I've been investigating the Klipsch Forte III speakers for their cool looks (Love the distressed oak with beige grilles) , highly dynamic "live" sonics and big box low end bass response. I like the vintage aesthetic and bet they will sound great, ready to seek out a demo. Yet I discovered the following video comparing the Forte III to their HT tower speakers (RF 7 II) and these really sound good in the demo! The gent in the video sounds passionate and his conclusions are reasonable. I had never considered Klipsch HT Towers for serious 2-channel but the specs (2X 10" woofers, dynamic compression horn midrange / tweeter and 101 db @ 1 watt!) make them extremely appealing! Seem like quite a value as well. Are we wrong to overlook the Klipsch for our serious 2-channel audio systems?
Are you getting rid of the Harbeths? It's certainly wise to demo these speakers before buying them. They are very, very different to Harbeths in almost every way imaginable. I confess I was never enamored by the Klipsch sound (meaning the Heritage line, haven't heard others) even though I too find them physically attractive.
I can't agree with his assessments based on my experience with the Heritage and RF lines. The Heritage line is more refined - music oriented with superior drivers and higher quality bass. They may not plumb as deep, but the bass is faster with none of the "one-note" quality found in cheap towers. Call Acoustic Sounds and get their take, as they sell both Klispch Heritage and Harbeth.
Of course it is a video, but to me the Forte sounds more natural, especially in the vocal range, while the RF7 has a nasal quality and the top end a bit too prominent. Which fits the voicing you might want in HT use. For 2 channel it's Forte all the way.
a)you have been mislead b)you don't know what you've been missing Disclaimer : I'm a total Klipsch freak, hence highly biased, so please ignore my advice
I love my Klipsch Cornwall IIs... they kick all sorts of ass. Have them hooked up to an Octave V70SE with some NOS Tung Sols, Telefunkens, and an Amperex Bugle Boy 12AX7. Klipsch Heritage line is the best bang for the buck out there. Other speakers I’ve demo’d/own’d sound veiled in comparison
I have the reference series for Home theater; F/C/R - RC-62 II SR/SL - RS-62 II SBR/SBL - RS-52 II FHR/FRL - RB-62 II For 2 channel listening; Klipsch La Scala II I tried using the La Scala for HT use but my other speakers just could not keep up, the only real difference I could discern was the heritage line has much better imaging and sounds better to me driven by tube gear. I went with the RC-62 across the front because they fit on top of my la scalas perfectly and are the perfect height. I would say the heritage line performs better in 2 channel than there other lines.
Can anyone comment on how well the new Foerte IIIs image? They're on my shortlist for high efficiency speakers.
I feel like I’m fairly serious about two channel and my Cornwall’s are by far the best speaker I’ve ever had and I’ve not heard anything for less than 10k that I would replace them with if we are talking about running a tube amp. For a big SS amp, I wouldn’t choose Klipsch.
Not at all, you should definitely buy the towers since I've been curious to hear them and thus I can stop by the next time I'm in Chicago Historically Klipsch has been an acquired taste, as the horns have qualities both wonderful and less so. In my opinion, they have not optimized their horn designs as much as could be. You really must listen before you buy-or buy with a liberal return policy. I agree from long term exposure that the Heritage stuff may not "go as deep" but that may not matter unless you listen to pipe organs or are watching movies with explosions and so on. I also as a loudspeaker engineer do NOT believe Klipsch's sensitivity specs, they are more sensitive than most but they must pad the figures with "room gain" or such BS (101 dB implies 8% efficiency, which with those type of woofers in a 10" size I simply would not believe without measuring for myself; see also Klipsch RF7 II Measurements - AVS Forum | Home Theater Discussions And Reviews where by the way the 2.0 volt/90 dB measurement is the correct one, NOT 2.83 volts, since the impedance drops <4 ohms!)
101db is likely a bit of an exaggeration, but keep in mind that the woofers are a low-excursion design with very light weight paper diaphragms and pleated paper surrounds.
they do seem a little "boom - tizz" but the midrange seems clear. no worse than any other number of current "audiophile" tower speakers- KEF, Monitor Audio, Dynaudio, etc. Just wndering why they aren't in the conversation (usually) when discussing 2-channel towers.
No, not at all. Sorry if I came across that way. You have to go with what sounds best to you and if the Klipsch sound agrees with your ears, then all the power in the world to you.
There's no right answer in your question, just personal taste. Klipsch are not my favorite speakers but compared to Harbeths I prefer them, since you have Harbeth. I'm referring to the Heritage line and the RF 7 III. On the other hand for the money the speakers of the Heritage line cost I would probably get something else. I lived for two years with the RF-3 II and I probably wouldn't have Klipsch again as my main speakers. I do want them as spare to have a different taste from time to time. They are not the most accurate speakers and the ones I had were tiring after a while but again what was tiring for me someone else would love it. They are impressive speakers though, that's why people will hear a song in a shop or a HiFi show and they fall in love with their sound. Agree, Klipsch could have made more progress, that's why people all over the world are modding them. I have no experience with that but I haven't seen anyone who didn't prefer the new crossovers, the new woofers or tweeters in his Klipsch. I have read again the sensitivity specs they publish are not accurate, they are lower. Still more sensitive than most speakers but not so sensitive. Klipsch (especially those with big woofers) need their watts like most speakers, those who think they play well with SET amps...well I've nothing to say. Goes back to personal taste.
The Forte iii and the RF-7 iii are the exact same price. Which do you think Klipsch will sell more of this year?
Tony, I'm now running a 45 SET amplifier with a beautiful pair of Klipsch Chorus II's with Crites crossovers and replacement Ti diaphragms in the tweeters. In the past, I have had Harbeth Super HL5 Plus and so i could relate some experiences to you. Feel free to contact me offline (however that's done) to talk more. I live in NW Indiana so you could possibly come over for a listen to what I have set up. Good luck, Tim
Yet they are making it clear in the marketing of the Forte III and RF 7 III that the horn drivers, shape and material have been re-designed and improved. maybe it's time to give up on the idea that they haven't yet "arrived" ?