Klipsch Forte II power requirements

[Squishman]

I just purchased a pair of Klipsch Forte II's on ebay. It says they were not used a heck of a lot, so hopefully they sound as good as I expect them to. The power requirements according to a 1989 brochure I found online are 100 watts continuous. I currently have an Emotiva amp that puts out 150 x 2 hooked up to a Yamaha AVR that is 110 wpc (RX A1060). Shall I continue to use the Emotiva, or is that too much? If it is 6 of one, have dozen of the other, I could hook them directly to the AVR and sell the amp.
Also, I will probably send in the Forte ii crossovers to Bob Crites to get them up to snuff though before I use them.
So, is that something to consider as to what to hook them up to?

 

[Squishman]

Also, if it matters, My system is a 5.2.2. Thanks.

 

[everettT]

If you provide a 100w continously you will be deaf. Your current amp and avr are fine for even larger rooms.

 

[TheWarrior]

To Everett's point, you are never using full power, constantly. 1 watt is fairly normal. There will be peaks and low frequencies can require additional power to propagate large sound waves (20 hz = 56.5' in diameter) to achieve a certain SPL.

You could hook 500 watt amps to them, and although it would be a waste, you wouldn't damage the speaker unless you went max volume for an extended period of time. And even then, it's a maybe.

 

[Squishman]

Would I ever notice a difference with or without the Emotiva amp? It was recommended to me to get the amp with my current Klipsch speakers, which will be for sale soon. (R-28F).

 

[ATLAudio]

An alarm clock, those speakers are incredibly efficient. Any well made amp will perform incredibly!

 

[Squishman]

I am pretty giddy to get them! Gotta re-arrange things a little to make them fit.

 

[ski2xblack]

They dip below 4 ohms from ~150-200 hz, if that matters. Given their sensitivity, either of your amps will suffice (with plenty of headroom to spare), but you may wish to make sure the Yamaha's impedance switch is in the 'high' setting (the low setting will likely drastically limit power before clipping into such a load; this may be immaterial, as you'll probably never need more than 50 peak watts anyway, which would be screaming loud.)

I think you're in for a real treat. Those are among the best of the older Klipsch models IMO. Just be cautious with your hearing as you disturb the neighbors in Klipsch tradition.

 

[Squishman]

Thanks Ski2. Since these are approximately 25 years old, do you recommend getting my xover up to snuff and or new hi and mid drivers replaced, even if they sound good? Depending on the pricing for the drivers, thatis. xovers are $110 at Bob Crites if I send mine in.

 

[ski2xblack]

I suggest you listen to them 'as-is' first.

But since old Klipsch are the Jeeps and Harleys of audio, with a plethora of aftermarket mods available, here are my thoughts with all the usual caveats:

The stock caps were the most "cheap-out" aspect of the original design. Cramming the networks parts tightly together on the back of the input terminal is probably the other.

Caps in the crossovers? Yes, probably the most significant thing you can do, provided you keep in mind that no foofy expensive audio-dork caps are required. I think this is what you quoted the price of, with Bob doing the work for you. Worthy upgrade IMO.

You didn't explicitly ask, but what about full new networks from Bob? Your decision but a qualified 'yes, worthy upgrade' IMO: still very reasonable in cost, uses better parts all around (probably unnecessary in some cases, but why not?), and not a deviation or re-engineering of the original design. Everything is spread out on a larger board to reduce or eliminate any interference between bits. I see this as basically what Klipsch could have produced had the fII been in a higher tier price bracket, without the cost related corner-cutting with cheap caps, for example.

Replacing tweet diaphragms: maybe. It is an easy and cheap mod, but not as significant as the caps IMO.

Replacing mid diaphragms and/or drivers: no. This requires more elaborate network mods. I personally don't feel mods to the mids are necessary, nor desirable from a re-sale value perspective.

 

[Squishman]

I suggest you listen to them 'as-is' first.

But since old Klipsch are the Jeeps and Harleys of audio, with a plethora of aftermarket mods available, here are my thoughts with all the usual caveats:

The stock caps were the most "cheap-out" aspect of the original design. Cramming the networks parts tightly together on the back of the input terminal is probably the other.

Caps in the crossovers? Yes, probably the most significant thing you can do, provided you keep in mind that no foofy expensive audio-dork caps are required. I think this is what you quoted the price of, with Bob doing the work for you. Worthy upgrade IMO.

You didn't explicitly ask, but what about full new networks from Bob? Your decision but a qualified 'yes, worthy upgrade' IMO: still very reasonable in cost, uses better parts all around (probably unnecessary in some cases, but why not?), and not a deviation or re-engineering of the original design. Everything is spread out on a larger board to reduce or eliminate any interference between bits. I see this as basically what Klipsch could have produced had the fII been in a higher tier price bracket, without the cost related corner-cutting with cheap caps, for example.

Replacing tweet diaphragms: maybe. It is an easy and cheap mod, but not as significant as the caps IMO.

Replacing mid diaphragms and/or drivers: no. This requires more elaborate network mods. I personally don't feel mods to the mids are necessary, nor desirable from a re-sale value perspective.

Really terrific info here Ski2. I did see that he sells the ready-to-install board with all new internal wiring, so yeah, I will go with that plan. And thanks for the info on the tweeter diaphragms. I will do that too. I wonder if the xover board comes with instructions on how to mount it inside. If not, I am sure I can figure something out. One guy on youtube did it with a homemade board with Crite's components, but didn't say how he mounted it inside. As soon as my speakers are confirmed shipped, I will place an order with Bob.