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Differences in Quartet and Forte' II...


SilverSport

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...has anyone actually A/B'd these two...I have never heard the Forte' IIs but have heard the Quartets...I am wondering if the "upgrade" to the Forte' II is "worth it" over my beloved Quartets...I have read the technical differences and I know the Forte' and Forte' II are really thought of as the "biggest bang for the buck" Klipsch speakers...I also know the Quartets are more similar to the Forte' II than the Forte' (same mid)...

Some differences:

a jump from 97.5 to 99dB

Slightly different tweeter and woofer

Both have 12" passive radiators but they are not the same passive

The Forte' II is 15 pounds heavier and a bit larger

The Forte' II will go down to 32 instead of the Quartets 38hZ

any thoughts you care to share would be appreciated...

They would be used for either/both 2 channel and Home Theater...Tube or Solid State...mainly wondering if the "upgrade" is worth the effort...I have absolutely no complaints with my current Quartets...

Bill

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Remember that the Forte II has a 15" passive woofer and a tractrix midrange horn. I've never heard Quartets, I imagine they would sound very good. That being said, my Forte IIs sound VERY good. [:)]

I would say if you could find a decent pair of Forte IIs under $500 I'd go for it.

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ahhhh, I missed the specs for Forte' II...yes they have a larger 15" passive...the Quartets and Forte' II both have Tractrix (same) mids...there are a pair of Oak Forte' IIs for $400 in the for sale section...not too far away but I really don't need anymore speakers...I am still wondering if anyone car compare the sounds of the two if they have heard them both...thanks for the correction and info Wuzz...

Bill

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I have heard Both. To my Ears, I liked the Fortes better than the Quartets. They seemed Warmer and had a Fuller sound stage. The Other Plus + is that Fortes prices seem more reasonable, Around 350.00 -400.00. Whereas the Quartets sell for more Money 450.00 - 500.00.

Honestly I don't think you could go wrong with either one. Over the years the used prices have been steady. Good Luck.

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thanks...but as I say...I don't need any more speakers...just been hearing for almost 20 years how great the Forte' and Forte' II are...I fell into a pair of Quartets and was very surprised to learn I liked them (prior to that I was against any "help" like a passive radiator...[;)])...so...seeing these and as you say they are usually more reasonable than Quarts (don't know why other than "rarity" 'cuz the Quarts are little brothers of the Forte' IIs)...Thanks for the help Bill H...

Bill

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That sure does sound like a good price on the nearby Forte's. One thought. It would be fun to do the A/B yourself. Most likely you'd decide to sell the Quartets, but if you wanted to move the Forte's, you could sell to recover your investment.

The quartet's have a 10" woofer, right?

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What you will find Bill is that the FII's will sound similar but well, because they are, bigger. If you like quartets you will like (maybe even more) FII's. You might find yourself noticing that for very close to the same footprint you get an improvement in bass response and the tweeter is at a better height for sitting on the couch and listening. Just my .02.

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thanks guys...I appreciate all your insight into this...it is actually what I figured would be the difference...I really do like my Quartets and understand about the no loss should I buy and want to sell either of them...'preciate it...I have spent quite enough in the last few months but those Forte' IIs sure are tempting...it's still funny to me how long I dismissed these speakers (Quartet/Forte' II/Chorus II) out of hand without actually hearing them...not my usual M.O. ...

Thanks again,

Bill

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I have not done the A-B test. I love both.

My Forte II are are in an office and right in the corners. The bass, at moderate or lower drive levels is wonderful. I dare say there could be 10 dB boost or more. Not boomy The room should not be optimal in theory. Yet they sound very good. Part of it may be that that, that end of the room is symetric and therefore good for imaging. There is an eight foot acoustic ceiling. The real ceiling is concrete at 10 or 12 feet.

I'm using a Sony shoe box size tuner-CD-amp. Someday I'll have to investigate whether it has a Tripath chip. It's dang good.

