Shock-Late

I don't find any 511b here in Belgium but I found a pair of RCF horns that look very very similar to the Altec 511B. I just don't know if they're as big as the altec... What are the dimensions of this last one? thanks! Frans

quote: Originally posted by mr.bob: I have JBL 375s (2" drivers) mounted to Community BRH90 curved front bi-radial horns in my custom made 60's vintage K-horns. The 375 produces articulate details and sheer power, and the BRH90 disperses it everywhere. They measure 33" across by 11" high. I removed the front grill of my upper section and stuffed them in there - they span the entire cabinet! I then put the EV T-35 tweeters vertically (slanted back about 30 degrees) on the top of the cabinet towards the back so its voicecoil is above the 375's voicecoil. Centering the voicecoils like this vertically really helps with stereo imaging. Getting the tweeter off the front baffle and setting it back makes the mid/high transition more blended and smoother to my ears. These 2 changes made a night and day difference in my sound! I think putting the tweeter back MAY be a good idea, depending on the type of x-over network you're using. I once read (is this true?) that it only worked really fine with 1st order x-overs...

hi guys, desperately seeking for a pair of Altec 511B horns... here in Belgium, if possible, or elsewhere in Europe... I bet the oversea shipping price would be far too much if I buy a pair in the US... thanks!!!!!

Actually, I've tried the k55v's without the bug screen and I can say that it DOES sound different to me. I would say that it sounds better... but also louder so I putted the bug screens back into place until I have my ALK x-overs done. I'll then have the possibility to tame down the midrange level a bit. If you don't have ALKs, dont remove the bug screens, midrange will sound too loud (it's already loud enough IMHO lol) A simple way to try it, however, is (as I have done later) find a second pair of k55v and remove their bug screen, then listen A/B and see for yourself. Don't need to worry about the ability to put it back in place (wich IS doable if careful...)

hi folks, I'd like to replace my K400 horns in my scalas with something more "wide" and "open" (100 or 120¡ horizontal dispersion would be nice) BUT i'd like to keep those good old K55V drivers I have. What are good choices among known (or less known) horn lenses? I know Altec 511B horns have been mentioned, along with electro Voice SM120 (aahhh if only i could find a pair of those here in belgium...) and i also saw some interesting H&H radial fiberglass horns (not sure about their cut-off frequency alas...) any other models you guys could recommend? i want to keep with the existing 400Hz x-over, don't want to change that, so the horns have to be big enough... the reason why i want other alternatives is that you don't find horns that easily in my country so I need the biggest possible choice... then if I find a pair, i'll go for it... ) Thanks! Frans

Isn't that 511B horn meant to be crossed at 500Hz or higher? I don't remember it being able to go flat down to 400Hz... I may be wrong... but if it's the case, then it would be only useable in Belle, not in LaScala!!!

quote: Originally posted by TBrennan: In my opinion if you fellas want to improve your midrange it's that damned horn you need to change, not the driver. Jnorv and I talked about this a couple of weeks ago while listening to some VOTs. I did very well when I owned LaScalas by going to the EV SM-120A horns, radials with a wide pattern. They ridded my LSs of their "fierceness" and improved imaging too. And they are the coolest looking horns I ever saw. :-) Check the attatchment. www.chicagohornspeakerclub.org tom, I like those horns! it looks like you can put your speakers parallel to the listening place, without toeing them in! That's a great advantage IMHO... but what about the cut-off frequency? is it really low enough to reach the x-over 400Hz frequency? also, are they expensive? would they work along with K77 / T35 tweters, or should I change the tweeters too for better polar dispertion? i'd like to find a pair of those horns... but here in Belgium... :o/

Damn, those old Marantz ESOTEC power amps look so gorgeous... are they good enough to go with LaScalas? I just saw one six months ago, selling for 300$ preamp included. i bet i should have bought it.... Frans

