My Klipsch Forte 4 sound superb …. Broad sound , clear, totally beautiful… Mac 250 watt per channel amplifier driving it … also in smaller room size . Jazz , Classical, Rock .. Highly recommend this speaker
I think ppl like the big sized speakers the effortless, live, big scale sound, sometimes these things make the music more enjoyable, and more important than any another parameter.
I'd imagine Klipsch voices these by ear. The scale and dynamics you mentioned add far more enjoyment and leave so much more of an impression than do these minor variances in linearity IMO. I have KEF R300's, Wharedale Lintons and Forte IVs and while the Kefs or possibly the Whafedales may be the more linear, the Klipsch are truly in another league when it comes to hi fidelity. Often reviewers don't stress the enormous differences larger speakers make and why people buy vintage and opine for sounds from their youth. It was the big speakers that give you that awesome midbass that rocks. You simply can't get the same sound with bookshelves and a sub cause the sub only plays super low bass. Little speakers simply don't have the dynamics to provide that large scale sound. I use a Yamaha AS2200 through a tube dac or 2 watt SET amp. Hard to imagine anyone saying these speakers lack presence or sound dull, but there can be some slight siblance on some songs as mentioned but I've never heard clearer or more dynamic speakers. Bottom line is I'm not sure making these kinds of speakers linear by adding more presence would sound better. They are EXTREMELY live and lifelike already with those horns and titanium tweeters...I can hear lips smacking with some singers on certain recordings. That said, its certainly true the Klipsh sound is an acquired taste but in my admittedly very limited experience they make the music sound like its being performed in the room more than any other speakers I've heard which is amazing with good recordings. I'd like to try making the adjustments suggested here if I can figure out how. Maybe Audessy in my HT would pick up on the non-linearity and make the appropriate changes?
@davidwald2938. I have the Lintons. I am thinking of trading them in for these, But am terrified of harsh tweeter fatigue (former B&W and Focal owner). I know the Lintons have zero fatigue. Do you feel the Forte iv's are harsh and fatiging?
@@allenwilliams8962They can be but It depends on your room and amplification. I suggest Class A for the Forte's. I have Lintons as well and with my Yamaha AS2200 even they can tickle my inner ear on some songs. IMO ...Forte"s benefit greatly from class A integrated. I have a Vincent SVK and at 3k it sounds better with Forte's than more expensive Yammy or less expensive Decware tube amp I tried. Find and an amp characterized as warm and you'll have no ear fatigue and probably love these even though they are revealing with a reputation for being unforgiving.
I have the Heresy IV and I have been very satisfied with that question; I do not find them fatiguing at all... to the contrary: they are ADDICTIVE and tough to live with anything else now that I have them... however, I want the bigger taller soundstage of the Forte IV. I'm not scared of the tweeter at all, since my Heresy IV experience has been so beautiful. @@allenwilliams8962
Good review! I never understood why their "classic" line had little to no bracing as big as they are; wood is pretty cheap. That may have been common in the '50's and '60's when they and Altec Lansing and the like started up, but for version 4 in 2021?, give me a break. As to their crossover design philosophy, the positive side is that it keeps guys like Crites and ALK Engineering in business with their aftermarket solutions.
@@habdulahsalam You are correct, some do. Had to look it up, but: "Speaker systems that claimed to be “tuned to the orchestra” by the use of resonant cabinet designs" Lol, insane.
I listened to quite a few speakers in demo room such as KEF Blade, Focal Maestro, Magico S3, Spendor SP200 and ended up buying Harbeth M40.1 years ago. I got bored with Harbeth sound, sold the Harbeth and bought a pair of Magnepan 1.7i while planning to upgrade to M20.7. I demoed Klipsch Forte IV two weeks ago and I could not get the Klipsch sound out of my head. The while presentation is so live like and I could not listen to Fyne Audio, Sonus Faber in the same room after that … they just sounded tiny and thin. I am now considering getting one of the heritage model or maybe Volti Audio.
Great review as always. 10:00 I assume you meant 12ft not 12m. At 12ft, +10° from 34in would be 2ft, so ~5ft up. Did you listen to these while on a bar stool?
Thanks, I have been eyeballing this speakers for a while and actually listen to them at the HiFi store against the Focal 948 and liked the Forte IV better with the sound stage and that could be the way the had them set up. But then I hear you knock Klipsch and started looking for other speakers and now you give them a "nice" review I may put them back in my search.
