Tarheel
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Posts posted by Tarheel
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Tom....this being my second pair in two years I wanted to run it by Al first to make sure I was heading in the right direction. I hope he doesn't mind that I quoted him but thats what he emailed me. I am sorry but I can't elaborate further. As you may have gathered I have little to no skills in speaker building and don't know jack about crossovers and/or horns. Bluesboy, a friend of mine, does all the skilled work and I pay the bills. I also try to do a little research first and the forum is a great place for that.
With the other equipment I have bought this will be my last chance for awhile to "get it right". I love the looks of the big 511 horn exposed and have heard it in a k-horn with the 902 and it sounds great to me. I just bought some 902s on ebay this week and I have the 511 and 811 on hand. I think I will buy the xover kit from ALK and experiment with the two horns before the cab is built for the midrange. The bass bins are already underway. I also will buy the adaptor kit and try the k-55 with the new horns.
And just think....until I heard Bluesboys new K-horns with the 511b and Altec 902s and ALK xovers I was fairly content with my LS.
Why don't you start your project first and I can go to school on your efforts?
Chuck
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There's a forum member working on installing a pair of trackhorns in his LaScala's, not sure how that is coming along. But assume for now, they will sit on top of the LaSala cabs.
Wouldn't that pay for the trackhorns?
Use the k-55s with the trachorns?
I will be building from scratch so I would be building a new cabinet for the horn either way I proceed.
Chuck
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Welcome to the forum Vito!
Chuck
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I am running a 511B with my La Scala's and it is head and shoulders better than the K400. However, I am using the Klipsch K55 driver with mine. Like someone else mentioned the La Scala bass horn rolls off well below 800hz and therefore rules out the 811B.
I suggest you try just the 511B's with your existing drivers first and then go from there. In order to use the K55's you will need an adaptor that allows the 511B's to mate to them. You can get this adaptor from Parts Express for about $5. I'll find the part number for you.
Mike
Thanks Mike.... that is an idea I had not considered. If you can get me the part number I would appreciate it. Can I use the BEC cossover to this?
Chuck
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Thanks guys for all the good advice and comments. I still don't know what I will do but there are a lot of options....I just want to do it right this time since this will be the second pair of LS in two years and I want it to be the last. On the plus side I have a pair of 511horns and a pair of 811 horns on hand. I could take Mike's idea and hook those up to the k-55 drivers after I get the adaptors and see how the horns sound compared to the k-400 I am not fond of.
If cost was not a consideration I would just get the trachorn and ALK crossover and be done with it. Those 2 items alone would exceed my cost for all components in the first pair of LS! Then I would have to buy the k-33 and Beymas plus pay Bluesboy at least minimum wage for his excellent cabinet work...not to mention the piano black lacquer. Enough whining.
I will throw out one last hypothetical. If you had to work with the width of the LS being the only given and a ceiling of $1200 for parts, and the rest of the speaker a blank canvas what would you do and why?
See what I am doing....picking the brains of the experienced for free consultations to further lower the price! But youre all my best buds ...right
Chuck
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I have been told the Altec 902/511b is not the combination I want in the LaScala modification. The 811b was suggested with the 902s. " Your plans sound good but you do not need to crossover so low that you need 511 horns. "The LS woofer will go higher. Cross over at 700hz and use the 902s with the 811b horn instead".
Can I try the 902s and 811b with BEC crossover that I now have that cross at 400hz(?) or must the xover be modded to cross at 700hz or will the xover recognize the different horn and adjust? I just want to sit the horns and drivers on top of the cabinet and listen fo awhile before I build a new set of scalas.
All this is to deal with the midrange that I do not like.
Comments appreciated.
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Nice equipment and setup Luther. Wish the event was closer. The reels of tape are starting to roll in from the tape exchange so I will enjoy those while you all party.
Best to everyone!
Chuck
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Looks like plans have changed on the new speakers. Have been advised to use 811b Altecs with the 902 drivers rather than the 511b. Can I audition the new horn (811) and driver by sitting them on top of the cabinet and hooking them up to the BEC crossovers that crossover at 400hz. Was told that the LaScala woofer will go higher and to cross at 700hz or in other words "you do not need to cross over so low that you need a 511 horn". Do I need to make any adjustments to the xover?
Chuck
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Thanks Michael.....I would love to see pictures of the LaScala with the 511 in place if anyone out there has done this. I will take some photos as we move from the bass bins (relatively straightforward) to the horn and tweeter cabinet since this is where the creative juices will flow. This is new territory so all imput is appeciated. Any suggestions on the xovers?
Chuck
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Bluesboy has these same components in his modded khorns and they sound great. Has anyone done this with LaScalas? The 511 horn will only have 3/8" clearance on each side and must be front mounted and the Beymas will have their own little box and sit on top. Work has started on the bass bin assembly while I get the rest of the parts. I have the horns and woofers but need everything else (Beymas, xovers, 902 drivers).
Any suggestions or leads on parts will be appreciated.
BTW...What would we call this hybrid?
Chuck
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My plans are to build a pair of superscalas if I can sell my existing 2 year old LaScala clones built by forum member Bluesboy. Bob Crites crossovers and unblemished birch cabinets with numerous coats of tung oil. I would prefer to sell intact and not part them out. Will deliver within 100 mile radius of Wilmington, NC otherwise pickup only. $1200.
