scalawag

I kept this price sheet for reference purposes when I made my purchase back in '76; hope I'm not violating any laws by posting it here!

With apologies to the OP for getting "off track," thanks for the compliment! And you've guessed correctly, the CA-2010 is not wearing the original tint - I refinished it some time ago with Varathane Premium Wood Stain in "Cabernet." Three coats with very light sanding in between, no top clear. Here are my two Yam CA's side-by-side for comparison - the 2010 drives the 'Scalas in front and the 1000 (original finish) drives the RP250s in back. Both CA's normally reside in the console below the Carver Pre, Onkyo CD player, and a Technics TT. Happy listening!

from HDBRbuuilder: "I am a huge fan of the "under the glass" rotating bezel watches from that era...especially so for the automatics." from RXonmymind: "I have had a few Rolexs and other watches and now am sporting a Seiko "Pepsi" dive watch. Loses a bit of time every month, about three minutes which I'm not happy about but I'm more comfortable with this watch than any other...." I can relate to both of you and your liking for "vintage" divers. Allow me to show off my classic "Pepsi" just recently serviced and looking/running almost as new. Purchased by me back in '71 at the Army PX while I was in 'Nam. I don't wear mine at all, strictly a keepsake that I will most likely pass on to a family member. Enjoy yours!

I'm in agreement with previous posters on the very low watts needed to power a set of Klipschs. Every now and then I will run my Yam CA-2010 in class "A" just to give it some exercise, and the 30wpc is way more than enough to drive my 'Scalas to very painful levels. Wish you luck on your search!

I don't have any hard data to back up my opinion, but I would guess that the 'Scalas are a "niche" speaker due to size, design, specs, etc., and appeal only to a small segment of the audio community, or even amongst Klipsch aficionados themselves. Kind of like how my old '90 FXR was to the general Harley crowd , and how my Fat Bob is today. As such, "resale value" will be somewhat determined by the product's desirability or uniqueness as perceived by the buying public. For me, I am still deeply enthralled with my '76 La Scalas, which back in the day cost me $525 ea here in the SF Bay Area, but are worth at least twice that to me now. In any case, don't let the $$ numbers, whether good or bad, be a distraction to ownership - just enjoy them!

Another rainy, dreary day here in NorCal so I decided to brighten up my mood by taking out my baby Pioneer SX800A tube recv'r and connecting it to the 'Scalas. Spinning various Sheffield Lab LPs on the SL1700-MKII and all's good now....

This! Looking at an image of the back panel of the Yam RS202 it appears there is no phono input for a turntable, so the recvr lacks the proper circuitry to boost the low-level input voltage coming from your turntable cartridge, hence the low volume of your "shy" R26F speakers. You will need to add a phono preamp between your turntable and the recvr to bring listening volume up to "normal levels." Hope that helps.

Just acquired a set of discounted "open box" RP-250F towers and presently breaking them in to use as rears with my LaScala fronts. Mains are powered by a Yam CA-2010 and the rear towers will be pushed by a CA-1000 when it comes back from its "tune-up," both managed by a Carver C-4000 pre-amp. This should pretty much be the final configuration for my audio listening enjoyment. Have a great Christmas and New Year's, Klipsch owners!

Wow, can never have too much Klipsch!

Break-in is practically almost immediate upon first power up according to this Q&A on the Crites website: Q: How about break-in time for drivers or new driver diaphragms? A: Yes, and depends on the size of the driver. Tweeter diaphragm probably break-in at a matter of seconds. They are very low mass and move very little, so any break in would happen almost instantly. Probably happened when the factory tested the diaphragm after manufacture. Midrange are a bit bigger and have a bit more mass. Break-in is probably on the order of minutes with these. Woofers would take the longest. I think that break-in on a 12 to 15 inch woofer would be less than an hour played at pretty good volume using music with a lot of low frequency content.

As shared in previous threads, I have been updating/upgrading my vintage 'Scalas over the past couple of years with Dave Fastrac Horns and Bob Crites AA x-overs, and more recently the CT120 HF drivers. I have been very happy with the overall results as I tend to listen to my system much more now than in the past, though I suspect many of you Klipsch purists frown at the idea of swapping out PWK elements for "after-market" parts. So just last week I noticed a new mid-range driver (A55-G) being offered by B&K Sound as a direct replacement for the K55-V. I contacted Bob for a little more info, after which I decided to take the plunge and purchased a set of the A55-G drivers. Delivery was quick, and packaging was safe and secure. I mounted one of the new drivers, then did an A/B test in mono mode for comparison. My initial impression is that the A55-G pushes the mid-range freq more to the front of the sound stage, and that the high freq seems to be just a wee bit accented for whatever reason. The overall effect is noticeable, though I really can't say at this point if it's improved or just "different." I am confident that over time I will appreciate the changes, but even if I don't I can always plug the K55V's back into the top bin as before. Here is a pic showing the mid-range drivers side by side. The A55-G is very similar in size but feels a bit heavier, and threads into the horn as the original. Thanks for reading - happy listening!

