stereophile.com n August2019 129
Klipsch Forte
First introduced in 1985, the Forte
quickly established itself as the most
popular Klipsch speakers. The elegant
design and outstanding performance
made the Forte a standout among
its competitors. In 2017, we reintro-
duced the Klipsch Forte as part of
our Heritage speaker series. The new
Forte III features updated cosmetics
and the latest advancements in acoustic
engineering, while maintaining the
original charisma that made the Forte
so popular. While we’ve made some
important upgrades to the Forte III, it
remains relatively unchanged since its
inception.
The Forte III enclosure is still made
in the USA, by proud craftsmen in
Hope, Arkansas.
The speakers have updated cosmet-
ics and the latest advancements in
acoustic engineering, while maintain-
ing the original elegant design and
powerful performance that made it so
popular years ago.
The speaker hosts a three-way
design utilizing a 12" woofer and horn-
loaded midrange and tweeter, with all
new state-of-the-art titanium compres-
sion drivers for a smooth and powerful
response.
A new midrange horn incorporates
a modified Tractrix design with pat-
ented Mumps technology to improve
coverage and control of the key mid-
frequency band.
The Forte III employs a rear-
mounted passive radiator that is 15"
in size for greater bass output and
extension.
At just 13" deep, the Klipsch Forte
III solves space issues with its narrow,
shallow footprint while still delivering
room-filling, quality sound.
Each pair of Forte III loudspeakers
is grain-matched using wood veneer
panels that are harvested from the
same timber. The speakers move seam-
lessly together through the factory, and
the finished product is inspected and
labeled with sequential serial numbers,
ensuring that each pair of speakers is
a matched set. The Forte III comes in
four standard finish options: American
Walnut, Natural Cherry, Black Ash,
and new Distressed Oak.
Rob Standley, VP of Global Marketing
and Product Development
Klipsch GroupAesthetix Mimas
It is an honor to have our $7000 inte-
grated put into a $150,000+ system as
its main point of comparison. When
Jason contacted me about reviewing
Mimas and told me about his reference
system, with its $38,000 monoblocks,
I was not the least bit concerned—in
fact, I was delighted at the challenge.
Through the Mimas, Jason wrote,
pounding bass drums “shook my
space.” There was “nothing sluggish
about the sound of this integrated am-
plifier.” These words are a testament
to our transformers (hand-built in our
California factory) and overbuilt power
supplies.
The comments in the comparison at
Jason’s friend Gary’s were even more
pleasing: “I... have never heard it
articulated so forcefully and tunefully.”
“I was able to hear deeper into the
recording, with lifelike image size.”
“I heard more body than head. RT’s
searingly beautiful solo... floated well
beyond the speaker’s confines.” “Lis-
tening... through the Mimas was like
enjoying a vanilla bean affogato on a
summer afternoon—sweet, refreshing,
and ready for another.”
Again, the Mimas is compared to
separate preamplifier and power ampli-
fiers!
John Atkinson measured 180W into
8 ohms and 275W into 4 ohms! While
power is not the be-all and end-all of
any amplifier, we are proud to have
produced an integrated amplifier that
will happily drive almost any loud-
speaker, yet do so with finesse and
delicacy.
Finally, to again quote Jason: “the
Mimas came across as an anything but
lightweight baby that sang out strongly
and packed a mean punch while glow-
ing like a champion.”
Our team is most appreciative of
these kind words and is pleased to have
achieved our lofty aim of bringing
unique and award-winning Aesthetix
technologies into an integrated pack-
age at an attractive price, without any
sacrifice of our core values.
Thank you to Jason and Stereophile.
Jim White, President and Chief Designer
AesthetixANY CLOD CAN HAVE THE FACTS;HAVING OPINIONS IS AN ART
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