Spastic Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Hello everyone, I'm a new Forte II owner and I'm having some problems. I bought the speakers on eBay, and they showed up in great shape. I hadn't gotten my new amp yet, so I temporarily hooked them up to my Pioneer home theater amp. The mids and highs were great, but the bass was very weak. I decided to wait until my new amp showed up today and give it another try. The amp I bought is a Trends Audio TA-10.1, which is Tripath based. It only does 6 watts per channel (at mid volume, with low distortion), but I figured that would be plenty with speakers this sensitive. Still though, they were very lacking in bass. I called my Klipsch loving friend who had recommended these speakers to me, and he was baffled. He suggested that there might be a problem with the x-overs, and it might be a good idea to rebuild them. I pulled the radiator off after that and took a look inside. Everything looked great, but I suppose that doesn't mean there isn't a problem with the crossovers. I tried disconnecting the horn and tweeter and just running the woofer. Still not very loud, although if I cranked the amp all the way up (10 watts per channel) it started to sound better. On a whim I connected the amp directly to the woofer, bypassing the crossover. It played full range fine, but it wasn't any louder. That makes me think the problem isn't in the crossover. The woofer sounds fine, it's just not very loud. I can push it in and out without any scratching sounds or rough feel, so I assume the voice coil is ok. Also, if I push it in the radiator moves out, so I assume the cabinet is leak free. I called my friend again and all he could think of is that they needed more power. He had originally recommended an Adcom GFA-535, but I wanted to try a digital amp since I'm a big techie. I don't know anyone locally with a nice amp to try, so I'll have to buy another amp to test the "more power" theory. Anyone have any ideas? Is there something wrong with my Forte's or do they just need more juice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcmusic Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 When you say loud what do you mean? How far away from the walls are they? You might try moving them around a little, get them up close to a rear wall. See if that improves your bass, it should or you may have a problem. I have a pair that I run with a 17 watt amp, I never turn it up past 4; and that is more than enough. Oh yea!!! welcome to the madness. Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Are your mains set to small inside the receiver? And are you listening in a mode that passes a full range signal to the mains? Other issues to check, though they may not be as drastic in magnitude. Did you get the polarity to both speakers correct? Do you notice more bass if you walk around the room? (especially in the corners). Can you see the woofers moving when you crank it up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aufwuchs Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 It is possible that your speakers are out of phase and cancelling the Bass sound. Check first to make sure that you have the +/- leads from your amplifier connected to the proper jacks on your speakers. Also check the connections from the croosover to the woofer and make sure one of the wires isn't switched. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Yeah. What they said... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Check the drivers -- could someone have put in non-standard woofers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Rear firing radiators need a wall or corner behind them................On a personal note, I have always found Forte II's alittle overpowering in the MIDS, so you would have to turn the Bass up alittle to compensate....just my opinion...have heard 3 or 4 different pairs in different locations, with the same results, just what my ears hear................................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormin Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Rear firing radiators need a wall or corner behind them................On a personal note, I have always found Forte II's alittle overpowering in the MIDS, so you would have to turn the Bass up alittle to compensate....just my opinion...have heard 3 or 4 different pairs in different locations, with the same results, just what my ears hear................................. Thats because they have great SLAM factor OB! TTTHHHWWWWAACCKKKKK!!!!! As the Dukester would say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Rear firing radiators need a wall or corner behind them................On a personal note, I have always found Forte II's alittle overpowering in the MIDS, so you would have to turn the Bass up alittle to compensate....just my opinion...have heard 3 or 4 different pairs in different locations, with the same results, just what my ears hear................................. Thats because they have great SLAM factor OB! TTTHHHWWWWAACCKKKKK!!!!! As the Dukester would say. I don't believe that's what Thwack is, overpowering mid range............Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the Forte's, just to my ears they are Mid range heavy..............I have heard Khorns, La scalas, Heresy's, KG4's.............they are not overpowering in the mid range, just the Forte II's, and again I must state, that is what my ears hear..........I really believe each Klipsch Speaker has it's own purpose, and sound....but, I'm half deaf anyway, so don't listen to anything I say...................Can we agree PLACEMENT has alot to do with the sound they generate????????? Besides, What does Duke Spinner know ??????????????????[][8-)] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spastic Posted February 16, 2007 Author Share Posted February 16, 2007 Thanks for all the ideas guys. This morning I fired them up again and left them on while I took a shower. By the time I was leaving for work they seemed to have opened up some, so I just queued up a bunch of music and left them running. One thing I'd forgotten is that the T-amps supposedly need some time to break in, and initially the bass might be a little weak. The other thing is, the HT reciever I hooked up to them initially was set up for small speakers (it's normally connected to some Paradigm Atoms and a sub). So, they weren't getting the low end they should have. So, this is all probably just me jumping the gun. Thanks again for the suggestions though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormin Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Rear firing radiators need a wall or corner behind them................On a personal note, I have always found Forte II's alittle overpowering in the MIDS, so you would have to turn the Bass up alittle to compensate....just my opinion...have heard 3 or 4 different pairs in different locations, with the same results, just what my ears hear................................. Thats because they have great SLAM factor OB! TTTHHHWWWWAACCKKKKK!!!!! As the Dukester would say. I don't believe that's what Thwack is, overpowering mid range............Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the Forte's, just to my ears they are Mid range heavy..............I have heard Khorns, La scalas, Heresy's, KG4's.............they are not overpowering in the mid range, just the Forte II's, and again I must state, that is what my ears hear..........I really believe each Klipsch Speaker has it's own purpose, and sound....but, I'm half deaf anyway, so don't listen to anything I say...................Can we agree PLACEMENT has alot to do with the sound they generate????????? Besides, What does Duke Spinner know ??????????????????[][8-)] Well OB I guess we have to agree to disagree.[] I believe the snare drum Thwack is indeed from the mid horn not the woofer. Now the punch in the chest is all woofer!!!! And I believe the Dukester knows more than he lets on.[] One more note I would like to make. It's not easy setting up this line of Klipsch speakers. It takes time with placement (as OB suggested) and equipment for these things to sing. They have been ear bleeders with some gear and candy to the ears with other gear. It's a journey to find what your lookin for. Oh yeah. Spastic, congrats and good luck with your journey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 Stormin'............I said that about Dukester hoping to lure him out.............he's been too quiet lately..........when's the last post you've seen bye him? I feel thwack and overpowering mid range are two different sounds. I listen to alot of music with horns, so the mid range on a Klipsch really brings a horn to life, and the vocals tend to be more pronounced, but that's because they are 3 ways. If I had my choice, I would have 2 ways, and with 2 ways you can make a snare drum snap....................Thwack has more to do with the right speaker, the right power unit, and of course speaker placement within the room of your choice.................it's all a matter of what YOU hear, not what I say you should hear...........I just think overall the Forte is alittle heavy in the Mids...........Some of you like it that way .................. that's great.........as it ended up he had his speakers set to small, which if you aren't using a Sub, would kill the Bottom end................problem solved, because Forte's have plenty of Bottom, no doubt................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormin Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 Stormin'............I said that about Dukester hoping to lure him out.............he's been too quiet lately..........when's the last post you've seen bye him? I feel thwack and overpowering mid range are two different sounds. I listen to alot of music with horns, so the mid range on a Klipsch really brings a horn to life, and the vocals tend to be more pronounced, but that's because they are 3 ways. If I had my choice, I would have 2 ways, and with 2 ways you can make a snare drum snap....................Thwack has more to do with the right speaker, the right power unit, and of course speaker placement within the room of your choice.................it's all a matter of what YOU hear, not what I say you should hear...........I just think overall the Forte is alittle heavy in the Mids...........Some of you like it that way .................. that's great.........as it ended up he had his speakers set to small, which if you aren't using a Sub, would kill the Bottom end................problem solved, because Forte's have plenty of Bottom, no doubt................. I haven't seem him post in quite some time either hope everything is ok. Well I agree. I wouldnt call an overpowering mid range as Thwack. I just feel that is the frequency as to which Thwack is heard. Does it really matter if its 2 way or 3 way? Dont you just have 1 driver doing the job of 2? I have found equipment places the singer either forward or back in the soundstage more than the speakers themselves. Klipsch have alot of presence to me due to their sensitivity which enables a person to pick up alot of detail. With the improper equipment I find that to either sound bright or harsh. But with experimenting with alot of different equipment I find I can compeletely talor the sound to my liking with this particular line of Klipsch speakers. At the end of the day what really matters is what the owner of said equipment and speakers thinks. I agree again we all hear a little differently . And we all have different goals in mind as to what we should hear. I own Chorus II as you know but I think dollar for dollar and dollar for size that the Forte II is the best speaker Klipsch ever made. My 2 cents. For the record I've spent a few days with horns myself[6] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 I think there is a big difference between 2 ways and 3 ways................A saxophone really stands out on a three way, maybe the best way for me to word it is, Sax's are in your face with 3 ways, and just kinda blended in on 2 ways.................It's not fact it's just opinion, but Jimi Hendrix always sounds better to me on 2 ways, Jeff beck always sounds better to me on 2 ways..........any kind of music with horns, flutes , sax's, etc., sound better to me on a 3 way...........but given the right power, speakers 2 or 3 way, and room, thwack can be had.................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spastic Posted February 18, 2007 Author Share Posted February 18, 2007 Hey guys, I thought I'd give another update since people are still replying to the thread. (I set it up for email notification but I didn't get any, weird.) After some more listening the Forte II's do indeed rock. They were a little too bright for me with a flat EQ, so I ended up tweaking it a bit to increase the low end and I'm really happy with the results. However, my little T-amp isn't going to cut it, since cranking them up to "party level" puts it into the high distortion max power mode. I'm watching eBay for a decent price on the Adcom amp my friend originally recommended. Anyway, I just wanted to make sure everyone knew I wasn't going around badmouthing Klipsch now, these speakers really are the best I've ever heard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 The Fortes are fine speakers, they will serve you well...............you have to play around to get any speaker to sound the way YOU want it to sound, just kick back and ENJOY...............The fever has just begun.................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverSport Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 ALSO...small changes in placement will yield BIG dividends...at least they did with my Quartets! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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