Why is the Forte Klipsch's best selling Heritage Speaker?
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- Опубліковано 30 чер 2024
- We take a deep look at this best seller from Klipsch, see what all the fuss is about.
We unbox, take apart and listen to this great speaker.
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SkyFi Audio is a small startup business specializing in the purchase, reconditioning, and reselling of select high end audio equipment. We only buy equipment that we admire and are passionate about. No mid-fi, no gimmicks, and no junk.
Each piece of equipment is cosmetically restored and fully tested in our well-equipped lab by an engineer with 30+ years of experience in the HiFi world. If it does not meet or exceed the original manufactures specifications, it will not be sold. We are very selective about the equipment we purchase, focusing on mostly analog, high-build quality, American, and European built units.
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00:00 Intro
00:44 Unboxing
02:14 First Looks
03:21 A Closer Look
06:10 Disassembly
09:02 The Drivers
15:53 First Listen Solid State
15:28 Second Listen
21:47 The Different Finishes
22:79 Second Listen Tubes
24:24 Amp Alternatives
25:21 Final Words
I love how you do listening comparisons. I realize my iPod can’t do it justice but I finally understand the difference in sound between tubes and SS amps. The tubes reminded me of sitting in a small jazz club while the SS reminded me of listening to my car stereo. !
Great video,very thorough. I have loved Klipsch since the early 90s.
Rock on!
Time passed on technology improved ....there is better options out there
Exactly the video I was looking for. I'm about to pull the trigger on the Klipsch Forte IV.
Go for it. Be sure to play with the toe in, you can change things up dramatically had have a blast doing so.
Heritage and tubes. A match that is awesome. Forte’s have been on my very very short list. Great presentation.
Sure if you listening at 1Watts...
The color on those Fortes is gorgeous! I thoroughly enjoyed your video, may be a bit biased, since I own a set of Forte II that I have had for about 10 years or so. Love the speakers and looking forward to see the comparo to the Cornwells. I run a not so capable Denon PMA-800NE but looking to upgrade to a ROTEL 1592 MKii for my next birthday. I expect an audible improvement over the Denon.
Wow! Impressive sound.
Fun video. Thank you for sharing. Keep up the good work.
Thank you sir for the review. Very beautiful speakers, I like the Klipsch,I'm a big fan of the brand.
My pleasure! Glad you liked the video. More Klipsch videos coming next.
OMG your shop looks like a fun place to be!
Great show I like this klipsch build. I see all kind of Klipsch speakers on many videos. But I never see a Chorus 1 or a Chorus2. I have a set of the 2s and going to restore a set of 1s. Love you're channel vintage and new top notch !!
I LOVE the finish on those speakers!! If I was in the market for Forte’s, that’s what I would get.
Thanks for the video!!
No problem! I agree with the finish, glad you noticed.
Heritage models can all be ordered with a wide variety of custom veneers.
If you are after finishes get this if you into sound get something else...
Fantastic sounds from these. I just got Cornwalls and got rid of my Fortes. They served me well.
I found a really nice pair of Forte 1's, and fully upgraded them. I did cabinet bracing and vibration dampening, dampened the metal frames of the woofer and radiator, dampened the horns, rewired, and did a full rework of the crossovers which are now outboard including miflex copper caps, mundorf resistors, and large aircore inductors.
This all made a huge difference and it is now a much more refined and transparent speaker while still retaining the dynamic nature of this design that makes it so special.
That said, these klipsch are great and I can see how they're a fantastic match for a lot of the vintage gear that you're selling, Love these videos and would love to see the shop in person sometime.
Pease come visit some day. Would love to talk about your upgrades.
@@SkyFiAudio I'm just north of the Boston so I may take you up on that. I would love to see your shop. I thoroughly enjoy your videos. I may shoot you an email with some pictures of the upgrades.
I was just rewatching this video to see what level of dampening or stuffing they had inside the cabinet, anyway, and then I was noticing how on the heresy and on my model 1 Fortes, how the acoustic centers of the drivers are so much closer with using the smaller mid-range horn I'm thinking about the pros of that versus the pros of the dispersion of the newer mid-range driver...
I love the 911 the most! great insight into those speakers !
3/2024: You Guys Are “the cat’s meow”. Great information and Wonderful "Toys".
Excellent and Informative video. Thanks for taking it apart for us. That really matters.
Thank You & Best Regards. Love your Emails too.
Look like old Advent's!! Great look!
Thank You for a deep dive into these speakers. I would hope more would follow as it's important to see what a manufacture is offering to the buying public. What stands out to this $5k pair is the use of Crossover parts quality, lack of screw threads into MDF and damping materials used. In the end it's the sound that's matters but for me it would make for a nice parts upgrade project to make these sing even more.
