Review: ALK Engineering Forte I crossover upgrade

My impression is the midrange sounds a bit soft and compressed. Veiled, maybe. I had another set of Fortes with just the Bob Crites Sonicap upgrade that sounded, like the beginning post from Telefunken said, crisp at low volumes. That was what I was expecting to hear.

Not sure why you were expecting your stock Forte's to sound like your ALK Fortes's, but what you described in this quote is similar to what I experienced the first time listening (besides sounding compressed). I specifically said, "I was used to the high frequencies being very crisp and detailed at low volume levels, which I didn't get from the ALK crossovers at first. They sounded slightly laid back to me at first, which I then grew to appreciate the more I listened and the more I turned the volume up." I also kept describing the midrange as smooth yet detailed, which is not how I would describe a stock Forte at all. The 3-D imaging of instruments I described was already there with the stock Forte's, then it was enhanced with the ALK mod...but this is not to say they were transformed into a $50,000 pair of speakers with the instruments specifically detailed throughout your listening area.

Now, my review (opinion) is not the end all, but I did try to describe in all honestly what my ears heard with my own equipment.

Either way, your post made me think you were looking for "crisp at low volumes" from the ALK crossover, which I did not describe as such. I also noted that all the differences I heard come off very subtle at first.


Anyhow, hope you enjoy both pairs of Fortes, they're a great speaker paired with tubes. :yes:
 
When talking about the ALK crossovers, "crisp at low volumes" without the ALKs can also be translated into a little too much interaction between the mid/tweeter at the handoff point, resulting in unwanted distortion. When you remove that infighting between drivers, you get smoother, cleaner, and a more relaxed output.

ALKs excel at being driven hard, and are superb for classical, jazz, and high volume listening. My Klipsch rocker friends who like rock and don't like volume tend to like Crites crossovers more.

I run ALKs on the modded KHorns, the RF7s, and the Cornwalls, with an extra set on reserve. Al and Bob are both great resources for the Klipsch community.:thmbsp:
 
I can see what you are saying about the difference between the ALK and Crites crossovers. I'm looking for both and believe I can achieve more detail and sparkle out of the ALK design. I was able to finagle, for a price, a pair of ti midranges from Klipsch this afternoon, so I'll see what effect that has before I go crazy swapping caps.
 
I can see what you are saying about the difference between the ALK and Crites crossovers. I'm looking for both and believe I can achieve more detail and sparkle out of the ALK design. I was able to finagle, for a price, a pair of ti midranges from Klipsch this afternoon, so I'll see what effect that has before I go crazy swapping caps.

I had a mock up Forte I a while back with the xover outboard so that I could change the mix more easily. The stock xover always sounded better with the enclosures closer to the wall and no toe-in. This off axis positioning gave me a more familiar tonal balance. Toed-in towards the listening position pushed the presence and high range too much upward.

The ALK xover (my build) offered a completely different tonal balance. I preferred the enclosures a little further out in the room and toed-in a bit. This allowed me to change up the positioning to smooth out the mid bass and sound stage.

If you are used to truly lower listening volumes the tilted high end of the stock system may give a high end boost similar to the "Loudness" function of receivers of yesteryear. Well, half of the function since it boosted bass and treble. Your description reminds me of why there was a Loudness control.

I am pretty sure simply changing the caps will not get you what you want.

David
 
As stated in the title, this thread is my review on the ALK Engineering Forte I crossovers. I've only had them installed for about 10 days now. I have titanium tweeter diaphragms also, just an FYI.

If you'd like to see the build thread, it's right here.

I was using Bob Crites' crossovers prior to the ALK's for about 3.5 years and loved them. I listen to all kinds of music and have used all types of gear with the Fortes...always preferred tubes, though I'm forced to use solid-state for the time being, but I'm not complainingl. My system during review consists of a Marantz SA8003 SACD player that I've been using since 2009 (only thing that has never left my system), Denon DP-3000 w/ Acos Lustre GST-1 arm and Shure M97xE cart, Yamaha C-60 pre, Yamaha M-60 and a 60GB iPod which feeds FLAC files to the Marantz. Kimber Kable 8VS and Hero are used for connections.

I was used to the high frequencies being very crisp and detailed at low volume levels, which I didn't get from the ALK crossovers at first. They sounded slightly laid back to me at first, which I then grew to appreciate the more I listened and the more I turned the volume up. This is from less overlap in the mid/high frequencies according to Al. You can really crank these without smearing the soundstage now, but they still sound great down low. The midrange grabbed me right away as being very smooth and less "honky" than I remember, which wasn't that much anyways, but notable. A lot of the little differences I'll describe are subtle at first but then become apparent as you listen to your favorite source material. That being said, this new found clarity and depth in the midrange is as much of an upgrade as you'd get from changing to higher quality ancillary gear, I kid you not. I do listen to FLAC files often but now I get the sense that I can hear more of the digital compression, even thought it's 1:1 (lossless). Switching to the same album on CD proved me right in the fact that I couldn't hear the slight grainy-ness as I did with the iPod. I couldn't really tell the difference before, except with my Alon IV's.

