Just Bought My First Klipsch, Now What?

[unclemeat]

Hi all,

This is easily one of the best forums I've seen on any subject. Seems to be a real caring community. With that in mind, for my first post I'm going to put a little effort into it and grammar be damned! Don't expect to see this level of endeavor again.

Here's a little background on me:

"My story? Okay. It was never easy for me. I was born a poor black
child. I remember the days, sittin' on the porch with my family,
singin' and dancin' down in Mississippi."

No, wait that's not right.

Me? I'm 41, very happily married (this is key and I'd like to keep it that way) and never really had more than two nickels to rub together. And one was usually a slug.

But I can still remember going into the "nice room" at Sound Studio (R.I.P.) here in Wilmington, DE as a
lad and seeing a pair of Klipsch refigerators hooked up to a McIntosh command center. It looked like Bela Lugosi's home stereo. Or what NASA used to power a Saturn 5. Impressive to say the
least. I never did get to hear it though. I'll wait while you wipe away that tear.

But the image of those enormous Klipsch speakers and that
Mcintosh array was permanently imprinted on my psyche.

In the limited price range that I could afford I was looking at a pair of less than impressive Yamaha's. The guy at Sound Studio did do me one great
favor though. He taught me to steer clear of Japanese speakers, buy American he
said. He played a pair of Boston Acoustics CR7's for me. Much smaller but nicer bass with the BA's whereas it was
nonexistent in the Yamaha's. The BA's were/are fantastic little bookshelves for me
that I bought new somewhere before 1990. Not enormous bass but
surprising for their size. This has been verified for me by a friend of mine who is in a band and also by his brother in his recording studio which I helped build who worked as a producer for an R&B artist by the name of Mario.

So eventually I had the Boston Acoustics CR7's as my mains and was given a pair of free white van "Acoustic Monitors" as my surrounds. (Pause for laughter)

I had all of last week off from work so I spent it surfing the internet for porn. At least that's how my wife described it when I showed her pic after pic of Klipschorns, La Scala's and Forte's. Maybe she's right, I might have touched myself a few times. Does that make me some kind of war criminal? Who here hasn't? However, I digress. I did bid on a pair of Forte II's on Ebay but lost. Shame because the guy from PA was really nice. We sent many emails back and forth and he was happy to have me come up and audition the speakers if I won. Even offered a vintage Sherwood tube amp to go with them. At least I drove the price up to $700 for him. I also bid on a pair of BA T1030's that my wife liked better purely from an aesthetic point of view. You'll have to forgive her, she's South African so she's used to only the finest thatch-cone speakers a chicken can buy you.

Anyway, yesterday I bought a pair of Forte's off craigslist. Serial number 8736835 on one, other is missing it's tag. So I guess these are from 1987. I was hoping to get a pair of Forte II's but you take what is closest sometimes. A big thank you to Aaron from Baltimore who sold these to me. He said he's had them for about 5 years so I imagine I'm probably the third owner. Great condition and $550. We spent an hour at his house listening to them. He popped my horn cherry so to speak. I brought Zappa's Hot Rats, he played Brian Wilson's Smile (for the vocals, a great showcase for those horns), the new David Gilmour and The Police's Synchronicity (on vinyl) for me. At one point during the audition I was so impressed with the bass I asked how much was just coming from the subwoofer. It wasn't hooked up.

Both me and my wife are thrilled with these. Yes, I said my wife. We brought them home and set them up. By set them up, I mean rearranged the entire living room to give these puppies some room to breath. Or roar as it were. I put in Alan Parson's original quad mix of Dark Side Of The Moon and it was stunning (more than willing to make copies for those that haven't heard this lost classic since it cannot be bought anywhere). Then she wanted the battle scene from The Return Of The King DVD. The house shook.

So the Forte's are now my mains and the BA's are my surrounds. I also have a cheap Polk from Circuit City for center. The Forte's really make me regret buying that Polk. Now I understand what someone meant by timbre-matching. All this driven by an old 190w Yamaha receiver. Which is now exhibiting some form of electronic Alzheimer's. Press VCR on the front panel and the Tape Monitor turns on, press CD and the Video comes up. Remote works fine though.

