Klipsch Speakers

I am leaning towards starting over, 

Back in the late 1970's-early 1980's I worked at a shop that sold (among other brands) what are now referred to as Klipsch Heritage speakers; I always liked them, but never bought them for myself, as I found them to be too bright for my taste.  They definitely must be driven by a "smooth sounding" amp.  If you can borrow an amp you are considering to see if that makes the Forte's match better with your ears, I'd recommend you do that...if you have a local dealer that will do that.  I've found that Klipsch Heritage speakers mate well with McIntosh amps, if that's a possibility for you.  Tube amps should also be a good option to consider.

I live in the Pacific Northwest, Washington State..all the stores I remember 15 to 20 years ago have gone a way. That’s a shame. So it’s online only…so maybe coming from you I shouldn’t give up…Do you have a recommendation for a McIntosh amp? I was looking on their site, probably a tube choice.

   I think you have too many variables in play for a single solution. If I may ramble a little. The Klipsch Heritage series has a distinct sound, tubes will improve it, but it’s still Klipsch and will always be bright and lack bass. Also your room acoustics have a huge impact on your overall sound. I’m also amazed @dweller ‘s experience with his Forte’s, that’s hugely disappointing. I have Heresy II’s in the closet that I ran with SS, then tubes. I used subs, rolled tubes and played with cables. I improved the sound , but I still don’t care for them. But keep in mind , many listeners enjoy the Heritage line and that’s great. I would ignore the haters and would consider jumping onto the Klipsch specific chat site and seek a solution for your Forte’s. After reading what dweller said, I’d at least look inside. If there’s any way you could home demo some gear, you could get a better idea of what to do with your direction with speakers and amp. Keep in mind system synergy and room dynamics. On the older Klipsch speakers , crossover rebuilding and diaphragm replacement is a must. In closing I would consider looking inside your speakers. Eliminating any silver cables, and play with speaker placement. I’d also experiment with dampening on and around the mid and tweeters, with tape and soft materials. These are things that are basically free and might yield some insight. Good luck and happy listening. 

Stainless steel connectors? Stainless is a crappy conductor!