Klipsch Forte 4 $4500 Per Pair
(35.75h, 16.63w, 13d, 72 lbs, 99 dB SPL, 8 ohms)
The venerable Klipsch Forte has just been updated from version 3 to version 4. Forte 4 is mostly a refined Forte 3. But there are a few twists worth noting.
The biggest difference is that Forte 4 incorporates a new, advanced MYLAR midrange driver in a Tractrix horn configuration. The horn is further tailored with MUMPS technology to significantly improve imaging.
There is a new horn/phase plug for the Titanium tweeter driver to improve dispersion.
The crossover network has been updated and refined.
Forte 4 has a massive image and is great fun to enjoy as the music envelops you. What I hear is the taller, wider soundstage. As you compare Forte 4 to Heresy 4, most customers mention the spacious imaging of Forte 4 as the improvement they notice most.
Forte 4 can be placed near the back wall. No problem! It uses a rear firing passive radiator and doesn’t care if it is a few inches, or feet, off the wall.
Available in black, cherry, walnut or distressed oak. The grill is now a salt and pepper design which everyone loves compared to the old basic black. The distressed wood comes with an off white colored grill.
Bluesound Node 2i $550
There are many streamers out there. There are many preamps or receivers that have streaming components within. Yet I still want you to buy an NAD Bluesound Node 2i. If you have the NAD C658, YOU don’t need one. Everyone else does.
Now, I realize, if you haven’t had much experience with streaming products, you might wonder why I’m so forceful on this topic. I admit I am.
I’m telling you, even warning you, that some of the fanciest names in our biz, that make good sounding electronics, cannot make streamers that don’t hiccup, cough or buffer. It requires a team of technicians to chase the moving target that is the Internet. NAD has devoted resources to this. Its Bluesound division has been killin’ it for five plus years. NAD has proven it can keep up.
We often get asked, what about streamer XYZ from a specialty audio company that even has a server in it for $6k on up. Is that a better choice? NO.
Just because it is more expensive, doesn’t mean it’s a better choice. These specialty companies can’t keep up with the changing landscape as NAD can. They just can’t throw the tech power and expense at the task. NAD is an international giant. It takes resources and commitment to keep all this running. As with your smart phone, the machine itself just touches the surface.
Node 2i sounds very nice on its own, with analog out. But NAD is smart! They know you might want a fancier DAC. DAC technology changes. It makes more sense to buy a Node 2i and a sweet outboard DAC like Mytek Liberty 2 ($1000), than to buy a multi-thousand dollar streamer with built in DAC from a company you’ve barely, or never heard of. With Node 2i in your system, you’re flexible.
You can use it alone, or buy any DAC out there. Maybe there will be state of the art technology coming out tomorrow. With Node 2i, you just buy that DAC.
Mytek Liberty 2 $1000
Mytek is refining its very successful Liberty DAC with a new version, Liberty 2. Liberty 2 will ship any day. It’s already almost two months behind schedule- like most things since C19.
It will have the new 32b Sabre DAC. It will have MQA decoding. It supports single ended and balanced outputs! Inputs include USB-B, Coax 1 & 2, and one Toslink. We’ll be able to offer more when we actually get to hear it. We’re looking forward to its imminent arrival.
Frederic Chopin
Freddie Chopin dedicated a composition to his girlfriend at the time, Countess Potocka.
It turns out their torrid affair was quite brief. It is quite appropriate that the work he dedicated to her was his “Minute Waltz.”