Brad, I luv what Erin is doing and the way that he does it, but in situations like this as you stated room acoustics play a huge part and measurements can change based on those room acoustics. Measurements can help you track where your problems lie and get you closer to what you are looking for in your individual room. Never base your speaker purchase on what someone else likes or doesn’t and it sounded like you really liked this speaker. I did this type of thing in my audio journey, but based off of dealer recommendation and listening from their listening room, which changed when the speakers were brought home for home auditions based on my room boundaries. Home auditions are best and even better when backed up by measurements, but the very character of the speaker is something that you must like or measurements won’t help either. Example some people hate metal dome tweeters, which a measurement could help you tone it down, but would never truly eliminate if you are sensitive to them and don’t like them. Also some speakers are just bad designs and made to a price point. Good luck with your final speaker purchase.
@ErinsAudioCorner - I bet Linton's are one the best selling speakers the last few years.. and you have a lot of subscribers who have them. I would love to see a Mission 770 comparison. I see a lot of owners questioning if the upgrade is worth it on youtube comments, but not many reviewers will do a side by side comparision? I hope you get your hands on some of those to test them. Thanks Erin always enjoy your reviews!
Great review. I have the Forte III and the biggest complaint I have is that they seem to fall apart at high volume. I think it was mostly cabinet resonance. I added some bracing and Dynamat on the inside walls and it helped a lot. I cross over to a Rythmik Audio FV15HP at 80Hz so I dont really need the lower octave or two of the Klipsch but overall this is a good setup for me.
I think that it would be really enjoyable to see you review one of the JTR 212 HTR’s or 212 HT’s and compare it to these klipsch horn speakers. I hear from a lot of people that they have all the positive sides of klipsch being clarity, detail and dynamics while one upping klipsch by having well mannered neutral measurements in the treble area. Have you ever heard any of the JTR speakers?
Honestly, I think Klipsch did a good job of making a speaker for a certain target audience. The treble is a little hot, but most people who buy these speakers probably won't have any room treatment and will have lots of hard surfaces around, so the bass and mids should be boosted naturally to compensate. The only thing that I really don't like is the peak at 6khz. The directivity is not great in the midrange crossover, but you can't have everything. Though at $4000, it probably should be a little better. When you keep in mind that it's manufactured in the US, it is not incredibly overpriced. With that said, I wouldn't buy them.
You could try a 6 dB peaked high pass at about 42 Hz to improve the bass extension. This would make it more like a 6th order assisted alignment which is what it needs. Or just use bass EQ to flatten out the low end, there's certainly enough volume displacement given the 12" woofer and 15" PR.
Actually I do want to say that I take issue with Klipsch’s sensitivity and other specs. They are not all THAT transparent IMO. They call it “Sensitivity”, put a little “1” footnote by it and then in tiny print down below say “Sensitivity in average listening room”. That’s a BS way to spec something IMO. They should call it “In room sensitivity” and show the anecohic sensitivity as well, since this is what most manufacturers use and so people can compare apples to apples. Also pretty sure there is an accepted standard for measuring Sensitivity is there not? Also their low end FR is clearly optimistic as well and must also be in-room, otherwise there is no way they get close to 38Hz @-3dB as stated in their specs. However they make no clarifications on their FR spec.
I don’t disagree. It’s just that’s how Klipsch gets away with their spec and when someone tries to argue it, it’s there in the spec via the footnote (as you noted).
Sounds like an aftermarket crossover with steeper slopes would correct what you are hearing. Then you would have a better starting point for electronic equalization.
I would be interested to see how the OG Forte measures up against the gen 4.Now I know you're not one to exaggerate. but these should honestly do fine without a sub. I listened to my brothers old Heresy 2's for years and they kicked plenty hard with no sub! My biggest curiosity is why Klipsch would mess with the design/formula on any of the heritage models? Why not just leave em alone?
According to the people from Klipsch forums, the current Forte 4 sounds more like a Cornwall, while Forte 3 sound doesn't resemble Klisch, so many Klipsch fans complain, so Klipsch used the tweeters and some other parts from the bigger Cornwall and used it on the new Forte 4.