Would not take much to get these to the parts level you like. They already sound amazing so I doubt you could improve on the performance.
He is pushing this out of the door!
For 5K I should not be doing any upgrades!!
the craftsmanship on the wooden box….. amazing. :D the hardest thing ever :D
The woof finish is top notch. I forgot to mention on the video how carefully they match the veneers from left to right speaker and from sides to the top.
I go way back with klipsch. Until Forte III, I used to upgrade them with better parts. The Forte IV (which can be ordered with many custom veneers besides oak and walnut) are head and shoulders better than any past models. REAL fullrange speakers. without the shout and harshness of past models. Much better and more extended treble too.
Nice video. Looking forward to the Cornwall review.
Such a cool modern/vintage system. And I'm pretty sure my brother is still running that Pioneer CD player...
Cheers🍻
I still am running a 300 disk Pioneer CD player! 😂
Awesome review
Love the porsche on the floor next to the equipment
I wonder if that helps improve the sound??
In my opinion, indeed it does
Just wonderful
LA Scalas are great Home Theater speakers. Love all the quality gear at the shop!
aren't they made for music?
Yes I love bass as well I like the sound of the Cornwalls myself, but I do like all klipsch speakers😎
Those Mcintosh mono's are a perfect match. I would love to hear those on the La Scalas.
Will do so for sure. After the Cornwalls.
Thank you.
Fernando, Awesome Video, sent you a message via chat, but this Video REALLY put one to me when I saw the Pioneer Elite PD-93!
The Vid will help me decide on which Klipsch to go with but the SuperBuy KLH sealed Cabinet Model 7 is coming very soon and I have to hear them, I've heard all the Klipsch and Love em , just have to decide on the Horn vs Vintage Driver Sound! Also Excellent comments on WPC Ratings and the fact that Clean Power, takes that equation out of the picture, as long as you stay out of The "Clipping", my Friends never believed me back in or Vintage Days until I ran the Sansui 3300 into my JBL L100s and Never Damaged them. Wish I still had that 3300 but my Pioneer SX1280 does a Great Job and has been absolutely Dependable, The CT-A9X sounds Absolutely awesome playing Vintage Cassettes too! Almost CD Quality with some of the Vintage prerecorded tapes that were done right!
Your Store is Absolutely PHENOMENAL, keep up the great work and your New Place will be awesome, can't wait.
Everything that you're able to see is super nice everything that you're unable to see that's hidden is where they cut spending and cut costs.
Yes it is hideous it has a nice veneer finish thats about it!!
I am interested good sound..
I dont think this guy did any favours to Klipsh taking the speaker apart LOL
Very interesting !!
Good video.. 👍
My Gen 1 Forte’s had cast aluminum woofer baskets not stamped steel. The magnet was advertised as weighing 9lbs!
With my 250wpc Marantz 2500 they were very clean and accurate but the bass reproduction was to me the cleanest I’ve ever had in any of my systems.
Nice driver quality; I'd expect better quality in the cabinet and crossover for 5 g's a pair.
Interesting the wires are not twisted. Thanks for the review.
They really do play well on almost any amp! There is in fact quite a jump in sound for those who opt for the GR Research x-ver upgrade. Id imagine stuffing some fiberglass fill in those cabs will net some extra performance too!
Dunno why; but I bought a pair in 89' and never looked back. They just sound great!
I am keeping my B&W 602 S2 speakers for as long as possible. I enjoy them so much I wouldn't want to risk being disappointed in buying a new set of speakers.
Would love a KLH 5 review.
I owned the original Forte about 25 years ago. I blew them up playing Beastie Boys Intergalactic. The next day I traded them for 5.5 and I still have them today. I love my 5.5.
Just replace the driver you blew.
The layout on that Heresy is the same as the Forte I, with the mid horn actually notched to move the 12" driver up as high as possible. I have Forte I and II with somewhat similar pairing. I went with a Yamaha A-S2100 initially but became tube curious because of the speakers. I started by building an Elekit TU-8200 Single Ended Pentode 6L6GC, EL34, KT88. Great sound, but not a daily driver setup, too mid-centric, but fun to play with having Pentode, Triode and Ultra Linear modes plus easy tube rolling. Undeterred I built an Elekit TU-8600 300b with the Lundahl OPTs and I'll tell you you can get away with 8-9 watts of Triodes, I'm in a 20' x 30' room and the sound is liquid crystal and I have no problem playing into the 90db range with bass handling possibly superior to the Yamaha, if not quite the total SPL. The best sound I've found is using the Yamaha's pre-amp into the 300b, but I have to keep the lights and anything else on that circuit powered down because that's a lot of Class A
One of the best speakers
If you 70
You're just a bitter little person. For someone who dislikes them so much, you sure spend a lot of time responding to everyone's comnents saying how bad they are. Maybe you need a hobby@@summerforever6736
Not so much bracing in this huge box. I guess the vibrations of the walls give that extra “live” experience…😊 This set does remind me of my first $300 diy speaker project.
