JohnA

Aren't those high-grade caps beside the tube?!! John

The "New" Heritage speaker have new squawker and tweeter drivers and a network adjusted to account for the 1.5 dB difference in efficiency of the new drivers. John

That's sure a hoot! John

Carver/Carver designed amps are the last choice I'd make for horns. I'd even buy tubes before Carver. John

The Klipsch type AA and Al's networks are both major improvements over the Type AL. I have not heard the Klipsch Type AK/AL-3, but it's design makes it look pretty good to me. I have a pair of tweaked AAs in one pair of La Scalas and ALKs in the other. I cannot decide between them. They are different and the ALKs are crisper or hotter at VHF, but that also adds a nice shimmer to cymbals. IMO, you can buy Al's networks or replace most of the components in a pair of AAs. The cost would be about the same; maybe the rebuild would be cheaper. For about half of the cost of ALKs, I replaced the caps with Hovland Musicaps. John

They are unfinished birch with the optional upper grilles. The crossovers are Type AL, the worst in my opinion. They look mint and unmodified. John

A Heresy with the same squawker and tweeter drivers would seem to be the best practical match. I'm using a KLF-C7 with my 4 La Scalas and I'm entirely satisfied. The match with the -C7 is not perfect, but it is good and it is a good size and is shielded. John

Infinities are well known to be "hot". It is the reason I can't stand to be in the room with them. John

Gil, Yes, my La Scalas have Type AA networks. I do hope they have good output above 400 Hz. I'm going to experiment with an Altec driber and a pair of 511Bs I have when I find a deal on the drivers. I need to arrange to go over to a coworker's house and have my bass horns tested to see how high they do go. I seem to always be too busy to remember to do it. 800 or 900 Hz would be great! John

You are correct that the bass response is largely defined by the size of the horn and that the increase in impedance is due to the horn as well. There was a magazine article that discussed the difference in response between the 2 slot sizes, It was quoted on this forum. Look back in messages about 3 months old. The conclusion was there was only a little difference. Over the years the K-33 has been tuned to be the best performer in the Klipsch bass horns. It's happy coincidence that it's cheap. PWK used some of the best woofers made in earlier days. If one was better than the K-33, I'm sure it would have been used in the late models. John This message has been edited by John Albright on 06-01-2002 at 09:59 AM

Gil, Being the pragmatic engineer we know him to be, why was the inductor put in the crossover if it was not needed or if response was better without it? Would it be something related to providing a uniform impedance for the amplifier? I've read about this before, but never was tempted to try it until now. John

It looks like you should set the Heresies to small. John

1. What Heritage speakers have you owned, currently own, or want to own? 4 La Scalas 2. What was your age when you first purchased a Heritage series loudspeaker? 42 3. What is your current age? 45 4. Why did you choose Heritage loudspeakers over another Klipsch model? The sound I heard in 1975. 5. If you currently own some Heritage loudspeakers, and could purchase some more Klipsch speakers(new or used), which ones would you purchase? Why? K-horns; The sound I heard in '75. 6. Do you think the upcoming Jubilee should become part of the "Heritage" line, since it was also designed by PWK? Yes! John

The problem with that is that the first track of data on a CD is on the innermost ring. What happens to the sound if the "free" mat gets a little off center and causes the roataional speed of the disc to vary due to the eccentric weight? If it has so little mass eccentricity is not a problem, what makes it effective? John

There ARE different versions of the K-33-E. I have 2 La Scalas with round magnet -Es and 2 with square magnets. I don't know why there is a difference and I haven't noticed any sonic differences. There was also an AlNiCo version of the K-33 that MAY be called K-33-P (or -B?). Klipsch usually recommends upgrading to the -E version if you have an older one and are looking to upgrade. From that I suspect the -E performs better in some way. John This message has been edited by John Albright on 05-30-2002 at 12:15 PM

