Is this a decent deal on Klipsch Chorus II? Advice needed.

[callahan1973]

Hi all! For background, I currently own a set of Forte I that have Bob Crites crossovers and titanium tweeters. I used to have them in a living room that was probably 12’ x 15’ x 8’ and they were plenty. I’ve since moved to a new house where my living room is 17’ x 26’ by probably 15’ (vaulted ceilings) and they feel a little small. I’ve also always been intrigued by the Tractrix horn in the II line of Forte and Chorus. Speakers are along the long wall split by a fireplace and some cabinetry; however, I have pretty good corners for the rear passives. Sitting area probably 10 feet or so from the speakers, maybe a little more. I have the opportunity to buy some MINTY Chorus IIs for roughly $1000 and can likely flip my Fortes to my Dad for $600 or so. The only problem with these Choruses is that they are missing one grille, but they’re also the only pair of Chorus IIs within 5 hours or less of me I’ve seen in the last 3 years (I’m in South Carolina). My questions are as follows - 1. Is this a decent deal with regard to the price/are the grilles hard to come by? 2. Would they be a worthwhile upgrade (assuming I update crossovers and tweeters if necessary etc) 3. Would they work better for my space than the Fortes? I’m currently running a Marantz 2270 as pre (huge waste I know but couldn’t bear to let it go) feeding into a Marantz 8b as main amp and a Sony PSX-800 Biotracer as my turntable. Thanks all!

 

[Speedbump71]

I think that price is high. I also think your Crites Forte I will sound better than a stock set of Chorus IIs.

I have had Forte II's, Chorus I's, and Chorus IIs. When I sold the mint Chorus II's, in walnut, I got about $800, The Chorus I's in Oak went for about $650. The missing grill will be a tough find.

The Tractix horns are nice, but not a game changer, and the bass out of the Chorus II's will not be much better if any at all.

Just my thoughts.

 

[callahan1973]

I think that price is high. I also think your Crites Forte I will sound better than a stock set of Chorus IIs.

I have had Forte II's, Chorus I's, and Chorus IIs. When I sold the mint Chorus II's, in walnut, I got about $800, The Chorus I's in Oak went for about $650. The missing grill will be a tough find.

The Tractix horns are nice, but not a game changer, and the bass out of the Chorus II's will not be much better if any at all.

Just my thoughts.

Thanks for the advice! In your opinion, then, is there anything much that would be an improvement given the size of the room? I'd probably like to stay in the Klipsch family given my setup as of now, but should I be angling for La Scalas or Cornwalls or would anything short of Khorns (which sadly I'm afraid the fireplace would ruin) be worth the jump?

 

[eiraved]

they’re also the only pair of Chorus IIs within 5 hours or less of me I’ve seen in the last 3 years (I’m in South Carolina).

You may want to consider a road trip for a pair of Cornwalls selling for less than the Chorus II (no affiliation). @Wes_in_VA
http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/klipsch-cornwalls-in-southwest-va.815827/

 

[Speedbump71]

I don't think LaScalas are an improvement over the Chorus/Forte line personally. You gain efficiency, but lose a lot of bass in the sub 60Hz range.

The Cornwalls that Eiraved mentions above are a screaming deal. I'm don't think they are a big improvement over the Chorus however....they go a little lower, but have a large footprint, no Tractix mid, and a more resonant cabinet.

I always ran a sub with my Klipsch speakers. I think your Forte I's with a sub might be worth a try before doing anything drastic.

 

[markshan]

IMHO they can't be both "minty" and missing a grill. Too high.

 

[MATT0404]

I also think the price is high. Especially considering the missing grill won't be easy to replace. Depending on your listening preference, the Chorus II's could be a lateral move. I've had Forte II's and a couple pairs of Chorus II's. The Fortes are just fun speakers. I loved the bass. The Choruses are a more technical speaker imo. Very smooth frequency response with clean, tight bass but lacking the very bottom octave compared to the Forte II's. To be fair, I haven't heard a pair of Forte I's, so I can't offer any comparison insight there.

I wouldn't pay $1000 for a pair of Chorus II's with only one grill. Now a mint pair in walnut with both grills and Crites upgrades? I'd probably lay out the cash. That's close to what I have in mine (walnut, Crites diaphragms and xo's) and I think they're worth it.

 

[eiraved]

I've never owned the Forte, but I've owned the Epic CF-3, Quartet, Heresy II, Chorus and Cornwall III. The Epic was great at moderate levels but didn't like being played loud. The Quartet was a fun speaker and I sold it to a fellow AKer who wanted it more than I. Great footprint, great lows. Mids were fantastic with that Tractrix horn.
The Heresy was a recent garage sale find. Sounds great except needed to add a sub to it so I could enjoy my low frequency sounds.
The Chorus was a garage sale find, I liked it a lot, but the Quartet more than held it's own against it.
The Cornwalls outperformed everything, not by a huge margin mind you, but the added sensitivity made it the only speaker in the bunch to own for using with my low powered amps.

I would run, not walk to pick up those Cornwalls. At that price point, the value will hold up much better than the Chorus.

 

[eiraved]

IMHO they can't be both "minty" and missing a grill. Too high.

LOL, I thought the exact same thing!

 

[callahan1973]

LOL, I thought the exact same thing!

Haha I discovered the missing grilles a little after the initial post - I agree!