Klipsch forte II what league are they in?


Read some good things on the net about these. Fine, but do these play in the same league as the likes of harbeth, proac and reynaud or are they just a really good, middle of the road, fun, plays loud, good bass, economical, musical, party speaker? Are they a serious audiophile speaker by comparison with the others?
catsmeow
I have owned fortes, have heard forte 2's, and own Quartets. I love to talk about this trio of vintage Klipsch speakers. I have used them with NAD, Acurus, Onkyo, vintage Marantz, vintage Denon, B&K, you name it, and come away amazed every time I hear them. Klipsch forte II's are the middle child in the Quartet, forte II, Chorus II, family and I think they are the most balanced of the three. Very hard to beat at their used prices.

Bill
With about 10wpc from 20' on my deck, "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" sounds incredible. My moronically cheap T-amp/Playstation 1/ Forte II combo still amazes me!
$81 source and amp...people just shake their heads...
I have had them all too. 40 years of trying to find the "holy grail" I am not going to mention the brands as not to offend folks. Got a little curious about tripath amps and that led me to Forte II's. I have had great SS and tube amps but this T chip amp is fascinating. Topping 20. Not worth a crap on low efficiency speakers but paired with speakers 96db/w/m or greater, "holy smokes". $75 amp with $500 Forte II's will embarrass some $4000 systems enjoyed by people on this forum.
I bought a nice looking used pair of Forte IIs about a year ago and liked them, but didn't love them. I decided to buy all of the Crites upgrades (midrange and tweeter diaphragms, crossovers) to see what would happen. They made all of the difference in the world. Now they do everything well. Clear, clean, dynamic full range sound. No harshness in the treble. Remarkable! They're as good as, or better than, any other speaker I've ever owned (Thiel, Fried, Paradigm, and many others).
They are a bargain at their used price. If they were re-issued they would sell new for over $3000. Also a great online community and suppliers of hardware for upgrading crossovers, drivers, etc. Probably easier to get parts for a 20-year old Klipsch than a 5-year old Mirage speaker.