fisherman Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 Hello. I am new to the forum, but have really enjoyed what I have seen so far. I have a pair of near mint Fortes (not IIs)that I like very much. I am presently using them with Carver amp, preamp and tuner (M-1.5t, C-1 and TX-11a). This setup sounds great to me. I am wondering just where Fortes place, qualitywise and preferencewise, in the Klipsch lineup. Of the posts I have read so far, Klipschorns, LaScalas, Belles and Cornwalls seem to dominate the discussions. But not much on original Fortes. Is there a significant difference in build quality and quality of sound (subjective as that may be)between Fortes and, say, Cornwalls? Do I have "entry-level" Klipsch speakers and just don't know it? I know Fortes can't compare with Klipschorns or La Scalas, but how are they really regarded within the Klipsch family? Thanks for the great forum. I've learned a lot in a short time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 Welcome to the forum. The fortes are very well respected here and many forum members own them for both 2-channel and HT use. They happen to be one of the best Klipsch performers for the size. Not entry-level by any means. Along with the chorus, quartet, academy and one or two others, I believe they fall into the "classic" series. Lots of different speakers in that series which is why they are so popular for HT use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 Fortes semm to be well liked here, I always think of them like the Chorus hence I slot them just below the Heritage speakers (K-horn, Belle, La Scala, Heresey and Cornwall) and above all the others. I think the Forte is especially nice since it goes down to 35hz. I have not heard one though. I am sure some Forte lovers/owners will chime in here on this issue. regards, tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomac Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 Welcome to the Forum at Klipsch! I will never get rid of my Forte IIs. Yea, theyre a little different than Fortes but I believe both to be quality Klipsch product. Heck, PWK kept a pair of Fortes in his office. With that Carver gear, I imagine your set-up does sound great. Just for fun, experiment with placement and see if you can find the optimal spot. The passive radiator makes these speakers a bit tricky to position. My Forte IIs seem to sound best about 8 to 12 inches off the long wall and toed in slightly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fisherman Posted April 15, 2005 Author Share Posted April 15, 2005 Thanks for the welcome and the Forte perspective. I couldn't bring myself to mention in my first post that I am a recovering Bose 901/VI user, but that makes these Fortes really sweet, indeed. Coming from 901s, I think I must appreciate the Fortes more than normal. I can't even imagine what Cornwalls or La Scalas must sound like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomac Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 I have Cornwalls and I've heard La Scalas. You should not sell the Forte short. I like the Corns for Jazz but with classical, the Forte IIs can hold their own and they have a smaller footprint. They do go low and can kick out some dandy rock as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastlane Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 ---------------- On 4/15/2005 9:20:14 PM sunnysal wrote: Fortes semm to be well liked here, I always think of them like the Chorus hence I slot them just below the Heritage speakers (K-horn, Belle, La Scala, Heresey and Cornwall) and above all the others. I think the Forte is especially nice since it goes down to 35hz. ---------------- Here's where I chime in. I agree with all that except the Heresy. Fortes go much lower than heresys can dream of. Actually, I could be mistaken, but I don't believe Belles or Lascalas go that deep either. Correct me if I'm wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitece Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 My first quality system was a Carver Receiver 900 and a pair of black Klipsch Fortes. That was 18 years ago and the Forte's are my 2 main speakers and I plan on using the Carver as a tuner and to power my rear back speakers. I think that's a pretty good indicator of the quality of both products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richieb Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 No doubt the Forte is a fine sounding speaker, I preferred my Forte 1 to the 2's. On paper they may go lower than than the Cornwall but there is no comparison in real life. Corn soundstage is MUCH bigger than the either Forte. Forte sounds more like a speaker where Corns envelop? you in sound and that wall-to-wall soundstage. Still a great speaker and a great buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomac Posted April 16, 2005 Share Posted April 16, 2005 I agree the Corns provide a larger sound stage but they're easier to place ya know and room size and shape has a lot to do with it. In a smaller room with the Fortes positioned correctly, the sound stage can be very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted April 16, 2005 Share Posted April 16, 2005 Gee, I've been having a go around with Q-Man on whether Belles are stepchildren to the K-Horn or not. I think they're not. It just shows that once you go below K-Horns, some sort of pecking order or lineage gets established. I guess the question is whether Forte's are such distant cousins as to strangers. No, I don't think so. I have FII and love them. FI get excellent reviews too. There was a sea change of construction between the old Heritage and more recent units. The old Heritage were made of high quality plywood and the drivers and horns were metal. It is like the old days when phones had dials and cars had fins. Newer units, like the F are MDF and plastic. But they perform very well. Fortes are described, in performance, as Heresy with bass. I'll put up a spec sheet and review later on. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill H. Posted April 16, 2005 Share Posted April 16, 2005 Fish, I don't know where in the line up Fortes would set, but to me they are a wonderful speaker - as Gil attested to " Heresys with Bass". I have had two sets, and other than the fadt that they can not be placed near a TV- they are a fine example of Klipch quality!....and are very easy to place in your room (no toe in or out needed)........Good Luck and Post Pics when you get them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivendell61 Posted April 16, 2005 Share Posted April 16, 2005 Gil, The MDF of my FI pair is about the only thing which I would wish different (ply being a personal preference). But to amend the information slightly....when recently removing the crossovers (to send to Dean) I was pleased to note that both front and back of the Forte cabinets are, in fact, ply (no doubt for all the screw attachments--unlike a pair of modern KEF speakers I own which are all MDF). No idea if this holds for the FII. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted April 16, 2005 Share Posted April 16, 2005 the 12" forte driver gives up nothing .... i actually prefer my F2's to my Chorus 2's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fletcherkane Posted April 16, 2005 Share Posted April 16, 2005 I Love Forte's. My Walnut oiled pair are my babies. I have them set up in a HT, and they perform great as mains. Don't sell them short. You will be hard pressed to find a speaker with better bass response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubes Horns and Buds Posted April 16, 2005 Share Posted April 16, 2005 The Forte (especially the original) is one of my all time favorites. You will find other speakers in the heritage line that have better bass slam (cornwall, KHorn) or other properties (mid/high). Overall, the Forte is tough to beat. It is a mid-priced speaker with no glaring weaknesses, an excellent all-around performer. I disagree with others (not on this thread) however on the placement of the Forte. I believe that the placement is critical to the overall performance, especially low bass reponse and soundstage. I achieved the best results (for my ears anyway)placing the speakers about two feet from each wall toed in very slightly (10 degrees). My room was 16 x 20 with the rear of the speaker on the 16' wall. Spend some time moving the speaker around in your room. It will be time well spent. Electronics is critical as with any speaker in the Heritage line. You are covered in that respect with the Carver gear. In my humble opinion, for a 2 channel system, there is not a better balanced speaker that you can get for the money. Period. Enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r.cherry Posted April 16, 2005 Share Posted April 16, 2005 Bravo! I originally came in to the forum here to find out what a pair of Forte's might be worth. I have since worked out a deal with the owners and am now waiting for them to find replacement speakers. I have done a lot of reading in here and elsewhere since and have had some concerns about getting these instead of say Cornwall's. This thread has gotten me jazzed again. Hope they let me bring those babies home soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fisherman Posted April 16, 2005 Author Share Posted April 16, 2005 Thanks for all of the excellent Forte input and support. It's nice to know I made a good choice, even though I wasn't familiar with Klipsch, old or new, at the time. I'm not sure I'm getting the most out of them because of placement restrictions/room layout, but they sound marvelous to me. Because of furniture placement, I can't get them any closer together than 12-13 feet. As a result, I have to toe them in probably 20 degrees to come anywhere near a "sweetspot." If I could pull them more into the room I could get them closer together, but I read somewhere that the passive radiator(s) should be 12-18 inches from a wall to be most effective. If I have to leave them that close to the wall, I can't pull them into the room. Is placement that critical with Fortes? Could this be better explored in a new thread? Thanks again for all your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubes Horns and Buds Posted April 16, 2005 Share Posted April 16, 2005 Fisherman, Nice score. You really came across agood one. Is placement important with the forte? Absolutely (well, to me anyway). Others may disagree and you can definitely "plug-and-play" the forte with very nice results. However, you need to take the time to experiment to get the most out of them. It's like the difference between very good and awesome. I am not sure what to tell you regarding the spacing without a few other details. How far away from the speakers are the listeners? What are the overall room dimensions? What constraints do you have on each side wall? A good rule of thumb for placement is for the listener to be 1.5x the distance that the speakers are placed apart. In my 16 x 20 room, I had the speakers 12' apart and the listeners 16' away, which is close. You are correct about the PR performance nearer the wall. Don't be afraid to sacrifice a little of the low end to gain improvements in other areas. The key is to be conscious of it and to experiment and see what sounds best to your ears in your environment. Enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckears Posted April 16, 2005 Share Posted April 16, 2005 ---------------- On 4/16/2005 8:30:00 AM bsafirebird1969 wrote: the 12" forte driver gives up nothing .... i actually prefer my F2's to my Chorus 2's ---------------- Just curious... what about the Forte2's do you like better than the Chorus2's? - I'm not disagreeing; in fact I am another Forte evangelist (originals)... I have just heard comments by Forum members about how they think the Chorus stacks up well to the Cornwall in listening tests. For myself, I love the natural, uncolored sound of my Fortes, but this is admittedly biased. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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