In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Klipsch. Klipsch Heritage Rebellion is a Bookshelf speaker whereas the Forte IV is a Floor-standing speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Klipsch Heritage Rebellion and Klipsch Forte IV first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Klipsch Heritage Rebellion | Klipsch Forte IV |
|---|
| Brand | Klipsch
United States · founded 1946 | Klipsch
United States · founded 1946 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | Compression Horn | 1" horn-loaded |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 1.75" |
|---|
| Woofer | 8" Paper | 12" Fibercomposite |
|---|
| Frequency response | 60-20k Hz | 38-20k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 95 dB | 99 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | up to 200 watts | up to 100 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 14.51kg / 31.9lbs | 32.73kg / 72lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 19-1/8" x 12" x 9-3/4"
485.0 x 305.0 x 247.0mm | 35-3/4" x 16-5/8" x 13"
909.0 x 423.0 x 331.0mm |
|---|
Rebellion and Forte IV are members of Klipsch's Heritage series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Klipsch Heritage Series
History
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Rebellion is a 2-way design whereas the Forte IV is a 3-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.
Klipsch Heritage RebellionKlipsch Forte IV
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Klipsch Heritage Rebellion |
Klipsch Forte IV |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 1.75-inch |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 8-inch
|
1 x 12-inch
|
Rebellion features a " K-702 driver Compression Horn Tweeter and 1 x 8" Paper Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 715Hz. On the other hand, the Forte IV features a 1" titanium-diaphragm compression horn-loaded Tweeter, a 1.75" Midrange and 1 x 12" Fibercomposite Woofer.
Frequency Response
Rebellion has a frequency range of 60-20k Hz whereas Forte IV has a frequency range of 38-20k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 38Hz, the Forte IV can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Rebellion's min frequency of 60Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Bookshelf class in our database.
Low Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Rebellion and Forte IV have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Rebellion sensitivity is rated at 95 dB and the Forte IV's is at 99 dB. This 4 dB difference makes the Klipsch Forte IV a more sensitive speaker compared to Klipsch Heritage Rebellion, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Bookshelf Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
Rebellion can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS, whereas Forte IV has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS, 100 watts less than the Rebellion.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Klipsch Heritage Rebellion
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Forte IV features Post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Rebellion has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Rebellion and Forte IV have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be 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 Heritage Rebellion's and Klipsch Forte IV's external dimensions. Klipsch Heritage Rebellion has external dimensions of 485.0 x 305.0 x 247.0mm (19-1/8 x 12 x 9-3/4inch) whereas Klipsch Forte IV has external dimensions of 909.0 x 423.0 x 331.0mm (35-3/4 x 16-5/8 x 13inch).
Klipsch Forte IV is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 118mm wider, 424mm taller and 84mm deeper than Klipsch Heritage Rebellion.
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
Klipsch Forte IV needs about 86% more floor or shelf area. Klipsch Forte IV is 84mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Klipsch Forte IV is 424mm taller.
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 Heritage Rebellion is approximately 753.4cm2 / 116.8inch2 and base area of the Klipsch Forte IV is approximately 1400.1cm2 / 217.0inch2. The Rebellion requires 46% less surface area than the Forte IV which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
What's in the Box of Klipsch Forte IV?
Here are the items that come with the Forte IV:
- 2 Floorstanding loudspeakers
- 2 Grilles
- 8 Self-adhesive rubber feet
- Owners Manual
- Congratulations letter
- Klipsch brochure