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Went and Did this Yesterday....

ScooterMcTav

ScooterMcTav

I know less than I think
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Added in the Fortes yesterday.

Had demoed these at the seller's house early last year, and passed on them. Problem was he had them in a hard room hooked to a Carver pre/power, and they just didn't sound good. However, I know that my room can soften edgy speakers, and the tubes seem to get the best out of whatever pair is hooked up to them. So, got in touch with him, and brought them home.

Plus I thought they'd make a fun veneering project this summer.

Hooked them up to the Jolida yesterday, and thought "not bad" - a little better with some recordings than others. Then put on my copy of the Bill Evans Trio "Sunday at the Village Vanguard" LP and my jaw simply dropped. I have never heard a live recording sound so live before. The speakers extracted detail and ambiance that the B&W or my MA Silver 6 were unable to.

These may not be good all-arounders, but the bits they did well were better than any home speaker I've ever had the fortune of hearing.
 
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Great looking listening room. I'd like to hear some Fortes someday, my experience with heritage Klipsch is limited to Cornwalls and K-horns.
 
westend said:
Having those listening epiphanies is what it's all about! BTW, like your decorating. What is that pink ax?
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LOL, bought for my daughter when she showed some interest in guitar - a Lyon by Washburn (think cheap) sparkly pink guitar.

I've heard worse for a beginner guitar, but the fingerboard is a bit flat for my liking.

However, it was almost a throwaway, as it came with a stand, some cables, a battery operated practice amp, and a Cry Baby Wah pedal that were worth the asking price.
 
Ya, that's a good deal. I still have a slab of Mahogany in guitar size that was supposed to be for #1 Son. I decided to just buy gear.
You never know, some of these cheaper guitars become tomorrow's classic.
Are you still spinning up media on the Forte's?
 
Yes they are a lot rougher than they look in the pics. There are various chips and bubbles, and the grain is extremely raised.

As I sit here listening to them, I am again amazed at how some things sound just meh, while others are wow. Even on the same album - listening to Zeppelin II right now; Whole Lotta’ Love sounded great, What is and What Should Never Be sounded even better, yet The Lemon Song sounds like someone threw a wet blanket over the speakers.

On a mixed opera CD I was listening to, some tracks sounded live, while some sounded horrid. I would suggest that these are extremely honest speakers....good recordings sound as good as you’ll hear them sound on sub-$10k speakers. Bad recordings make you want to run screaming from the room.

What’s interesting is I can totally now grasp the “live” nature of these speakers. One challenge with home audio (at least in my budget range) is the gear’s inability to reproduce the excellent instrumental dynamics heard at a live concert. The Fortes do not have this issue, and return fantastic piano, guitar, cymbals, and clean vocals.

However, these dynamics do also cause some confusion on modern, densely recorded CDs.

When the track is a match, these are the best speakers I have in the house. When the track is not a match, they are the worst.

And the bass is excellent.

These speakers will be a lot of fun, especially when I can find tracks that “unlock the magic”. That being said, they are great complimentary speakers. Not sure I’d want them as my only pair, but wow, what a fun second pair.
 
Geez, and now I’m listening to “Intermission” which is DC Talk’s greatest hits on CD. “Say the Words” was good but not great, as was “In the Light”. “Supernatural” was the best I’ve ever heard it, while “Jesus Freak” is fatiguing.

How very interesting.

Volume knob keeps creeping up....
 
OK last note of the night.

Popped in “Chuck” by Sum 41, the CD that drove me off to improve my audio experience 15 or so years ago.

It’s a difficult album to play, as it has some huge mid-bass congestion that confuses 2-way speakers. However, the disc has a shouty midrange on 3-ways, when that midbass congestion is stripped away from the vocals.

The Forte are handling this complex material with aplomb. Bass line in “The Bitter End” is punishingly solid.
 
As I've often said, my Infinitys give that "you are there" presentation, while my Heritage Klipsch that "they are here" presentation. Both intoxicating, which is better depends on which I'm listening to at the moment lol.
 
Thank you for the review, there is much value in it for me. I confess I had not heard of CHUCK. So I just played BITTER END though my speakers (run them all together though the AR load matching switch) and it came through super good. Used the Sansui 5000A. Very reveling to say the least.
Feel like I've been to class for the day. Not my type of music but a good go to test piece. I need to pay more attention. Again thank you/
 

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That is quite the wall of sound you have there "quiet".

When I would go to demo speakers, I typically bring both good and bad music, plus quiet and dynamic music. My typical discs I use are:
- AFI - Decemberunderground
- Dire Straits - Money for Nothing (Greatest Hits)
- Cascada - Just the Hits
- Bach - Brandenburg Concertos
- Sum 41 - Chuck
- Lonestar - 16 Greatest Hits

I have a few other discs I mix in from time to time, but the above list really checks off most of a speaker's strengths and weaknesses.
 
Money for Nothing I know about. Love it. I'll check out the others. I did the wall because it cost considerably less than a pair of top drawer speakers.
Like many thousands less.
Nothing slows it down. It can really bring it. Hugh success.
Best mid-fi I've heard.
 
Oh yea, the room. I'm gonna need some help on that. Traps, acoustic mat, something...... Do you see that tile floor? Apparently Scooters fixed his room, Well, another thread all together.
 
Thanks MacNoob, unfortunately tinnitus keeps me south of 100dB these days.

However, these Klipsch almost beg to be played louder - they remind me of CVs in that way. Like they are saying "C'mon, just a little more". Probably was in the 95dB range for a little longer than I should have been last night.

I know when the music is getting too loud - I start enjoying it exponentially more.....

They are just so....interesting...they do nothing on an even keel. Like dragsters, they're either ripping down the track wide open, or are sitting in the shop getting their blown motor rebuilt. Ultimate feast or famine speakers.

Quiet, I think you're almost going to have to lose a column of speakers, or a column or two of receivers. you need to get a little more breathing room on the sides of those speaker stacks so that you're not getting killed by the sidewall reflections.
 
ScooterMcTav said:
Thanks MacNoob, unfortunately tinnitus keeps me south of 100dB these days.

However, these Klipsch almost beg to be played louder - they remind me of CVs in that way. Like they are saying "C'mon, just a little more". Probably was in the 95dB range for a little longer than I should have been last night.

I know when the music is getting too loud - I start enjoying it exponentially more.....

They are just so....interesting...they do nothing on an even keel. Like dragsters, they're either ripping down the track wide open, or are sitting in the shop getting their blown motor rebuilt. Ultimate feast or famine speakers.

Quiet, I think you're almost going to have to lose a column of speakers, or a column or two of receivers. you need to get a little more breathing room on the sides of those speaker stacks so that you're not getting killed by the sidewall reflections.
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You were right. Big improvement with the restack.
 

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