Forte2me Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Hi guys, I knew I was in trouble when I came into the family room and saw my 3 year old son behind one of my Forte ll's. He had pulled it away from the wall to find one of his cars that fell behind, and had punched a corner of the car through the 15" rear passive radiator while he was back there, folding back an opening in the cone about a quarter inch across. I ordered a replacement from Klipsch, but was surprised to notice a difference when I installed it. The surround on the original is not foam, it is paper folded 3 or 4 times at the edge, allowing for cone movement. The replacement came with a foam surround, and Klipsch says they are farmed out now for manufacture and that the older style is no longer available. I may be crazy, but I don't think I hear the same bass response out of the replacement. It seems to be stiffer, where the older style paper fold edge moves easier and I wonder if it therefore moves air with less effort. My other issue is that the gasket ring around the mounting holes sticks up about a quarter inch all around beyond the back of my speaker, whereas the original mounted flush. Not that I ever intend to sell these, but if I did I can see that because of the 2 issues someone would not believe it was a klipsch replacement and therefore it would probably hurt their value. To their credit Klipsch has offerred to refund my money if I return the speaker, but what I really want is the correct replacement. Anyone have any ideas? Should I instead be looking at trying to send out the old one for repair somewhere? Does anyone have a 15" passive with the folded edge surround they would be willing to sell? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Bummer about that passive. For a while I think that there was no replacement available at all. Hopefully the new one is the same weight for tuning purposes, I would not expect less from Klipsch. It could need a breaking in period also. Question: It's foam and not the regular surround material Klipsch uses? It's also possible the speaker is not in the same exact place as before, you could play with that. It's also possible you might consider putting another one in the other speaker so they match and can break in together. In the mean time look for a used passive from a busted up pair, or find a busted up pair for cheap and save the parts. Good luck, we Forte II owners can all benefit from any solutions out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forte2me Posted March 13, 2007 Author Share Posted March 13, 2007 Speaker is in the exact same location as before, as the indentation in the carpet proves. I hear lower bass from the other speaker when compared to this one with the replacement passive. These are the only Klipsch speakers I own outside of my center channel, so I say foam surround because that is what it resembles. I did not pull the cover off my center channel to compare, but I can do that tonight when I get home. If someone can post a picture of the "regular surround material Klipsch uses", I can tell you if it is the same or different than what is on this one. Or, if someone can school me on how to insert an image, I can stick one here of what I have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted March 13, 2007 Moderators Share Posted March 13, 2007 I would have not really fell into the group of people who think speakers need to break in for more that a day or two. BUT, these Cornwall lll's DO sound different now than when they were fresh out of the box, and they also sound different now than they did after the first couple of weeks ! For the better, and I would guess more bass now , it sounds like it to me. With that said I would guess they will loosen up some, I think PR's are adjusted by the weight on the PR, I would think Klipsch tried to get as close as possible with the replacements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcmusic Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 It is just a little stiff, it is new and still tight. Eminance makes a pretty good speaker, I had got some replacements for my old Pioneer HPM 1500's years ago. They also come with a 7 year warranty. Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forte2me Posted March 13, 2007 Author Share Posted March 13, 2007 Any way to 'repair' my original and restore original performance? The hole he punched out is probably only about 1/4 inch across, and the paper material is folded inside the cone, still attached on one folded edge. It almost looks like it could be brought forward and sealed with the right air tight material - I just don't know what that 'right material' is... Alternatively I have heared of having speakers 'reconed', but not sure if someone could do that in this case and still reuse the original paper folded surround or not. Anyone have any thoughts or experience with either? The tech at Klipsch also suggested I replace both passives so they match, but that made no sense to me since I love the deep bass of these speakers, and am not willing to go with something that doesn't perform as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 fingernail polish makes a light and tough adhesive. take the passive out, postion the punched out flap back in position (hold temp with tape on the inside if necessary), dab a bit of the polish on the outside, let dry, do second coat. Then do likewise on the inside. Those waffle grilles available at guitar and PA shops are cheap insurance against cats and kids! Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forte2me Posted March 13, 2007 Author Share Posted March 13, 2007 Michael, would you do that if it were your speaker, or would you send it out for repair/reconing? Be honest... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forte2me Posted March 14, 2007 Author Share Posted March 14, 2007 bump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modified-Tractrix Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 I have done the fingernail polish trick on a severely damaged K-24 out of a tangent 500, it works well and will be hidden on the back. Keep an eye out for some beater Forte II's on ebay to get the passive out and any other parts you may need in the future. Apair just went for $305.00. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhendrix Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 I spoke with the technical folks at Eminence and they felt very comfortable with Michael's repair technique. They even suggested one might use wood glue like Titebond or Elmers cabinet glue along with, if necessary, a light piece of addition paper of the back of the cone. The weight being added with the additional glue and small, thin paper will have minimal impact of woofer performance, especially a passive. You might want to add these to the back for a few bucks of insurance: http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=262-866 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forte2me Posted March 15, 2007 Author Share Posted March 15, 2007 Michael & Bill, Thanks for the tip, I think I will try out the repair this weekend. I am thinking I will try to seal it just from the inside so the repair is not as visible, but we'll see how that goes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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