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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.  



128x128jbhiller
jbhiller's avatar
jbhiller OP
1,383 posts
 
To update, I have now engaged in tube rolling to tune my tube amp and the Forte IIIs.  I moved out Tung Sol 7581a's and put in KT150s.  Strangely, the KT150s do not sound bright or harsh.  They have really upped the bass--tighter and glowing.  My guess is the extra wattage generated by the KT150s is adding more control and headroom so they aren't coming across as harsh. 

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.
jbhiller's avatar
jbhiller OP
1,383 posts
 
Oldschoolsound, 

For streaming, I use the Bluesound Node2, feeding and NAD M22 DAC. If I were you, I would try the Bluesound.  It's internal DAC is really splendid and there's nothing wrong with it.  I'm not aware (it may exist) of a product that does what the Bluesound does for the price.  It's a highly musical piece. 

For vinyl, I have an AudioTechnica ART9 moving coil cartridge (about $900) and a Manley Chinook phono preamp.  

Of all the audio that I've owned, I think the biggest leaps have come from a great phono pre and in better cartridges (note--I have not gotten into the super price carts yet...let's say >$1500).  

I should tell you that I heard a couple of things today on Tidal/MQA that did clearly beat out vinyl.  If, however, I have a good pressing of something that's well recorded, vinyl typically wins.  More holographic sound and an easier sounding room filling nature.  

I should also note that while the Forte IIIs are just the ticket for my room and system right now, they don't do super detail.  For example, I auditioned PSB Imgaine T3s (I own T2s) and they carved out instruments in isolation way more.  Someone would play a four note guitar motif and drop it in after a lyric and it just hung in the air.  That doesn't happen with the Klipsch Forte III.  Instead, the Forte III just keeps moving right along churning out one big, giant picture of sound.  It's very different and I like both approaches.  Right now, I want to be bathed and washed over in sound, rather than analyze nuances. 

This isn't to say the Forte IIIs aren't detailed.  They are.  They just don't highlight things in isolation.  The are certainly super cohesive and have much texture/timbre.  





mrdecibel
3,062 posts
 
Remove the mid horns of the Forte 111s, and dampen them from the rear, using a product like dynamat. Do it in abundance and evenly, re-install them, and you will hear gobs more detail. Enjoy ! MrD.
wolf_garcia
6,686 posts
 
The Heresy III horn damping process is interesting, and worth it if only to make mrdecibel happy depending of course on how important his happiness is to you. They do sound somewhat smoother, and I should have done an A/B test before damping the second horn as I no longer remember the pre-damped sound...meh...these are astonishingly detained speakers, and really come into their own once you  really listen to them over time...they will not sweeten a harsh recording, nor should any speaker do that, but with well sorted gear they will allow a truly accurate and coherent representation of recordings into your earballs, which is a good thing. Detail is right there with Heresy IIIs, as I can hear stuff previously buried in the mix...I use a tube preamp and a simple SE tube power amp and they really shine with Heresy IIIs to a degree that nothing among the great speakers I've previously owned can match. Maybe it's the efficiency, maybe it's the horn and crossover design, but these things are absolutely a high end bargain speaker.
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