To those running Klipsch Forte IIIs...

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