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Klipsch Forte III Test

Klipsch Forte III Review

Klipsch Forte III Test

 Klipsch Forte III acoustics strong speakers in search of a pair

Created in the best traditions of the Klipsch company in 1985, the Forte floorstanders are back. Their third incarnation is made at the request of the Hi-Fi market for a retro style that has become very popular in recent times. Something in them has been modernized, but in general, they do not even go back to the moment of their birth, but to the very first branded models. Audio technology has changed a lot since then, so not every amplifier will be able to reveal their true character.

When Paul Klipsch created his legendary Klipschorn speakers in 1946, which launched the Klipsch company, acoustic design was much more of an art than it is today.

Today, thanks to the advanced design methods proposed by Thiel and Small and the corresponding computer programs, a competent speaker will not only calculate the characteristics of the speakers, but also estimate how they will sound with the selected components.

However, Klipschorn, bulky and unusual in our modern opinion, turned out to be so good in terms of the reliability of recreating musical material that they continue to be released to this day.

Klipsch Forte III Review


Klipsch Forte were produced from 1985 to 1989. Photo by HiFiClassic

The first version of Klipsch Forte was offered in 1985, at the beginning of the digital age, when the CD was confidently proving its superiority over vinyl and magnetic tape, and audiophiles had not yet mastered the longing for "analogue" - and retro was not at all in fashion.

However, the sound quality of these speakers was so high that within 10 years they were confidently ahead of their competitors and became the most popular model of the company. And so, in 2017, the Klipsch Forte III model was released, only slightly different from the original source in appearance, but with a new midrange driver in the horn and an improved woofer.

Fashion dictates style

As we remember, not so long ago, lifestyle was popular - speaker systems in thin streamlined cases, often with a fair number of emitters, through which their creators tried to circumvent the laws of nature, the essence of which is that a big sound with deep bass can be created with the presence of large speakers loaded with a significant amount of air.

In a sense, the current fashion for retro - including "old school" speakers - is more loyal to the developers, allowing them not to compromise and provide truly high-quality sound.

And some companies, such as Klipsch, may simply bring their own well-tested models back into production. Naturally, having previously carried out their modernization with the use of new materials and technologies.

Such an approach in terms of marketing is also advantageous because, in the eyes of a fan of vintage audio equipment, a “remake” will always lose to a truly “old” technique.

Klipsch Forte III Review


The Klipsch Forte III is shallower than the rest of the Heritage range - and even than the Reference Premier speakers.

Klipsch Forte III are large but not bulky speakers. All thanks to the small (compared to the width) depth of the cases, which are simple rectangular parallelepipeds made of MDF boards 1.9 cm thick.

The top and side faces are finished with natural veneer, obtained from successive cuts of the same wooden blank - for the identity of the pattern.

Below there is a low pedestal, which visually facilitates the design. The front and back panels are covered with special paint. The protective grill completely covers the front panel, giving the speakers the appearance of a piece of furniture.

Klipsch Forte III Review


Due to the presence of a passive radiator, speakers are not recommended to be placed close to the wall. The minimum allowable distance in the user manual is one inch (2.54 cm), and the optimal distance for creating deep bass is from two to 10 inches

Forte III are built according to a three-lane scheme. An inch compression tweeter and a 4.5 cm midrange driver with titanium diaphragms are loaded onto branded rectangular horns with complex wall geometry, and a 30 cm woofer with a fiber-based composite cone is loaded onto a 38 cm passive radiator, which occupies almost half back panel.

The model was designed and produced with a large share of manual labor in the USA, and Paul Klipsch himself had a hand in the creation of the first version (in particular, the design of the crossover) - or rather, his ear, since he was convinced that the final adjustment of the speakers should be done by ear .

Pair sound

When the company's first speakers were created, the power factor of the amplifiers was decisive, since they were all tube, and it was still far from solid-state ones. The horns, so revered until now in Klipsch, made it possible to increase the sensitivity of the speakers to obtain high volume with low-power amplifiers.

Today, there is no such problem even with tube models, and Klipsch Forte III, having a sensitivity of 99 dB, it would seem, can work well with a variety of devices.

Klipsch Forte III Review


However, there is something in them that requires increased attention to the selection of an amplifier. At least I've had to deal with a situation where the Forte III's sound left something to be desired with one high-end component, and it was truly great with another.

