Help? Certain music makes my ears hurt from my bright sounding Klipsh Forte ii's (Sonny Rollins Saxophone Colossus), Or is it my room full of glass and tile? Or am I listening too loud (80 db), or my 1970's Pioneer receiver? I just ordered some dynamat to put on the rear of the horns. Some music is good though. I have often though about getting another pair of speakers so I can switch back and forth or run all four depending on the music. Any advise?
Wow thanks everyone!! Out of 20 comments it looks like the large amount of glass needs curtains, that is inexpensive & easy, I'll do that & the dynamat first, if It's still too bright a tube amp / new pair of speakers will be in the distant future as I have other expensive hobbies like having a mortgage in California, thanks again everyone!
It is not solely the glass, and unlikely to the be the amp. I would go to a pawn shop, and try any speaker that they have, or borrow a friend’s… Then report back with findings.
I pulled the horns out of my Cornwalls and wrapped them in twine after spraying them with some kind of damping spray. Prior to doing this they rang like bells. After, sounded waaaaaay better.
Get an old fisher 500c, sansui 1000a or a dynaco st 70 and those klipsch will sound good. Any ss will scream till your ears bleed. Only tubes with fortes.
Really good thoughts, all of them. Refreshing not to hear any “mid-Fi” comments as well. Certainly with any system it’s a challenge to select the right speakers with the proper amplification. You didn’t mention which pioneer you had. Some late sixties early seventies Pioneers were very good sounding. I have always admired horn loaded speakers, but have never owned a pair. I’ve always noticed them being demonstrated with strings, piano trio, or solo instruments in which they almost always excel for their life like qualities. They do sound ‘live’, ‘dynamic’ and have incredible impact. But when I feel like listening to Presence by Led Zeppelin, their appeal goes away and the headaches begin. That’s why I have always used EPI, AR, Definitive Technologies, B&W, and recently Focal. You can insert almost any sealed enclosure speaker with a soft dome tweeter here. They are listenable over a broad range of music without much effort.
A carpet would certainly help. If you love the speaker and your electronics you can make it work with your system. Don’t give up! Fire up that graphic equalizer and tame the harshness, or dial back the highs with your tone controls. You don’t have to go tubes. I recently heard the latest Hersey being driven by an ancient Sansui 4000 receiver, playing some Miles Davis and female vocal Lps. Wow! I’m still thinking about how good the Klipschs sounded. They were sweet, powerful, laidback, dynamic and really life like. Makes me want a pair...for now anyway. Best! Norman
Individuals may have different capacity for what they perceive as brightness. For sure OP running wrong amp in wrong room, tube amp and some room treatments a good start if keeping Klipsch. I have 1989 Klipschorns, had to redo the whole thing, but then I'm extremely sensitive to timbre anomalies.
I read many folks recommending tube amps w/ the OPs Fortes. I've used a modern tube amp w/ my Forte I speakers and it's not a magic bullet for Klipsch Heritage loudspeakers. It can still sound bright because of the extra air and spaciousness from my tube amp which multiplies an already lively speaker. I find room placement and a less lively large room than I have plays a very important part. The tube amp is beautiful w/ Klipsch but won't necessarily tame the highs if there is other factors. I also find the my Linn K20 low capacitance speaker cable is a perfect match w/ my Klipsch.
You can make Klipsch loudspeakers bright if you are careless. You can also make them rich and tonally accurate if you pay attention to the details. Many people don't, hence the reputation.
Klipsch for starters are severely bright. Then an older receiver the tile will bounce highs all over
tape some cheese cloth or cut a tshirt the size of the tweeter, tape it over the tweeter, or try a 2nd layer of tshirt over the tweeter, let us know the results, it will soak up the searing highs. An inexpensive fix! This worked for me on my BIC towers.
Wow thanks everyone!! Out of 20 comments it looks like the large amount of glass needs curtains, that is inexpensive & easy, I'll do that & the dynamat first, if It's still too bright a tube amp / new pair of speakers will be in the distant future as I have other expensive hobbies like having a mortgage in California, thanks again everyone!
Glass and tile room? That, to me, seems to be your problem.
I've also noticed a few comments over the years about some speakers being best at lower volumes and not so great at higher volumes.
That's probably the room too.
Sound telegraphs the materiality of the surface it comes in contact with.
Glass and tile are going to bright surfaces. No need to turn your living room into a sound studio. You can make simple and clever choices that pay big dividends.
Stage 1: Lay down a large, thick rug. When you buy a proper Persian/Turkish etc rug from a good retailer, they will include a heavy felt underlay. This is better sonically than just putting the rug on the ground or using some cheap grip netting. If you can, get a large enough rug that extends to the front wall/under the speakers. Or, as in my case, get a separate rug just for your speakers and equipment to sit on. Please don't think this is overkill...it makes a difference to you will hear. People will easily spend 5 figures on an amp...but balk at spending 4 figures on a good rug. I've learned to value and appreciate rugs because of my audiophile hobby. Install some good drapes that you can close up for listening sessions.
