Boomzilla

Fabrics/Moldings:

Another option occurs to me: I could just upholster the things... That way there would be no need for surface repairs at all - just cover it all up. Two options would be to upholster them like a guitar amplifier with corner protectors & edge strips OR (and yes, this is out there) upholster them with upholstery fabric and decorative edges. With either of these options, the inside of the dog box could just be flat black. With the guitar-amp upholstery, no lower or upper grill would be needed. With the fabric upholstery, bottom and top grilles might be needed. I may visit the fabric store tomorrow just to see what's available.

That's the conclusion I came to...

The tops are beaten up. I plan to sand & fill them like the sides. The previous owner had wood screws around the perimeter of the top so that the tops could be removed. The woofer access IS through the top.

My La Scalas were rough when I got them, so I posted here & was advised to strip them to see what they actually looked like. I bought some denatured alcohol and some steel wool and the speakers just giggled... Turns out this pair was either raw birch or black-stained when they were new. I'm guessing some band bolted on the casters & used them as PA speakers. They got gouged, splintered, corners knocked off, etc. probably from being carelessly transported. Later in life, someone slapped a coat of primer over the original stained birch and then painted a "faux wood finish" over that. Unfortunately, the painter didn't bother worrying about runs, drips, or surface preparation. I broke out a sander and quickly determined that there was no way to easily remove the existing finish. "As-is" photos follow at the end of post. My goals in this project are: 1. Minimum effort 2. Minimum cost 3. Minimum time 4. Minimum wife-acceptance-factor I plan to fill all the worst gouges with wood putty, sand the things reasonably smooth, reprime the boxes, and reapply a faux wood finish over the primer. This won't yield anything like one of Mr. Volti's magnificent creations, but it might get me over the hump so I can keep them in the living room. http://i963.photobucket.com/albums/ae119/gysafety/IMG_3964.gif http://i963.photobucket.com/albums/ae119/gysafety/IMG_3963.gif If anyone has better ideas, I'm open to suggestions... Thanks - Boomzilla

Thank you kindly. I appreciate the coaching!

Yessir! Now THAT'S what I had in mind! I don't plan to port my bass cabinets because I'm running a subwoofer under my La Scalas. I'm also thinking of using a significantly darker veneer (but that's just a matter of choice). Your speakers look absolutely AWESOME! I've always wondered why Uncle Paul didn't choose to use a discreet squawker/tweeter housing on the La Scalas like he did on the Belle & K-Horn. They finally got smart about the time of the La Scala II and made the boxes much better looking, IMHO. The veneer I'm leaning toward is this: http://i963.photobucket.com/albums/ae119/gysafety/ebony.jpg I'd also like a bit more info on the actual process of doing the veneering - I see multiple methods of application: Vacuum pump (DEFINITELY not for me) Iron-on (maybe) And "Self-adhesive" (sounds easy) The online retailers also say to "cut the veneer to your edges with a veneer-cutting knife." What the dickens is a veneer-cutting knife? Pardon my ignorance, but I'd REALLY like for my speakers to turn out nice. THANKS for the help

I'm thinking of using the doghouse grilles so that I don't have to fiddle with the inside of the horn. I'm also thinking of separating the top from the doghouse with a "separator plate" for looks and adding a footer (ala Heresies & Cornwalls) again for looks. While I'm at it, I plan to move the squawker & tweeter horn mounts to the front of the baffle board & cover them with a grille that matches the doghouse grilles. An ambitious project, I know, but I do plan on keeping the things...

Might I ask what type of paint would be appropriate? What colors? If veneer is to be used, the iron-on types seem to come in 2-foot wide strips only. How easy is it to make an unnoticeable seam? Once veneer is applied is any finish (tung oil, polyethylene, lacquer, etc.) feasible?

My 80's vintage La Scalas have seen a hard, hard life. I don't know what the previous owner did with them, but they're gouged, scuffed, beaten, and ugly. I asked here previously about just covering them with contact paper, and was told (in emphatic tones) not to do that. I'd like for the speakers to look nice (maybe even very nice) since they're in the living room. I've thought about filling & painting the cabinets, filling & sanding the cabinets, or building new cabinets, but then I thought about using some iron-on wood veneer to cover the things. Is this feasible? I like the idea of Volti's braces & grilles for the bass cabinet too, but putting them on my speakers in the condition that the speakers are currently in would be like adding lipstick to a pig. Ideas?

