JohnA

Something loose?

Hiss at high or full volume setting is normal to almost EVERY preamp; every one I've ever seen. It will do that with any input. It will be easier to hear when there is no signal on that input (set to CD with the player off). You have no cause to complain about that. It comes from the very large gain the preamp section can generate at full volume setting and is made more easily heard by Klipsch's high efficiency. The bleed over from the tuner section is sometimes called crosstalk. While expected and somewhat typical in cheap gear it is ultimately from a poor quality component. I'm not familiar with your Denon, but all of my cheap receivers from my college days do it. Audible hiss at very low volume settings (the minimum or first click or 2 of the volume control) should not be normal, but it very often is these days due to the digital processing sections in HT gear. I think that should be cause for a return of the piece for repair. John

It is virtually impossible for speakers to produce hiss. The only way is for the crossover to be near a VERY strong magnetic field. The problem is your Denon. If you had speakers of normal efficiency you would not hear the inherent noise floor of the digital processing section. I've seen $4000 HT preamp/processors do the same thing. It seems the digital section in all HT gear is inherently noisy. It is NOT caused by your house wiring and expensive filter systems will not reduce the hiss (they would remove clicks and pops caused by switches and appliances). You MAY have to replace the Denon to get rid of the hiss. Talk to your Denon dealer. John

I'm with Tom on this one. I'm not familiar with modern Crown amps, but their amps from 30 years ago were well respected. Be careful which ones you buy, though. Some of the modern designs are intended for very high power sound reinforcement and do not seem to be aimed at high quality home systems. With limited experience, I've found SS amps to be more satisfying with my La Scalas. BTW, Mr. Paul uses all SS gear to run his system and one of the amps is a Crown D-60. I'm not sure whether it's hooked to the K-horns or the Belle. John This message has been edited by John Albright on 04-22-2002 at 09:18 PM

All of the talk of builder codes got me to look. I'd never noticed them before. My '81 La Scala, 28W186 had the code MB beside the squawker and F in the plywood edge. My '82 LS, 26X610 has an F in the plys, but I couldn't find a builder code. Both '87s have the code BC on the "shelf" for the xover, but no sander code I could find. HDBR, any idea who these maight be? John This message has been edited by John Albright on 04-20-2002 at 09:21 PM

Great story! And well told! John

Great story! John

Technically, a La Scala would be the best match for the K-horn. It used the same Squawker horn. John

About half of new price. John

I used Netflix ALOT before they required a membership. We would get our money's worth in the fall and winter, but not during good weather. I quit using them when menberships began. John

Klipsch.

Ray, I know you didn't generate any of these, but why should there be any difference betweet the K-horn, La Scala, and Belle above 500 Hz? They used the same drivers and crossover for most of their lives. Even after the crossovers began to diverge, they only had minor differences. John

The Heritage series crossovers underwent several iterations with the "modern" set of drivers. The original Type A was used in the K-horn. Type AA was used in KH/B/LS. Then Type AB/AL/AK was used in the corresponding speaker. Next, there was a Type AK-2 and AB-2, but maybe not an AL-2. Next, was the AK/AL-3; I've never heard of an AB-3. Now the new ones likely have an AB/AL/AK-4 network. Al's network has been nicknamed Type ALK; it can replace anything from Type A to Type Ax-3, or the entire A-series of networks except perhaps the Ax-4 network. I'm sure he's working on that. John This message has been edited by John Albright on 04-17-2002 at 05:49 PM

I'll bet you won't hear much difference at all. Bi-amping first started when amps were small and speakers were generally inefficient (the 70's). It gave you more power/channel. It was then discovered that a good electronic crossover could improve the sound quality by removing the reactive elements in the passive crossover. Crossover parts are a lot better, now. And, your KLF-30s are so efficient that you will be hurting at 10 watts out of the 140 the Parasound produces. You will never tax the power amps in your receiver, so I doubt the Parasound will do you any good at all. If the receiver's power amps are so poor you hear a big difference with the Parasound, then your preamp section is also suspect. The better use of the Parasound is to hook it to a HT Pre/Pro. John

