I can't add many more kudos to what others have said, but I can ditto the 5-star rating. I like to listen to jazz, classical and instrumental music, and these are fine instruments to do it with. I guess they will be working hard in my living room for another 12 years or more.

I have owned a set of Forte I speakers for 12 years and I am still just as happywith them as the first time I listened to them. I have read many reviews with all kinds of terminology associated with speakers that quite frankly make me laugh. For me, most other speakers I have heard sound as though they had a blanket over the front of them; but the Klipsch speakers sound very "open". There I go with those descriptions. My other components are what I considered upper midrange at the time; Onkyo M-504 Integra amp (as if I needed 165 watt continuous with the Forte's), Onkyo P-304 preamp, Pioneer CD, Onkyo TA-2800 3 head tape deck, etc. Every time I listen to these speakers I cannot belive how good they sound. Everyone talks about adding a sub to get the lows. I say find yourself a good set of Forte I's or II's and enjoy a true 32 hz low end. I will admit to hearing some great speakers from Paradigm, B&W, NHT, and Energy, but
my ears and heart still belong to Paul Klipsch.

Beautiful Highs, Gorgeous Mids, Tight, Pounding Bass. Built for longevity.

None so far.

If it's possible to instantly fall in love with a speaker, this is it. Just bought a pair from 1989 (sorry about it saying '95 in he product year line above - that was the earliest option aailable and I had to pick one). All original parts. Sounds like a dream - the highs move you, the mids inspire emotion, and the bass goes right through you. As you can tell, I love them. Thanks for the advice and notes from everyone here, you were right about this speaker.

Similar Products Used:

Klipsch Cornwall, Wharfedale Modus 6

Incredibly Clear and efficient. Sound "warmer" than modern series.

Non Slender Like New Models and They stopped making them

Spent the weekend buying a new home theater setup. I planned on getting new "New" front channel speakers and move the my Forte II's to my work area downstairs (1991).

I ended up getting a Onkyo DTR-7, Klipsch RC-3 Center and Matching Klipch Surrounds. I listed to every pair of Klipsh front speakers (RS-3 I think) and others. JBL, Infinity etc..... I ended up keeping my Forte II's and I bought some cheapo's for the downstairs. Until the Wood falls off the box I think I will keep these baby's!

Maybe we can get Klipsch to bring back the Forte and Chorus Series? New Updated III series.

Soundstage, musical presentation, solid & definitive

Size may be a factor in some rooms

Model: Klipsch Forte II. Year: 1989. I was not looking for speakers but came upon an ad in the newspaper selling these for $300/pair, including a set of Monster Cable M1 speaker cables. I knew I had to act quickly, and after seeing these
in excellent condition, forked over the cash.
Upon installation in my 11 X 18' carpeted basement room, the
initial presentation was similar to my CSW combo, but not as much deep bass compared to the sub. As my listening evaluation got more involved, I noticed better definition of instruments and an "open, airy" sound, which made the performers seem "more" lifelike.
My current equipment lineup includes a Hafler XL280 amp, Hafler 110 Preamp, Marantz CD63, Music Hall MMF turntable w/cheap Grado cartridge.
I will soon be adding the CSW powered sub back in with the Forte's to determine my lower octave needs. I was initially planning to turn these around at a profit, but I can't do it.
Klipsch, thanks for keeping the dream alive!

Similar Products Used:

CSW Ensemble & Powered Sub, Boston Acoustics A150's

power, clarity, power, build quality, power

very directional

Just wanted to throw my $.02 in. I bought a pair of mint Forte-II's private sale for $550 and paid $125 for custom packaging and $100 for freight (18-wheeler, pallet) delivery. These are way beyond the ability of UPS or FedEx to ship without damaging - don't even tempt fate.

I am extremely impressed by the speaker's fluidity and
ability to handle extreme volume without flinching (metal,
space rock, bass-drenched dub). No need for a subwoofer
here, the design throws tons of energy into your floor
and walls (your house is the subwoofer). Excellent low-
bass output, singing mids and highs. Not for apartaments.
These speakers are more like refined PA cabs. Before
buying them, I tried a couple B&W's at the local audio
store, which also had a pair of used Klipsch Quartets (little brother to Forte I). The B&W's were tall, elegant and smooth, but sounded like a warzone when pushed to 12 o'clock, and blew their grilles off and looked like they
were going to explode. A poor showing. The Quartets looked ugly even for cinder blocks, but blew the doors off the listening room. I decided to buy Klipsch, but go one step bigger. I'll keep these forever.

A couple things to watch out for: the binding posts aren't
the best (mine swim in their insert, I need to take them
out periodically and retighten them), but they are large and accommodating. The speakers are very directional - they "radiate" lots of sound out the passive radiator in the back, but the fronts fire straight and true - aim them well for your listening space. Also, given the bass output of these (and the floor/wall coupling), these things will shake
the daylights out of the rest of your components. I had to move my CD player into another room (no basement - cement pad) to prevent skipping.

Review system:

fronts:
Acurus A250 2ch amp
Kimber Kable silver streak interconnects
Analysis Plus Oval 9 speaker cables
Klipsch Forte II

rears:
Acurus A100x3 3ch amp
Kimber Kable hero interconnects
Radio Shaft 16gauge bulk speaker cable
Pioneer GS-203 100w bookshelves

source:
Acurus RL-11 preamp
Onkyo Integra 730 CD player
Monster Interlink-200 interconnect (4m - gets the CD player out to the concrete room)
Panamax 1000 line conditioner

-mtw

Similar Products Used:

boston acoustics, mirage, b&w, pioneer

Dynamics

A little harsh

These are incredible speakers for some, not for others. Some people only need 1/2 hour to fall in love with them, others buy them on E-Bay and then complain (an absurd way to buy speakers especially given the subjective nature of speaker evaluation). These kind of people also resort to juvenile name calling like jock sniffer, directed at those that like them. Anyone that buys a speaker without reviewing them theirselves can be categorized as fools who are easily separated from their money. These speakers, like other Klipsch speakers, are often loved or hated by those that review them.

I'll give the guy who bought them exactly what he thinks they are worth. He can email the price to me and if it is consistent with his review, they are sold.

Similar Products Used:

KG 4.5's, Definitive Tech

High Sensitivity, Tremendous Dynamic Range, Suberb Clarity of Sound - Handcrafted in the US

Needs a sub for the lowest registers, its fine to about 30 HZ but then needs help for the 15-30 hz range.

This baby can crank!!! Sounds clear as a bell and tight as a drum. Very high sensitivity, do not need a kilowatt amp to drive 'em.

They sound fantastic on Classical, Rock & Roll, New Age....

The only thing that I have that beats them is the pair of Klipschorhs I have... but that's another story...