Hi Gabe, I'm 24, I also live in a big house with no neighbours, I also like to listen to LOUD music (tough not quite all the time) and i'm currently building a set of ALK x-overs. In fact I don't think we 'd need any tweeter protection; don't forget those are high sensitivity speakers; I don't know how much power you plan to put in your scalas but I think your ears would bleed before your tweeters do; except, EXCEPT if you're actually pushing your amp into distortion... same is true for all high-end speakers i assume. For my part, I'm driving my scalas with a 2 x 45W Musical Fidelity Typhoon power amp, driven by a Rotel RC980BX active preamp, and I could barely sustain the output level when preamp setting reaches further than 11 o'clock. I believe the amp doesn't give a lot of power at this setting, and it's still very, very loud... so a tweeter protection? well, for PA use in a 300 seats room maybe... but I may be wrong... maybe i'll burn my tweeters with my alk's... Al, any comments? Frans

First thing to do with LS - Belles when purchasing: open the "doghouse" and see if it's actually the right woofer in it... mine came with unoriginal woofers wich, altough of good quality, didn't give bass AT ALL, just mid-bass. Things really changed when I bought a pair of K33E woofers. Secondly, LS are VERY sensitive about how you place them in the room. Against rear wall mine give chest-battering bass. 4 feet from rear wall... NO BASS!! NO BASS AT ALL!!!! Third, I use a SS amp with high current output. Don't forget there's a big 4 ohms 15inch driver in there. You need the right amps to get slam out of it. Most people I know in Europe who drive LS with SE amps use one or two good big subwoofers to complete them (not REALLY needed with a good SS amp IMHO). frans

Okay... the guy who sells the inductor has the needed precision instruments you mentioned... he use to build x-overs and speakers himself (he owns a terrific black pair of JMLab Utopia copies he made himself). He'll cut the wire off the inductors for me, he told me. I have some unused QED speaker cable at home; I will use it then. thanks ;o)

How the hell do you guys place your LS in your listening room??? when I let them against rear wall, parallel, without toeing them in, sound is smoother, more open, bass is deeper, treble is less harsh... but imaging is poorly centered and sweet spot is... a very little spot :o/ when i toe them in towards listening position, stereo imaging is superb, dynamics also, but mids seem to scream at my head and treble seem to hang in front of the speakers. bass is less good too... maybe I just need to finish to build my ALK x-overs as soon as possible, so I'll be able to tame down the midrange a bit...hum.

Al, two more questions about your x-overs ) 1) I don't find 0.20 and o.30 mHy litz wire inductors here in Belgium; only 0.22 and 0.33.... should I cut some wire off them to make them correct values or may I keep them as they are? 2)could I use some QED Qudos speaker cable for the x-over wiring? thanks! ;o) Frans

quote: Originally posted by DANOCASTER: I guess i should've run. i walked and they were being sold as i got there. $950 in their original boxes !! *$#*&@& !!!!!!! Sad... but keep looking!! However, if i were you I'd trye to find a pair of LaScala rather than Belles. They sound almost the same (most can't hear the difference, if difference there is) and they're quite easy to find for a good price second-hand. I mean less expensive than Belles... and there are a lot more for sale too. Frans

One more question Al.... the T2A transformers I plan to use are on the older AA set I have; they seem very old; quite rusty and all... I have newer ones on the AA I currently use in my scalas but I 'd like to keep those x-overs intact. So, is there any risk that those old T2A don't work correctly anymore? How could I check if they're still good? I don't remember them having problems, but they look so old... thanks Al! Frans

Thanks Al! I'm going to begin the building process this week. As this will be the first time i build crossovers, i think it's a good idea to begin with "cheap" components. If I'm able to finish a working pair of x-overs, then in the future i may build a pair following your "official" drawings, with expensive components. I plan to use the T2A autotransformer; are the tap settings the same as for the transformer you use? I also plan to use klipsch's terminal posts. Since i have two sets of AA, I may use parts from one while still keeping a "stock" pair of AA intact (both sets are more or less dead, however. Since both were used for PA i suspect this may have caused the failures... I won't use mine for PA however!) I will go this afternoon at an audio DIY store to see what caps they have in stock. I might be able to find Solen fastcaps here in belgium, or similar quality stuff. We'll see! Thanks again for your help and I promise when i'll get the occasion I'll go for the "real" stuff! Frans

