Klipsch Forte III Upgrade with Pictures!

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #20 on:** 28 Dec 2019, 12:02 am »

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

Tyson, you gonna do an external crossover?

+1 Nice

Tyson · « **Reply #21 on:** 28 Dec 2019, 01:13 am »

Time to start pulling things apart:

The good news is that they used 3/4th MDF for the cabinet, the bad news is that there's zero bracing inside. So, out come all the drivers and time to start making braces.

ebag4 · « **Reply #22 on:** 28 Dec 2019, 01:52 am »

Fun project Tyson. Are those woofers typically running bipole or dipole? Seems that might be a choice given the binding post layout although changing one to the other would greatly change the apparent cabinet volume the woofers would see as well as the speaker impedance. Seems odd so likely incorrect, please set me straight.

Thanks for sharing.

Best,
Ed

Never mind, I see that the rear unit is a passive radiator.

Tomy2Tone · « **Reply #23 on:** 28 Dec 2019, 02:07 am »

Tyson-Danny

Any thoughts on the diffraction of the front baffle? I notice your F3’s has a lip around the edge where the grills go but it is not as demonstrative as mine. Part of my mod is trimming off that lip from the sides and top/bottom but my cabinets are not veneered like yours. Just wondering if that is something you’ve considered or not and if it shows up on measurements.

Early B. · « **Reply #24 on:** 28 Dec 2019, 02:22 am »

Can you show us a pic of the stock crossover?

poseidonsvoice · « **Reply #25 on:** 28 Dec 2019, 02:26 am »

Tyson,

Subscribed

I am a little shocked

to see a $3998/pair speaker without bracing though. Looks like a Duratex like finish on the front/rear baffles with a veneer wrap around. Good thing you are showing these things systematically, thanks!

Can't wait for pics of the stock crossover.

Tomy2Tone,

Addressing the limitations of the front baffle would be great to see but might prove expensive to implement short of a complete rebuild of the front baffle. Still the contours from the horn design of tweeter and midrange seem smooth here. I wonder what material the horns themselves are built out of, and concerns with regards to 'ringing.'

Best,
Anand.

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #26 on:** 28 Dec 2019, 02:31 am »

I am a little shocked to see a $3998/pair speaker without bracing though.
And the woofers

Early B. · « **Reply #27 on:** 28 Dec 2019, 02:40 am »

Surely, y'all didn't expect to see high quality from Klipsch, regardless of price.

Tyson · « **Reply #28 on:** 28 Dec 2019, 02:45 am »

Quote from: Tomy2Tone on 28 Dec 2019, 02:07 am

Tyson-Danny

Any thoughts on the diffraction of the front baffle? I notice your F3’s has a lip around the edge where the grills go but it is not as demonstrative as mine. Part of my mod is trimming off that lip from the sides and top/bottom but my cabinets are not veneered like yours. Just wondering if that is something you’ve considered or not and if it shows up on measurements.

The horns seem to be directional enough that it doesn't affect the sound.

Quote from: Early B. on 28 Dec 2019, 02:22 am

Can you show us a pic of the stock crossover?

Yep, it's coming tomorrow.

Quote from: poseidonsvoice on 28 Dec 2019, 02:26 am

Tyson,
Subscribed
I am a little shocked to see a $3998/pair speaker without bracing though. Looks like a Duratex like finish on the front/rear baffles with a veneer wrap around. Good thing you are showing these things systematically, thanks!

Oh, there's bracing now. We braced the hell out of them, haha. I'll post some pics tomorrow and also we've lined them with norez. There also wasn't any acoustic stuffing, so that's going in there too. Parts quality on the crossover leaves a bit to be desired. I'll post more tomorrow on the crossover stuff.

Also, the horns are made of plastic. I'm going to damp them down too. The woofer frames are thin and resonant as well, all of it's getting damped....

poseidonsvoice · « **Reply #29 on:** 28 Dec 2019, 03:01 am »

Quote from: Early B. on 28 Dec 2019, 02:22 am

Can you show us a pic of the stock crossover?

If I'm not mistaken, this is it, courtesy of Maty of course (our resident audio researcher):

Best,
Anand.

Early B. · « **Reply #30 on:** 28 Dec 2019, 03:18 am »

OK, I gotta ask -- are these speakers worth upgrading?

At this price point, there's a ton of speakers available with much higher quality parts that are better candidates to upgrade for a lot less coin and a lot less work. Danny's gonna work his magic, but a killer crossover can't fix cheap drivers.

If you're doing it for the thrill of it or for learning purposes or for nostalgic reasons, that's OK. Just askin'.

Jmitchell3 · « **Reply #31 on:** 28 Dec 2019, 03:22 am »

Quote from: Early B. on 28 Dec 2019, 03:18 am

OK, I gotta ask -- are these speakers worth upgrading?