Quick stupid question here, please: Having never upended a pair of La Scalas, is the bottom screwed on? Nailed on? Glued on? How hard is it to yank & get to that woofer? Also, once the bottom is open and the woofer removed, why not upend the woofer by 180 degrees when reinstalling? I've heard that those big 15" jobs have a tendency to sag over time causing eventual voice coil rubbing? Reversing the woofer's physical orientation during cleaning would help prevent this, yes? I suspect my cones have had gravity tugging on them for about about 30 years... Thanks.

I don't yet have an Emo XSP-1, but do plan to order one. I hang out at the Emo forums, and the buzz there from those who have both the USP-1 and the XSP-1 is that the difference is easily audible and audibly significant. Of course, at double the cost of the old USP-1, the sound should be so. I've previously owned Emotiva gear including XPA-2 (300 wpc power amp), XDA-1 (DAC), and UMC-1 (AV preamp). The XPA-2 was my first purchase. I got it because nothing I could find could provide sweet treble and tight bass with my Thiel 3.6 speakers. The Emo power amp was a match made in heaven for the Thiel speakers. I've lately come into a pair of La Scalas, and for some reason, the Emo power amp just does not work well with the La Scalas. Maybe the required power output is so low that the multiple output transistors of the power amp aren't quite singing in unison, maybe some other reason. The bottom line, though, is that I'm selling the Thiels and the Emotiva XPA-2 and keeping the La Scalas. The Emo XDA-1 DAC was a wonderful DAC for the price. It was superior to the built-in DACs of my Rotel and Emo AV preamps, but not enough so for me to keep it. The Emo UMC-1 AV preamp sounded as good as my Rotel (pretty darned good), but nowhere near the quality that I wanted for stereo listening. Both units are gone. I know that I'm wandering far afield from your question, but there's a reason. The La Scalas that I bought came with a pair of VTL Compact 100 tube monobloc amps. This match was the best I've ever heard. Since I need source switching and bass management for my subwoofer, I think that the XSP-1 from Emotiva is the best choice that I've got. I could buy a used USP-1 really cheaply, but in every case where Emotiva has offered both a U and an X model, the online buzz is that the X models are clearly superior. I'll post a review when my XSP-1 ship comes in. Cheers - Boomzilla

I can solder. My shortage isn't ability or cash - it's time. I'm busy enough that I'd prefer to spend my free time, what little there is of it, listening rather than soldering. My problem seems to be solved, though. A local guitar shop says they can fix my VTL compact 100 monoblocks. If so, I already know that they match the La Scalas perfectly. That leads me to the only other issue:I need a preamp. Since the VTLs work just fine with a solid state front end, I'm looking for solid state preamps that have built-in analog bass management. I know Emotiva makes two. Anyone else? Thanks! - Boomzilla

As it turns out, there IS a really capable & experienced tube repair guy in town - works for the "live music" store & mostly does guitar/bass/pa amps. He was excited at the opportunity to repair my VTL Compact 100 monoblocks. I already know that those amps are a PERFECT match for my La Scalas, so the Quinpu will probably either (1 - get returned or (2 - get sold to a friend or (3 - find a home in my computer room. Now that I've got power amps lined out, what kind of a preamp should I use? Since the VTLs sound fine with a solid state preamp, I'm thinking an analog stereo preamp with bass management built in. The Emotiva preamps fit this profile. Who else makes solid-state analog preamps with built in bass management?

I've ordered some "Type A" crossovers from Mr. Bob Crites for my La Scalas. Since ALL of my speaker wires are terminated with banana plugs, what's the best way to add banana jacks to the La Scala? My La Scala cabinets are beaten up. I'm contemplating either using wood putty to fill the gaps and then just painting the cabs, or wrapping the whole darn things in wood-look contact paper. Any suggestions on refinish? Audio Advisor, Amazon, and others sell an inexpensive 16wpc Chinese hybrid amp called the Qinpu A-6000. The amp uses a pair of tubes for the preamp stage and a pair of solid-state chip amps for the main outputs. I have vintage La Scalas and am curious to know if anyone else has tried the Qinpu with the La Scalas? My system is a bit odd since I'm running a subwoofer with the La Scalas, but that shouldn't affect the sound of the Qinpu. Thanks Y'all - Boomzilla