This is actually more a question for Al but as it may interest others i'll ask it here rather than pm. I downloaded quite a long time ago the drawings for your x-overs (it looks like i'll never get the money for a pair build by Al, alas... specially when i have to take the shipping to Belgium into account...) Well, my question is: I know you discourage people to build their alk x-overs with cheaper parts than the ones you use; i suspect this is because you don't want people to be disappointed with their finished x-overs, and i understand that. But i was wondering... considering the design is better and more sophisticated than stock AA x-overs, and also that I suspect even today's cheaper x-overs components to have less loss than stock AA oil caps (not to mention they're old and tired), what kind of result would i get if i use cheaper components in my Alk network? still better than old stock AA? not as good as AA? i know i won't get the full AlK performance, but... my AA x-overs are broken, the caps are down i think. Should I replace them with Hovland, or would it be better to build a complete set of "cheaper alk" with cheaper (but no junk) components? what would sound best? AA with hovland or solen, or AlK with cheaper components??? Also, do you sometimes make your x-overs with solen rather than hovland, as you explain in your drawings, and if you do, what's the cost of a "solenized" pair of alk compared to those you make with Hovlands?? I know, that's a lot of questions, but i'm really confused. I'd like to improve the sound of my scalas... they really sound like junk right now. .. thanks Al!! PS i remember one guy here once built a pair with cheaper components, don't remember who it was. I could eventually buy them, and then gradually replace the components with the "good ones"...

quote: Originally posted by Freud: Thank you very much for the info, TPD... I ll email them. 22$ the diaphragms?! that sound good to me!... Best regards, Freud, Fred, if you ever need other klipsch pieces, I've got a set of K55V drivers and also k400 horns i'd like to sell. I also have a pair of "false" klipschorn bass-bins. I live in Belgium. Spoke english here so that everybody can read but you can mail me in french of course! Franois

quote: Originally posted by SCOOTERDOG: Reading everyones answers there is more in common then just our heritage lines we own...Our ages. If you notice all of us are over 40. If only the young ones new what they are truely missing out on. My daughter has her friends over and I always get the same question when they see the La Scala's...Did you build those? Of course I always give the same answer, I wish! Then they get a little education on Klipsch and then a listening demonstration. Both 2 channel and 6 channel DVD-A. The look in there face is always the same...Wow! Hehe...read carefully, and you'll see you're wrong! Some of us are just over 20! I'm 24, and I'm dreaming about klipsch heritage speakers since the age of 16. Don't forget that the Heritage line is still mentioned in many today's reviews; LaScala won the "Diapason d'Or" (golden diapason) in a review from 1996. So there are quite a few younger one that have had the opportunity to hear about Klipsch big speakers. Hopefully!! I wonder if I still would love hi-fi if i were stuck with a pair of Paradigm columns ;o) Frans Couldn't have said it any better myself since that was the first thing I said upon listening to them for the first time, and ever since.

quote: Originally posted by HDBRbuilder: Hey Folks, Since there have been literally at least tens of millions of "heritage series" loudspeakers sold by Klipsch over the years, and in order to determine just how old "old hornies" actually are, I would like to have current and potential Heritage (Klipschorn, Belle Klipsch, LaScala, Cornwall, or Heresy ONLY please)owners answer the following questions: 1. What Heritage speakers have you owned, currently own, or want to own? LaScala 2. What was your age when you first purchased a Heritage series loudspeaker? 23 3. What is your current age? 24 4. Why did you choose Heritage loudspeakers over another Klipsch model? bought those Scalas for 250$! ) 5. If you currently own some Heritage loudspeakers, and could purchase some more Klipsch speakers(new or used), which ones would you purchase? Why? used klipschorns, Jubilee if i get rich 6. Do you think the upcoming Jubilee should become part of the "Heritage" line, since it was also designed by PWK? don't know. Maybe it should stay a "statement", without being part of an existing line. Thanks for your responses!!