If you are into Klipsch heritage speakers, there is always Crites for all of the parts it takes to build this type of speaker. If you have decent basic woodworking skills, build your own. Baltic Birch, decent caps, coils and finish it how you like. Just a suggestion.😋
Will you be doing a Cornwall IV breakdown as mentioned?
Wow! I am shocked at the quality! Stamped baskets, no bracing, wood screws, and materials. Thank you so much for showing this.
I sure they sound great, but no longer on the wish list.
somehow it all sounds amazing as a unit, despite the shortcuts.
One watt is actually plenty for these Klipsch Heritage as they are SO efficient !!! SET Class A amps are a match made in heaven !
I use it with a cell phone amp 0.01 watts and the base is amazing
Almost too much
Might want more on the bass but for mid and highs it would be loud.
I watched a DVD through two of these speakers being run by a 1986 model, Yamaha Natural Sound amp. With just two of these the opening scene in "The Phantom Menace" literally sounded better than a multi speaker surround system (this was like 2004?) of the time in terms of sound staging and overall realism. Literally sounded like the ship flew through the room, vibrating the windows as it did so.
Hi I have a couple Pioneer M-91 elite amps myself along with most of the matching set. I wander since you are using them as test amps for these Klipsch speakers do you hold them in high regards for solid state? I love their look.
Your using these as bi amping? You have to have two control amps too correct. I use Pioneer DSS-9's and my C-91 as the preamp. How would you utilize two m-91's ? Thanks
I would like a pair just to listen to classic rock on. Would be fun.
Its certainly a good rock and roll speaker. Go for it.
They do seem to like the warmth from the Mac’s. Looks like an 87 G50 car? Nice!
Great review. I'd love to see how the Forte and LaScala compare.
Coming soon!
I actually think it's the Cornwalls that are the sweetspot. La Scalas give you that huge horn sound but are leaner in the bass than either Fortes or CW's despite the extra size and cost.
Would the Forte or Cornwall be a big upgrade from the HS8 studio monitor?
I love my HS8 for also record listening (not just for critical studio music production work). But dreaming of Klipsch one day.
I’ve been considering these speakers for years. Now that I’ve seen how they are constructed, they are off the list.
might want to give them a listen before you rule them out. Frankly I dont hear what material issued in the crossover resistor.
Before you make up your mind, listen to them! Utterly gobsmacking!
May i give you an advice ?
I own a set of the Dutch brand Millon called Air Reference 2.
For me they were far above my budget. I listened to them and i was blown away. I went to my parents and the next weekend my father came along and my father said ; It will be the last speakers you buy in your life. So i bought them ( 25 years ago ).
I became a fan of Millon. I have listened to all of them.
In my opinion if i give a rate 0 to 10 the B&O is a 3, B&W a 6 and Millon a 9.
( I have listened to a home-made esl, which was a 10. ( many times ))
Agree with John...
Buy another pair of speakers and miss out. Feed them with very good source and they are shocking good 😅
I dont think you can beat the cornwall IVs. I run them with a Luxman L-507z amp. Amazing
You mention special order in the video I have been looking for this grill to fit a pair Klipsch Chorus II. I appreciate any help you can provide..
nah, those are too old. You'll have to make your own.
I have the heresy IV’s
Fantastic
Yeah, just as good - only more of everything.
I have a pair of vintage Klipsch Chorus II with a 1990 build date walnut in color, sealed enclosure, 15" woofer with a 15" passive radiator on the rear. I have seen the Klipsch Foret IV that looks similar in size with what appears to be a wheat color grill. My speaker is 39" H x 18.5" W. If possible, I would like to upgrade my grills to the wheat color. Do you have any sources or direction I can take to purchase a different grill.
Thanks in advance.
Thanks you for this presentation. I have the Forte 4's in the same finish, and have even spoke with Roy D. at Klipsch about oiling the veneer which he suggested to leave as is because it has a lacquer finish.................but do note, you can almost get SLIVERS if you rub your had over them, and authentic weathered feel for sure, and don't dust with a Swiffer there will be snags.
