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"In addition to replacing the capacitors, I added Parts Express foam speaker gasket at the edges of the midrange and tweeter horns to help seal the cabinet better. Also, as I was working on the network, I noticed a fair amount of corrosion around the screws on the opposite side of where you plug the drivers in to. At the very least, if you don't feel you need to replace anything in your network, unscrew and tighten all the screws a few times to help everything have a better contact." Hardly a true comparison when you have altered other parameters as well as the new caps. Not saying these caps aren't worth the effort, but you need to change only one component to evaluate the effectiveness of that component, otherwise there's too many variables.

I've had both & to me there was no choice.....the A55 was definitely better....smoother, less peaky, more open sounding. The dual phase plug K55 is no slouch though & would the one to go for above all the other Klipsch/EV variants.

I've had La Scala's.....Nineteens....amongst others. If you're talking stock, then the 19's are a clear winner. Much more balanced sound & nowhere near as aggressive as the LS. The 19's have a more extended bottom end, but the LS are quicker in the bass. You will find the bass of the LS a more "woody, dry" sound, where the 19's are more tuneful, fuller & warmer. Horses for courses. They will both improve with mods. The 19's will need a cap upgrade to the crossovers & dampening of the 811 horns. After this they will sound....very good. The LS will need more work to bring them to life. Crossover upgrade....mid horn upgrade..... & they would benefit greatly from the addition of a sub. Depends on how much work you are prepared to do. Would they then be better than 19's??? Hard to say....in my opinion, they would both be fine speakers, but just a different flavour. I don't think anyone who wants LS would want a pair of 19's & vice versa. You really need to listen to them both & see what flavour you prefer before you jump in the deep end. Of course lots of people just love the LS just the way they are. Personally I can't listen to them as stock. Good luck with you project.

Yes, that was my goal....to retain the look of the original, but with a modern updated sound. I have to say that the sound of these far outweighs my expectations. I have used quite a few top end manufactured speakers, as well as other DIY builds, including JBL, Altec & top of the line Sonus Faber & these are altogether in another league. Well maybe that's not quite a fair comparison as with these speakers I'm using different electronics than I used with my other setups & it truly is the sum of the parts. My current combination seems to come together beautifully & gives me the sound that I want to hear. Thanks to everyone for their kind comments & I've enjoyed sharing this project with you all.

Finished the grilles today. All done now....really enjoyed this project & I'm so happy with the sound.

.....and a couple more.

Here's some better pics of the finished project. Just need to make the grilles now & all is done.

Top Hats finished.

Hi Paul, I've listened to them without the bypass caps & with the sub & I can say that they are easily the best sounding speaker I have ever owned. Whether that is because of the crossover components, the mid drivers or the Belle cabinets, I cannot say. I suspect that it's a combination of all of the above. The DCM50's are a really refined driver with no hint of grain & plenty of detail. Totally effortless. Combined with the Elliptracs they make for a stunning sound. I now see what all the fuss is about 2" drivers, as they are in another league to anything I have had before. The DE10's are the real surprise packet & coupled with Daves Elliptrac tweeter lenses, they blend perfectly with rest of the system. Overall, a really coherent sound, that has a beautifully seamless blend of 3 drivers to produce an effortless & graceful sound. More thoughts when I put everything back together again.....with pics to follow.

The Dueland By Pass caps have arrived & I have them installed & the crossover is now labelled, thanks to my wife's craft skills.. All ready to go once the top hats are finished. I've completed one of the top hats.....just need to get the clear lacquer done & all finished. Just a small amount of work to do on the other tophat & then we'll be all good.

Thanks for that....it does sound pretty impressive. I have some Dueland bypass caps coming also....just to put the icing on the cake. I've tried the steeper slope versions on the bass section of the crossover & I actually prefer the sound of this design.

Nearly finished the tweeter brackets. Another coat of copper to fix the small chip on the bottom RH corner & then some sanding & clear lacquer.

& for the tweeters I'm making some mounting blocks from two thicknesses of 18mm ply....these will sit on top of the tophat cabinets with the mid & tweeter drivers aligned for time alignment.

Started on the top hats & the tweeter mounting blocks today. Here's the tops & bottoms of the top hats completed.

Thanks Bruce.....yes, the inductor is quite large, but not as big as the ones "FullRange" is using. This section of the crossover really affects the sound, so I didn't want to skimp. You could spend more on this, but I felt this was a good cost/benefit compromise. As it turns out, I'm really, really happy with the resulting sound. I'm hoping the completed cabinets will come up OK....I'm trying to get them to look like original, although the top hats will be higher than the originals to accommodate the Elliptracs & the tweeter will sit on top of the top hat cabinet like yours.

Finally.....the inductors have arrived. Crossover now all set up & firing & I've set the mid & tweeter up temporarily to listen. I need another sheet of 18mm before I can complete the top hat section, so couldn't wait any longer to have a listen.....& I wasn't disappointed. Mid range is smooth & seductive. I've listened for hours without a hint of grain or stridency. Tops are crisp & clear & The bass is awesome....I'm wondering if I will actually need a sub, but I have one coming, so it's a bit late now. Hopefully the 18mm sheet will be here next week sometime & I can pretty these up a little.

I haven't been able to weigh them, but I'm guessing somewhere between 60-80Kgs each. Certainly a 2 person lift just on their own without the top hat section.

Final coat is "Hammered Copper", which will blend nicely with the silky oak veneer. This is 3rd coat......will let these dry overnight & do a final coat tomorrow.

After 3 coats of undercoat & some light sanding.

First coat of undercoat.

Preparing the horns for painting.

Bass bins are all done....here they are in the room. I've hooked them up just playing a full range signal & you can tell they are going to be great. Next job is to complete the mid horns.

First coat of clear lacquer on the bass bins.....you can see the difference from the one yet to be done. A quick sand & another 2 coats & these babies will be finished.

A little more progress today on the crossovers. If you're wondering what the tag strip is on the left? I've taken lead wires from all the terminals on the autoformer & wired them to the tag strip, so that when I want to adjust the mid level I can access it very easily. By doing this I can change just 2 wires & get different levels of attenuation. Got some neat little "Turret Terminals" for the solder connection joins. Still need to trim all these wires & solder everything in place.

Thanks Paul.....yes looking forward to hearing them.