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Forte II - any experiences?

N

nyindallas

Well-Known Member
I have an opportunity to get a pair of Forte II locally.

I was so impressed with my KG4's with my tube amps I was looking for something else from Klipsch for the main room which is large. I was considering Cornwalls. These Forte II's are local and I could see them and avoid shipping costs. I need to decide asap. Thanks
 
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You will like them much better than the KG 4'S.They are one of Klipsch most highly praised speakers.i love mine one of the best bang for the buck speakers ever.You will not be disappointed,
 
I currently own a pair of these speakers. They are, flat-out, the best speakers I have ever heard in my entire life. Granted, I've never heard anything really crazy high-end, but I can say for a fact that my Harman/Kardon 430 into my Forte II's produces the best sound I've ever heard in my life. The Forte II's have it all: great detail, gigantic bass, and a very flat frequency response curve. My B3's can get loud and sound great, but they can't compared to how BIG the Fortes sound. The instruments sound like they're in your room. It's unreal.

The only disadvantage is that low-quality music will sound bad on them. They're so revealing that a 128kbps MP3 will really sound like its bitrate compared to 320 kbps. The source also makes a huge difference. We plugged in my dad's Creative Zen Vision:M into this setup and listened to a CD and my dad remarked that it sounded "pretty good", and I plugged my MP3 player in (iAudio X5L) and cued up the same track and the sound hit us and he said "oh my gosh... it sounds like a completely different set of speakers". So don't skimp on a good DAC for your laptop or good CD player.

I got mine locally, and would not have it any other way. Mine are in great condition and I can't stand the thought of UPS or anyone handling them. Do yourself a favor and grab them ASAP. I got $400 for mine, but honestly, their original MSRP is $1200 is a lot closer to how good they sound. Typical prices I see these go for would be in the $300-600 range, 600 being for a mint pair that has been upgraded with new crossovers.

Don't forget to cover up those PR's in the back, too. Replacements are up to $125 now from Klipsch.

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I used a couple of the 15" heavy duty grilles from Parts Express (in the pro section) and some home depot parts to cover mine up. They're absolutely rock-solid and don't affect the sound.

BUY THEM

Don't believe me? Head over to the Klipsch forums, search, and read about how awesome these speakers are. By the way, the Cornwalls and Fortes are often compared on the Klipsch forums. It's really down to a matter of personal preference in the end. I haven't heard the cornwalls myself.
 
MD1032 said:
I currently own a pair of these speakers. They are, flat-out, the best speakers I have ever heard in my entire life. Granted, I've never heard anything really crazy high-end, but I can say for a fact that my Harman/Kardon 430 into my Forte II's produces the best sound I've ever heard in my life. The Forte II's have it all: great detail, gigantic bass, and a very flat frequency response curve. My B3's can get loud and sound great, but they can't compared to how BIG the Fortes sound. The instruments sound like they're in your room. It's unreal.

The only disadvantage is that low-quality music will sound bad on them. They're so revealing that a 128kbps MP3 will really sound like its bitrate compared to 320 kbps. The source also makes a huge difference. We plugged in my dad's Creative Zen Vision:M into this setup and listened to a CD and my dad remarked that it sounded "pretty good", and I plugged my MP3 player in (iAudio X5L) and cued up the same track and the sound hit us and he said "oh my gosh... it sounds like a completely different set of speakers". So don't skimp on a good DAC for your laptop or good CD player.

I got mine locally, and would not have it any other way. Mine are in great condition and I can't stand the thought of UPS or anyone handling them. Do yourself a favor and grab them ASAP. I got $400 for mine, but honestly, their original MSRP is $1200 is a lot closer to how good they sound. Typical prices I see these go for would be in the $300-600 range, 600 being for a mint pair that has been upgraded with new crossovers.

Don't forget to cover up those PR's in the back, too. Replacements are up to $125 now from Klipsch.

IMG_1592.jpg


IMG_1597.jpg


I used a couple of the 15" heavy duty grilles from Parts Express (in the pro section) and some home depot parts to cover mine up. They're absolutely rock-solid and don't affect the sound.

BUY THEM

Don't believe me? Head over to the Klipsch forums, search, and read about how awesome these speakers are. By the way, the Cornwalls and Fortes are often compared on the Klipsch forums. It's really down to a matter of personal preference in the end. I haven't heard the cornwalls myself.
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That pretty much covers it.. +1
 
Got them, wow!!!!