So what next? Well, I want to live out my po' boy version of that young lad's dream. I want a Mac

Now unlike what I glean from many high-end audio sites, I don't have one "system" strictly to listen to pristine copies of Vivaldi pressed on virgin Madagascarian free-range vinyl and another dedicated to my collection of Bolivian bird-call chanters. I live in the real world. With a VERY real budget. Yes, I love my wife, and she loves her new Klipschesessesses's. But she's not going to go for me blowing her next 20 car payments on a vintage 240.

But I would appreciate some realistic advice. And my heart tells me to get a vintage Mac. Maybe it won't be the best they have to offer but I will most certainly be happy with it. Obviously, I'm a simple man. This narrative stands as irrefutable proof of that.

I listen to Mozart.

I listen to Stravinsky.

I listen to Mahler.

I also listen to Miles, acoustic and the godforsaken electric.

I listen to Jimi, Neil Young, Trane, Zappa, the Dead (bootlegs, actually bootlegs of most bands), Stones, Genesis, King Crimson, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Dylan (again, acoustic and godforsaken electric), Blind Lemon Jefferson, Albert King, Public Enemy, David Allan Coe & Pantera, Type O Negative, Yes, Caravan, Ella Fitzgerald, Bonnie Riatt, Hole, Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, Curtis Mayfield, Funkadelic, Zeppelin, the Who & Johnny Cash.

We also watch movies with these speakers: The Lord Of The Rings, Harry Potter, A Night At The Opera, Horse Feathers, Duck Soup, any Clint, any Kubrick, Spinal Tap, Woodstock, Led Zeppelin, John Wayne, ANYTHING with Lauren Bacall, NO Stars Wars crap.

So can these speakers handle that? Or are they just for esoteric douchebags? From what I've heard, they can. From what I've read, maybe not. Out here on the fringes, we have no use for less than multifunctional speakers. I hope some others will agree.

So I want a Mac. Maybe not top of the line, but a decent vintage. Maybe a 6100. I would also like to bring what's left of my vinyl out of the basement. Good turntable anyone? With my receiver slowly giving up the ghost, I'll need a new one of those. Of course it'll have to be a surround. What about a pre-amp? Should I keep the amping all in the family? All Mac? My knowledge is obviously very limited. So don't worry about offending me. Talk to me like a child. What does a pre-amp actually do? Why do I need one? I'm a knucklehead who's just joining the lofty ranks of the intitiated so tell it to me straight. Where do I find what I need? Website? Auction site? Classifieds?

I'm depending on you knuckleheads who've already done the legwork to teach me. Any and all opinions, advice, criticism are welcome. Of course if you only have criticism to offer, well, I have a piss-poor public high school education, but trust me I can hold my own.

Yours Insouciantly,

Roman

[HarryO]

Welcome Roman.

Congrats on your Klipsch and overcoming adversity as a youth.

You're in the same boat with many of us here on the forum. Your Fortes will handle most anything you throw at them. OTOH, there's no perfect speaker.

You're gonna need that MC260, 6100 also, a NOS VRD, JM BBX, Scott 299, a pair of Khorns, Jubs, Cornwalls, LaScalas, Heresys, just for your 2 channel set up. Well, it's a start on a basic Forum system anyway. (Keep the Yamaha with mode issues. Let your well intentioned buddies try to figure out what they've done. Could be fun)

You'll have to add on to it as you go to satisfy the urges instilled by them darned horns.

As far as HT goes, It's hard finding the room to start another system but I could see a new quad of Palladiums as a start.

I don't have to try to keep the wife happy. She was crushed by a falling Cornwall a few years back when I started my all Heritage HT system. She saved the speaker though with her sacrifice. (at least that's what I told the investigating officers on the scene)

Keep us in the loop as your system evolves. Sounds like it could get interesting. BTW, there's bound to be a good divorce atty on the forum that will understand your position and properly represent your interests.

Harry

[IndyKlipschFan]

Roman and your WAF Wife... Welcome to the madness!

My suggestion.... drop everything and come to the summer event in Indy.June 20-22nd

You will get addicted even more to this audioholic disease! hahahahaha

Contact Colterphoto1 with ideas... Too early in the am to be too funny.. I will be back with you soon!

