KT88

This is exactly the text where Mike TN and I had referred to before.

I listened to Heresys at a London hi-fi dealer in 1994, the way they are meant to be listened to...on the floor with the original plinth and angulation. They sounded very right that way. Anything that raises them reduces the bass and the sound will be very out of balance. It's an improvement for the worse. A Heresy is something I'll have to buy as long as I live, despite my UG Jubilie and my 1977 La Scala, just because I've never forgotten what I heard in London.

Many years ago a US hifi reviewer whose name I have forgotten said that digital is very good, but you should avoid listening to vinyl in between.

I used Tidal for five years or more. My Bluesound node may not be high end but the inbuilt MQA decoder was worth it. The difference to "normal" CD quality was huge with my previous Node 2i model. But the biggest improvement of switching to the newer Node was that the "normal" CD quality got much better, and the difference to MQA got smaller. But then I learnt from the press that many recordings of Tidal's cd quality are less good than real cd quality. They are not flac as it was proclaimed. This made me very curious and I ordered a trial subscription from qobuz. And indeed, I experience the cd quality of qobuz as more honest and better. I experience the sound image as much more stable in contrast to Tidal. So, in terms of cd quality, qobuz is better in my perception. What is the difference between MQA and qobuz HiRes? i have to say, Tidal is good with MQA. I didn't understand it exactly but supposedly the Bluesound Node doesn't deliver the full capability that MQA can do with very expensive DACs. I don't know. But for me, qobuz sounds better, more stable, more dynamic and more spatial, at least via the Node, than Tidal with MQA. One point about handling and the catalogue. Tidal has the better catalogue. Because I hate every remastered version of whatever in almost every case, Tidal (apart from the criticism I mentioned above) offers the far better and larger catalogue, whether rock or jazz or classical music. I can find a non-remastered original version of almost every recording. This is clearly labelled as not remastered. In my opinion, remastered is something for bad car radios. In lnly very rare cases, remastered is better, e.g. Easy Sunday Morning by Lionel Richie and the Commodores. Qobuz often no longer has any original recordings in its catalogue, sometimes only remastered versions. This would be the main reason for me to cancel qobuz. But it's still ok, and with new releases it doesn't matter anyway One more point, Tidal has an extremely stupid search function, with a slight typo Tidal finds absolutely nothing, no artist and no song. qobuz searches intelligently, similar to google and delivers plausible results even with a typo. In conclusion, I would say you have to try them both out for yourself, you can do that with trial subscriptions without risk. I'm still with qobuz for now because of the overall better sound quality, even if I miss some of the original non-remastered recordings.

A subjective experience, just my 2 cent. Yes, an old La Scala 1 - as long as it is original and not sanded down like mine unfortunately is - may have resonances. But and assuming we are talking about living room SPL, even louder living room SPL, I have very fond memories of my unaltered LS1...in a very positive sense of resonance. A healthy LS1 resonates very quickly, in other words it doesn't store anything and it decays quickly. Somehow I have the feeling that the ratio of some resonance, the Q value and the corresponding width of the resonance intuitively gives a very pleasant and natural result. It may not always be an advantage with an electric bass tone in the 140 Hz range. But Dexter Gordon's tenor and a solo cello with a Bach suite are unbeatable. I wouldn't want to miss this subliminal and in no way disturbing resonance. The music breathes, is moving and stunningly alive. For this reason I'm wondering whether braces that calm the sanded side walls are the right measure...if I would unfortunately eliminate this life elixir factor of the LS1 and also halve the resonance frequency by using braces, or whether it is better to simply glue approx. 1mm birch veneer back on them so that they become the way I love them again. This is all very subjective, others may want it as neutral and resonance-free as possible. I can only find the answer by trying it out.

I assume that you, Flevoman, also hear this resonance in other songs. But it would actually be very helpful to know it in this specific song, and at what point in the song, in order to be able to understand it in my home. Not with the intention of relativising your perception, but to get an idea of which constellation of sound it is in which minute. I don't want to anticipate anything, but if the issue is centred on a few songs or even one, I have another idea. There are recording peculiarities that, crazily enough, only come to the fore with a high-resolution speaker like La Scala. That's why it's important to be able to distinguish between what's part of the recording and what's part of the LS.

That sounds plausible and physically correct. Now I assume that the sound generated by compression in a horn is still loud in relation to resonances, even if the La Scala actually has a large side surface that has to be taken into account. So even with normal radiators we have a large Q with lower but sharp resonances at thick boards vs. a small Q at wide and louder resonances at thin boards. Another factor is the storage of the sound and its delayed transmission with thick boards, which can lead to time smeared sound,bit not an issue with horns or bass horns. BBC research started with thin-walled boards covered with bitumen of the same thickness. This damped the resonances well and there was hardly any time smear. Since everything in the world of sound is a compromise, these BBC cabinets don't work at all at seriously high volumes.

