In this review, we will be comparing Forte IV and Jubilee, two Passive Floor-standing speakers by Klipsch
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Klipsch Forte IV and Klipsch Heritage Jubilee first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
Klipsch Forte IV Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1" horn-loaded Tweeter
- 1.75" Midrange
- 12" Fibercomposite Woofer
- 38-20k Hz Frequency Response
- 99 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:up to 100watts
- Weight:32.73kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 35-3/4" x 16-5/8" x 13" ( 909.0 x 423.0 x 331.0mm )
Klipsch Heritage Jubilee Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- 7" Compression Horn Tweeter
- 2 x 12" Fibre composite Woofer
- 18-20k Hz Frequency Response
- 107 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:300-1200watts
- Weight:185.00kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 69" x 50" x 30-1/4" ( 1753.0 x 1270.0 x 768.0mm )
Forte IV and Jubilee are members of Klipsch's Heritage series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Klipsch Heritage Series
History
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the Klipsch Forte IV and Klipsch Heritage Jubilee compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Forte IV is a 3-way design whereas the Jubilee is a 2-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
| Driver |
Klipsch Forte IV |
Klipsch Heritage Jubilee |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
7-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 1.75-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 12-inch
|
2 x 12-inch
|
Forte IV features a 1" titanium-diaphragm compression horn-loaded Tweeter , a 1.75" Midrange and 1 x 12" Fibercomposite Woofer . On the other hand, the Jubilee features a 7" Titanium diaphragm Compression Horn Tweeter and 2 x 12" Fibre composite Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 340Hz.
Frequency Response
Forte IV has a frequency range of 38-20k Hz whereas Jubilee has a frequency range of 18-20k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 18Hz, the Jubilee can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Forte IV's min frequency of 38Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
High Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Impedance and Sensitivity
Forte IV and Jubilee have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Forte IV sensitivity is rated at 99 dB and the Jubilee's is at 107 dB. This 8 dB difference makes the Klipsch Heritage Jubilee a more sensitive speaker compared to Klipsch Forte IV, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. While using
an amplifier within this range ensures the nominal performance , inputting a power that is higher than the
max wattage can result in a damaged speaker.
Forte IV can handle a max power of 1200 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Forte IV has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS , 1100 watts less than the Jubilee.
Keep in mind that a higher max power handling value doesn't necessarily make that a louder speaker
compared to a lower max handling speaker. Loudness or the sound level is also impacted by parameters
such as Impedance, sensitivity and system efficiencies.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Forte IV features Post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Jubilee has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Forte IV has a rear firing port whereas Jubilee has a front firing ports. Klipsch Heritage Jubilee's front-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to Klipsch Forte IV with its rear-firing port.
Physical Specs
Size of a speaker can sometimes become an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Klipsch Forte IV's and Klipsch Heritage Jubilee's external dimensions. Klipsch Forte IV has external dimensions of 909.0 x 423.0 x 331.0mm ( 35-3/4 x 16-5/8 x 13inch) whereas Klipsch Heritage Jubilee has external dimensions of 1753.0 x 1270.0 x 768.0mm ( 69 x 50 x 30-1/4inch) .
Klipsch Heritage Jubilee is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 847mm wider, 844mm taller and 437mm deeper than Klipsch Forte IV.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Klipsch Forte IV is approximately 1400.1cm2 / 217.0inch2 and base area of the Klipsch Heritage Jubilee is approximately 9753.6cm2 / 1,511.8inch2. The Forte IV requires 86% less surface area than the Jubilee which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.