To those running Klipsch Forte IIIs...

Just finished up listening to the Heresys my brother brought over for the day.He looked up the serial# so these were made in 1977.They were really fun to listen to,a really nice midrange.hashy on top though.We most enjoyed live acoustic music rather than a full rock band just because of the hash that replaced the cymbals.We think with an upgraded crossover they would be great little speakers.We tilted the front up with books for a positive change.My Tektons have much more inner detail and are more refined in comparison.We enjoyed both.
I sent my brother home with my old Rogue preamp(tubes!) a couple of power cords and ics to try.I'll bring him over to the dark side yet;-)

jtcf, Dynamat the mid horns and the tweeters of the Heresys, before the crossover upgrade. Lots of info on the net as how to do it.

I didn't know I was supposed to "dynamat" the tweeters! Mrdb has let me down (and I have no idea where I put the leftover dynamat) ...also, I heard a pair of new Cornballs, uh, I mean Cornwalls today at a dealer...sounded great and looked gigantic in person (as opposed to in articles)...made my beloved Heresy IIIs look relatively tiny. When I got home I apologized to my Heresy IIIs for enjoying another speaker, put some music on, and realized again how utterly great they sound.

Key word is engaged. No other other speaker engages me quite the way the Klipsch Forte iii does. I love speakers and love to listen to many. Just something about the way Klipsch engages the listener. 

i’m in-earthing this thread. i just picked up a pair of the H4s. they are so engaging (in a way that is a bit surprising) that i am thinking that i should push up to the F3 while i can. thoughts? anyone heard them side by side that can provide feedback. i have a fantastic zu sub that is super dynamic and pairs well with the H4s. is the base response the biggest difference or does the size and layout of the F3 cabinet make the whole ‘experience’ bigger? 

The F3 vs H4. You will get a much bigger soundstage and the bass is deeper and slightly more natural sounding. F3 fills the room a little better than the H4 as they are a much bigger speaker. IMHO they just sound bigger and more present than the H4 due to their bigger size. 

quick update: i tried dynamite on my Kplisch horns and not only were the speakers destroyed now I got problems with the local gendarmes. your mileage may vary, of course

I'm a little late to this thread, but have some info.

I started with a Croft Micro 25 pre > Croft Series 7 amp > Harbeth P3ESR speakers.

The Harbeth's were accurate, but just... boring. Since I'm in the Dallas area I started working from home in March because of Covid and I bought a vintage McIntosh MR71 Tuner because we have an awesome station here that is listener funded, no news, music only and is better than any streaming - all in FM! KKXT Dallas...

And this is my analog only room - which by the way is 12' x. 12' 10' high. I was researching more McIntosh vintage stuff and thats how I got on to the Klipsch Heritage Forte III. I always thought of Klipsch as small generic speakers. I got the Forte's and was just blown away. The best way I can say it is with the Harbeth's you hear the music, with the Forte's you feel the music.

I screwed around with some other Amps and phono amps and settled on a VAC Avatar integrated. It has it's own phono stage and just sounds magic with the Forte's. NOTE: the Croft stuff is great but it is SS/Tube hybrid. I really like how the VAC sounds with it. Much wider and 3d. Really seems to work well with the Forte's. Most people say that tube amps work best and I think I have a winning combination now.

My last system upgrade will be a new tricked out Garrard 401 turntable and I should be good to go!

As a follow up to previous message, I did experiment with speaker placement - more like I adjusted my seating area to be 8-10 feet away, and I turned them a little inward based on some suggestions I saw. And I have them about a foot from the back wall. So after moving around I found that to be the best sounding set up. It's crazy, I hear things that sound to the left and right of the speakers sometimes.

One thing I do need some guidance on is speaker cables. I know they say just crank down bare generic speaker wire, but I'd like to go for something not quite so primitive. I don't like the banana jacks, and would like to go to the spade connectors and crank them down. Any suggestions?

I think I'm going to pull the trigger on some Forte'  III..... been enjoying my Heresy III and have been on the fence whether to upgrade to the Heresy IV or Forte.  Going to demo them side by side within the next week or two....hoping the extra $1k is justified.

If you can hold out for a couple of months, the Forte IV is right around the corner.

Oz

For a while I sold  Klipsch for their  largest dealer in US.
I thought the only one that really any good was the Forte . And it was very
good .Would even sell it to a Classical  fan.

I was wondering if a "IV" version was on the horizon.....Im sure there will be a price hike.... $4k is my max and im getting a fair amount for mine on trade so I think I am going to get a pair in distressed oak.   

The used market for Forte IIIs is healthy.  I had mine for 27 months and sold them for $2600.  [I upgraded to Cornwall IVs]. 

I'd be curious to see the Forte IV, as the III was a great design in its own right. 

Was running Focal 807’s and looking at ATC and Buchardt. Heard Heresy IV’s and that sealed it.

My H4’s are being driven by an Odyssey Khartago with Morrow SP4 speaker cables (backed up by a pair of Rythmik L12’s because my room eats bass like I eat pizza).

Each Klipsch model does some things better than others, and are different enough from one another to accommodate those personal preferences listeners have. Of course, anyone who can stretch to the CW IVs, will be doing themselves a favor. At least, Klipsch is showing non believers that they are very fun and enjoyable speakers, that truly engage listening. Enjoy ! MrD. 

Hey  Ozzy 62 ,   thanks for mentioning the IV.   I listened to Heresy IV along side Forte III.... the Forte were awesome, I wanted to order a pair , but they are done building them so I put a deposit on a new pair of Forte IV in Cherry.... will be a few months as the first run is already spoken for .  Can't wait !   

From the past 11 years l got 11 pairs of different brand speakers including bookshelf & floor stands speakers. last year I bought a pair of Cornwall ii and upgraded the crossovers、tweeters & mid drivers from Bob Crites with the content effect .Cornwall ii are so sublime for the music driven by my ma6700 integrated amp rather than valve amps though. l am not interested to try or buy any more speakers unless I am willing to buy new generation Cornwall speakers.