@Flevoman I actually only wanted to draw attention to the old La Scala 1 for a single reason, the history and origins, so to speak, of the significant resonance of La Scala for some people. And that in my case I never had any complaints about the La Scala 1 before the wrong treatment of the side panels. This actually means that theoretically the La Scala 2 should have even less resonance due to the material thickness (we should be able to hear LS 1 and 2 in direct comparison). But that doesn't mean that it's not noticeable or even annoying with the La Scala 2 in individual cases. And that's what this thread is about. Sorry if my "diversions" turned into a "thread drift". In relation to the La Scala 2, if other causes such as room modes can be ruled out...is it possible that the fact that the La Scala doesn't have such deep basses could mean in some cases that the ear can become more sensitive to the higher basses, so that a disturbing effect of a resonance is amplified in the awareness but is eliminated as soon as the mono Klipschorn is integrated into the stereo system (if that is still your plan, Flevoman)?

I will see if it will work with the braces even when the side walls are thinner than intended as the only measure, anyway, thanks for sharing your positive experience..

I was very happy with the sound of my vintage LS before they were sanded down on the outer side walls. So i see no reason why the panels of the doghouse and the bottom and top need to be reinforced. i'm only concerned with the sidewalls. if the braces don't do any good i'll reinforce the sidewalls with additional thin multiplex panels.

Which tonearm do you use with your DL103R?

Do you think that this type of braces could cause unwanted reflexions? May be with some reason at the upstream part in the back where the opening is still small, which could make sense. Or is it more not to have used them about the issue that not all LS are identically built and there a one brace fits all has not worked? I will give such kind of braces a try in my sanded LS.

I find the whole article in the stereophile by Alex Halberstadt very worth reading. https://www.stereophile.com/content/klipsch-la-scala-al5-loudspeaker He has captured the essence of the LaScala and presented it very well. Incidentally, a very versatile author, even for non-audio topics, who was born in Russia and has a very German name. https://muckrack.com/alex-halberstadt I would summarise his article in stereophile together with my own listening impressions like this: Every speaker is a compromise. La scala is unconditionally designed to impress in order to create the highest level of lively music. Other aspects may not be as important, e.g. a neutral linear reproduction like a studio monitor, but the latter can also sound boring. To come to the core topic of the thread. I'll start with my own experience. Firstly, I am referring to the vintage La Scala. In fact I have never heard the new models, AL5 and its predecessor as a two-piece construction. In 1999 I had bought a La Scala from 1977, I have often written here about my endeavours to get La Scala to sound like I bought it in 1999. I don't want to repeat these steps here, you can find everything with the search function or via my profile. Well, when the La Scala played for the first time in 1999 (in a different flat than today) I was completely delighted...and not only by the dynamics and liveliness, because I already knew that from another La Scala from 1996 at a friend's house. Rather, I was extremely impressed by the natural sound of my 1977 La Scala. It really was as if it had been cast from a single mould...something I had never experienced with a loudspeaker before in that trueness. I had only made two subtle changes that I had intuitively realised by trial and error...at that time I was not yet exchanging ideas in forums. Firstly, I had removed the magnetic screw from the coil of the tweeter. Secondly, I had deactivated the protective diodes. That was it...I loved the sound so much! Also at that time I had already tried various amps from my collection at the time, an Audion Silver Night 300B 7 Watt SET, a Leak Stereo 20 and Quad II tube monos with 15 Watt KT66 class A push pull. The Quad II produced the most stable and rounded sound, although only 15 watts but with a current delivery capacity equivalent to the torque of a V8 engine which I believe a La Scala deserves regardless its high sensitivity. I was happy to sacrifice the last subtleties of the resolution of the 300 B or the even livelier sound of the Leak stereo 20 without regret. I still remember very clearly how my first music on the La Scala was a piece by George Benson, I was so shocked at how it was "a guitar", the homogeneity of the sound etc. I was reminded of how my own Gibson L5 Wes Montgomery sounds on my guitar amp. I wouldn't have thought it possible. By the way, distracting resonances were never an issue, I never felt disturbed, everything was coherent, with a wonderful bass that didn't lack any depth psychoacoustically. Now comes the less pleasant part. These La Scala had never been altered and were absolutely original until 1999. Unfortunately, the previous owner had tried to paint this birch plywood with a raw finish to match his wall unit. I wanted my La Scala to look nice again and I took the cabinet without the driver to a professional carpenter to remove the paint, he promised me that he could remove the paint with a lye. I have already written about this here. But now it's relevant again in this thread. At the end of the day, this carpenter couldn't get the paint off and without asking me! he sanded 0.6 mm off the side panels and the lid. I was very angry. Since then, I've been hearing resonances that weren't audible before. Because I had stored the La Scala for a very long time because I only listened to my UJ for so many years, now that I reactivated the La Scala three years ago, I will fight the resonances that were actually caused by the sanded side walls. Stage one, with the help of braces on the side panels, stage two, with a reinforcement of the side panels with a few layers of birch plywood. @Flevoman, I don't think @mikebse2a3said that it was "only" due to the room set-up. He was reproducing what John Atkinson measured with his plastic tape, which is specially made for detecting structure-borne resonances. Yes, there are a few very low resonances with the MDF AL5 version. If I understood Mike correctly, the La Scala can also excite room modes, especially because it is built deeper towards the rear than any other speaker. This means that the funnel opening of the La Scala can be located pretty much exactly in the room where the room modes are if you place the speakers fairly close to the front wall. That's why he suggests moving the speakers back and forth a bit to avoid the room modes. Another point that I personally think is relevant. Many normal radiator speakers have resonances that usually have a small "Q" in the bass...i.e. a relatively soft rise in the frequency band. And...that they build up quite slowly and disappear slowly again. This means that resonances are present but not necessarily so disturbing even if loudly. The resonances that you found somewhat annoying in the La Scalas very probably have a large "Q", not necessarily very loud, but they build up very quickly and disappear again very quickly. And with a very narrow-band freq range, if they are „horn born“. I believe that this falls into the area of different subjective perceptions, it bothers one person more than another. I would say that as far as I'm concerned, I didn't experience anything unpleasant like this with my 1977. I would rather say that it is part of the character of the speaker. In contrast, the resonance of my side panels, which are too thin, is more of a broad, frequent nasty drone. The resonances you describe, Flevoman, are a point of subjective perception that I take very seriously. Either you get used to it, or you can fix it, or it could be that it bothers you more and more from week to week. Then all the positive attributes of the La Scala that are decisive for me personally won't help: being the smallest large speaker in the world. I bet your dilemma is that you would be very sad if La Scala were gone. I can only say that I personally believe that this whole low watts set fashion can amplify unpleasant peaks in connection with a bass weakness.

