Forte F 44 Preamplifier with Remote - Rare

Free Shipping on *ALL* Electronics (Excluding Speakers, Contiguous 48 US States Only)

This is the first time we've had a Forte preamp come through the shop, so we thought we would make a video showing you some of the unique features, like the motorized volume and source selector controls.

Check out our video review to see this working live:

This is the Forte F 44 preamp, ranked somewhere in the middle of Forte's offerings. The company is no longer around but was a solid brand and did very well in the 80's and 90's.  All designed and built here in the USA.

This is a line level preamp meaning it does not have a built in phono section. So those of you who want to use a turntable would need to resort to an external phono preamp.  This does have the proper input(s) available (High Level via HL1 / HL2) for connecting your external tube or solid state phone preamp.

Quite simple and elegant in operation it has just the things you'll actually need - a "level" knob which is your volume control, a balance control, a record input selector knob, and finally the source input selector knob.

It is remote controllable, although it does not use *any* elaborate digital circuity for this remote control functionality.  It actually utilizes a motorized action for both the source selector and the level control.  This ensures the signal path isn't degraded by a bunch of additional circuity.

While other preamps sometimes have a motorized volume control, we rarely (if ever) recall seeing this on other preamps.
It's about a 1U rack size, buy while it looks like it has rack mounts there are no holes drilled into the ears.  On the back you'll see both balanced and unbalanced  inputs and outputs.

There's a single set of XLR balanced inputs, a plethora of analog RCA line level inputs, three RCA line level outputs, and a single set of XLR balanced outputs to connect to your amplifier. There's a Forte data bus connection which was proprietary, allowing you to control other Forte equipment via your F 44. 

Condition is very good - we don't see a single scratch, dent, or scrape on it.  We would rate it about a 9 out of 10 for physical condition (We reserve a 10 for pieces that were essentially never used without a fingerprint to be seen).

The remote is not in the greatest condition, there is some wear on it, and it's missing the rear battery door cover.  We'll try to source one for you before you buy.

This was fully tested in our lab and listening room where it passed with flying colors.  Really not a single issue - the power supply is strong, all capacitors are super healthy, and all the potentiometers are free from any noise, scratchiness, or contamination.

This is a wonderful preamp and very tough to match in the price range that we're asking.  Due to simplicity in design it should pretty much work for another 20-30 years without any issues.

Specifications:
Frequency response:  1Hz to 200kHz
Total harmonic distortion:  0.005%
Signal to noise ratio:  100dB (line)
Output:  3V (Pre out)
Dimensions:  17 x 2.5 x 9.5 inches
Weight:  5lbs
Accessories:  Remote Control

Click here for a PDF copy of the Owner's Manual