solarcarl
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Posts posted by solarcarl
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I'm happy to keep experimenting with that mod but I need some suggestions as to where to go with it. I would guess a lot of the trick is in tuning the ports. Also this could be another case where the computer modelling looks good on paper and just doesnt deliver in real world. Carl
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First let me address the tweeter question. I tried the tweeters in both vertical and horizontal orientation and horizontal seemed to carry a wider sweet spot and also with the brackets I made I can angle them up or down as desired so it was the better way to orient them.
The bass port mod; I wish I could say I'd never go back but I thought they detracted from the bottom end. One thing I've come to appreciate about Klipsch folded horn woofers is that low notes sound like faithful representations of the instruments and with cheap speakers all the low details wash out and any lows just end up sounding like"duff,duff". Well some of that fine detailing in the midbass seemed to go away when I put the bass bins under the speakers and my original reason for doing that mod was to get lower and punchier bass and that never emerged with this mod. I also have Vandersteens and at times I like their low end punch but I also hear them make floppy bass sounds lacking detail and find myself missing the La Scalas. I had a sub-woofer that I used to run but couldnt stand what it did to music. A kick drum shouldnt sound like the same kind of rumble you get from a bass string rattling.
I used these plans that someone had posted on this forum earlier and used the bass tubes as recommended which are 4" diameter and 7" long. Actually Parts Express had some that were very close to that size and had flared mouths, part number 260-480. They call the 7 5/8 long x 3 3/4s but the taper of the tube goes from that to 4 1/4 at the mouth and averaged 4". The length came out almost exactly 7". The cabinets were 1/2" MDF. The lumberyard only had that or 1" and I didnt think it would make a huge difference but 3/4" would have been my preference.They were loosly filled with fiberglass batting insulation.
I just didnt find any improvement other than when you were sitting on the couch in front of them you could feel more of the bass hitting your body but they didnt sound any deeper and if anything weaker. If there are some tweeks anyone can recommend, I'd be happy to try them. I did think of cutting the opening where they match the doghouse to allow me to point the ports out the back and see if that helped.
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That pic was of a dog some guy was giving away because his wife didnt like it. She claimed it would always follow her into the bathroom and stare at her while she showered and that was creeping her out.
The La Scalas just rested on the bass boxes with sealing tape between them so it was easy to A/B them and now put them in storage.
The speakers sound brilliant and the comment I read somewhere that the tweeters actually breakin may be true because my first reaction was the highs were a bit annoying and them after a few CDs they sounded smoother. If I did want to dampen the tweeters a bit to keep with the crossovers ability to lower the squawkers therefore bringing out more of the bass would it be reasonable to use L-pads in the tweeter path or what is the correct way to do that? Carl
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Here is the finished setup. Too bad the bass ports didnt do any good. Much better sounding with the stock base which I added floor spikes to.
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View of the Audioquest Bedrock cable going bi-wired into the ALK Universal networks. Not sure if there is a way to do that with AA networks.
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Here is the simple way I dealt with mounting the tweeter. I like the fact I can angle it. Carl
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After spending time with my La Scala's fresh from a series of mods here is what I have to report.
Tearing out the squawker horns, cutting into the cabinets and fitting the pair of Altec 511Bs with my original K-55 drivers was a great move. The mid range sounds a lot richer and took these speakers to a new level.
Upgrading to Bob's new tweeters was another good move. Two thumbs up on those. I'm listening to some nice guitar picking music and finally hearing detail I never was getting before. Since the 511s took up the whole top of the cabinet I mounted the tweeters on aluminum brackets above the horns.The brackets bend with some force, allowing me to point them.
