Jaq Posted March 4, 2006 Share Posted March 4, 2006 This won't be an easy depiction of what I am experiencing... I have enjoyed listening to the Forte II's as my mains for the last year and a half. They replaced the legend series KLF10's. After I recently moved, the width of the Forte's were too wide. So I used the KLF10's as my mains again. WOW, I fell in love with them all over again. The Forte's were the smoothest sounding speaker I have ever heard, but now, I am in limbo. I know that these two sets of speakers are very efficient BUT the Forte II's just don't seem to really punch the bass, probably due to the passive radiator. The ported KLF10's just dominate any action movie hands down. I don't use a sub woofer, never really cared for them but now I am considering a few things: 1. I use a yammie RX-V800 (110wpc in stereo or 100x5? - something like that), powers the KLF10's very nicely but just doesn't push the bass through the Forte's. Should I get an amplifier to extend more power to the Forte's? 2. Maybe I could use a good, solid sub-woofer to make up for that punch? Or maybe I just prefer the KLF10 sound and should stick with them... Thank you for taking yer time to make sense out of my non-sense. Any advice? I hate to bare the thought of selling my Forte II's as it took me over a year to find them in excellent condition. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted March 4, 2006 Share Posted March 4, 2006 Just get a decent sub... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted March 4, 2006 Share Posted March 4, 2006 You said that the Forte II's were the smoothest, but the KLF-10's had the bass you liked for action movies. Interesting enough. Both speakers dig deep but there is a qualitative difference in how they dig to your ears in your set up in that room etc. Do you listen to music more, or watch movies (action) more? Do you have a center speaker and surrounds or are you speaking strictly in terms of stereo? I wish I had the experience of A/Bing with the klf-10's but I don't. I do have a Forte II mains and surround with an academy center and have always thought of a sub as a nice addition as long as it goes REAL DEEP, because there seems to be plenty of bass for the money so far. Don't get rid of your forte's, you will regret it, unless of course you sell them to me at a favorable price! Your location is listed as LA, which in this part of the woods could mean Louisiana or it may mean Los Angeles. If it is the former I could drive there no problem and get those pesky Forte II's off your hands..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaq Posted March 5, 2006 Author Share Posted March 5, 2006 If I had to say which I listen to more, it would have to be movies with a minor in music. Rock, some alternative, some r&b, country, LOL all around different music types. I don't have a complete setup, no center. Always enjoyed phantom center over an actual center but that could have been because of the centers I have tried in my setup. Yamaha pos, Klispch C7 (no bass, sealed box, probably would have been fixed with a sub) and a Boston that I borrowed from a buddy. The RC7 looks nice, being rear ported, mid and bass woofer separately. Sounds too good to be true. Haven't heard one bad thing about it. A good friend of mine has a huge 15" sub, Klipsch, not sure the model but a $1500 sub or at least so he tells me. It rocks the house and sounds excellent in his setup. I just don't want to spend that kind of money for something that doesn't suit my tastes. The first sub I owned was a Dahlquist 12", downward firing. Not the best brand but it hit pretty low. Gave it to my brother becuase of an arguement we had over audio and how important it was to have excellent quality speakers. But he didn't get new speakers after he installed the sub behind the couch, now that his audio issues were fixed. LOL And I am out a decent sub I don't like rumbling, just sharp and punchy. When a shotgun or a .45 is fired, I want to feel it in my chest as if I was on the receiving end. With the KLF10's, I am 90% there. Slightly left wanting. I am in Ontario (east of Los Angeles by about 45 miles). Wish my living room was wide enough to really A/B the two. I am confident that I like the liveliness of the KLF10's better without a sub. Just watched Star Wars III and oh man! But for music, the Forte II's are just a smidget more full sounding. Thanks for the feedback! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 A sub will definetly augment your forte's to get that sound you desire...and it will dramatically improve your movie enjoyment too. However, do not go with a less quality sub as it will just muddy things up. If you're not willing to shell out $1000, then I would suggest going the DIY route...but even then you'll be looking at spending more than $500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted March 5, 2006 Moderators Share Posted March 5, 2006 DrWho just for an example what would make a good sub for Forte ll's if someone wanted to diy, music and movies ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksonbart Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 get a better avatar, you have enough power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 DrWho just for an example what would make a good sub for Forte ll's if someone wanted to diy, music and movies ? I suppose the Dayton Titanic drivers would be my first recommendation... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 I have been shopping for speakers,(fortes,heresys) and have found the fortes to be alittle overpowering in the mid range. This is with all settings at 0db flat. I have owned 2 ways for so long, I find 3ways to be louder in the mids, but I'm told that's normal with Klipsch because the horns.Wouldn't turning up your bass control a notch or two balance the sound without having to buy a Sub? I believe you have enough power already, and there are a couple of free things you can do to better your sound, speaker placement, a few adjustments, and advice from the forum should (could) be enough. If all else fails you could then buy a Sub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Blacksmith Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 Remember, Fort'es are sensitive to placement, moving them an inch or two sometimes makes a big difference. I am running Fort'e 1s as mains and they are set to small with a sub. It sounds fantastic. Why not come over and take a listen, can't hurt! I am just south of Riverside, just a stones throw from you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelerFan Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 It must be in the placement somehow as mentioned above. I've never used more than 80wpc with mine and in fact now have my Forte II's in a 2 ch setup and am now using an old JVC receiver rated at 50wpc and have never lacked any bass at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theplummer Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 I've gotta agree about placement. I've never owned a PR, but a buddy of mine has a pair of Forte I's. These babies were so finiky(spelling), that we aimed them on a 45 about 18" from the corner, then placed a small couch pillow in the corner behind them. This improved the base a bunch. A word of caution, what worked in that room a long time ago, may not be your answer, just play with them a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strabo Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 Don't sweat it. I had Forte II's and a KSW-150 for 10 years before I figured it out. The specs show the FII's going down to 32hz, and the KSW-150 to 31hz and this didn't make sense because in my system the FII's didn't come close to producing the bass the 150 did. That is, until I found a better amp. Tried a couple receivers before going entry level separates and that still didn't do it. You need a good amp. By that I mean a clean amp with real power. 200 watts of rcvr power is nothing compared to 150 clean watts of Bryston/Mac/McCormick (insert brand here). Even a 60 watt tube amp will show most HT rcvrs to the curb. Once they were driven by a good amp I found out that they really do go down to 32hz, and I sold the KSW-150 because it didn't go any lower than the Fortes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaq Posted March 9, 2006 Author Share Posted March 9, 2006 You all have been a tremendous amount of help! Very thorough. I hope I have explained myself well. The Forte's are producing bass, just not as accurate and hard/deep punch. I will attempt to arrange them closer/angled in the corners to double check that I didn't miss anything. Excellent feedback guys! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 If you have a chance to try a more powerful amp with the Forte's, you should. It might be the cure you're looking for. Many amps don't really deliver their rated output with all channels driven - I imagine your Yamaha is the same (nothing against it - most HTR's don't). I was using my Denon AVR rated at 110wpc to drive my Fortes. (I have no idea what it really delivered with all channels driven.) It sounded nice. I then inserted an Acurus 200x3 (which is bench tested to deliver more like 300+ WPC) and it took the bass to a new level - much more authoritative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easylistener Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 You need a better amp. Get a amp with some power and your forte's will never sound so good. My father had forte's and the bass from them was great. You could get that great slam in your chest. 250 watts into 8 ohms, 500 into 4 ohms and 1000 into 2 ohms will give you that great sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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