If I didn't misread or misremember this, apparently the Forte line was discontinued way way back, so unlike the Cornwall, Heresy and the La Scala, it doesn't have a signature sound they can rely on. Read this comment with a grain of salt.
Thanks for the review and all the data. I have a question on how to use all this information. I listen at low volume levels all the time (60-69 db range). Most reviews are done at much higher volumes. How can I apply these reviews and/or data to this much lower late night volume? I realize that I am the outlier here, and most people listen at higher levels. I am just trying to find a speaker/amp combination that will work well at low volumes and the reviews I see on RU-vid all seem to be done in the 80+ db range and are not helpful in my use case. Thanks…
How close are you to the speakers? At any rate, nothing really changes here in your case as the output linearity is pretty similar between 76 and 86dB at 1 meter. Odds are your distance won’t be far enough to really matter and the speaker would be pretty much the same as my measurements indicate.
Thanks for getting back to me. My speakers are about 4 1/2 feet from the wall and I am about 7 feet from the speakers. One of the problems with low volume listening is fighting against the Fletcher Munson curve.
I believe Danny Richie I ended up with the same conclusion after a customer sent him one of these to see if he could upgrade it. He claims he was able to fix all that and it was a great speaker afterwards.
Klipsh is not for everyone but for many, they enjoy them. Horn speakers can have a sound similar to electronic speakers. Forte speaker placement is very important for best results.
I read your test on the Klipsch Forte IV, I have the III and I saw that Klipsch sells a FORTE IV kit for the FORTE III (It's really great, what a lesson in respect for customers! That said I confirm that the treble is a little behind! I also have a hint 6 from Parasound plugged into the ass off Klipsch! It stirred a lot! So much so that I ended up grilling the tweeters, in my mess at home I found a pair of JBL 2412H that I took apart from my JBL MS28, Incredible, it's compatible with the Klipsch plastic horn, except for a piece of plastic that needs to be cut, AND THE FRIENDS!!!!!The sound has completely changed!More openness and a treble now very present, suddenly I hesitate to buy a FORTE IV kit
Well, well..........the reviewer discovered that the Forte' 4 makes MORE bass when pulled about 3' from the wall. (NOT suggested in the manual btw.) IT IS TRUE ! I have had my pair in my empty, large listening space (18x24'), and with my DB-C measuring, I found increases in low frequency levels as I moved the speakers from the wall. They were VERY BRIGHT in that room and were kind of getting to my ears, even with a Willsenton R8 outfitted with JJ electronics tubes through out w/EL-34 outputs. Yesterday, I carried those 72 lb. beasts up a flight of stairs (I ain't no kid at 71 years LOL), and placed them in my livingroom with a pair of love seats and carpet on the floor. Powered with a 1990 Bang and Olufsen BEOGRAM 6500 system. WOW, the brightness went away, and the sound got REAL WARM! 3' out from the wall had the SAME increased bass effect as in the other space! Roy ( CHIEF Bone Head) said he voiced these to be closer to the Klipschorns, more then the other in the heritage line. As a former Klipschorn owner (14years), I can say YES! My 1968 KHorns were very warm sounding, had to even boost the treble on the integrated system. There you have it. Thanks for your written review and this video! 👍
Looked at fortes IV right before price hike. It was in official dealer space for Klipsch with tube amps. I really liked some songs on it and the others seemed very shallow. Genesis by Justice sounded very poorly on this speaker. Because of that I decided that for me is not worth the money they ask for it, since I listen to very wide selection of music.
23:13 I am not sure whether the sitting a little high above the tweeter can be the cause of the difference at 6 kHz. We are not comparing on-axis response versus in-room response. We are comparing predicted in-room response versus actual in-room response. Isn't the predicted in-room response a mathematically predicted, say 30 or 15 degrees, listening window average?
The Klipsch Forte 4 as all Forte speaker have a sub base radiator. They tend to be corner speakers. That's where they get there best base. About 18 inches off the wall. I have a pair of Forte lls 1994 vintage. Also they reverse the speakers in the new ones. The Forte lls the 12in woofer in the front is Base reflex speaker. The Forte lllls front speaker is not
Have you considered that appropriate bass traps might eliminate bass build up and correct that 1K - 3K dip? Other Note: It is really a humorous perspective to listen to or trust a dealers input on anything. They will dis that Parasound as soon as they stop carrying it. Dealers typically know so little about what they carry and how to match components with speakers.
