KT88

The color of Weston's output transformers and power transformers reminds me of the color that Leak used. Maybe Weston is a fan of the old Leak amps? I have two Stereo 20s since 1992 like this one (pic just taken from the web).

That's ok, on the contrary, it's supposed to be a discussion. CWelsh. I would guess that there is no difference in sound when one or the other service uses the same transmission. 24/96 flac shouldn't make a difference on Amazon or Qobuz with the same recording. OK, maybe SPL is a little different. My point is that I don't think Tidal MQA is quite as satisfactory as flac. What I find as an advantage is that with the Bluesound Node I have the impression that even the normal CD quality seems to sound better on Qobuz than on Tidal. Exactly on this topic there were reports where it was suspected that the CD quality at Tidal does not correspond to flac but that it could be reduced MQA files ... so technically transmitted as flac but with a reduced MQA information content. Please only take it as a hypothesis, I only read it, I don't know if it's true. Only my sound impression tells me that Qobuz CD sounds better.

I have the impression that Steve has put together a small system for intimate listening in a smaller room. Somehow I can understand it, depending on what you want to achieve. 1.5 years ago I was isolated with Covid19 in my office for two weeks. I had small Stirling Broadcast LS3/5aV2 in the rather moderate sized room. I remember that time back very well. Listening was at least for some of the time more relaxed and at the same time more involving than with my various large speakers in a living room not too small by German standards. Maybe Steve thinks in apartment terms but maybe he also thinks like he heard most of the music. It's the same with Herb Reichert, among all the other medium and large horn speakers, his favorite if he could only pick one model is a Rogers LS3/5a. In my opinion it is not only about the room size but about the experience of these old dinosaurs after 60 years of listening to hi-fi. What I share with them is that it opens a window to music when small monitors don't interact with bass problems of a room as opposed to larger speakers. You can't have it all, but perhaps as we age, the memory of a sound produced by small speakers becomes more important than its full reproduction...or should I say imitation.

At 5:35 Steve talks about his final system in case he has to make a choice.

Ok, then I don't know why EV recommends it the way they do. After all, when removing the horn, someone has the freedom to listen to the horn in vertical and horizontal orientation comparatively. I've also seen installations of the T35 without a baffle at all, but then I would suspect that the sound pressure might drop off at the lower crossover frequency. Marvel, thank you for your objection, I am writing to help others and not to be necessarily right.

The topic has already been discussed here a few times. If I were you, I would do it like this: Leave your Vintage LaScala completely original. If you want to remove the tweeter in this way for a separate baffle (this way your LaScala remains absolutely original, you can reinstall the tweeter later at any time). Then I would do it the way it is intended for the T35/K77 by EV, the manufacturer. The K77 is a diffraction horn! It must be installed vertically for the best horizontal dispersion. Klipsch has installed it horizontally for lack of space, this is also ok (as stated in the data sheet paper which I have added here) but not perfect, The instructions apply to alnico and ferrite versions, because they only have something to do with the horn guide, not the magnetic material. And because the K77 is a diffraction horn, it must be screwed to the baffle from behind. This is essential for a good result! however, EV recommends that the thickness of the baffle is much less than in a LaScala to achieve the best result. In the end, you have less frying ham sound and a slightly more spatial imaging when installed vertically from behind on the right small baffle. The desired physical effect is similar to the "diffraction at the gap" wave theory, hence the vertical installation. I know it sounds counterintuitive but it is so. T35A EV Spec Sheet.pdf

Just for fun, I subscribed to Qobus for one month for free as a test. I have had a Tidal subscription for many years. I always thought I was ok with it, with my Bluesound 2021 Node with MQA decoding for higher resolution recordings. To be honest, I got curious because I saw on the net that people are not really happy with MQA. Neil Young found it manipulative and he withdrew all his songs from Tidal. It is claimed that even the recordings described as "CD" quality are not really flac files. So I tried Qobuz, they only offer flac, in CD quality and also in high resolution. You don't need a device with a special MQA decoder hardware chip. My first impression is very positive. While Tidal can sound a bit too soft and a bit cloudy at times, I am surprised and amazed at the clear and impulsive natural sound quality of Qobuz. More good timing and simply good, whether CD, 24/96 Khz or 24/192 Khz. All heard with the same Bluesound Node in comparison. I thought the Node is the limiting factor to some degree but it is not (to some degree).

Well, I don't have to try anything else. I have Leak Stereo 20, Quad II Monos, Audion Silvernight, Mcintosh MC 2102, MC 275 MK4 and some others. I would go for the MC 275 any day, in my case with the Partner C22CE. I would make the claim, "it has to be something different" on the Italian espresso machine, but not exclude the Mcintosh amps for the sake of wanting to be different. For daily use, when it's always like this in the background, I use a Quad 306 current dumping amp together with the pre C22CE. Forbidden good sound.

Well, from a distance it's all speculation, but my money is on the voice coil not being centered properly when I hear your video, at least it sounds like the voice coil is scratching. Or maybe the compression driver is not screwed down properly, or the screws which hold the horn on the baffle are loose, which would be the easiest solution? Is your dealer close by? I would consider it a warranty issue and I would not unscrew anything (just try to tighten the screws of the horn on the baffle) unless you are 1000 miles away. Then there would still be the question of whether the dealer would tolerate you removing and shipping just the midrange driver, which would be much better than shipping the whole cabinet...with all the dangers of damage in transit. Anyway, if I were you, I would send the video to the dealer and see what he says.

I'm right there with you, MicroMara. The term "high end" was not chosen very happily. It was due to the impression that the collection as a whole looks very high quality. Of course, an ultra-expensive system can sound very sterile and a cleverly combined system of not too expensive or e.g. vintage equipment can sound very musical. I know these experiences myself. Here is a link from the other thread about the video from Milan at the hifi show, 5th post. Even via the iPhone recording of the youtube guy I hear that some of the systems would never be my thing, e.g. Wilson. And even on the iPad I hear the different natural sound of the Heritage Jubilees (although they are not cheap, but that doesn't matter now).