OK, I had to stop the video at just over 9 minutes because you MUST CORRECT your thoughts on the woofer!! That 12" woofer is SPECIFIC to the Forte' 3 and 4 series. It has a much larger magnet structure then those used in the Heresy, and others. It has a LONGER THROW to excite the passive radiator.
When I talked to Roy D. I wanted to know about the drivers used in the new Jubulee. The 12" pair used in that speaker are very similar to that used in the Forte 4, but with even MORE excursion! Please check the numbers of these woofers again and know they are ALL DIFFERENT!
Thanks again. I will continue to watch the show (O:
I did notice that Gary, its a somewhat rough finish which feels vintage. LOL, a rag will indeed leave strings on the cabinet.
The woofer magnet did seem bigger than the Heresy, thanks for correcting.
Can't find your Cornwall IV video??
Passive radiator is not "in between" sealed and ported, it's exactly like ported with a worse rollof but you gain space.
What was the first demo track you were using ?
Since you have the equpment, my suggestion is to put a SS amp on the woofers and a tube amp on the mids/highs. I did this to my Forte 1's and I wouldn't switch back to a single amp.
My 0.02 watts headphone amp can drive them
I can’t help but wish there was some kind of cover for that passive on the back for some protection. I would die if something were to happen to that…
What brand and cost of equipment rack which holding pioneer rig ?
Hi, what are those tall line source speakers in the video ? Red Rose ?
Spot on Robert. Good catch.
Would the Forte IVs still sound good if they were in an open space with no wall behind them? I have a weird living room with a divider that I'd like to put these on, but there wouldn't be a wall behind them for a good 10 feet.
Sounds a lot more lively with the Mcs
Some speakers show how much margin is being put on a fairly simple product made out of fairly basic materials/components. And this video is a nice demonstration of exactly that. MDF, pretty basic drivers (referred to as 'traditional' or 'classic'), sand cast resistors, cheap circuitboard, connectors, thin wire - I mean, these are seventies all over again! Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of speakers that are build this way and sound really good. And I'm sure these will fall in that category. But what I like to know: if it is not the materials, what aspect justifies the premium price tag? Is it me underestimating the manufacturing proces? Are marketing costs way higher in the US? Is it because this product is aimed at a certain target group (that has money to spend so let's go for it)? Do let me know.
So the original Klipsch speakers from late 80's early 90's are the best?
Nice video. Very much appreciated. Most thorough video of a recent klipsch heritage series speaker. You should do a video contrasting the older ones but their are a few series and those for back aways. Especially the hersheys. Not necessarily a mac person but could tell the difference can on you tube. But like you said, these speakers would be a flexible choice for using low to high wattage amps. Still thinking of getting a vintage pair of heriseys 2 or forte 2 but shippi g is $$$. To experiment with different low wattage class a amps. Is the jubelee still the top of the line klipsch? Will you be getting those? They are huge but might change your mind on laacala being your favorite 😀 appreciate videos and thanks for the 80s 911 tease! And yes I have lost sou t of how many striped metric allen bolts had to fight and try to remove racing' !
The only vintage set we have in the shop are hanging from the ceiling but good point, If I get a vintage pair Ill do some comparisons. Cheers.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
If Heresy could reach the 38 or 42Hz (first E in bass guitar) probably would the best selled
What's that jazz tune ? I can't stop tapping my foot to it.
I want to know,too!
Its some royalty free track we found on Tidal, Ill get it for you and post here.
Measurements?
I sold Klipsch for many years and owned Forte IIs. The price difference is ridiculous considering the difference is really not much. Forte IIs sold for $1200 per pair in the early 2000s.
Compare the change in Porsche prices!
I mean, different cabinet dimensions, different drivers, different horn topology, completely new crossovers, what are you expecting?
Why is there very little insulation inside the Forte IV?
I imagine Klipsch would answer "because thats what sounds best"
I had a pair of the 80's Forte's and I have always regretted getting rid of them. I've considered the new version, I'm just holding on to the days when you could find a solid pair for around $500 bucks... The glory days when vintage Klipsch and silver face amps were out dated, man we got away with murder back then.
I suspect the $500 days are long gone. Perhaps if you get lucky at a garage sale. Happy hunting.
@@SkyFiAudio You always hear stories about someone getting a crazy deal like that... well I bought my Fortes II for $350 about 10 years ago. Still can't believe my luck. 😁
Is that a cosworth on the hoist???
Good eye sir. indeed. Its a 92 motorsport edition,.