I also upgraded the crossovers to Al's universal networks that I bought in kit form and assembled myself. That was pretty straightforward but somewhat tedious for someone that didnt grow up handling a soldering iron. I got the Hovland cap option, couldnt hurt. One thing I did was install two sets of 5-way jacks into the back of the speakers that I wired to the crossovers in bi-wire configuration. All of my other speakers are bi-wired and my cables are already set up for it and from what I've read some claim it improves the sound.I just did an A/B a few times which was easy by pulling the jumpers away and listen up all you naysayers, there was a noticeable difference. In bi-wire mode I noticed a lot more detailed sound and the mids and highs were more distinct. The ultimate test would be to see if my girlfriend could here the difference but I'm willing to bet I could sit any of you in front of my system and you would notice it.
These suckers sound like new speakers. Since I did all the upgrades together I cant rave about one thing over the other but they sound a ton better from the top to the bottom. One thing I noticed and this is in spite of what Al had told me was that the speakers sounded better after they got a few hours on them and I can only attribute that to the caps and other crossover parts breaking in. As for bang for the buck, I had swapped a pair of nos american tubes into my amp tonight in place of the russian ones I had and that was a dramatic and suprising improvement and a lot cheaper than all these other mods.
I saved the worst for last. I built some of the bass reflex bins to go under the La Scala's and would have to say that they actually made the bass sound worse. I have A/B'd them a few times and they seem to rob some of the mib-bass and loose whatever punchiness was there. I did notice that you could actually feel the bass on your stomach with the bass ports installed but that wasnt accompanied by any other desireable quality.
Anyone in the Bay Area curious about this mod is welcome to borrow my bass boxes. I may flip them upside down and use them as pedestals to put the speakers up higher as I think there was some value in that.
I wanted to post some pics but I dont see that option. Carl
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Let me try that again and hopefully the pic appears.
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I'm almost done with the mods on the La Scalas. Heres a pic of one of the speakers. Note The new Crite tweeter on top of the 511B. I still need to finish assembling the networks and then time for some listening . Carl
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I'll glue some foam tape around the edge of the cutout and just set the speaker on top of the base with no screws. I just got my crossover kits today and its supposed to rain all week so I'll be doing some soldering and tinkering instead of working outside.Carl
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Here's one more for having done the mod. I stuck with the plan that was posted in terms of dimensions. It took one sheept of MDF exactly and four ports that were flared and almost exactly 7" long.Unlike my usual style of A/B ing things I gutted the speakers and swapped out crossovers and horns and so whatever sound I get will be a sum of all the mods together. I can easily pull the bass bins away and slap the stock bottom covers back on for comparison but for the rest there is no turning back. I'd never have done all these crazy things to my speakers if it wasnt for you guys.
I dont know what they sound like yet because I still have to put Als crossover kits together first.
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Mine are due in tomorrow but I have to tell you guys, I was convinced this was the way to go and searched Ebay for a pair of K-77s and after the bid closed for $150 on them I contacted the guy that lost the bid and offered him mine for what he had bid the other ones for, $140 and essentially my pair of CTs has cost me $10. I sold my K-55s on Ebay for $250 which more than paid for my 511Bs and the grills that were no longer needed for $80.Same kind of story with the networks, making way for the new ALKs. The way I see it, upgrading, you cant loose. It pays for itself if you do it right. The point of no return has been crossed and I no longer have stock and probably wont fetch the highest resale value some day but I have La Scalas that will sound as good as possible and that is of higher value to me than stock. I tweek everything I own sooner or later but it rarely pays for itself like playing with something as desireable as Klipsch stuff. Carl
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Okay, I promise not to do that to your new tweeters. Actually just tonight I got some Dynamat and slapped a bit on the 511s. After playing with that stuff I went to Ebay and bought myself 50 sq ft of it( I'm going to soundproof my diesel delivery truck, before I go too deaf to appreciate your tweeters) Carl
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Okay, I'm too much of a newbie to get that one. Someone enlighten me? Carl
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I'm getting ready to do the cutting and pop in the 511Bs I got from Shawn and thats the point of no return so the old squawker horns( minus drivers) will be looking for a new home. This pair has the rope caulk added( it came in two colors so I got creative) Anyone interested, please make an offer. Carl
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Dean: thanks again for your hard work on those. I remember the caps self-destructed on the journey to you. I did do one addition to those. I eventually replaced the inductor with some of those Erse Super Qs that Parts Express sells after you made mention of them in some post. When I pulled the crossovers to sell them was when I finally installed the new inductors so I didnt even get to listen to them.Any feedback on the sound difference?
