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Klipsch Forte III--Pleasantly Surprised

First off, I have to say that I always had significant bias against Klipsch speakers. I thought maybe some of the Heritage Series were possibly decent, but in no way audiophile grade.

I recently bought a pair of Forte’s in distressed white oak. They look super vintage and the grills are very tasteful. My impetus for the purchase was I moved to a house this past spring that has a dedicated music room for me, and I wanted to experiment seeking a bigger sound as the room is large (25 long x 15 wide x 10 foot high ceilings). My system is the following:

Winter: Primaluna Dialgoue HP Premium Integrated,
Summer: Schitt Freya, NAD M51
Constant Year Long: Bluesound Node 2, NAD M22 DAC, Manley Chinook Phono Pre, Technics 1200 GAE Turntable, AudioTechnica ART9 Cartridge.

I’m really enjoying the Forte IIIs out of the boxes. I haven’t even tried them out with with tube amps (only tube pre) yet. I thought they would be fatiguing and have tons of bass. The treble spectrum (midrange northbound) is sweet and doesn’t sound cupped. The bass is perfectly integrated but not as prominent as I’d expected. The soundstage is seamless and they are not fussy about positioning.

The other thing that surprised me was how much of the NAD M22 juice I can use. I thought that I’d never move volume much due to the whopping power of the NAD M22--not true. So this is making me curious--what will happen when I hook up my 300B tube integrated? I think it has 8W per side. Will I miss the NAD’s power? That’s going to be fun experiment.

And, it’s going to be super interesting to try the Primaluna integrated with them. I can’t wait to see if I like my KT150s or EL34 variants better.

I’m not going to give some glowing review because it’s too soon and I’ve learned some speakers may sound so so with one system and great with another and even more so with different rooms. There is, however, a big takeaway for me personally: I can use reviews as guides but you have to try stuff out in your room with your stuff to really know. I recently sold a near mint pair of KEF LS50s because my $500 Wharfedale Dentons just sang better with my Creek integrated in the specific room they are in (downstairs system). And that doesn't say anything about the KEFs--they are still amazing boxes.  



jbhiller

Showing 5 responses by oldschoolsound

oldschoolsound's avatar
oldschoolsound
28 posts
 
Sorry to have misspelled your user name, jbhiller....
oldschoolsound's avatar
oldschoolsound
28 posts
 
jbhiler,

Thank you for the specific details on you impression of the Forte III's with your different gear and sources.  I'm glad you gave them a try and are enjoying the dynamics that efficient speakers and horns are capable of.  As you've discovered, these type of speakers, (provided they were quality brands like Klipsch or Altec), seem to sound their best matched with tubes.

Since the 1970s I have preferred that sound myself and currently have a pair of Forte I's that I fitted with Bob Crite's crossovers and titanium tweeters which helped bring them closer to your description of the III's.  Their well designed bass reflex set-up provides some of the best bass you'll hear for their size, whether it was back in the 1980s or today.

Unfortunately, I gave away my extended, well cared for record collection of the 1970s for the convince of CD's as it seemed I had more time in high school and college to listen to music then when I started working.  Currently I am modifying a turntable to get back into vinyl, but have heard good things about Tidal/MQA.  

My question is if the difference you described when you compared vinyl to Tidal/MQA using the NAD M22 is as noticeable using your Primaluna?

Thanks, and hope you enjoy your building record collection with the Forte III's.


oldschoolsound's avatar
oldschoolsound
28 posts
 
MrD,

I am definitely clearing out the cobwebs in my mind regarding audio gear from when I was first active in hifi decades ago.  Yes, you are right, it is a radiator design, and as I recall, we called it a passive radiator.  Thanks for the correction and keeping things accurate!  

A reason some may include the Forte, at least the Forte I, in the Heritage line (including the Klipsch marketing team) is it used the same tweeter (K-75-K) and midrange (K-53) drivers, along with the same horns that were used in the Heresy.  So the Forte I looked like a taller version of the Heresy.

In fact, I put a pair of earlier era Heresy K-53 drivers in my Forte I based on comments that the earlier components were of better quality.  It may be since Klipsch has used different manufactures for their drivers over the years, but the driver's structure from the Heresy seemed better made and the leads were soldered on vs. the use of male/female spades.  An A/B comparison using a mono recording gave the Heritage version an edge in smoothness, at least to my ears and trying to be unbiased as possible.  

Didn't the Heresy get its name for being the first Klipsch speaker designed not to be placed in a corner (as in contrary to the others)?  


jbhiller,

Thanks for letting me know that vinyl still wins out.  For reference, would you mind sharing what phono preamp and cartridge combination you are using?  Also, since this will be my first time streaming Tidal MQA, which streamer do you have? 

Glad to see you've made additional improvements with your tube rolling.

You may have tried this already, but elevating the speakers so the tweeter is at ear level in your listening position can bring some additional clarity and openness.  This may be more true with my Forte I's which do not have the tractrix midrange horn, but still worth the effort since horns typically have a narrower vertical frequency response coverage pattern than a cone or dome driver.
oldschoolsound's avatar
oldschoolsound
28 posts
 
MrD,

Dampening the midrange horns on my Forte I's helped with detail, openness and the like at moderate to louder volumes.  I mentioned earlier that I replaced the factory Forte I K53/K701 combination from an earlier Heresy.  The driver was better made and sounding, but I was surprised that the K-701 horn had fewer outside ribs for bracing in the mold.  Seems the Klipsch engineers took steps to reduce resonance by beefing up the bracing in later versions of the horn.

The midrange compression driver on a Forte I is only about a 1/16th of an inch from the back inside wall of the cabinet.  (Not sure if the geometry is the same on later generations with a tractrix horn).  Recently I read that loosening the mounting screws and inserting a thin piece of compressible foam behind the driver and then re-tightening the mounting screws helps with "bracing" for a clearer sound.

Have you given this a try?
oldschoolsound's avatar
oldschoolsound
28 posts
 
jbhiller,

Thanks for letting me know what equipment is giving you the results you've described.  The Bluesound Node 2 has come up on other discussions, so I will take your advise and start with that for streaming using its own DAC.

The first "hifi" cartridge I got in the mid-70s was AudioTechnica's then second from the top model with Shibata stylus, (back when most cartridges where moving magnet).  It was the best component in my system and in college several people would bring their albums over to hear it on my stereo, so you've invested well.
 
You are right that horns do dynamics better than detail, but the "live" factor of a live recording and energy of their sound is great.  Glad you're enjoying the fun factor they bring to music.

If you want to get back to more of a monitor sound for instrument placement, nuances, etc., but retain some of the dynamics of horns, the Altec 604-G speakers are hard to beat, especially in the larger 620 cabinet.  If you have heard them yourself, you can see why they where the most popular speaker for studio monitors for years.

Thanks again for your help and enjoy the music.

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