Huh? I am not a bum. I'm a jerk. I once had wealth, power, and the love
of a beautiful woman. Now I only have two things: my friends and...
uh... my thermos. Huh? My story? Okay. It was never easy for me. I was
born a poor black child. I remember the days, sittin' on the porch with
my family, singin' and dancin' down in Mississippi.

[seti]

I had all of last week off from work so I spent it surfing the internet for porn. At least that's how my wife described it when I showed her pic after pic of Klipschorns, La Scala's and Forte's. Maybe she's right, I might have touched myself a few times. Does that make me some kind of war criminal? Who here hasn't?

You'll fit in here just fine. Welcome.

There are usually a couple pieces of McIntosh gear on AudioGon.com at any given time. Also http://www.audioclassics.com/ is a great site with great people.Oh yeah there is also a Garage Sale part of the forum where good deals van be had. I had McIntosh MC30 tube amps and they were wonderful. Good luck on your quest and let us know how it goes.

[Arky]

I hope thebes sees your first post, he will love you, though you may have set the bar too high.

Welcome to the forum.

[dtel]

Welcome to the forum, very nice first post, your going to fit in just perfectly ! []

What part of the country are you from ? If possable do try to make the pilgrimage, you will have fun.

Don't worry about all the other speakers and accessories over time you will get them and sometimes not even no why ! It's a sickness you will see, you did pick a good speaker to start your collection, a good all around speaker.

Ask alot of questions, the people around here will NOT save you much money but at least you will not waste it on junk someone has tried already. [:|]

[Groomlakearea51]

Welcome to the Forum!!!! As dtel said, an outstanding post!!! We certainly always need (and welcome) another member with a true warped sense of humor, a slight self deprecating approach, a tinge of downright vicious irony, some downhome pathos, and, let it be said for the record, that essential fundamental understanding of the various uses of sarcasm and facetiousness. []

That being said, in the esoteric douchebag arena, not..... They are good; really good.

TT's (that's turntables... and don't go there on any other acronym..... - and my wife's watching...) think about a technics SL-1200 series; built like a tank, but very, very reliable. You'll get a boatload of recommendations on that one. I would, however, apply the KISS principle (at least initially...)

Pre-amp? Separates the input "stuff" from the output part, or from a piss poor public education point of view...., processes the incoming sources. The power amp simply amplifies the pre-amp's output signal for the speakers.

Too many flavors these days to recommend an amp or receiver. Me? I'd go with a vintage receiver or integrated amplifier. Tubes? sound great, but can get expensive. Then again, you might want to look at a modern audio-visual receiver (AVR) from Denon, Onkyo, etc. They are usually 7.1 setups (front, rear, surround and a center). Nuttin' wrong with that, because then you have an excuse to get more Klipsch speakers to hook up to it....

Have fun!!!!

[colterphoto1]

You can play anything on those fortes. You'll be just fine. Just ignore the Mr. Science types here who insist that those speakers should be reduced to kindling should you decide to not immediately disassemble and rebuild them. (save that for later after the grin fades a bit from your face)

"I also listen to Miles, acoustic and the godforsaken electric.

I listen to Jimi, Neil Young, Trane, Zappa, the Dead (bootlegs,
actually bootlegs of most bands), Stones, Genesis, King Crimson, Joni
Mitchell, Van Morrison, Dylan (again, acoustic and godforsaken
electric), Blind Lemon Jefferson, Albert King, Public Enemy, David
Allan Coe & Pantera, Type O Negative, Yes, Caravan, Ella
Fitzgerald, Bonnie Riatt, Hole, Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, Curtis
Mayfield, Funkadelic, Zeppelin, the Who & Johnny Cash.

We
also watch movies with these speakers: The Lord Of The Rings, Harry
Potter, A Night At The Opera, Horse Feathers, Duck Soup, any Clint, any
Kubrick, Spinal Tap, Woodstock, Led Zeppelin, John Wayne, ANYTHING with
Lauren Bacall, NO Stars Wars crap."