The soundstage they create is pinpoint accurate to the point where a local friend who has heard these speakers a ton of times said, "I feel like I can reach out and touch the instruments." I felt the same way and it was a recording we had heard many times. The imaginary center channel they create is more precise than before. They seem to represent the recordings better, in a more natural way...the instruments actually do sound just a little more real than before. The tones of hollow bodies, strings and wind instruments really come to life with the right material. Vocals have more air and throaty-ness. The graphs that Al shows in the construction of these shows a flatter frequency response, which is where I think some of this more natural sound is coming from. That, and the fact that Klipsch's stock design doesn't even use the first few hundred hertz of the midrange crossover point. So, I'm actually gaining crucial midrange information with the ALK's. Bad recordings don't benefit from the upgrade though, in fact, more of their shortcomings are now audible.

When the low end is needed they are no slouch, thanks in part to the larger gauge inductors. I sealed the cabinets up from air when I installed the ALK crossovers, so that might have helped out too. Now I get tighter bass and I feel it really can hit those low end frequency specs with ease. The bass isn't boomey at all but it can rattle the walls when the music calls for it. I think it is slightly stronger than before with better tone definition and the mid-bass carries a little more weight too.

Across the board I'm pretty impressed with this redesigned crossover for an old speaker. This is a case where an old dog really can learn new tricks. As I said above, these changes come off as subtle at first, but then become very noticeable once you dig in to some well known recordings. The midrange smoothness is the most notable of all, definitely the main attraction in this upgrade. Another really nice feature is their near ruler flat resistance (5.5ohm +/- 0.5ohm) which makes them a way better match with Single-Ended tube amps than the stock crossover. Any amp will benefit from this but the lower the power, the more this comes into play.

I tried not to exaggerate...but your ears and gear might get slightly different results. Hopefully this helps anyone thinking of trying these crossovers out, I know there's not much out there to read up on. If you have any questions about stuff I didn't cover, let me know and I'll try to answer them as best I can. I'd recommend them if you've got the upgrade bug and want to kick the Forte up a notch. :yes:

Thanks for reading!
Cory
How are you playing Flac files from the iPod? iTunes doesn't recognize that file type.
 
Do you still have your Klipsch? What have you done to them since your last post in'14? Impressions now of the ALK s?
 
Do you still have your Klipsch? What have you done to them since your last post in'14? Impressions now of the ALK s?

Unfortunately I do not...I was forced to sell ALL of my main system in February 2013. Since then I have been able to piece together a new system, which is still growing. It's much different now, but change isn't always a bad thing.
 
I know I'm reviving an OLD thread, but I wanted to share my experience, in case anyone comes across this while researching ALK crossovers, as I did.

My system is pretty straightforward. Running iTunes and Amarra HiFi on a MacBook Pro, with SSD, via USB out, to a Parasound Halo Integrated, to Klipsch Forte II and a HSU VTF-3 Mk 5 Subwoofer. The Forte's have the titanium mid & tweeter diaphragms and Crites rebuilt crossovers. My only complaint with this system, and it hasn't really been a complaint, is that at times the Fortes sound harsh and congested. I always assumed it was a combo of the source material and the speakers. I considered it the price of admission for owning the Fortes and something I could put up with, in order to get all of the other benefits of the Forte.

Enter the ALK crossovers. I read all of the reviews that I could find and went back and for MONTHS, before plunking down my money and deciding to give the ALK's a try. Short review, this is a no brainer! If you're on the fence, just go for it!

Within literally 30 seconds of installing and listening to them, the ALK's cleared up any and all issues that I had with the Fortes.
1) There is no more harshness. None! Gone! I can now listen for hours, without getting the ear fatigue that would set in with the standard crossover. I’ve read that some interpret this harshness as “dynamics” and that when it’s gone, they perceive the speaker to be less dynamic. That was not my experience at all. The speaker is still as dynamic as it’s always been, just without the grainy harshness that can make your ears hurt.
2) The ALK also cleaned up the congestion that the Forte can exhibit. I was now able to hear instruments and sounds in a more defined soundstage, hear more detailed sounds and I know it’s a cliché, but I was honestly hearing things I had never heard before, from recordings that I had listened to hundreds of times.

I had been toying around with the idea of trying to find some new speakers. I knew I’d be hard pressed to find the dynamics, sensitivity and full range of the Forte, for anywhere near its price, but I was getting tired of my ears hurting after 30 minutes of listening. Not anymore. With this upgrade, I will be holding on to the Forte’s for a long time.
 
Ecruz, this is exactly the kind of “reviving” these posts need for those of us still chasing our audio dragons!

Balancing accute detail and outstanding dynamic range is a tall order.

Introducing titanium diaphragms into the mix pushes it even farther.

All that information needs to be reigned in by the crossover.

Thanks for your post!

Anybody else have experiences with the ALK’s they would care to share?
 
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