I'm getting ready to put some of Al's kits together and was glad to offer these back to the Klipsch community. Actually a guy is coming over tomorrow to get them( how easy is that) Carl
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I take it by PM you mean message but my box doesnt show one. You can contact me at solarcruzer@yahoo.com. Also I apologize for the size of the jpeg, I sent what I thought was only 30% of that, oops.Carl
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I'm selling a pair of AA crossovers that Dean had rebuilt about six months ago with Auricaps. They were a very apparent improvement to the sound quality of my La Scala's and I'd highly recommend the upgrade to anyone with original AA networks. There are two leads to choose from for lowering or raising the squawker by 3db( that in combination with a resistor ) Currently in the -3db position, which sounds great. . I'm selling them only because I am revamping the tweeters, squawkers, and adding bass reflex ports and will be running completely different ALK crossovers. I'm asking $220 for them, shipping included. Carl
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How badly will it affect the resale value to cut into the original Klipsch cabinet and mount these monsters? I only paid $200 for mine and have turned down an offer of $1100 but its comforting to think I could get that much some day after quality improvements and lots of enjoyment out of them. Carl
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Now that I have decided to build a pair of the the bass port bins to go under my La Scalas, I wish I'd paid more attention when folks discussed the mod. The fact is, I like more bass than the La Scalas give me and that will be the only thing lacking after I swap in Als universal networks, Bobs tweeters and 511B horns. I love the La Scalas but after setting them aside for the mods and listening to my Vandersteens, I find myself missing the LS mids and highs but hearing things in the bottom that were so lacking with the LSs. Something needs to be done for me to sleep a contented man.
So, I have the nice exploded pic of the bass port , have some basic dimensions and understand the concept but what is the tradeoff? Will the bass sound tubby? Will the woofer have to work much harder? I'd love to hear from those that have done it. Is 4"diameter plastic pipe the agreed upon size and what lengths are good? How does changing length affect bass? Thanks in advance, I tried the search thing and now see what the complaints are all about with that. Carl
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I measure 1 5/8" ID on the horn throat and 1" on the plastic adapters I already picked up. So how does this affect the sound compared to the 511Bs? Carl
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I just bought a set of Altec 511 E horns to swap out the existing squawkers in my La Scalas. All the talk I've heard about this swap seems to be around using the 511B which was what I thought the guy was selling me. He goofed up and I have the "E" version. The dimension of the flange is the same in spite of some chart showing otherwise so I know I can make it fit but what about the sound characteristics? Altec claimed the same dispersion angles and frequency on both the B and the E. Am I going to get the right results with these horns or should I get my money back and shop for Bs? I will be using Al's Universal networks and Bobs new tweeters with them.Carl
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I know that almost all the hi-end speakers are bi-wireable and even though nobody really knows how it works, enough people preach the benefits and I want to give it a whirl. So whats the easy way to do that with AA networks? I stared at them trying to make sense of it but I could use some help please.
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While I'm at it with re-capping my E-2 networks I thought trying something I saw posted. One guy moved one of the taps on the inductor and raved about how it gave more bass. My T2a is currently stock. What would I do to get the effect he described?
Report on modded/ upgraded La Scala's
in Technical/Restorations
Posted
I agree that my listening space may be comprimising the effects of that bass mod but it would be more comprimising to take them outside mainly due to the neighbors. I'll wait till I move to a new house with more space and then revisit this experiment. Here is a pic of my current listening room which has the roof coming down at a 45 degree angle, kinda screwy for any speaker. I recently tried some Magnepan's and I must say they blew the Klipsch away in certain aspects of the listening experience. Carl