Could we be... brothers?? Durn man it's like you stole my record collection. (except for the Dead thing, never figured that out). And I'll see your Clint and raise you one Jack.

Anyway, congrats on the fortes and Welcome to the Madness!

Oh yeah, after 12,000 posts they have to HIRE you!

Michael

[Brac]

Darn,

I don't even know where to start the attack, The wife may be on board now, but I promise you, when you go buy your 6th pair of ever larger Kilpsch speaker. That will change.

But Honey there were a great deal.

But honey they were only 5hours away, I had to..........Then the lie'n starts.

How many of us have promised to sell a pair after we buy a pair we didn't really need.

I think my wife has just given up. I just bought a pair of Forte II's today. They were only 2 hours away and only $350. how could I not. She'l speak to me again soon.

It's not like I have 2 khorns 2 heresys 2 klf-10's 2 klf-30's and my HT setup. Oh wait ya it is just like that. I would like to hear the aforementioned Dark side recording............

Welcome to the program just rembember there is only help here when you need enableing. Not for quiting (there is no quiting)

As for Tubes I have yet to try a set even though I want to hear my K-HORNS with tubes. Let folks know where you live someone might let you test drive some of there extra gear.

[billybob]

With the likes of King Crimson, Van Morrison, & Johnny Cash, you were already here(in spirit) before you arrived. Welcome from a newbie! Forte's I hear are cool!

[colterphoto1]

I got no honey, I just pile em up anywhere and everywhere....

[Groomlakearea51]

Yah... and just wait'll you get some "honey", then you'll have the "honey-do" list from hell!!![6][]

[aab3rd]

Just Bought My First Klipsch, Now What?

Save yourself the madness, just send them to me. I will make that sacrafice to save you. You will thank yourself later. I promise! [A]

You will never love the fortes, the are terrible. I promise! [A]

Try BOSE, they are great. I promise! [A]

[]

Can' t hurt to try!

I love my Fortes; i just hate that they are in storage right now and am having to use RSX-3s for stereo only. Working on finding some RSX4s to swap and an RCX4 to round out. Wife, new house and all...[] Actually, when we moved i bought some B & W on wall speakers like the current rsx-42s but hated them and sold them. Klipsch just have a "presence" about them that is hard to find in a speaker. The history is there too. Paul Klipsch was an amazing man. I still remember going to the book signing they had several years ago. Mr. Paul was not able to attend but I got to meet Mrs. Valarie and others. All were great. I even got to go the their house. Met Mr. Paul there, although he was not well. It was interesting seeing that the Klipsch's were just normal people. They had a nice, normal home (of course filled with Heritage speakers is a normal house, right). They were grounded........didn't live in a gazalion square foot home on umpteen acres. Something else i thought funny was that the two K-horns in their living room/den were wired with.............yes..........lamp chord. No fancy smancy high dollar cables, but lamp chord. Anyway, welcome to the forum! I got out of it for a couple of years and just started back on the forum. It is a great place and generally EVERYONE is nice, polite, and willing to share information.

Austin

[seti]

Well guys no post from him since Mar 30 so it looks like we scared him off or his wife chopped off his hands for surfing speaker porn.

[unclemeat]

I'm BAAAAAACCCKK!!!

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome.


HarryO- Glad to hear the Cornwalls are safe. Oh, and sorry about the wife, I guess.

IndyKlipschFan- Why can't they make the event over Memorial Day weekend. Kill two birds with one plane ticket.

seti- I've been to audiogon & audioclassics. Gives me a good idea what's in my price range for tubes.

Arky- Where's the bar? I'm thirsty.

dtel- I've seen a bit about the pilgrimages. I'll definitely have to read more about that. Now if it coincides with Talledega, sweet. And if I was looking to save money I never would have come here.

Groomlakearea51- A friend of mine had a Technics back in the day. Not sure what model, direct drive though. I borrowed it for awhile and it was pretty nice. But I guess opinions differ on belt or direct drive.

colterphoto1- The grins are getting bigger, not fading. One of the nice things about getting into speakers and such is the folks you meet who share you're taste in music. Like I said, we spent an hour auditioning these and I was impressed with the variety of good stuff Aaron played for us. Just another 11,998 posts and I guess I'll be moving to Arkansas.