I've been using four different woofers in my LaScalas (wich were bought with no original woofers): JBL D130 TESLA (about the same as JBL D130) EV EVM15L KLIPSCH K33E the only one that gave good results was the Klipsch K33E!!! why change it? it sounds good! Frans

quote: Originally posted by cc1091: Shock-Late- I think tblasing was just kidding you about the use of the concrete block shelf supports. Is there any one of us in this forum who hasn't used concrete blocks in some manner in our stereo systems at some time (past or present)? Shelf suports, speaker stands..very versatile. Your system looks good. Musical Fidelity usually has some good specs (I've never had the chance to listen to one of their products). Driving LaScalas through good cables should yeild some very pleasing sound. Actually, I found that in my room (wich has a wooden floor), these concrete blocks help to damp the vibrations coming from the LaScalas who are only 3 feet right and left from the equipment rack. With a simple wooden rack i just cannot listen to music at high volumes... the Cd players would vibrate too much, not to mention the amps. Note that i also put a slab of granit on top of my CD player for the same reasons. Results: better stereo image and bass more tight at high volumes. Cheap but effective!! One day I hope I'll have enough money to buy a Townshend Audio seismic rack... Frans This message has been edited by Shock-Late on 05-25-2002 at 07:16 AM

Just one idea: considering it would be for surround duties, why not building a speaker with heresy drivers, woofers, keep the internal volume, but change the proportions of the cabinet? you could have for example a "flat" cabinet, with the woofer firing upwards, and only mid and tweeter on the front side; this would save space vertically... (think about some car-speakers you put on the rear shelf...) don't think you'll ever find a smaller woofer that would keep up with the sensitivity of the midrange and tweeter... have fun!

Being the happy owner of an old pair of pro-Scalas with splitted cabinet, I decided this morning to do something I never wanted to do before because it just didn't seem good in theory. I put my top (mid-high) cabinets on their sides, on top of the bass horn, so that both the tweeter and midrange horns are now in vertical position. Well I suspected bad results, or at least less good than with the horns in the horizontal position. In fact it doesn't sound bad at all; different, but I rather like it. The mids seem clearer, less blurred, and the stereo seems better too; what's amazing is that the "sweeet spot" seems now wider than before (contrary to what I expected) I cannot explain it; i know the tweeter was originally created to be mounted vertically, but that shouldn't be the case for the midrange horn who isn't a diffraction horn.... I remember having seen that on a pair of home-made horn speakers with Vitavox mid horns; those horns where mounted vertically because, as the owner said, "it helped domesticating a system originally made for large rooms such as concert halls" Now I still need a few more hours listenings to "hear" for eventual drawbacks; it stills disturbs me in theory. It SHOULDN'T sound good that way!!! grrrrrrrrrr!!!! It just looks awful, however! To be continuated... Frans

quote: Originally posted by mario jr: MIKE are you telling me that you can just use 3 watts to some klipsch speakers and still have that big sound!! by the way Im 18 years old Well, mario, I own LaScalas, I'm 24 years old, I listen to rock, techno; electro, jazz, classical, sometimes at horrendously loud levels; for those horrendously loud levels, my 2 x 45 WRMS SS amp is more than enough. I even tried a 2 x 15 W ss amp and still amazed by how loud it goes... BUT 3 w/channel is enough only with high quality tube amps, because tube amps still sound good when driven hard. Most SS amps don't. So don't try it with a 3W SS amp (ya know, that old ghettoblaster...), it will go loud, but you won't have bass to talk about and it'll sound awful... Frans PS with 200W, take care of your hearing!!!!