Let me answer your question with a question: Does Klipsch tell people this is necessary? Edit: does Klipsch recommend a specific amplifier? Nope. If you read their quote in my review you’ll see they leave it incredibly open-ended. AVR, SS, tube… as if they believe it doesn’t really matter. Yet, ask the hardcore “audiophile” and they’ll give you a multitude of reasons why one amp or another is the defacto standard for x/y/z speaker. I find *that* humorous. 😎
Speaker reviews are definitely a slippery slope. I'm a musician and I use different guitar amps to conjure certain sounds that I want. I think audio speakers are not separate from this issue. A certain speaker may be perfect for rock music while another would be preferred for orchestral music. If the speaker does "generally" what you want then fix the rest with EQ.
You're completely wrong. A guitar amp is a music production device, it makes sense to adjust it to preference. Speakers are a reproduction device, preference plays no role.
@@VoltLover00 : Some people prefer horn tweeters while some prefer soft dome tweeters and then others prefer ribbon tweeters. I can usually hear the differences in how they deliver sound. Once you place a pair of speakers in a room the room influences the sound heard by the listener. It's usually cheaper to EQ the speakers than to fix the room.
Sorry this is off topic, but you've stated in different videos that you'll fix a problem in the frequency by applying eq. at specific points. I was wondering how? With the audyssey editor app. I have to eq. everything below the point I'm trying to fix. I use rew to measure and can adjust the eq. In a similar fashion as yourself on my subs but I'm not sure how to do that to my speakers. Thanks!!!!!
I A-B'd the Forte 3 against the Heresy IV and the Forte was heads and tails above the Heresy. The Heresy is overrated. I think the main issue with the Klipsch is the lack of a plyable suspension system, making them seem too sharp at times and lending to the resonance issues and lack of bass response.
I'm seriously interested in the Fortes, but I'm trying to find suitable competitors to judge these against: if you like these, consider those. Suggestions??
I haven’t heard a pair of true Omni speakers other than a set of little Mirage bookshelf speakers. And the Bose 901. But I wouldn’t consider those a legitimate omni speaker.
Just wondering if you have ever had your hearing checked for freq. range, I think speaker reviewers should be checked and post their results before posting reviews on speakers. My hearing only tops out at 9k which is a problem for me and colors my perception of speakers. What's your opine on this?
Last time was about 5 or 6 years ago. The audiologist was only setup to test up to just below 10kHz so I didn’t get the full band. I didn’t get a print out. Just him saying that I was basically within the expected range. That was when I went to have ear molds made for my IEMs.
That's unexpectedly poor bass performance. I'm in the market right now because my current speakers only extend down to ~45. I guess these are not the replacements I thought they might be.
These or the Revel F208? Both are about $5K/pr. I think we're done here... Now Klipsch fans will say I'm missing the point but I know exactly what these are and who they're for. Their slogan says it all....Pissing off the neighbors since 1946!
Bottom line is if they sound good to you that’s all that maters. If you spend your whole life searching for a reviewer to tell you what the perfect speaker is it’s never going to happen.
Thanks to you and Audioholics, I will be staying away from Klipsch Heritage (which was my initial interest) and won't follow that hype train. 1950's speaker tech/thinking/knowledge and super low-quality, cheap woofers, drivers, crossover components and zero insulation are a turn off; esp. for that kind of money. I'll save up for L100 Classic or 4312G instead, with an inexpensive S701 amp. 🤤✨✨
38-20khz +/- 3db @ 99db sen - These specs are complete BS! If it was designed with a flat bass alignment(it looks like an Extended Bass Shelf Alignment), and flat across the entire range, then maybe 48-20k +/- 3db @ 94. Manufacturers using room gain is just a way to lie about sensitivity and mislead consumers. This speakers will sound bass shy to many who play a wide range of recordings and many different music styles.. This is leaving out the sound High order modes generated by horn baffles!
I have a pair of these and the only way for me to get authoritative bass at 40 /50hz is to place them right in the corners of the room. I’m driving them with a Primaluna EVO400. Even close to the wall I don’t get much room gain in the bass region. I have a buddy with a pair and it’s pretty much the same with him. Be prepared to use a sub.