Brac- I like the way you think. I sent you a reply. Get me address and I'll get that Dark Side out to you this weekend.

billybob- Thanks for the welcome. Still haven't gotten around to the KC on these pups yet. That will be sweet.

colterphoto1- You may be Aaron's long lost brother too. He had 3 sets of speakers in the living room and another in process down in the basement. The Forte's, Polk Monitor 7's (which is what he probably hooked up after we left) & a pair of Allison's also in need of repair.

aab3rd- Nice story. Good to see Paul had zip cord too. I read that online at Aperian Audio's website. They have a section called Aperian University that is a nice resource. No nonsense advice and info with a sense of humor. Seems most of you fellas would enjoy perusing their courses. And get those Forte's out of storage. New house? Isn't the stereo the first thing you move in? Of course it is. And the reasoning is twofold. First, you'll never hear it like that again. Soon your house will be full of tchotchkes and your wife's amarathine collection of Mexican knock-off ****** Babies. Secondly, while you carefully hook up every piece of equipment, your knuckleknob buddies are moving your lignum vitae living room suite in. Chumps. Like my Dad said when it comes to moving, you want guys with a strong back and a weak mind. Just don't do what my sister does and go buy the beer after you've moved all their crap. Stereo, beer, pizza. Never move house without 'em.

seti- I don't scare too easily. And my wife would never chop my hands off. I cook.


So we've been enjoying the Forte's. Every night is movie night now. Kill Bill Vol. I & The Incredibles last night. Seeing that now, it seems a rather odd pairing. Oh well. And yesterday I cranked Public Enemy's Fear Of A Black Planet through them. I bet Paul never saw that coming when they designed these. But man, pumping bass. And the clarity is amazing. I need to spend some time on the couch with some old faves and just see what's there I never heard before. But the detail is spectacular. I can definitely see wiring the house for sound. I'm thinking Khorns in the powder room. Overkill?

Well, I won't be buying any other equipment for a while. This slow period at work is killing my sound budget. But if anyone has more recommendations, they would definitely be appreciated. I still want a Mac tube amp regardless. But I will need to replace that Yamaha receiver at some point. Which brings me to another point. Obviously the Mac is stereo (or monoblock if I hit the lottery and bought two), but as I mentioned before, these are my main speakers, music and home theater. So how would I hook that up? Some sorta Bi-wiring?

Thanks again fellas, and my wife has enjoyed your responses as much as me. Especially you HarryO.

Roman

[HarryO]

Roman,

It's hard being a widower. This was the 3rd wife I've lost. The first two died of mushroom poisoning. The last wouldn't eat the mushrooms.

Harry

[unclemeat]

Hey Harry,

My wife Ioanna (pronounced you-new-la, yeah I know) will love that one. Speaking of the wife, here's a pic of her vehicle that we brought the Forte's home in. Would be handy if we ever make the pilgrimage. Could easily fit a couple pairs of Khorns. This is when it was new in 2000. The guy we got it from last year did some upgrades. The bully bar & brush guards are gone but it's still got the 2" lift kit and mudders. Gotta love that V10 too. Of course she ain't no sipper and that 42 gallon tank takes about $130 to fill now. Still when you plant your foot, it MOVES!

And speaking of
horns, Freightliner airhorn installed. Makes those Civics scatter willy-nilly.

You'll definitely want to click on it and see it full size. Who knew Ford made one of these?

Roman

[HarryO]

"Could easily fit a couple pairs of Khorns"

If I was you I'd go ahead and retain legal council now. With the path your headed you'll eventually need it. Definitely Welcome. You'll fit in just fine here.

Harry

[Bill H.]

f I was you I'd go ahead and retain legal council now.

Yea, for the Poor house when Gas goes above 4.00 a Gallon...................

[unclemeat]

Ummm, nobody got the joke? I really expected a little more attention to detail from you's mugs. LIke I said, click the pic and view it full size.

Harry, my wife howled at your last post. Now I'll never get her to eat mushrooms again.

And Brac, she snarfed water through her nose when I told her your name. Seriously. And this coming from a woman named Ioanna.

Roman