So far I have played them with my Rogue amp and restored Marantz 2230. Outstanding with both. Will try them with MAC 1700 tomorrow. I really like the KG4's but these have far more presence in this very large Texas style room. Last owner used them with ADCOM solid state amp/pre-amp/
 

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When I first bought mine new about this time in 1993, I couldn't believe that they sounded even better at home than they did in the store. I was driving them with my Marantz 2230 then, and I couldn't find words to describe the sound.
Fast forward to 2008: I have tried most every amp/receiver I have owned for any length of time with them, and never cease to be impressed. The 2325 is currently in place; way more power than I would ever need for the Forte II's, but I'm always careful.
Some of the best money I have ever spent..... ($1050 the pair from Kiefs....they even cut me a DEAL!!!)
 
Yep, I love mine. Built new Xovers and bi-wired them. Way love em. I like the PR cover idea. Thinkin I'll do that this winter.
 
Play mine with Adcom 565 mono blocks they are definitly not afraid of power. Glad you like em . Check the mods I did in your last post. MAGICAL!!!!!!
 
I just upgraded the tubes in the Rogue amp attached to the ForteII's to the larger bottle KT90. The house sounds like a concert hall. I finally found speakers that can do the huge open Texas family room with its 22' ceilings justice.
 
I just picked up a pair today and immediately hooked em up to a Mr Liang K88 tube amp, and ran Diana Krall, The Eagles and Mozart thru em. No disappointments on any level.
 
Well, as an owner and past owner of many pair of Klipsch, I've got to say the Forte ll is a favorite of mine. It does everything well, and really excels on much of it.

It can be polite and detailed; you can absolutely rock the house; or you could use it as a PA speaker in a pretty large venue in a pinch. On a bet, I hit 120db on the SPL last Saturday night (very musically I might add). When I turned it down, it was all smiles in the room. They were being pushed by a Yamaha M-70. I normally back them up with a Vfet B-2, but that is doing duty in another room right now.

I love acoustic strings on them, as they are as fast as my Gamma's EMITS.

If you have Forte/Chorus/Quartet, you owe it to yourself to buy Crites Ti tweeter diaphragms as well. Wonderful, sparkling and detailed highs. Inexpensive to boot!
 
Bought a pair of Forte II's a number of months back, updated them with Bob Crites Titanium tweeter and crossovers and haven't been able to wipe the smile off my face since.
 
Forte II's are a great speaker...

...and a wonderful compromise between size and sound in the Klipsch Family....:music:

I live in the "bigger is better" camp, so mine got traded alsong with a fistful of cash to a fellow for a pair of K-horns, but each to his own....:thmbsp:
 
I really liked my Forte IIs when I had them. But they suffered some compression at the higher volume. I personally think they are miles ahead of the original fortes.
 
I mentioned a pair I have a while back. I have a violin concerto cd on the transport right now and I am here to tell you, there is PRESENCE everywhere. Excellent delineation, wonderful seperation, glass shattering highs and great mids. And for that, I thank you, Numbdiver. :)
 
I purchased my Forte IIs while stationed in Germany. Purchased them as a replacement for my Bose 501s. Always loved the sound that I heard coming from the LaScalas, Heresys, Cornwalls and even KG4s my friends had, so when it was time to upgrade my sound system, I opted for a pair of Klipsch. Fortunately for me at the time, they were running a sale at the Rhein Main soundcenter on the Forte. Jumped on them and haven't looked back since. Would still like to get my hands on a pair of Heresys one day though. I'm keeping my eyes open.

One question, I've seen some mention of a cross-over replacement some talk about. What is that all about?
 
Old School...I don't have the skills of many on here but I have contacted Bob Crites here on the forum (BECtoo) and purchased his crossovers AND his Titanium diaphragms...for two pair of Heresys...a two pair of Qaurtets (still need to update the crossovers on one pair)...no titanium diaphragms on the Heresys...
the caps and stuff of our crossovers (I can hear the laughter at my expense now :D)...dry up or get out of spec over time...my Heresys were 25+ years old so I pulled the crossovers out and sent them to Bob...he brings the crossovers back to "just made" sound and in the case of my Quartets and your Forte's...the caps used during that time were not so good from the gitgo...SO...Bob freshens these too...he can also make a new crossover that sits on the bottom of your speaker inside instead of all that weight on the speaker terminal cups in the back...manytimes these can break off as the plastic becomes more brittle over time and the old crossover breaks free (more of a problem if they are moved around a lot) and causes damage to the speakers inside...the difference is nice...as for the titanium diaphragms for the Forte' (and mine for the Quartets) I found it opened up the highs and cleared them up...I found them a bit raspy or gravelly (I know but I'm not an audiophile) and not as clear as the Heresys...with the change, the tweeters were much more comparable...best of all...Bob is very reasonable and the mods are relatively easy to do...
Good luck,
Bill
 
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