Klipsch · Horn-loaded · 1985–1989 (Forte II 1989–1996)
The Forte came out of Klipsch in 1985, driven by Paul Klipsch and his chief engineer Gary Gillum, the first chief engineer Klipsch picked to succeed himself. Klipsch insisted that every speaker be fine-tuned by ear, the crossover above all. It's a floor-standing three-way with a direct woofer, horn-loaded midrange and tweeter, and a passive radiator on the back for bass instead of a port. Demand ran the Hope, Arkansas, factory around the clock, and Klipsch counts it among its best-selling speakers ever. In the late 1980s Roy Delgado and Jim Hunter refined it with Tractrix horns, and that became the Forte II in 1989, so the original Forte is the one with the older horns. The line then stopped until the Forte III in 2017.
With the grille off
Ask for a photo of every driver with the grilles off, on both speakers. They should match each other and this list.
The passive radiator sits on the back, where it's easy to bump in a move. The crossovers are model-specific, with separate rebuild kits for the Forte and Forte II, so ask what has been rebuilt.
New to old speakers? How to check a used pair walks through every driver, the crossover and the cabinet.
We haven’t been through this model’s listings yet. Search eBay and run every listing through the checklist above. Ask for photos of both speakers with the grilles off and the serial labels on the back, and pass on any seller who won’t send them.
Search “Klipsch Forte” on eBay ↗eBay searchKlipsch · 3-way
Horn-loadedSpecs and what to check →
Klipsch · 3-way
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Klipsch · 2-way
FloorstanderSpecs and what to check →
Klipsch · 3-way
Horn-loadedSpecs and what to check →