Simple answer, because their timeless in looks and they just flat out sound good, not really "audiophile" or critical listener, or masters of imaging blah blah blah, but their efficient and sound fun and have a great midrange and great low end punch, a very fun, lively, fairly simple in design and a great looking speaker. Having owned about a great deal of Klipsch speakers, the forte is my favorite pound for pound, best of the kg line to me is the kg3 and 3.2 due to the tweeter used in only those 2 models, much better than the 2, 4, and so on, actually have good midrange compared to the rest of the kg line.
Was the same tweeter used in the KG3.5?
@@synthonaplinth5980 no it was a different tweeter in the kg 3.5, the only 2 that shared that tweeter was the kg3 and 3.2 to my knowledge, but can correct me if I'm wrong, but pretty sure. The forte and heresy share the same midrange, and both of those are really great mids.
@@JukeboxAlley OKay, just curious. I have a pair of the KG 3.5s and the tweeters do not sound 'harsh' to me like a lot of other people say about Klipsch; they are actually very smooth sounding. The mids are really nice, they just need a little bit of bass management to sound really good.
I'm glad you showed us what these speakers are made of. Nothing special here.... except the price.
I was building passive radiator speaker cabs back in the 80s in my garage. Horn mid-range and tweeters too. I was getting performance equal to these for about $300 for the pair. That would be about $750 in 2024 dollars. How much are people paying for these???
Omg, is that a Delta Evo 2?!
They have a size that most people can fit in there living space, simply as that . Not everyone has 50 square meters listing rooms
12 min 33sec... does that Porsche belong to Penny Benjamin ?
Have you heard the Forte One's
HPM 100s. Still the best 47 years untouched.
No thread inserts on the back cost savings... What? $5K speakers and they are nickel and diming customers?
a radiator acts as a port without a resesnince sound from a port. the xmax needs to be double comparied to that of the powered woofer to work correctly. so higher spl because it acts as a port but not resesnice sound from a port becasue tecniqly its still sealed
I enjoy your vids, and I generally like the way the Kipsch sounds. But... identical drivers... not seeing the extra $2K for just a somewhat larger cabinet with obvious cost cutting construction. Oh yeah a passive radiator. One gets a feeling that a classic brand name is being milked hard.
Same preamp
I like the video. Thx. Can you plz share the demo music? Who, what track? Thx.
Nice cheap stamped steel basket on the passive radiator and active driver. Cheap sand cast resistors and crossover parts. At the price point Klipsch speakers are kind of cheaply made.
I think the stamped steel basket is done on purpose. I bet their modern speakers user modern baskets. This is vintage reproduction and no place for modern parts in my opinion.
I strongly suspect that Klipsch chose to emphasize visual and audible quality rather than "audiophile" frills. Cast frames are generally overkill in domestic systems, more appropriate for physically and thermally demanding pro applications. Bottom line, are they competitive at their price point?
@@SkyFiAudio That horn on the midrange is not vintage at all. It's a totally new compression driver and the horn is a modified tractrix horn with mumps, not vintage style. I could go on about the tweeter as well, but you get my point. Klipsch marketing claims quality parts in the crossover but this is just not the case. The fact of the matter is these speakers are mostly made in country and therefore the prices are somewhat high and corners are cut where the consumer can't see them so I agree that yes, it is done intentionally, but not to conform to vintage authenticity. Hell, Cerwin Vega was using cast baskets for their consumer speakers 40 years ago, perhaps earlier.
Klipsch' is a modern-day 1960's loudspeaker.
@@hifijohn What's your point?
Forte 4
If you think they sounded good with a Yamaha amp you would be floored from the sound from a good amplifier. Especially with these Heresy or Forte iv's.😊
Those holes in the wood for the main subwoofer look scary. Looks like things might get loose in short order. They all look “broken” and not very strong.
It’s so hard to hear current gear it’s discouraging.
Man, that speaker box isn't any better built than the RCA three way floor speakers I bought 22 years ago. I'm being 100% serious. The crossover looks higher grade than the RCA's though.
In my opinion those LaScalas in Walnut are easily the best looking speakers made
I agere, and they sound tremendous. Video coming soon.
I'd have been an automatic no on La Scalas in black until I saw pictures on the Klipsch website. Really nice.
IMO, Belle’s are better looking (and sounding.
I have many vintage JBL and Altecs with alnico drivers ......the quality of the drivers in these Klipsch is not even close to the vintage JBLs or Altecs period.
Because they have a huge margin with them to spend additional money to a marketing )) Just check out components and a build quality
After watching your video showing the build quality of the Forte speaker, I was shocked that these speaker are $ 4.000 Dollars. I do like the sound quality a lot but....
Are these meant more for music than movies?