Forte II Sideways??

[racedog]

I am using a pair of Forte II speakers with a home theatre system that is made up of a Nakamichi receiver/amp, Klipsch center channgel (don't remember which one), a pair of KSP-6 surrounds and a Paradigm subwoofer. We have a 57 inch Sony widescreen TV which is only 2 years old but is in need of expensive repairs. We decided it wasn't worth spending half of what we paid for this tv to repair it. We went looking for another TV. Now, most guys have the problem of the wife who is constantly paring things down, reminding him of how much money he can (or can't) spend etc. I have the opposite problem. I started out looking at tv's of the same size because we have a space issue. With the width of the Forte's and the tv it comes to the door line into another room. So we don't have any additional width space to play with. Well, my wife ran into a 73inch DLP TV that she likes. My problem is, we have no room for the speakers. I thought about replacing them withhhh something like the RF-35's to gain the additonal space but I really don't want to start spending more money after many thousands for a hi-line dlp of 73 inches.

The salesman at the store suggested taking the Forte II's and placing them on their sides with the top end facing out (this way we could have a cabinet made for the TV to sit on with the speakers below and at the outside underneath the TV). I can't imagine turning a floor standing speaker on its side and maintaining any sonic integrity but the salesman insists that it won't hurt the sound value of the speakers. I promised my wife to ask in this forum about this.

So, my question is, will turning the Forte's on their side hurt them sonically? I would appreciated honest answers, I have no agenda to settle here, I just would like to know what the truth is.

R

[oldtimer]

I would imagine it would make them sound differently. The tweeters are now vertical, changing the dispersal pattern. This would be the most obvious difference. Since you are using a sub I am not sure how bass response would differ.

[dtel]

Well in the last few weeks i have tried this a couple of different ways myself but not with the main two speakers. I have 4 forte ll,s ,I need to get 2 more later to go 6.1. I started with 2 of the forte,s as mains and one as a center laid down on top of entertainment center for a couple of weeks. Then I took the center down and put it with the other forte as rears. The rears had to go up on a beam [ with big metal brackets ] also on their side tilted down about 45 degrees.

To tell the truth i could not hear a difference , the room is 24 feet wide and 18 feet deep. I could not say if the mains would sound different on their sides ,for movies it might not make that much difference. But for music it may , I don,t think i would want the front 2 main speaker that close, i would want them spread out a little more if the room would allow. If they coulden,t be spread out more at least put the mid an high freq drivers to the outside.

But to answer the question for sure try your to lay your forte,s down where they would go with the new tv and give it a try then you will know for sure.

Let us know what you end up doing.

[dtel]

I was going to try to rotate the two horns at first but then after trying them sideways i changed my mind . Had a hard time cuting and changing a perfectly good set of forte ll,s .

To me i really can,t seem to hear a difference, the rear speakers are about 8 feet apart and i don,t think i can hear a difference. But we are talking about rears here.

[tkot]

why not get one of the expandable entertainment centers and

put the fortes on top, with the horns to the outside.

then with the bridge over the tv you would also have a place for your center channel, other that setting it on top of your new set.

jay

[Cal Blacksmith]

We're using a Heresy on it's side for a center, the dispersion is more limited and the sound is a little more focused in the center but it sounds great. Just make sure you can see all the way down the throat of the squawker/tweeter and you should be ok. The room reflections might change a little bit though.

[racedog]

I had never really thought about putting the speakers above the tv. We already have a shelf there that holds the center channel and the electronics but I suppose those could be moved down next to the tv or underneath below the tv. I would be really concerned about significant altering of the sound quality and soundstage.

I appreciate all the response, it has given me lots to think about and options that I have not even thought of or considered.

R

[tkot]

there is an artificial acoustic thing that happens when you put your speakers above ear level. they seem to sound bigger.

and if you tip them down then you wont loose as much hi frequency information, as compared to having the horns close

to a carpeted floor.

jay

[WMcD]

People have good comments about vertical Cornwalls. That is to say the older Cornwalls with the horns mounted vertical.

So all that is left is the issue of the woofer being to the side. Maybe you do get some interference effect in the horiziontal plane rather than the vertical.

I agree another issue is just how high you can get the entire assembly. For example, I have my Quartets on 16 inch risers just to get the mid and tweeter at ear level when I seated.

Gil

[DrWho]

You mean something like this?

I had good results with my Chorus II's for a while, but noticed marked improvement when I built risers to tilt the speakers down to point at the listening position. If my cabinets weren't in such good shape I would have cut them up and rotated the horns (to reduce the magnitude of cieling reflections). I have since moved, but I was also going to convert the speakers to a front-firing port (instead of the rear firing passive).

[merkin]

Dr. Who,

Dang that looks like a lot of speaker hanging in mid air. I can tell you don't have any 8 to 17 yr olds running around your place and tearing things up! I,m interested in your porting of the chorus. I saw an early thread this year when you were talking about doing it. I just rememeber someone posting that they should save those chorus's before you started sawing at them. I've been mulling over in my mind if you could port quartets. This is way off in the future and only if I happen to come across some cheap quartets that the cabinets are in bad shape. I think I could fit them in my upstairs system and use an academy for center. (If I find another forte II I could retire my academy and have 5 forte II's and two quartets for a 7.1 in my basement set up.) If I find the forte II I'll have an academy that I would like to match up with something else for my upstairs system. Of course i'd might be better off in the long run to just get rid of the academy and using the proceeds for a refrence system like some used book shelfs and such. Well I won't be doing it until I get my downstairs setup up to snuff anyway. I'd just kind of hate to give up the academy. I may use the academy and go 7.1 down stairs, but the three forte II's across the front are just fantastic even in 5.1. Well that's enough mental masturbation for now. Just thinking off.

[DrWho]

When you see them in real life you'll realize that it's a lot more sturdy/safe than it appears. We've had huge groups of teenagers over bouncing off the walls and all that - even slamming into the entertainment center and they don't even wiggle up there.

Aren't the quartets already ported, or do they have a PR that you wanted to change into a front port? With a little guess work we should be able to come up with something that will work. Give me a PM or something when the time comes.