Klipsch Forte III Upgrade with Pictures!

Tyson · « **on:** 27 Dec 2019, 01:13 am »

So it begins...

Tomy2Tone · « **Reply #1 on:** 27 Dec 2019, 03:53 am »

Subscribed

Nick77 · « **Reply #2 on:** 27 Dec 2019, 08:13 am »

Details....... Details........

Tyson · « **Reply #3 on:** 27 Dec 2019, 04:57 pm »

But first, we listen! Here I've put my stock Forte IIIs into Danny's system. We're using my First Watt amp since I want to get it closer to what I use/hear at home:

I'll say this - the Forte III is definitely the best sounding speaker in the entire Klipsch lineup, IMO. Putting them into Danny's system showed that they sound better than the measurements taking at Stereophile would indicate. In fact, they sounded pretty good! There were a few odd things where they fell apart or got boomy or got harsh, but those were passing moments for the most part. So, right off the bat, it's clear this speaker "has good bones", and is going to be a good platform to do some upgrades on.

Tyson · « **Reply #4 on:** 27 Dec 2019, 06:38 pm »

Just to give an idea of the size/scale of the Forte's vs Danny's other speakers:

dburna · « **Reply #5 on:** 27 Dec 2019, 06:42 pm »

Quote from: Tyson on 27 Dec 2019, 06:38 pm

Just to give an idea of the size/scale of the Forte's vs Danny's other speakers:

What are the speakers in the picture just to the right of the Fortes (monitors on the floor)?

Thanks, -dGB

Nick77 · « **Reply #6 on:** 27 Dec 2019, 07:28 pm »

I didnt know Danny still had a pair of Line Source??

Tomy2Tone · « **Reply #7 on:** 27 Dec 2019, 07:31 pm »

Quote from: dburna on 27 Dec 2019, 06:42 pm

What are the speakers in the picture just to the right of the Fortes (monitors on the floor)?

Thanks, -dGB

Looks like the studio monitors from this thread.

https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=163940.0

Early B. · « **Reply #8 on:** 27 Dec 2019, 07:37 pm »

Tyson, you gonna do an external crossover?

Shakeydeal · « **Reply #9 on:** 27 Dec 2019, 08:20 pm »

As good as the forte III is, and it is very good. It’s still not in the league of the mighty klipschorn. Not really much of a debate actually.

Shakey

Tyson · « **Reply #10 on:** 27 Dec 2019, 08:21 pm »

Quote from: Early B. on 27 Dec 2019, 07:37 pm

Tyson, you gonna do an external crossover?

We'll do the crossovers external in the beginning in order to do comparisons, so the crossovers will sit on the floor & we'll swap between them in real time. After that, the new crossovers will be put into the speaker.

Part of the reason is the new crossover is massive - very heavy and will add some much needed mass to the bottom of the speaker. I suppose I could brace the bottom but I like the elegance of using the crossover itself as a mass loading resonance control.

Nick77 · « **Reply #11 on:** 27 Dec 2019, 08:34 pm »

Quote from: Tyson on 27 Dec 2019, 08:21 pm

We'll do the crossovers external in the beginning in order to do comparisons, so the crossovers will sit on the floor & we'll swap between them in real time. After that, the new crossovers will be put into the speaker.

Part of the reason is the new crossover is massive - very heavy and will add some much needed mass to the bottom of the speaker. I suppose I could brace the bottom but I like the elegance of using the crossover itself as a mass loading resonance control.

Does that mean you will be using lots of copper?

Tyson · « **Reply #12 on:** 27 Dec 2019, 08:39 pm »

Next we measure! Here's a picture of the setup. Danny will post the graphs later, once we have the curves for both the old crossover and the new crossover. For now, here's what the process looks like:

Tyson · « **Reply #13 on:** 27 Dec 2019, 09:29 pm »

Quote from: Nick77 on 27 Dec 2019, 08:34 pm

Does that mean you will be using lots of copper?

Yes, and silver. I have some pure silver wiring I'm going to use on the woofers, and some OCC copper wiring for the mids/tweeters. There will also definitely be some Miflex caps in there somewhere

billion$baby · « **Reply #14 on:** 27 Dec 2019, 09:34 pm »

Forte III cant touch the Cornwall IV's either and I own the Forte's. First person Ive ever heard say the Forte's were BEST of the Heritage line. Blasphemy!!

Tomy2Tone · « **Reply #15 on:** 27 Dec 2019, 09:36 pm »

Quote from: Tyson on 27 Dec 2019, 09:29 pm

Yes, and silver. I have some pure silver wiring I'm going to use on the woofers, and some OCC copper wiring for the mids/tweeters. There will also definitely be some Miflex caps in there somewhere

What gauge of wire are you going to be using? Can you say where you got your OCC copper wire from?

SoCalWJS · « **Reply #16 on:** 27 Dec 2019, 09:41 pm »

This looks like it’s going to be great fun! Wonderful opportunity to learn a few things.

Hope all goes well and a blast is had by everybody.

Tyson · « **Reply #17 on:** 27 Dec 2019, 09:43 pm »

Quote from: Tomy2Tone on 27 Dec 2019, 09:36 pm

What gauge of wire are you going to be using? Can you say where you got your OCC copper wire from?

The silver wire is 14ga I believe. I bought it a long time ago from a company that's no longer in business, and I just happened to find it in my closet of unused audio stuff. For copper, I used to use the Neotech copper/teflon because it was amazing. But I found something even better, the Unicrystal which is OCC copper with foamed teflon from VH Audio:

https://www.vhaudio.com/unicrystal-occ-copper-wire.html

I have 18ga, so I'll twist 2 together for the mids to give me 15ga total. For the highs, I'll just use the single 18ga.

When I get home, I also have some Neotech Silver/Gold wire that I might experiment with for the tweeter.

witchdoctor · « **Reply #18 on:** 27 Dec 2019, 10:10 pm »

Will you be using isolation stands or footers under the forte's?

Tyson · « **Reply #19 on:** 27 Dec 2019, 10:11 pm »

Quote from: witchdoctor on 27 Dec 2019, 10:10 pm

Will you be using isolation stands or footers under the forte's?

Nope.