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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
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.


oldschoolsound's avatar
oldschoolsound
28 posts
 
Sorry to have misspelled your user name, jbhiller....
jbhiller's avatar
jbhiller OP
1,430 posts
 
@oldschoolsound, 

Vinyl is unquestionably smoother and more ethereal regardless of solid state v tubes. But, my sense (and I'm not sure) is that my phono preamp is doing a great job.  It's also tube based and of any upgrade I've done it made the most difference.  I know a phono preamp seems like the least sexy thing to buy; it was.  It's one of the most valuable pieces in my system.

Tidal using MQA masters is really, really good.  In fact, with the right recordings it's near spectacular.  I do, however, still prefer vinyl. 

On my older rig, the NAD/Tidal masters edged out vinyl at even rate (say 1 in 2 recordings).  The phono pre made the difference.  Some guy on here told me that was my weak link.  He was right. 
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mrdecibel
3,064 posts
 
My response will lack brevity, as indicated by wolf. The Forte line ( and Chorus line ) are not bass reflex designs. They use sub bass radiators ( rear ) which are operating on the acoustic pressure being generated by the active woofers ( front ) within the sealed cabinets. Bass reflex is another design ( think Cornwall ). Enjoy ! MrD.
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