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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
1,399 posts
 
After about 36 hours of break in I've noticed the bass has come alive.  The midrange and treble haven't changed to what I can tell. 

I was thinking that I was going to be contemplating a sub-bass addition--e.g. REL unit--until Sunday night.  I kept playing the same songs from a playlist when I took notes and evaluated where sonics were at.  The bass has gone from fair but weak to strong.  
roxy54's avatar
roxy54
7,962 posts
 

wolf,

I really did miss what you were saying. I was a bit slow yesterday I guess. Anyway, don't stop being witty...or chewing gum. 

maccamera
21 posts
 
I’ve felt like I have been on a lonely Forte iii island for a few months now. Couldn’t find any forums or peeps that were into them. But I have been. My system is modest, Arcam 380, McIntosh 7100, Parasound JC3 jr., VPI Scout 2. My room acoustics are janky at best. Too much glass and forced uneven speaker placement. For a couple years I had Spendor A5Rs hooked up to this system. It sounded good...but was just not FULL. Never warm. A piano was very precise, but, almost like the strings themselves were mic’d up. Then I decided to try the Forte iiis because a salesmen told me they had none of the shoutiness people complain about with Klipsch. On the very first play, game changer in my system. A piano no longer was just strings. I could hear the ENTIRE piano. Meaning the resonance of the wood and full shape of a high stick open baby grand in my living room. As for horns (I listen to a lot of jazz and classic rock), it’s as if these speakers were created for Miles, Coltrane, and Dexter Gordon. I have no idea if horn speakers have a symbiotic existence with horn instruments, but, man do these ever go together well. I haven’t owned tons of other speaks, like I said they replaced Spendors, but after I bought these I quit tinkering with my system. I no longer try to find flaws or adjustments. I just use them and enjoy them and use my money on vinyl.
jbhiller's avatar
jbhiller OP
1,399 posts
 
@maccamera,

Your experience is similar to mine.

I was using PSB Imagine T2s. I loved them in my old house (just moved this past spring), but I couldn’t get them to sound as good in a much larger room. I tried upping watts, moving from tube to solid state, tons of positioning, etc. They still sounded really good, but I was missing warmth and they weren’t filling the larger space right. I think a sub bass system (REL) would have been the next step had I not taken the plunge on Forte IIIs.

I always had a bias against Klipsch as non-audiophile. I loved British and Candadian speakers (used Totems, Monitor Audio, B&W, Epos, and wanted Spendors). I always thought of Klipsch as similar to Cerwin Vega and not high end, placing JBL way ahead of them.

The Forte IIIs are superb. If someone out there is on the fence or just curious (and can afford to play around a bit) I’d urge a test drive in your room. My experience was really great with solid state, but maybe shy of amazing with tubes (Primaluna integrated).

I was also previously thinking of moving to Spendor D7s or PSB Imagine T3s. Maybe that’s a curiousity I’ll have to explore someday. But I’m very pleased with the Forte IIIs and, like you, only want to buy more vinyl.

What really impresses me with the Fortes is the height and width of the musical picture. It’s just huge. Music fills the space like air would let out of a tank. The music does not come at me from the direction of the speakers.

If anyone is in the Chicagoland area and wanted to hear them in my dedicated room I’d love to do it. You should bring me a six pack of beer though. :) I’d love to hear someone else’s view of them and whether they had similar thoughts before and after hearing them.


oldschoolsound's avatar
oldschoolsound
28 posts
 
jbhiler,

Thank you for the specific details on you impression of the Forte III's with your different gear and sources.  I'm glad you gave them a try and are enjoying the dynamics that efficient speakers and horns are capable of.  As you've discovered, these type of speakers, (provided they were quality brands like Klipsch or Altec), seem to sound their best matched with tubes.

Since the 1970s I have preferred that sound myself and currently have a pair of Forte I's that I fitted with Bob Crite's crossovers and titanium tweeters which helped bring them closer to your description of the III's.  Their well designed bass reflex set-up provides some of the best bass you'll hear for their size, whether it was back in the 1980s or today.

Unfortunately, I gave away my extended, well cared for record collection of the 1970s for the convince of CD's as it seemed I had more time in high school and college to listen to music then when I started working.  Currently I am modifying a turntable to get back into vinyl, but have heard good things about Tidal/MQA.  

My question is if the difference you described when you compared vinyl to Tidal/MQA using the NAD M22 is as noticeable using your Primaluna?

Thanks, and hope you enjoy your building record collection with the Forte III's.


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