Audio Advisor, Amazon, and others sell an inexpensive 16wpc Chinese hybrid amp called the Qinpu A-6000. The amp uses a pair of tubes for the preamp stage and a pair of solid-state chip amps for the main outputs. I have vintage La Scalas and am curious to know if anyone else has tried the Qinpu with the La Scalas? My system is a bit odd since I'm running a subwoofer with the La Scalas, but that shouldn't affect the sound of the Qinpu. Also, I've ordered some "Type A" crossovers from Mr. Bob Crites for my La Scalas. Since ALL of my speaker wires are terminated with banana plugs, what's the best way to add banana jacks to the La Scala? Finally, my cabinets are beaten up. I'm contemplating either using wood putty to fill the gaps and then just painting the cabs, or wrapping the whole darn things in wood-look contact paper. Any suggestions on refinish? Thanks Y'all - Boomzilla

More power = Cleaner power = Better sound. Not always, but certainly often true. Best sound I had was using a 350 WPC McIntosh Mc252 into a pair of La Scalas. Of the AV receivers, Yamaha certainly has a (justified in my opinion) reputation for having excellent sound at their price points. Your money, your choice - consider borrowing a friend's higher powered stereo amp and listen. Your ears will tell you if the additional cost is justified for you. Happy Listening! Boomzilla

It's time to simplify - I want a single, full-range set of speakers. Options that I'm considering are: 1. Cornwall 1 (about $500-750, if I can find a pair) 2. Cornwall 2 (about $600-850, if I can find a pair) 3. Cornwall 3 ($3,500 per pair) 4. Crites Cornscalas (about $3,000 if I buy all the parts & cabinets from Bob AND some significant labor to assemble & finish them) I've only heard the Cornwall 1 (and a pair of Heresy 2s). The $3,000 and up options strain the limits of my spouse acceptance factor, but they're doable if needed. I currently have a pair of Heresy ones, but to convert them to Cornwalls would cost as much as buying a used pair of Cornwalls and offsetting the price by selling the Heresys. My initial instinct in this choice is to wait until a nice pair of Cornwall 2s shows up within driving distance of Baton Rouge. I could update them over time with new Crites crossovers & some titanium horn drivers, thus delaying the wallet impact. Any suggestions, comments, or aspects of this choice that I'm missing? Thanks!

Thanks for the suggestions - i hadn't thought of those. Let me restate my goals & why I came to the choice originally stated: 1. I want bass to at least the lower 30s 2. I want as much midrange detail as possible 3. I want a simple solution, if possible (fewer boxes = better) 4. Size doesn't much matter (wife tolerates speakers well) 5. I want to minimize cost What I've had in the past: La Scalas (Good midrange but no bass extension) Cornwalls (Good bass extension but some loss of midrange detail) Heresys (OK midrange, but no bass extension) What I already own now: Heresys Difinitive Technology Supercube I self-powered subwoofer (flat to 13 Hz) Obviously, the current setup meets all desires above except No. 3. To finance CornScalas, I'd need to sell the current setup & toss in some cash. The benefits I'd expect from the CornScalas would be in the area of desire No. 2. How would Quartets, Fortes or KLF-20s fit into this plan? Alternately, would putting the Heresys up on stands provide additional clarity? The bass could be compensated for by the sub...

Would I be better off with a pair of Heresy speakers and a good subwoofer or with a pair of Crites CornScalas with no subwoofer?

Mr. Crites site lists the Selenium D405 driver as his preferred unit for the CornScala. I see on Selenium's website, though that two other drivers, the D405-Trio and the D-405Ti are also available. So far as I can tell, there is no difference other than housing construction between the D-405 and the D-405-Trio. The D-405Ti has a titanium diaphragm and is 1dB more efficient. Is there any reason not to use the (cheaper) D405-Trio or the (upscale) D-405Ti instead of the D-405? Thanks!

True, but when I tested, each driver also made noise! If I've got not only the expected resistance but also noise from the driver, am I right in concluding that the drivers are OK?

To test a cap, lift one of the leads and then use a meter (available online or at Radio Shack) to read the capacitance. If I get the same reading on the "bad" speaker and the "good" speaker, then the suspect capacitor is probably OK. Otherwise, it's time to replace.

Thanks to all - I'll verify the wiring, tighten the screws, and test the cap. If the cap is bad, would it be prudent to just replace both crossovers with a pair of Mr. Crites' models? I'd assume that if the parts are old enough for some to begin failing, then it is likely that others are either shifted in electrical performance or are prone to failure as well. On the other hand, the autoformer is unlikely to fail at all, so maybe just a full capacitor replacement would cure the issues? Thanks.

I hooked up my Heresy speakers to my amp - no sound from the right squawker or tweeter - *^%^&_*... I then took the back off the speaker & checked the squawker & tweeter with a VOM - GOOD CONTINUITY! I have type E crossovers. I've never heard of a blown crossover - normally the drivers die first. What's going on?