So back in November I stopped by my local Goodwill on the way home and walked down the aisles. I've done it so many times it takes only 60 seconds to hit every hot spot in this Goodwill. Being on the way home its actually faster to go inside the Goowill, hit up all the stuff, and leave cutting through the parking lot since it bypasses the stoplight. Anyways there was nothing of note today...until I rounded the corner of the taller shelves and saw two gigantic black box speakers. Not the thin sexy ones you see today, but the big wide heavy ones of yesteryear. They had the odd looking copper name badges with copper lettering... Klipsch. I'd never seen these before, so I flipped them around and saw "Forte II". I had certainly heard of them. These are legendary. How much are they? Well each is labeled $75, but usually they give me a pair price. No big deal. I carry one to the front and ask them to watch it as I get the other one. I carry each of these 70lb suckers to the front and get in line. Theres another Vietnamese patron in front of me buying a Yamaha electronic keyboard (full sized) for $25. Rosey (my girlfriend) paid like $200+ for hers a few years ago. That's a deal if I ever saw one. What's funny is the stand they were selling with it was $50. That made absolutely no sense. I guess he felt screwed but I told him the keyboard was still a good deal. Well since he felt apt to not get the best deal, he had to share that with me after we discussed it. My turn to check out, she asks me how much they are, and I say $75. She's like a pair? I say yes, you guys price speakers by the pair. The Vietnamese guy is like nooooo they're $75 EACH! I guess since she had to radio back to get the price on the keyboard stuff he wanted me to not get the best deal too. She radios the guy in the back.... asks him if they're priced each or a pair. It's all static as she has to repeat about ten times as I'm aching to get out the door and not pay any more than I have to.
Finally the guy spells it out for he on the radio: "$75 EACH". I win I guess, as the Vietnamese guy stammers out the door. I didn't even test these yet, but screw it they're worth it. I pay with my usual credit card and 10% off card. $70 for a pair of Fortes that could easily sell for $600 low and $900 high? That's a deal. I cart them out to my car, and realize my 09 Cadillac CTS isn't a Caddy of yesteryear, where trucks were measured in bodies and not golf clubs. There's no way they're fitting in here. Well I picked one up and forced it in the trunk width wise... amazingly one fit with it going left to right instead of long ways in. I put the second one in and it fits exactly. As I'm loading this second one in a 40 something year old man who looks like he crawled out of the woodwork approaches me with his son, holding some old receiver in his hands. He doesn't look happy.
"Hey I was going to buy those, I just went home to pick up my receiver to make sure they worked!" All I could say was "Sorry?" as I quickly loaded the speaker, somehow fitting exactly in the tiny trunk. I closed the trunk and hear him stammer into the Goodwill. "I'm going to give that damn lady a piece of my mind.....and it faded into angry gibberish." First come first served I guess, I didn't hesitate and I went home with them. That's how I roll at thrift stores.
I get them home and have Rosey help me unload them. Another bit of money spent...but these probably won't be flipped. They're in great condition, all drivers work, all original surrounds and cones. They're 3 way, with two horns, a 12" active driver, and a 15" passive radiator in the back.
I hooked them up and the sound is wonderful. They were in my 2 channel set up for about a month before I cleaned up and moved them to my main home theater. They are still being used today, along with my Klipsch KG4 speaker that I use as a center channel (more on that in another blog).
These are in my "keeper" stash.
Ratings:
Status: Keeper
Condition: 4.75 Stars
Cost: 1 Star
Flippable: 5 Stars
Potential Income: 5 Stars
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