Rune, The squawker's sensitivity is 107 dB @1 watt, the tweeter and bass horn ate 104 dB @1 watt. You need to reduce the squawker by 3 dB. Biamping won't be enough; triamping would. You can get an autoformer from Universal at: Universal Transformer #3619 P.O. Box 472 Farmersville, TX 75442 972 784-7700 voice 972 782-7000 fax I think they are about $US20 each. The different taps reduce the voltage to the squawker and cut it's output. The other alternative is a pair of resistors in an "L" shape called an L-pad. There are design calculators on the web to size the resistors. You can place the high-pass capicitor before or after the L-pad or autoformer as you desire, but you will have to select values to match the impedance the cap "sees" where ever you put it in the circuit. I believe the 3619/T2A is nothing more than the standard 70-volt line transformer used in distributed audio systems. If you buy one locally, be sure you buy a high quality unit. John

Tim, Buy the speakers first and see how the receiver performs. You might look at the Luxman or Denon receivers as alternatives if your Pioneer doesn't measure up. John

Tom, You need to decide how much work you are willing to do. If you don't use a 4 ohm driver, you'll have to change the xover. djk knows his stuff. I've never caught him wrong; i'd listen. Also remember that the horn loading makes the driver behave as though the impedance is twice it's free air measurement. An 8 ohm driver will look like 16 ohms. I see no reason not to try the JBL driver, but try it first with the 3" x 13" slot and measure it's performance. enlarging the slot is not reversible. The output of the bass horn does not change because the driver impedance rating changes. IOW, if you put a driver in there that is 5 dB more efficient than a K-33, the output will be 5 dB higher unless there is a bad mismatch between the driver and the back air chamber or the throat, maybe. Follow djk's advice and try the 2226. Just buy one and test it, if you aren't sure. John

Only your ears "break-in". John

Martin Logan SL-3000s. La Scalas with a HUGE sound stage. As homely as La Scalas are, Altec A-7s are far worse. I have heard them as sound reinforcement speakers for a rock band I hung around in college. I was unimpressed at the time. There's no telling how they had them eq'd, so I can't completely pass judgement on them. However, based on that experience and the butt-ugly grey cabinets, most Altecs wouldn't even be considered. I like the look of the 19. Perhaps if I heard a pair, I'd think differently. At least some of the 19s had 811 horns and 800-series compression drivers. I'd think they'd sound pretty good. However, based on the sound of those A-7s, I wouldn't go out of my way to find a pair. Sorry, Tom. I have a pair of 511B horns and when I find a nice deal on a pair of 806/802/902 drivers, I'll try to build a pair of 2-way La Scalas. Maybe then I'll hear what the hub-bub is about. John

Klipsch speakers are so efficient that 100 watts are more than enough, though many people rune even more and drive them even louder. 100 watts is 20 dB above the 1 watt rating, so an HII will 116 dB on 100 watts. Your biggest problem will be the quality of the amp. Klipsch speakers are ruthless in showing the flaws in electronics. HIIs and RB-3s will be good medium sized speakers for you rooms. One trade off for the high efficiency is less deep bass. You may want to use a subwoofer with your main listening system. John

I haven't heard them, but I'm told they sound a little warmer. The difference in the drivers is only 1.5 dB. The new drivers are the "same" as the ones used before 1982, but tweaked to be smoother and less 1.5 dB. John

Be sure to listen to your choice carefully. I favor a 1983 model Heresy for your center. John

Hi Max, I think the situation is a little like what we went through in the States with car engine power. They changed the testing procedure and the horsepower looks a lot smaller. Still, a 260 HP '02 Mustang will run faster in a 1/4 mile than the '69 Mach 1 Mustang that was supposed to have 335 HP. I believe the new ratings are more indicative of what you'll get at home. There have been some changes. The new squawker and tweeter in the KH/LS/B both have a little less output, but are said to be smoother. The crossovers have been tweeked accordingly. John

What is the "name" of the '54 xover? Is it K-500-5000? John