klipsh forte III purchase

@lak

The Heresy and Cornwall share the same MF and HF compression drivers, but the Cornwall is front-ported with a 15" woofer while the Heresy is sealed with a 12" woofer. Because of that (and the larger cabinet volume) the Cornwall has an extra 24hz of bass extension.

The Forte III is the newest model in the lineup, and though it’s priced under the Cornwall, it’s using the newest compression drivers and has the redesigned horn/waveguide for smoother off-axis performance and better controlled FR. If you look at the Klipsch specs the Forte III’s midrange compression driver covers from 650hz to 5.2Khz while the Heresy and Cornwall use their midrangers to cover between 800hz-5Khz (Cornwall) or 850hz-5Khz (Heresy) so that new horn/waveguide is allowing the new midrange compression duty to take on a larger role.

The Forte III uses the 12" woofer but it has a 15" passive radiator in lieu of a port. It achieves bass extension almost to the same level as the Cornwall because of that.

If I were a betting man I’d imagine we’re going to see a Heresy IV and Cornwall IV in the next year or two featuring the new compression drivers and midrange horn/waveguide from the Forte III. Right now the Forte III seems to have the best tech in the series.

I think Klipsch should stick with their "Heritage" models but offer "SE" models with modern materials. Basically great designs but need some current tech upgrades.

@tutetibiimperes, thank you...

The Forte III is not your dad's Forte. This is a modern speaker that can go toe to toe with most of the best in and above its price range. I bought a pair in March and can say they are at least as good as anything else I have owned and better than most. I will be selling mine but only because I bought a pair of klipschorns.

Oz

My two favorite speakers as I was getting into audio back in the 80s as a kid were KEF 104.2s and Klipsch Fortes. I can only imagine how good an upgraded Forte sounds. My search begins.

tute, thanks for the input on the center but I can only fit the 250 where it needs to go. This is just for a simple 5.1 setup.