@henrycai, I believe a Marantz Ref 10 integrated and a matching SACD Player would sound very good with the Forte III's.
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.
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 $500 Wharfedale Dentons just sang better with my Creek integrated in the specific room they are in (downstairs system). And that doesn't say anything about the KEFs--they are still amazing boxes.
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- 103 posts total
Pretty cool Klipsch Forte III upgrade story here:
https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=166996.0
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RIAA, would I to assume, you are billion$baby ? I have been doing these mods for years on Klipsch, and it is good to see, someone other than the typical Klipsch guys doing it, and taking the crossover to another level. In fact, I have been enjoying, for the last few years, to see the interest, and participation, that Klipsch Heritage models have been getting, from the audiophile community. The fact that Steve Guttenberg has made the CW IV his " 2019 speaker of the year ", is indicative of this. When I knew Steve during my time in NY, doing my audio thing, he, and most audiophiles, looked the other way of Klipsch. Music listeners, on the other hand, payed attention ( I myself, introduced many, to what Klipsch had to offer ). You know what I am talking about, I hope. Getting back to the Forte III kit. The hardest part would be the mounting of the crossover components to the supplied board, and soldering it all together, as everything else is mechanical assembly, using a phillips screwdriver, and wood glue, for the bracing. Myself, I would prefer using Dynamat for the damping of everything ( Danny’s stuff, like Dynamat, has a self adhesive backing ), and, wood glue is easy to use for the bracing. Danny should offer ( likely at an up charge, if you were to ask ) building the crossover board for you. I will say this....and mark my words......it will be a matter of time, that the CW IV, will go through this same transition, when someone brings a pair over to Danny’s place ( All-Star Joint ); get it, lol. I also want to make a last point. The damping I do on the mid horns and tweeters, and, the frames of the other drivers, of every Klipsch ( and other brands) are much more extreme ( examples were shown by others ), than what was done on Tyson's pair of Forte IIIs. In fact, I am wondering if any " damping " was performed on the little Klipsch 600s. Enjoy ! and Happy New Year. Always, MrD. |
- 103 posts total