Stage 2: Avoid artwork or picture frames with glass. Those music posters in large glass frames look cool but don't help. Choose paintings on canvas and natural hardwood frames. Tapestries, wood carvings and almost anything with uneven, rough or fabric surfaces will help. Try to use symmetry between left and right walls. We have a 60" monitor on the side wall. I place a wool throw blanket over it when I listen.
My last home had a great listening room. I could turn the volume up really loud and it never felt loud or out of control. The room had an amazing grip on the system. Your system should sound just as good at high volumes if the room is well treated.
If a speaker sounds fundamentally wrong to you, I urge you to not reconfigure all your associated equipment and room to accommodate a speaker that does not appeal to you from the get go.
Been down that road and the best solution is to start fresh. For some the Klipsch sound might be the ticket and that's great. For others, don't force a round peg in a square hole
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Wrong. I can't think of many speakers that will perform well in a room full of tile and glass. Add in a Pioneer receiver and you have a recipe for disaster, no matter the speaker.
+ Henry53!I worked in a Klipsch dealership for years and never could stand them. I understand the current product is better but I have no direct experience. Consider a Black Ice F11 at $1595. An affordable EL34 based integrated. If you are handy you can build a Dyna ST35 kit. Also try stuffing a tennis ball in the MR horn to “mellow it down easy”. Nerf might work too! Easily reversed tweak to tame the harshness.
Cover the tile with rugs. Cover the windows & doors with curtains, Go to Amazon and get a cheap tube amp that has enough power for your speakers. It should be ok.
henry53 so sorry you've been in pain for so long. Good thing there's more than one speaker manufacturer in this industry, with more than one piece of associated equipment and multiple listening environments. What is the point of your post?
I agree, try vacuum tube amplification, even low power vacuum tube amplification, before you give up on the Klipsch. How about a little 15w/Ch amp based on EL84’s. There are some decent integrated amps of this types from China or power amps made in USA by tubes4hifi. Years ago, Dynaco made wonderful sounding EL84 amps, the SCA35 and ST35. Tho not as powerful, many listeners prefer these to the ST70.
Even when new I never cared for Pioneer in the 70's. At 50 yrs old its wore out with dried up capacitors, etc.
room full of glass and tile
Guaranteed to brighten any sound
would a mid-priced tube amp work, +/- $500
We no longer live in the 1970's. $500 was a good budget in the 70's but not at all today. However for $1500 you can get a VTA Bob Latino ST-70 which will put you way ahead in sound. But you will need a preamp also. They also have them. And you need to tone down the glass & tile. Curtains and rugs are needed.
If a speaker sounds fundamentally wrong to you, I urge you to not reconfigure all your associated equipment and room to accommodate a speaker that does not appeal to you from the get go.
Been down that road and the best solution is to start fresh. For some the Klipsch sound might be the ticket and that's great. For others, don't force a round peg in a square hole.
I have Forte I speakers in stock form and they need careful amp/ room matching to not sound bright. They sound best when I can sit at least 9' away. At around 6' the horns don't seem to develop and sound bright. A lively room w/ lots of reflections seem to magnify the already lively Klipsch sound. These speakers seem to like warm and soft sounding amps. Works very well with my current Rega Mira3 amp and a vintage NAD 7225 receiver. I'll bet Marantz amps would be a great match as well as vintage McIntosh. I was surprised that they sound bright w/ my Mystere IA-11 tube amp because of the superb air and spaciousness that it supplies. I think this amp would be a perfect match in a larger well dampened room where you could move the speakers into the room. Finally toe in plays a big part and these speakers wonderfully large soundstage allows for great sound with no toe in.
BS…I bet that 70s amp has been good since the 70s. The Klipsch are attractive because they are bright. They sound detailed in shop, but after a short while you have a head ache. The room just exacerbates it.
It may be one item, or a combination of several, that is causing the brightness. First, your speakers. Some Klipsch models, for some people, are bright sounding. I personally, would not do anything to modify the speaker, they were designed, and built a certain way. Try toeing them in, a little, at a time. Next, is a room issue, and this may be a biggie.It would be less troublesome, and cheaper, to relocate your speakers to another room. If you can not, or do not want to do this, then, it may be best, to look into "room treatments’, to deal with reflections from the glass and tile. If you don`t want to go the room acoustics route, try near-field listening. In my humble opinion, I don`t think changing your electronics will rectify the problem, unless, you have a better sounding room. If the room was better for sound, then the next step, would be, some tubed components in your system, or new speakers.
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