@@MRB1910 I think it is VERY dependent on amplification. I was not at all happy with these until I got the Vincent. If you read the literature it says "you will get the bass you don't get with other amps" and it's true. I'd almost given up on my Forte's but now they slam and even though I have a sub for HT, I don't use it with the Vincent. With a pure tube SET amp I think the bass was tight and there on big bass drum kicks but the overall character was way too mids and highs (horn) centric to the point of fatigue. Same with the SS Yamaha to a lesser degree. This is the ONLY amplifier I've tried that balances out the full spectrum and makes these huge speakers with 12 inch woofers sound as good as they look. Steve Huff said I don't necessarily recommend only tube amps any longer for modern Klipsch heritage speakers. He said class A is what is recommended and the difference for me was night and day. Tubes are fine in the preamp but class A SS in the amp tames the horns and provides the proper weight needed in the low end as well. Maybe get a SS class A amp with Primaluna as preamp. Mine are placed about a foot from the wall and not near any corners.
@@MRB1910 You're welcome. It's the SV=237 mkii. It has 140 watts and great tone controls and a loudness button for adding low end punch and weight. Cost about 3k. The first generation is supposed to sound similiar and can be found for much less. Jay Iyagi and the British Audiphile do a great job describing it in their reviews. I agree a bit more with Jay's as I was similarly ecstatic when I heard it. Has great bass with all tone controls disabled and they certainly can be fun but are not necessary.
Thank you please, keep it like that. I was expecting that review like audio cheeeeeeap man or others ash...es like long hair older man would be the same. It's not my purpose to insult your colleagues but they are just an.... that sales themselves for a pocket of cheeeettttooos.
Massively overpriced. Classic "audiophile" sound of yesteryear ; far from the advances in design seen in the last decade. The sort of stuff you pair with a McIntosh, just to complete daddy's retro style. Would be a decent buy at half the price.
That's a common ratio between raw parts and the finished product. Plenty of production and marketing people need to be paid US dollars at the Klipsch factory. A do-it-yourselfer eliminates all those costs. It's why, as Erin noted, that Klipsch might have saved some $ with the high-pass vs. low-pass crossover.
*❌ Ron Levine 👈😎 That’s why I’m a DIY’er✅ and can build a world class system for a fraction of the price to buy it , but to each there own Not for Me ‼️ you could spend that savings on learning the skill to make it far better then what you can buy if , and I do mean if you got the Time to Learn an DoIt😎👍*
This would be a good example of taking the exact same pair of speakers and shipping them in between different audio reviewer‘s and speakers with their test equipment in there outdoor or room test method with their equipment. For example Ron that new record day then ship the same spare speakers to Danny at GR Research. And maybe two or three other big names who are heavily into test and software and measurements. To get a consensus overall on what measurements come out exactly the same from the different individuals in their software and the environment they are testing speakers. Because in so many instances the results sometimes get influenced by the ambient surrounding conditions the speakers are placed in and it shows up in the measurements. Everyone is always positive that their measurements are correct And yes they are correct usually for the ambient space that the speaker is being measured in. Take that same speaker play sit in an anechoic chamber, A sound treated room, A not sound treated room, outside placed 4 feet or 6 feet off the ground. Outside place 20+ feet on a hillside facing down on a pole so there is no ground reflection or object within 1000 yards. And I’ve noticed one thing over the years different measurements from different people sometimes get different results on the same speaker ? 🤔 interesting thinking process going on here.
My measurements are gathered using the Klippel Near Field Scanner. You might want to check it out. The other guys use quasi-anechoic methods which have far less accuracy due to the necessity of gating the response; thus limiting their resolution to something along the lines of 1/3 octave (or worse). I used to conduct my measurements that way. So I’m speaking from experience.
@@ErinsAudioCorner yes I’ve been watching your videos since before do you ever purchased your chest measurement equipment. Slowly watching as you develop your skill and your test methods as you improve. Great work 👍
@@coldfinger459sub0 You clearly don’t understand the point of the Klippel if you think the environment where the measurement is taken has any significant influence on the measurement data.
@@rlowes Then I guess reflections have nothing to do with it. Yes I do understand supposedly near field testing minimize that effect. But not everyone’s using that method. In the source from the preamplifier all the way to the amplifier. Are we saying that has absolutely zero effect of what comes out of the speaker ? In the source recording in the power level entering the amplifier In the power level entering each driver from its source from different individuals absolutely taking the test. Many variances Yield many different results