Tom, Be patient with ebay, a pair will show up after a while. Altec 511Bs could also be used and some say they sound better. I haven't bought any adapters to try them, yet. Builder, This LB-76 you mention; is it a narrow (about 18" wide), tall "J" bass horn or "scoop" with a Belle squawker horn and K-77 tweeter? Did it have optional wings to improve bass performance? The patent date for that was 1979. That's why the -76 confuses me. The '79 patent bass horn is the subject of an inquiry of mine. I toying with having a pair made for rear surrounds. I'm guessing it is taller that a La Scala and would be able to "see" over my furniture. John

You need an amplifier for every channel. I also think the B&K will sound a little bit better than your Yamaha, but very little. I wouldn't spend the money to buy an add-on amp unless you also buy a better Pre/Pro to feed it. John

Munghkiman, You're going to have to post pictures. Do your La Scalas have an open top like the attached? All 4 of my La Scalas have 15" K-33-E woofers, even though 2 have square magnets and 2 have round magnets. One pair is mismatched and was made in 1981/1982; the other from 1987. Tom, The La Scala requires the K-400 or K-401 squawker horn. The bass horn cannot go much higher than 400 Hz. I hope to test one to see how much higher, soon. The K-700 horn in the Heresy is intended for 700 Hz and above, so it is unsuitable for use in a La Scala. It cannot play low enough to match the bass horn. The K-401 is available new from Klipsch. Both sometimes show up on ebay. Most Heresies used the same squawker driver the KH/LS/B/C used from the same year. It unscrews from the horn and will thread onto the K-400/401 horn. A very early La Scala, perhaps the prototype, used a 12" woofer. It's in the Museum at Hope. John This message has been edited by John Albright on 04-15-2002 at 11:46 AM

If they are in good shape (all drivers work and are undamaged, the cabinets are not ratty and chipped up (2 or 3 small chips are to be expected) and the finish is well done or in original factory condition) $1000 is a fair price. Deduct as appropriate for non-working drivers. All of the drivers can be overhauled rather than replaced. Plan on about $50/tweeter and $75/squawker and woofer. The crossovers are probably not bad. Be forewarned, La Scalas don't reproduce deep bass. They will go down to 50 Hz in a corner and that's about it. John This message has been edited by John Albright on 04-14-2002 at 03:18 PM

There is a Promedia Forum that will give you answers. This is the Home Audio Troubleshooting Forum. John

Mungkiman, Can you post pictures? I can scan and post photos if you want. La Scalas ARE nailed and glued together, but there is a woofer access plate on the bottom that is held on with 12 screws. It looks like a riser to some. Are they black lacquer, or covered in black wrinkled vinyl? What is the model name, LS-BR, LS-BL, LSI-xx? If so, the access plate is the bottom plate. No cutting required. I've never seen the bottom of an LSI, but *Klipsch* would never have made a speaker that couldn't be serviced. John

I missed the nailing part. That Sucks! John

You will likely have 10 times the power needed for Klipsch speakers. Since you have RP-3s I doubt bi-wiring will provide any benefits at all. The woofer is self powered so you essentially have a bi-amped speaker system with only one set of speaker cables, John

There is no cutting required to get the woofer out of a La Scala. The botton plate unscrews and comes off. The only place to get K-33s is from Klipsch. Eminence cannot sell them directly. Klipsch only charges $110 each. John

The new squawker and tweeter are both less efficient and have a little less max. output. The difference in efficiency is about 1.5 dB, I'm told. They may not have the power handling capability the old ones had. John

M.H., There cannot be too much difference between the La Scala and Belle. The Belle squawker crosses over 100 Hz higher than the La Scala's 400 Hz. In many years both used the same crossover and they have always used the same drivers in the same year. I lack proof, but I believe the Belle's bass horn is capable of going higher because the effective bend radius is longer than the La Scala's (it is bent more gently). That should make up for the shorter squawker horn. That shorter horn should also be less prone to ringing since it shorter length makes it effectively stiffer. John with 4 La Scalas