Will not be near a computer most of the weekend so I may not answer inquires befor monday. Bluesboy may be available on this thread to answer technical questions.
Chuck
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Just went to Audiogon.com....There is a new Jolida mini mod by Underwood for $950 and two Rega Apollos for $745 and $749. If you are not familiar with that site just type in Audiogon.com and you will get to the home page. Click on digital players and scroll down to "classifieds". Wait a few days and you can probably pick up the Jolida at a good price. BTW it is built like a tank.
Good timing cjgeraci. Great minds think alike!
Chuck
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Depending on your price range its' hard to beat the tubed output Jolida 100. I have one as does Duke Spinner. I think if you look hard you can find one on Audiogon.com for about $700 or new for $900. Bluesboy calls mine the best sounding cd player he has heard. I bought mine from Hotrodaudio.com and they threw in the mini mod (better tubes, sound deadning, iso feet) for free. I also hear good things about the Rega Apollo but have never heard one. Go to Stereophile.com and look up reviews under archives. The Jolida review sold me. Good luck!
Chuck
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Just wanted to move this up in case anyone looking for a record vac missed this.
Chuck
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Surgery will require alcohol. Are you bringing the scotch?
Chuck
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Great review William and congratulations on the CWs. I had never heard them until your review. I bet they are a great match with that Quicksilver gear. Enjoy!
Chuck
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Thanks for the comments Al and Bruce. We will see how steady Bluesboy's hand is on that precise cut.
Chuck
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Jay...let me know what you think. Bluesboy may want to get one too. Glad to help.
Chuck
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AL....I am assuming that I can mount the horns to the cabinets with the flange concealing the rough cut. Since the hornes will remain exposed are they finished or do I finish with a clear product, or paint them?
Care to weigh in on the Altec woofer I am using and if I am loosing any bass by not using the k-33?
Chuck
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Making plans to mod the lascalas with the trachorn. Will make a template and use a router to make the opening larger. Has anyone made this mod? Any tips to pass along? There is not a lot of room between the top of the horn and the bottom of the tweeter and not much room for error. I will be using the horn only...not the grille/adaptor. I think the horn has a flange for mounting to the cabinet. I will have to use an adaptor to use the LS drivers and ALK has those.
Chuck
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Welcome aboard Werner!
Chuck
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Jay....if you haven't made a decision yet please look into this. It may save you some money. I just got AudioAdvisor in the mail and thumbing through I saw what looked like my Nitty Gritty record vac but it turned out to be a clone made by Nitty Gritty for AudioAdvisor. This unit is completely manual..like mine. They say it is a Stereophile recommended product and comes with a brush and 4 oz fluid. Now here is the great news. Its' only $229 and shipping is free!!!
Contact info as follows:
1-800-942-0220
Audio Advisor, Inc.
3427 Kraft SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49512
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Tarheel:
If I read some of your comments correctly (and some of Bluesboy's comments), it appears as though your thoughts of switching to K-33s may be motivated by a desire (or curiosity) to have the right woofers in there as opposed to any curing any dissatisfaction with your current bass response. Having owned Belles (with Trachorns, ALK Universals) and also Altec Valencias (with 806As - abeit in a non-horn application), I agree with Al and would pluck down the money to solve the midhorn once and for all - by going with Trachorns before I went the crossover route. Don't get me wrong, Al's ALK Universal is a great crossover, but the Trachorn gives you much more bang for the buck in the upgrade dept. Plus, with the superior squawker, you can get by with running a much less sophisticated crossover (i.e. OEM). Yes, the Altec is a bit of a mismatch for your bass bin, but if it currently works well enough I would not cut on 'em (I am also a fan of the 806As anyway). After Trachorns, if you are so inclined, slap a pair of Bob's tweeters in them (or keep the K77s)....... If you decide that your upper end is too high at that point (or bottom end is too down spl-wise), you could cross that bridge with K33 replacement or ALK's universals.
Just a thought.....
Carl.
Thanks Carl,,,,that sounds like good advice. Bluesboy at this point wants to pull the Altecs out just out of curiosity. He doesn't think the difference in woofers/bass will be significant. My speakers are wedged in pretty tight in the corners and I really don't know if I want to wrestle them out and remove the bottom hatch, remove the solder to the leads, change out the woofers, reassemble, put them back in place just to find little difference. I may opt for the trachorns or wait to build another set with 1inch mdf, trachorns, k-33s, better tweeters.
Chuck
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Bluesboy has a set of k-33s....Maybe we can try one and do a comparison as you suggest. The harshness that I am referring to is not a matter of balance but more like I have heard it described before....a ringing. Maybe sound deadner on the horn would help if I have room to get in that section. I talked with ALK yesterday and he suggested I may want to try the trachorn before I change x-overs. I think I would have to enlarge the opening. There are so many modifications now it is overwhelming, Better tweeters, trachorns, crossovers, 1 inch mdf. All in the quest for better sound.
Thanks for your caution and I will proceed slowly.
LaScala/902/811b
in Technical/Restorations
Posted
Thanks for more good comments Shawn....the BEC crossovers are type AA. Yes I do plan on changing the tweeters to Beymas. Going to check out the thread you sent right now.
Chuck