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Posts posted by JohnA
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I don't think the Hope plant will close. There has been talk of moving engineering and customer support to the new Indy HQ for about a year. I'd hope they'd wait until the school year is over, though. I'll bet that was the start of the rumor you heard.
John
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M.H.,
The latest La Scalas have a the Type AL-3 crossover. It should be a very good crossover and I would be slow to replace it. The latest ones also have a fiberglass squawker horn that should not ring as much as the aluminum horns my La Scalas have. However, it took me about a year to "hear" the ringing I described. Once you notice it, it is obvious, but most people will not notice for a while. The same applies to the bass horn resonance. I normally notice it only on Seal's voice.
John
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You should write to Klipsch to see if they will sell you a pair of K-55-Ms. They are no longer in production, so you might have to use another driver. The K-401 horn and K-33-E woofer are available. The K-33-E is about $US100. It is by far the best woofer for the La Scala's bass horn. The 2 have been tuned to each other over the years.
John
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All I remember is the reviews said Soundcraftsman amps were harsh and dirty at low power, but sounded pretty good above 10 or 20 watts.
John
This message has been edited by John Albright on 09-03-2001 at 06:54 PM
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I have 2 pair of La Scalas. but unfortunately, have never seen RF-3s. Soundog has described the La Scalas very well. I think they have a few flaws and only one cannot be removed easily. The worst flaw is a ringing in the squawker horn. That is fixed by wrapping the squawker horn in rope caulk or other clay that will not harden or a product called Dynamat. The bass horn also suffers from some resonance affecting male voices, but it is subtle and not usually offensive. A horizontal brace across the bass horn would probably solve that problem. The tweeter is mounted the the rear of the baffle and "looks" through a 19mm deep "tunnel". This causes some harshness in the highs and is fixed by front mounting the tweeter. Klipsch makes "Z" brackets to do just that (the tweeter opening must be enlarged). Some of the 80s models had a really poor sounding crossover network (Type AL) and it has to be replaced. The newest, Type AL-3 or Al Klappenberger's crossovers are good replacements. Finally, the La Scala's bass horn begins to roll off at 60 Hz and little bass is present below 45 to 50 Hz. Nothing can be done for this, but buying subwoofers. The bass output is in proportion to the rest of the music and the result is very natural sounding, but they will not shake a room.
That said, I will probably never be without a pair of La Scalas; I like them that well. Most of the flaws could be solved by Klipsch and I doubt if I surprised them with my assessment. However, the cost of my modifications on an assembly line would probably not be worth it.
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I run an Acurus ACT-3 for my Pre/Pro and an Acurus A-250 power amp for my subwoofers. My other amps are Parasound, a similarly priced and designed product.
John
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Seb,
Actually, it is because the sub has very HIGH impedance and therefore is almost "invisible" to the amp.
The formula for parallel impedance is:
1/A + 1/B = 1/combined impedance.
So, 1/8 ohms + 1/8 ohms = 2/8 ohms = 1/4 ohms.
The total load is 4/1 ohms or just 4 ohms.
If the sub's input impedance was 100 ohms the results would be:
1/8 + 1/100 = 100/800 + 8/800 = 108/800.
Inverting 108/800 gives 800/108 = 7.4 ohms.
That's an insignificant change to an amp. I'd even bet the sub's input impedance is more like 10,000 ohms, too.
John
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Dynamat works well and is easy enough to apply (warm it first) to the metal horns. Rope caulk would work just as well, I think. I would use rope caulk on the fiberglass K-horn horns. Getting dynamat down into that waffle pattern would NOT be worth the work. I used Dynamat on my La Scalas' aluminium squawker horns and rope caulk on the tweeter horn.
John
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Plugging the port will not damage anything and will reduce the bass output near the port's resonance. It might even increase the output at deeper frequencies, slightly. Try it.
I've never seen a CF-2, so I don't know what else might be done.
John
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$1000 is a fair price for La Scalas as described. That's what I paid for my first pair in worse shape that you describe. Of course, offer him $800 first.
John
This message has been edited by John Albright on 08-28-2001 at 04:11 PM
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The distortion could very well be from the voice coil rubbing. However, it would be almost impossible to remove the cone without destroying it in the process. If the voice coil is rubbing, causing your distrotion, it is rubbing because it has delaminated or something else has failed. Try to find somebody to recone your woofer. Since it is an SP-12, you should be able to find someone who can, or maybe another one in good shape. I've done a Yahoo search for speaker repair and found several. There's one in Knoxville, TN and a big one in CA.
John
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I flush mounted a pair of my La Scala tweeters and it did improve the sound. I got more detail and clarity, less harshness in the highs.
