Klipsch forte II what league are they in?

With about 10wpc from 20' on my deck, "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" sounds incredible. My moronically cheap T-amp/Playstation 1/ Forte II combo still amazes me!
$81 source and amp...people just shake their heads...

I have had them all too. 40 years of trying to find the "holy grail" I am not going to mention the brands as not to offend folks. Got a little curious about tripath amps and that led me to Forte II's. I have had great SS and tube amps but this T chip amp is fascinating. Topping 20. Not worth a crap on low efficiency speakers but paired with speakers 96db/w/m or greater, "holy smokes". $75 amp with $500 Forte II's will embarrass some $4000 systems enjoyed by people on this forum.

I bought a nice looking used pair of Forte IIs about a year ago and liked them, but didn't love them. I decided to buy all of the Crites upgrades (midrange and tweeter diaphragms, crossovers) to see what would happen. They made all of the difference in the world. Now they do everything well. Clear, clean, dynamic full range sound. No harshness in the treble. Remarkable! They're as good as, or better than, any other speaker I've ever owned (Thiel, Fried, Paradigm, and many others).

They are a bargain at their used price. If they were re-issued they would sell new for over $3000. Also a great online community and suppliers of hardware for upgrading crossovers, drivers, etc. Probably easier to get parts for a 20-year old Klipsch than a 5-year old Mirage speaker.

I like mine well enough… I have speakers by B&W (600 series) and Martin Logan (SL3) as well… for Rock and Loud music the Forte IIs are awesome and beat the others in my list… and do not need much power… great if you are on a budget (but DO use a high current amp)… SO I would say they are major league players… but need the right amp… (not an expensive one)… bang for the buck they can't be beat. The Martin Logans are better for Jazz and vocals… but can't play as loud… and need a MUCH better amp… both high current and wattage to sound good and that is a tough combo… and room size and placement is a bigger issue with the MLs… Klipsch seem happy in the corners and not too fussy otherwise…