Man-oh-man, these are outstanding!

"Drop in replacement..." On my 'Scalas I had to loosen the tweeters first so that the Fastracs would fit in place, and also drill two screw holes per horn to mount the Fastracs securely (Dave's horns do not use the K-400 screw holes or screws). Not difficult to do, but just thought you should know for those of you who are considering making the swap.

This post is such a coincidence! Past two weeks I've been on a vinyl kick also, and I thought it was just me! In my case, I have an SL-1700MKII with MA 630mp cartridge hooked up to the main stereo, and an SL-1400MKII with Shure M97xe hooked up to my iMac for archiving. I've been dusting off all the out-of-print Sheffield Lab albums in my library and giving them a listen lately, and it's been great - the "clicks and pops" really send me down memory lane!

I had pretty much the same issue just last month with my Yam CA-2010 ~ no output from left channel. Amp tech found a defective relay in the volume control circuit that was the cause of the problem. While in there he also replaced some marginal performing resistors, installed some LEDs for the power meters, cleaned all switches and adjusted biases/outputs to specs. And while the amp was in the shop I refinished the cover. All is well now. Hope yours goes ok. ~

Hi, all. For several years now I've been using a Yamaha CA-2010 int amp and a Carver C-4000 pre-amp to drive my upgraded 'Scalas and enjoying the sound immensely. But just a day ago I've developed a problem in the left channel which I've isolated to the Yamaha. There are a couple of audio equip repair shops with good reviews near my neighborhood that advertise 'vintage' repair services. I expect that the charges for diagnosis and repair of the Yamaha will be significant. So, my question: would you consider it wise for me to invest my money into repairing this older amp, or do you think it better to put my money into a brand new amp? Thanks for any opinions.

Because its fun. Believe it or not, for some odd reason I really enjoy the Lascala sound. Ha, no argument there!!

CT120/Fastrac update: As posted several weeks ago, I placed an order for Crites CT120 tweeters, and shortly thereafter decided to go a step farther and order a set of Dave's Fastrac horns. I've been out of town, and busy with refurbishing my listening room (see plastic sheets on windows!) and haven't had the chance to hook everything up until just the last couple of days. Have logged several hours of listening time with the new components and I can only reiterate what several of you have already said: the overall sound, to my ears, has blended into a "smoother" audio experience while remaining detailed and clear compared to the OEM K77/K400 components. Also, it seems that the Fastracs are not susceptible to the "ringing" effect that was inherent in the K400 squawkers. On a side note, having the new components sitting on top of my 'Scalas has broadened the "sound stage" to some degree, in effect making the speakers sound larger, if that's possible. That will likely change, however, when I get around to installing the items within the cabs. In summary, I am quite pleased with the upgrades, and fully expect this setup to provide me with much listening enjoyment for many years to come. Have a great Christmas everyone!

I may be one of the guilty parties! When I emailed Bob Crites two days ago about his newest tweeters he said he only had a couple pairs left and suggested I claim a pair right away. I did; expecting delivery next week. ~

While not nearly as elegant as the above examples, here is my setup: 1/4" tempered glass in light tint with polished edges over raw birch LS's.

Vehicles I've had the most fun with: '73 Firebird Formula 400 '82 Corvette, mostly stock My current 'fun' car '015 Escape 2.0T My 2nd (and current) Harley '010 Fat Bob

Wow, congrats, great looking system you have there! You have a beautiful listening room to enjoy the LS. I've also been a big fan of Yam 'Natural Sound' amps for years, using a CA2010 controlled by a Carver C4000 pre-amp. Enjoy! are any of these class A amplifiers Yes, the CA-2010 and its little brother CA-1000,1010 can be run in Class A. In Class B the CA-2010 puts out about 120wpc; in Class A only about 30wpc, and the amp gets siginificantly warmer when in A mode. Spec-wise, Class A supposedly offers warmer highs and a tighter bass, but my ears aren't able to discern the difference. Your mileage may vary, of course.

Wow, congrats, great looking system you have there! You have a beautiful listening room to enjoy the LS. I've also been a big fan of Yam 'Natural Sound' amps for years, using a CA2010 controlled by a Carver C4000 pre-amp. Enjoy!

So true! My 'Scalas have always been powered by Yamaha 'Natural Sound' int amps; a CA-1000 for many years and currently a CA-2010. Good luck on your search! ~

OP: congrats on your recent acquisition of the LS's - they should provide you with countless hours of fabulous audio enjoyment and invigorating conversation with visitors to your listening room. I've always been enamored with my LS's since I first purchased them in '76, mostly for their sound but partly for their unique appearance. Over the years I've had to replace one mid-horn diaghram and, as previous posters have also done, a couple of years ago the x-overs with a set of Bob Crites AA units. While I'm not qualified to get into a discussion of "this versus that", I will say these Klipschs have provided me much more audio delight than I ever imagined, and I am confident you will receive same. Enjoy!