The brackets (one for each side) are available from Klipsch, but are a simple "Z" with 90 degree bends and a 3/4" (19 mm) offset to hold the tweeter flush with the front of the cabinet. The 4 screw holes that hold the tweeter to the cabinet are used with the brackets and wood screws hold the brackets to the inside of the cabinet.
John
This message has been edited by John Albright on 08-29-2001 at 08:16 PM
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The bass to mid xover in a La Scala is at 400 Hz. I've never seen data showing the upper end of the basshorn's response, but that 400 Hz crossover limits the squawker drivers that will work. Bruce, you're correct that most squawkers want to be crossed at 800 Hz or so. That's one thing that has kept me from creating my own 2-way La Scalas. PWK first made 2-way K-horns and lately the experimental home Jubliee is a 2-way design (the Jubilee has a new basshorn that is said to go up to 1000 Hz or so. The xover is at 800 Hz). I think if Mr. Paul could have made a 2-way La Scala, he would have. In pro audio, a tweeter that has a long term power rating of 2 watts is one that is just waiting to be blown. The La Scala, in particular is not the speaker to have used that tweeter if there was a way around it.
John
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It could be your room, too reflective. Try some wall treatments. As an experiment, hang quilts on the side walls. If it works buy something attractive like Persian rugs.
I have a -C7 and have listened to the KLF-20. I didn't find them harsh. I like them a lot.
John
This message has been edited by John Albright on 08-26-2001 at 06:15 PM
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From the serial numbers the HBRs are 1981 models and the HIP-2s look like 1986 models. 1981 was a transition year, so I'm not sure which squawker the Heresy had in 1981. That was the last year for the K-55-V in the larger Heritage models. The HIP-2s may well be Heresy II professional models. You'll have to open them up to see what drivers are in them before most of us can say whether they will soung much like your HBRs. I'll bet they do, though.
John
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Gil's "Dope from Hope" shows a device to be used between a stereo preamp and 3 power amps at "line" level. A speaker level device would be much more robust.
John
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The Klipschorn and the other models you mentioned WILL reproduce that 27.5 Hz piano fundamental, just not as loud as they can higher bass notes. In fact, the output at 27.5 MAY be so weak you think there is nothing there at all, but really there is. My La Scalas seem that way on the 22 Hz synthesizer notes in the Titanic theme song. 22 Hz from a La Scala is so weak it might as well not be there at all.
John
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I haven't tried the 2x4 brace thing in my La Scalas because I haven't decided it is that severe a problem and I don't want to mar the finish. I plan to add a "shelf-brace" to my rear channel La Scalas when I can afford to refinish them.
It will look like this: http://www.hps4000.com/pages/525_.html
I'll put the brace at the 40% point from the bottom of the basshorn.
John
This message has been edited by John Albright on 08-16-2001 at 11:08 AM
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Pioneer has made such cheap, low-quality gear for so ;ong, most Klipsch owners see it as too inferior for consideration. I'm leery of the Elite series as well.
John
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Dirty relays in your power amp? I had similar problems with an amp and that was the fix.
John
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I don't think you'll have a problem using a seperate powered sub system and splitting the preamp's output, but call Sonic Frontiers to be sure.
I get more satisfying results with a 60 Hz xover to my La Scalas.
You will want a BIG, powerful, low distortion sub(s) to match your La Scalas. I generally don't like subs, but I have been very satisfied with my *pair* of VMPS Larger Subs (sitting in the corners to maximize output).
John
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Larry,
More than likely you have an "open" in the woofer's voice coil; check it with a continuity tester or a multimeter from, say, Rat Shack. It Can be repaired by reconing the speaker, but that's a job for an expert technician. You could always buy another woofer, too.
John
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Crossover failures are rare.
However, I can't tell what you are measuring from your description. Disconnect the tweeter wires from the crossover and measure the resistance across each wire. A good tweeter will read about 6 ohms and you will hear a tinny scratching from the tweeter while touching the meter leads to the tweeter leads. High resistance and no scratching means a blown tweeter. Take it to a GOOD pro audio shop and have them install E-V T-35 diaphragms at $21 each plus labor (the K-77 IS a T-35).
John
(w/ 4 La Scalas in my HT)
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Paul,
I don't think you'll hear the difference between the 16 ga. and 12 ga. on your surrounds. I think the biggest factor id the limited frequency response of surround speakers and the information sent to them in a *typical* movie.
Two 16s would be as good as one 12, but not a "clean".
John
Online Poll - Which Sounds Better
in General Klipsch Info
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I'm glad I went, too! And just in case I forgot to say "Thanks" to somebody:
Thanks a lot for the help organizing it (I could never have done it alone) and thanks for the great hospitality you gave us all!
John