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Home / Hot Stuff / Audio / Klipsch Forte IV speakers are an American classic for a new age

Klipsch Forte IV speakers are an American classic for a new age

Klipsch off the old block

Klipsch loudspeakers have been around since 1946, when Dame Vera Lynn’s ‘We’ll Meet Again’ was still getting a decent hammering on record players. Fast forward to 2021 and it’s more likely to be Ant & Dec’s ‘We’re on the Ball’, but while musical taste hasn’t encountered any discernible evolution, hi-fi equipment has and no more so than on the Klipsch Forte IV (£5,100 per pair). Handcrafted in the US of A, the Klipsch Forte IV represent the third iteration of a speaker series that went into hiding after 1996. Here they get a new three-way design utilising a 12in woofer and horn-loaded midrange and tweeter, with state of the art titanium compression drivers for a smooth and powerful response. New midrange compressions drivers, wide dispersion high frequency phase plugs and a rear-mounted 15in passive radiator are on board to not only bore your pals, but keep frequencies separated and sincere while beautiful dollops of bass play a supporting role. Premium aluminium input panels accommodate large, high-quality speaker cables, while strong binding posts allow for bi-wiring or bi-amping, if that’s your thing. While this sounds like a whole heap of hi-fi, the Klipsch Forte IV have a shallow-ish footprint of 13in deep. Meanwhile, each pair of speakers is grain-matched from the same timber. Choose from American Walnut, Natural Cherry, Black Ash and Distressed Oak – an intentional faded finish, as opposed to the mental state caused by your Euro 2020 playlist.

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About

You’ll find me covering every area of consumer electronics and technology alongside new and inventive ways to campaign for the return of the MiniDisc. A borderline audiophile, I DJ digitally to a mildly acceptable standard at weekends and tend to surround myself with smart home tech at all other times. In short, I’m hackable and likely to be wearing headphones and distracted while it’s happening.

Areas of expertise

Consumer electronics, audio kit, smart home devices and fondly remembered forms of removable media