookboy: Welcome to my world. I too have a pair of 16 year old ForteIIs and embarked upon the process of upgrading a two channel system to a 5.1 system with my old speakers as the foundation. Only in mid November I started researching what to match them with. I spent a month reading many threads about how best to accomplish that. First, the search function will help you obtain numerous old threads regading the subject. In an effort to have speakers with a timbre match, you'll wind up wanting an Academy Center channel speaker. Best match for your Forte's as mains. I imagine others will work also, but if you're aiming for the best match, an Academy. You'll have to be patient at look to get one on ebay, Audiogon, or from someone in this forum. For surrounds (and maybe Rears) the timbre match is not as critical, but suggestions include: more Forte's, and Chorus are the first choice. I decided to save a little money here and am using a pair of KG1.5. In my opinion fantastic little (inexpensive speakers). Someday, I'll upgrade those or move the Forte's to the surrounds. The Denon 3805 will drive all these wonderfully. I looked very closely at exactly that model, but wound up with a Harman Kardon AVR 7000. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lipinski Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 Hey, check out the thread for a pair of Chorus's in Orlando for $175. Those would pair up tremendously as surrounds if you have the room for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sire Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 I guess it depends if you are planning on using the Fortes for both 2 channel and home theater. You could experiment can get some rb5s all around and a sub and have a decent system for home theater and keep the Fortes for two channel. If you plan on using the Fortes then maybe some quartets or another set of Fortes for the surrounds. The center is the problem, the best is another Forte or locate an Academy. An Academy search can be frustrating. Others are using different speakers for the center and hoping to find an academy. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fletcherkane Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 Just finished my 6.1 HT with forte's as mains today. Here is what I have going. Front Mains: Walnut Oil Forte I's (Beautiful!) Front and Rear Center: KG 2.2 (Would still like a 2.2v for the front center (the search goes on) Surrounds: Synergy SB 2's (Classic Stereo had a screamin' year end deal and I couldn't pass them up) I had been using the 2.2's as surrounds until today. Much searching through the archives of this forum led me to believe that a KG 2.2 was the next best thing to an Academy to place between original Forte's. I just finished watching my new Spidey 2 DVD, and so far I am very impressed. The timbre across the front soundstage is very smooth. The Forte runs at 98db sensitivity, and the 2.2 runs at 94, so I had to goose the amp for the center channel a couple of db. The Synergy SB2's are very nice as well, and produced a very pleasing sound. As surrounds, my ear could not detect a timbre difference. Enjoy HT with your Classic Forte's. They are very aggressive sounding speakers and operate well with or without a sub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrock Posted December 29, 2004 Share Posted December 29, 2004 I am running a very similar HT setup that you are setting up. I have the 3805 AVR driving Forte I's front and surround, with a KLF-C7 center. Lots of folks will offer opinions stating that an Academy is the best and only way to go for a Center with Heritage speakers for fronts. Understand that Academy's show up now and then on Ebay and usually fetch big $$'s, even when broken! So, I decided to use a KLF-C7 for my center and have not regretted it at all. Your Forte's should work just fine in an HT/2-channel setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popbumper Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 Fletcherkane: Before I had an Academy for center between my Forte's, I used a KG2 - and the match was quite reasonable. For anyone not having an Academy, in a pinch, it seems KG2 and 2.2 are useful for a center between Forte's. Popbumper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 I understand that new HT designers wish to incorporate their existing older speakers. There is nothing wrong with this as it is economical and generally winds up with your two best old friends as L/R speakers where they will service you well in 2 ch listening. From what I've gathered from Forum and experimenting is that the match across the front wall LCR is far more important than the timbre match from front to rears. In that regard, the Academy would be your #1 center choice, KLF-C7 your #2, anything Ref #3. Your selection of rear speakers for now at least should be as close as possible efficiency wise, to your mains, so at least the volume will be close. If you cannot afford the $$ or wait to get exact matches to your FOrte's, Chorus or maybe larger KG series would be a close match. Reference speakers would be timbre mismatch, but RB5 or RB35 would at least have the volume you need, especially if space and mounting are difficult. I would not use RS speakers unless as side surrounds in 6/1 system. I personaly have Cornwalls, RC7 (soon to be KLF-C7, then Vert Corn) in center, with RB5 as rears and am perfectly happy. $$ or room could not tolerate another pair of exact matching Corns. IT's all a trade-off. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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