Perhaps the fact is that the Magnat RV-4 turned out to be a good option - a hybrid amplifier with a preamplifier stage containing two E88CC tubes in its circuit. The source in the system was a Lyngdorf CD-2 CD player.

"Requiem" by G. Verdi begins very quietly, literally in a whisper, but everything is heard to the smallest detail, the scene is clearly formed, the choir groups are visibly represented on it. Slowly, but inexorably, the dynamics grows, the orchestra enters, the voices of the instruments are detailed and rich in timbre. All elements of a complex, multifaceted work are presented harmoniously, lively and expressively.

Klipsch Forte III Review

The images of the soloists are perfectly focused in the foreground, the vocals of each are rich and have characteristic features, the articulation is excellent. The emotional tension builds and the music explodes into a powerful crescendo of "Dies Irae".

Klipsch Forte III Review

Everything happens suddenly and inevitably, the voices of the choir rush from side to side, the drums, being in the depths of the stage space, beat with all their might, the fronts of the blows are sharp, like a razor. The orchestra makes its significant contribution to the waterfall of sounds, but there is no hodgepodge - everything is organized, harmonious, in its place. The deepest low frequencies provide the scale of the stage and sound in general.

Klipsch Forte III Review


It is also worth noting the balanced tonal balance and the absence of coloration, as evidenced by the natural and recognizable voices of the strings, as well as the various brass voices that lead the roll call in "Tuba Mirum".


Klipsch Forte III Review

Horn acoustics are usually associated with the coloration of the sound, but in the case of the Klipsch Forte III (with a properly selected amplifier), there are no thoughts about it.

David Daniels' countertenor (CD "JS Bach. Sacred Arias & Cantatas. David Daniels") leaves no doubt that he belongs to a man with a beard from the disc cover, while with a heterogeneous frequency response this high-pitched voice can be mistaken for a soprano - or even at all can get pretty annoying.

Klipsch Forte III Review

In this case, it is very rich, harmonious, endowed with masculine accents, as well as legible and expressive. The orchestral accompaniment is rich, lush, yet detailed and detailed.


Klipsch Forte III Review

The concert disc "Toute la Musique" by Patricia Kaas is also listened to with great pleasure. In the showroom there is a huge hall filled with enthusiastic spectators. The first guitar chords strike with a deep and superbly controlled bass. The singer enters - and her hoarse, but extremely strong voice fills everything around.

Precisely and organically, it intertwines in the first song "D'Allemagne" with piano accompaniment, which sounds clear and full-bodied, while the chorus impresses every time with scale and power. On "On pourrait", the rhythms get faster, the music harder, and the loudspeakers convincingly convey its energetic drive, admiring their agility.

Conclusion

If the word “digitalization” and everything connected with it has already set the teeth on edge, and you want to feel something solid and material nearby, then there is nothing better than retro: a turntable, a tube amplifier or Klipsch Heritage series speakers.

The Forte III model is perhaps the most compromising in terms of dimensions and design for a modern music lover. And under it, you do not have to completely redo the interior of your listening room.

Klipsch Forte III Review


In addition to the natural cherry veneer shown in the photo, American walnut, black ash and aged oak are also available. The latter has a pleasant grayish tint and is complemented not by a woven black grill, like the others, but by a woven sheep wool

If you happen to hear an unflattering opinion about the sound of these speakers, it means that someone was not lucky enough to find a suitable amplifier for them. At the same time, the Magnat RV-4 is hardly the only possible option. It only hints at the direction of the search - towards tube amplifiers that will suit the speakers and style. So Klipsch Forte III is more of a challenge for an audiophile, rather than a ready-made solution for a simple music lover, brought on a silver platter. The more interesting.

Pros

tonal balance; high detail; powerful dynamics; swift attack; rhythm; deep weighty bass; large-scale scene; retro style design.

Cons

require careful selection of the amplifier.

OFFICIAL SITE

Klipsch Forte III

PASSPORT DATA

Construction: 3-way floor standing speakers with passive radiator

Sensitivity: 99 dB

Frequency response: 38Hz - 20kHz

Crossover frequencies: 650 Hz, 5200 Hz

Maximum power: 100W (up to 400W short-term)

Resistance: 8 ohm

Dual cable connection: yes

Dimensions: 28x109.5x45 cm

Weight: 27.2 kg

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