Klipsch Forte 1 Tweeter Issue

hlcass

New Member
I just picked up a pair of fairly rough Fortes 1’s and the tweeters do not seem to be working on both. What would be a recommended first step in diagnosing the problem? Thanks! Mike
 
Remove the tweeter, disconnect at least one wire (if you disconnect both, take note of which goes where) and check with an ohmmeter.

If the reading is infinitely high the voice coil is shot. Look up Bob Crites's website and get some of his fabulous titanium diaphragms. You'll be up and running in no time.

https://critesspeakers.com/klipsch_tweeters.html
 
Oh, you may want to recap the crossovers while you're in there. If someone blew out the tweeters by overdriving them, there could be damage, in addition to just age.
 
Thanks for the advice, I will order the Crites ti diaphams. I have done caps from Bob Crites on a heresy, but the Forte crossovers look harder to work with. Thanks again!
 
I picked up some forte 1's recently and both crossover resistors were cracked and measured as open circuit. These are 40 ohm cement resistors across the tweeter connections. My forte had the early crossover design with no circuit board, the components are simply mounted to the back of the plastic cup. Don't know if this resistor problem is common or unusual, or what the effect would be. I just replaced them when I redid my crossovers. I also installed the Crites TI tweeter diaphragms and really like them.
 
My Forte’s are the later series 1’s with the caps on a square circuit broard. Tweeters dates are 8911, so very late in production?

Based on toxcrudar’s advice, both tweeters measured open with my ohm meter, hope that replacing them will solve the issue. Crites ti’s will arrive tomorrow. I know that I will replace the caps at some point soon, sooner if the new tweeters don’t solve it.
 
Sounds like you're on your way!

Ickyfrog: Check me on this: if a resistor in parallel to a driver goes open, the driver should still make sound but the impedance of that part of the circuit (tweeter section in this case) will change somewhat. I think (and my thinking cap is not fitting well this morning) that a parallel resistor is usually accompanied by a series resistor, which forms an L-pad, which reduces the output of the tweeter while maintaining the impedance seen by the amp. If there is no series resistor, then the parallel one is reducing the overall impedance while (maybe) reducing tweeter output slightly. The only way a good tweeter would be silent is if there was a series resistor that went open. Just thinking out loud for the exercise.

In any case resistors in Fortes are definitely worth checking while you're in there!
 
The new Crites TI tweeters where the issue. Wow, the Forte’s sound amazing with my Fisher 400. My recapped Heresy 1’s with the 400 also sound good, but the Forte’s are more.... everything. I will have to get the Crites TI tweeters for my Chorus II’s now. Thanks for all the advice!
 
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