At this price point, there's a ton of speakers available with much higher quality parts that are better candidates to upgrade for a lot less coin and a lot less work. Danny's gonna work his magic, but a killer crossover can't fix cheap drivers.

If you're doing it for the thrill of it or for learning purposes or for nostalgic reasons, that's OK. Just askin'.

We can’t argue price or value. We do what we do for the adventure and the experience. We can make economic choices along the way but nothing is “worth it” and most upgrades have a diminishing price / performance ratio.

There’s something tho that is intriguing about taking something lauded as good and making it better. Making it something special. At the end of the day it’s about what we can experience and how we can share that uniqueness with others.

IMHO.

Tyson · « **Reply #32 on:** 28 Dec 2019, 04:19 am »

Quote from: Early B. on 28 Dec 2019, 03:18 am

OK, I gotta ask -- are these speakers worth upgrading?

At this price point, there's a ton of speakers available with much higher quality parts that are better candidates to upgrade for a lot less coin and a lot less work. Danny's gonna work his magic, but a killer crossover can't fix cheap drivers.

If you're doing it for the thrill of it or for learning purposes or for nostalgic reasons, that's OK. Just askin'.

Here’s the thing - even with all these issues, the stock speakers sound pretty good. Look, I rarely like how a speaker sounds. And even less often do I like it enough to consider buying it. The basic Forte III is really good from a sound quality standpoint. If I weren’t recently divorced and trying to kill time on my first Christmas alone, I probably would not have made the trip. But I am and I did. And I’m super glad I did, hanging with Danny has been a blast.

Tomy2Tone · « **Reply #33 on:** 28 Dec 2019, 04:42 am »

I think it does say something that as someone who is able to attend RMAF almost every year like Tyson and hear all sorts of speakers across a variety of styles and technologies he chose these Klipsch. I know I never thought I would enjoy Klipsch as much as I am now but thanks to listening to some Heresy III’s my mind was changed.

witchdoctor · « **Reply #34 on:** 28 Dec 2019, 06:14 am »

Quote from: Early B. on 28 Dec 2019, 03:18 am

OK, I gotta ask -- are these speakers worth upgrading?

At this price point, there's a ton of speakers available with much higher quality parts that are better candidates to upgrade for a lot less coin and a lot less work. Danny's gonna work his magic, but a killer crossover can't fix cheap drivers.

If you're doing it for the thrill of it or for learning purposes or for nostalgic reasons, that's OK. Just askin'.

Uhhhh don't you think it might be better until after the upgrades are finished before asking that question?

Phil Wright from Darko has this to say about the stock Forte III:
"The Forte III is a big and beautiful loudspeaker, both visually and sonically, presenting music in a way that’s utterly enthralling."

https://darko.audio/2019/05/the-big-beautiful-klipsch-forte-iii/

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #35 on:** 28 Dec 2019, 07:16 am »

Quote from: Early B. on 28 Dec 2019, 03:18 am

OK, I gotta ask -- are these speakers worth upgrading?

At this price point, there's a ton of speakers available with much higher quality parts that are better candidates to upgrade for a lot less coin and a lot less work. Danny's gonna work his magic, but a killer crossover can't fix cheap drivers.

If you're doing it for the thrill of it or for learning purposes or for nostalgic reasons, that's OK. Just askin'.

If the cabinet are solidly made it worth upgrade the woofer to a Eminence alu basket and Neodymium. I sure Anthony from tech support may suggest something nice.

maty · « **Reply #36 on:** 28 Dec 2019, 08:32 am »

Quote from: Tyson on 28 Dec 2019, 02:45 am

Also, the horns are made of plastic. I'm going to damp them down too. The woofer frames are thin and resonant as well, all of it's getting damped....

Good decision.

I guess Danny will measure the speakers. Based on the measurements and his advice decides if you change the woofers, not before, my two cents.

maty · « **Reply #37 on:** 28 Dec 2019, 08:57 am »

Review: Klipsch Forte III by Tristan Jacquel - 25 August 2017

Quote from: maty on 11 Dec 2019, 06:57 pm

https://blog.son-video.com/en/2017/08/review-klipsch-forte-iii/

Only $ 4,000 and...

Crossover

[Big IMG, link] https://i0.wp.com/blog.son-video.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/test-klipsch-forte-iii-008.jpg

Speaker connectors

[Big IMG, link] https://i1.wp.com/blog.son-video.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/test-klipsch-forte-iii-001.jpg

The CSD

https://www.stereophile.com/content/klipsch-forte-iii-loudspeaker-measurements

I think Danny Richie will make it no few modifications!

maty · « **Reply #38 on:** 28 Dec 2019, 09:05 am »

Klipsch Forte III Review by Francisco Licon - July 31, 2019

https://hometheaterhifi.com/reviews/speaker/floor-standing/klipsch-forte-iii-review/

Optimized pictures:

maty · « **Reply #39 on:** 28 Dec 2019, 10:05 am »

Deleted at Tyson's request.