I just wanted to praise the K77M once again, just like my K77 alnico. I didn't mean to say that you don't want to keep yours.

Did you set up and measure the two speakers in the same place? Or once on axis in front of the left speaker location and then on axis in front of the right speaker location? If you had two different locations in the room for the respective speakers, it would explain a few dips in the new capacitor, e.g. at 180 Hz and at 1.2 KHz. Otherwise, there are areas of amazing consistency, e.g. between 1.5 and 4 KHz...where the ear is most sensitive. And the bass is significantly deeper with the new caps, but this may also be due to the placement in the room in the first place. However, this measurement also shows that emotional differences in sound cannot necessarily be determined with a frequency response. One last point, your K77s are comparatively very high in HF and strong. Personally, I wouldn't trade the dispersion characteristics of the K77M for the fact that another tweeter could go a little higher, but doesn't produce this important homogeneity together with the mid horn like the K77 can.

They look (still one of them) very beautiful, what a friendly colour of the new veneer! Super fit with the TT.

The BlackLites Band, you really must know if you have K77 or not. Heresy 3 indicates that you have not.

Welcome to the forum, if you do not want to repair them yourself, perhaps @Deang would do it, but I do not know if he only works on cross overs.

I think that's pretty much the price in Europe. When I just saw the Norwegian advert for the CW3, I noticed that a little further down is a La Scala II for 40,000 Norwegian kroner. Whilst the price for the CW3 is normal I would say that the La Scala II is a bargain. Of course it's a higher sum, but if you have the space and can afford it, I'd go for the La Scala in a heartbeat. https://www.finn.no/bap/forsale/ad.html?finnkode=332029204

I share your impression, her own band projects or song writing is a different animal, it even does not need her virtuosity on the bass. Anyway if she likes it why not.

The real Duke is so overwhelmed that it happened twice🤠

This piece with Herbie Hancock shows that Tal belongs to the top class of all bassists ever. The tune is one of my absolute favourites for the desert island in the original with the headhunters, but this new version of "Actual Proof", completely modernised and adapted to the development of the music in our time, made my jaw drop. not only Tal but what a play together by the band. It looks to be the same drummer as with Jeff Beck in the video above, Vinnie Colaiuta.

This solo performance by Tal gave me absolute goose bumps, I had tears in my eyes when I saw it, because of this incredible joy of playing and energy that Tal radiates, like an angel sent to earth. Unfortunately, I only saw it for the first time two years ago, and today it's almost 17 years ago again. My goodness how time flies.

In my view, the new smaller room speaks even more in favour of the Heresy. It's a shame that you can't test both types. But you're on the safe side with the Heresy. You quickly get used to more or less full-bodied sound, but I suspect that the Heresy reveals more musical information and less overlay. At least my experience with large speakers in small to medium-sized rooms is not very good. It is also possible that due to its size, the Cornwall transmits more structure-borne sound through the walls, which can cause the neighbours to hear it even if you are listening to soft music.

Welcome Iowa. If you liked your earlier Heresy speakers so much, was it listened in the same room? I ask because if you once have found such a lucky marriage of speaker and room it would be my benchmark. As Flevoman says the Heresy 4 may sound much fresher. If I were you I would opt for the Heresy if you had experienced them in your office/listening room, plus, you have less issues with neighbors and less potential of a boomy sound. I would say that the Heresy also fits with your taste of music and they would not dominate the relative moderate room too much optically.