OTOH, my Q's are in the main room of an apartment which has about 10 times as much floor area. Eight foot ceiling. I built some 15 inch tall risers to get the mid-tweeter up to ear height. They are out in the room and not in corners. I run the old 1975 JVC amp with loudness. The bass is pretty good but not up to the office units. A very much different environment.

= = =

I'm torn at giving you an opinion on whether you should upgrade to the FII. It may depend on your room setting. I'll gulp, and say, go for the FII. I think they are, arguably, the best direct radiator Klipsch ever made. The bigger bass radiators count for something and they are close to the floor while getting the treble units up to near ear level.

Granted, this is your money. However, you owe it to yourself to buy a set and hear whatever you hear. It is not too much of a financial gamble because you can probably sell them for about the same price. Yes, I see that you'd have to sell the Q's to finance a purchase. But it is something to consider.

Gil

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I had Forte IIs and Quartets at the same time and they're both excellent speakers. At one time we had the Forte IIs up front with an Academy and the Quartets for surrounds and that was one killer HT system. I only sold my Quartets because they were oak and I preferred the walnut oil of the Forte IIs. I would consider a pair of walnut Quartets if I found them close by.

For two channel I prefer the Forte IIs. We currently have them in that mode with a Scott 299 and an Eastern Electric Tube CD Player. In a 14 X 12 room they are wonderful. Perhaps, like Bill H mentioned, the Forte IIs have a slightly more significant sound stage and I agree they do seem a bit warmer. Maybe slightly sweeter is a better description. With either there is plenty of bass to go with the smooth and accurate mids. I think overall size and the woofers are the only differences. Same crossovers specs as well.

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I appreciate this as I see some of the guys I now remember having heard both...I just know they are going to sound great...and I have absolutely NO complaints with the Quartets...I just keep wondering how much better the Forte' IIs might sound...I also agree that $400 seems like a bargain...I haven't contacted the seller yet as I am not sure (read I should not do this [;)]) I should do this and once I do...I know I will buy them...I really need to move some stuff out instead of bringing anymore in...this "preowned" thing is so nice to be able to try all of the Klipsch speakers I knew from my youth and couldn't afford being sold at less than half their original prices...makes it easier to "try" them out...thanks for all the replies and insight...if you feel like it...keep it comin'!...[:D]

Bill

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Bill- I'll add a few thoughts here. When I was auditioning speakers for the start of my Dolby Pro Logic HT (back in '93), I listened to all three, Chorus II/Forte II/Quartet. All are excellent speakers and you can't go wrong with any of them. I couldn't afford the Chorus II at the time, so it was between Forte II and Quartet. I was able to do an A/B comparison at my store, ListenUp in Denver, which was very helpful to me. I ended up buying the Forte II, mainly because it has a bit lower bottom end, and more of a "presence" than it's little brother. Everything that the Quartet had, the Forte II had more of. It was a bit of a stretch, budget-wise, at the time, and I certainly would have been very satisfied with the Quartet. But I don't think I'll ever give up my Forte IIs.

Fast forward about 7 years, and I added a DD receiver and DVD player, and found the Klipsch forum. Lots of research, including some listening sessions and I made a leap; purchased a set of used Chorus IIs from fellow forum member Mike Lindsay. While you give up a bit of the bottom end with the Chorus II, the highs and mids are even sweeter than the Forte II. So, now I run Chorus IIs as my mains, with the Forte IIs as surrounds, with an Academy center and KG 1.2s as center rears. And I am very pleased! My next "trick" will be to swap the Academy for another Chorus II and run identical speakers across the front soundstage.

I'll second Gil's comments that the Forte II is probably the best all-around direct radiator Klipsch made, and I've been able to A/B all of the Heritage line (Cornwall, Heresy, Chorus I/II, Forte I/II, Quartet) as well as some of the KG line, through the various forum friends I've made here. I would hate to give up my Chorus IIs, but if I had to, my Fortes would immediately fill in. I've always been tempted to pick up a pair of OO Quartets to round out the family, but I need a bigger room for them! As others have said, if you can get them for a good price, I bet they won't ever leave. Heck, move your Quartets to the rears and run them all together, since they are timbre matched...you'll be in heaven like I am.

Rob

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