Thanks for sharing, charlieboy. A very impressive journey through the high-end country. What are the drivers with the coax horn in the big speaker cabinet on the far right in the start picture of the video? They seem to be your linchpin, they keep popping up in between like a reference.

Everywhere in the world the same effect when listening to the HJ, stunning people with open mouths, was this the first presentation of the HJ in Europe?

I have a rather inexpensive 300B that I bought 30 years ago. It sounds very nice, yet a very simple design. A small British brand, I am not sure if it is known in the US, it is an Audion Silvernight. I agree, someone should buy something where he or she is sure that there is uncomplicated and fast service at reasonable prices. With these thermally stressed amps something can always burn out, etc.. This should not speak against an amp from Poland as long as the importer has service partners in the country and you can be sure.

I thought that this article (link below) is very interesting when it comes to the interakton between amp, speaker and music program. It was a link at the end of the recent review about the LaScala AL5 in Stereophile magazine. On the last page under the ending of John Atkinson's measurements. Who is interested because it highlights some of the dynamic relationships e.g. impedance. I want to give this link because it can be fun to deepen my knowledge, or as a basis for further discussions here. I personally think that in some cases a small amp can play very nice and musically with the right partner as speaker. https://www.stereophile.com/reference/707heavy/index.html

I agree, it would be too bad to sacrifice some of LaScala's bass transmission where it still plays. The quality of the LaScala at 55 Hz, for example, is definitely on a completely different level than that of any sub with a direct radiator, which has to strain and pump a lot, accompanied by poorer quality and smaller radiating surface, which means increased distortion. Even if some members will note that the horn of the LaScala bass could not work quite so deep but the tones are „there“.

Thanks for sharing. Now he knows.

I think that the Amazon purchase is the best choice you can do because you can return it. Whether it ends up being REL or another brand is not as critical as the basic question of the principle of subs together with your LS. And the REL will give you a clear answer if you are happy with it in principle or not. I don't know what you'll decide. It is not clear in my view if the sub is a "must". With a CW a radial sub would be better integrated but the CW doesn't need it at all in my view.

I can't really answer why I have never tried a sub with the LaScalas. When I listen to them, which is very often, I don't really miss anything. What they perform they do in a magical way. I would really have to try listening to them with a sub. While my experience tells me it's perhaps not a good match, I have to admit that I may be underestimating modern new subs. When I listen to another speaker from my small collection I get nice deep bass. E.g. the Tannoy Canterbury. But it doesn't have that combination of lightness and spontaneous energy in the bass that the LaScala has. Even though it plays a whole octave lower. My Underground Jubilees have that freshness like the LaScala with more deep bass. But although the UJ work well in medium living rooms as my I would like to combine them with a much larger room that I do not have, something the size of a classroom of a school, then it would probably marry more with the room. Maybe that's one secret of the relatively compact LaScala...you sacrifice some low bass but it enters into a relationship with a medium sized room as a whole experience. As I said, no listening so far with a sub plus LaScalas.

How long do PSU electrolytic capacitors last in tube amplifiers? I mean two points of view. One is obvious because when a cap fails you can clearly hear a hum even when the amp is idle. Mostly twice the frequency of the mains frequency. But I mean the second aspect, namely whether there can be a weakening of the sound even if still nothing hums? From transistor amps I know that old caps should be replaced in some cases. I have a British Quad 306 sandamp and although nothing hummed (but audible pumping when switching on and off) with 35 year old caps that were also visually bulging in their tops, the sound and sovereign power was much better with new PSU caps, and the pumping noise when switching on was gone. How is this effect with tube amps? I have a 20+ year old MC275 MK4 that does not hum. But would it make a difference sonically if this amp gets new PSU caps, or do you wait until it hums with tube amps? The background of the question is (as a technical layman) whether it makes a difference whether with a transistor amp the power supply transforms say down to +/- 40 V but with a tube amp transforms up to e.g. 500V. Could this influence the extent to which a PSU cap is involved in the sound?

svberger, i am very curious about your impressions when the time comes, no matter which sub you will choose. As you know, I also have 1977 LaScalas. I love them as they are but I am open to such attempts.

They write: „This item is noncancelable and nonreturnable“. I don't know if that's the standard for shipped goods in the US, but I'd be careful. What about if the amp has shipping damage? But that's just on the side. With these conditions, I would pay close attention to what impression other users have connected to the same speaker if possible. The amount of money is not peanuts. This is not to say that it can't be a very good amp. I have read a few reviews, and the manufacturer has thought something when developing the amp. I would be curious to hear it myself. I suspect that the amp might be a good "electrical" match for efficient speakers and more stable than a single 300B due to the parallel circuit. But I'm very interested in someone writing who has heard the amp. In Germany, the price is not too dizzy because the company is located in neighboring Poland.

24 posts in a single thread about a speaker you never want to listen to in person anyway? I'm very amused by this. Feel free to continue, maybe one can say that you are a kind of "curious troll"? I don't think it's wrong that you "keep the thread going", because there are always good contributions from the group for the group regarding the LaScala.

This is interesting. Do people like vinyl perhaps because the mass of the needle reverberates a bit?

As far as I remember, diaphragm with coil were removed before remagnetization. I find that the sound of the K77M is much less musical, especially on string instruments. That is why I would try to restore the Alnicos.

Then there is no need for further discussion. For you, the frequency response is more important than the quality of the sound. Now you have to decide what compromise to choose with everything that is smaller and cheaper than the Heritage Jubilee.