Dave in Nashville

It didn't take long....there's another '81 for sale on ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1381087200 Register your guess/estimate on the final sale price. Will it break the $600 barrier? Will it fall short? How well can we judge the market?

Wow! This is better than Jerry Springer. I can easily imagine you guys on the stage, dissing each other and waving fingers in each other's red faces, loudly declaring whose amplifier is better. Jer-ry! Jer-ry! Jer-ry! Keep it up, this is great!

I think the link below provides one possible answer to the recent high price paid for an EICO amplifier. http://www.investorwords.com/cgi-bin/getword.cgi?2233 If nothing else, the buyer should be commended for doing his part to support the national economy. Dave in Nashville

I met with Dano this past Saturday to discuss a possible purchase of his LaScalas. In the back of my mind, I was playing around with the idea of buying his speakers to compliment the pair of LaScalas I already have. My intention was to join the speakers in a d'apollito configuration (woofer-mid-tweeter-tweeter-mid-woofer). The combination would have been nearly seven feet tall. My 18 year old son really liked the "wall of sound" concept. I'm happy to say that common sence prevailed. Rather than buy the LaScalas, I bought a Velodyne subwoofer from Dano instead. The combination is super! For the first time we can now listen to our system "flat" without having the loudness button pushed in. Good things come to those who visit this forum. Thanks to Trey C., Al K., William McD, and Dano. Dave This message has been edited by Dave in Nashville on 06-27-2002 at 11:08 AM

Danocaster: Grab those LaScalas quick! I too have a pair of "industrial" LaScalas with the handles you mentioned. Also, my speakers have heavy duty casters. The handles and casters are great conversation starters and make house cleaning a lot easier. Enjoy your new speakers! Dave

Nice fish, but you didn't make any mention about "the one that got away." Dave

1: '77 LaScalas w/ALK Crossovers 2: Purchased last year (I was 53) 3: Am now 54. 4: Price could not be passed up. Had admired Klipsch since the early 70's. So much so that other speakers were out of the question (I was hooked). 5: KHorns, Belle Klipsch, or another set of LaScalas. 6: Jubilee? Haven't had a chance to listen to them. Can't offer any opinion.

No offense intended Hallsound, but as someone far wiser than I once said, "You can make something fool-proof, but you can't make something damn-fool-proof." Just out of curiousity, where are you playing your LaScalas loud enough to destroy the speakers? Dave This message has been edited by Dave in Nashville on 05-24-2002 at 12:10 AM

I too was saddened to learn of PWK's passing. God gives each of us life on the off chance that we might change the world for the better in some small way. Some of us have more impact than others and visa versa. PWK's contribution was to help bring beautifully reproduced sound into the privacy of our homes, making our lives somewhat more bearable in times of turmoil and uncertainty. If I were St. Peter, I would pat Paul Klipsch on the shoulder and say, "Well done." Dave PS: At the moment, I am playing Beethoven's 9th symphony out of my LaScalas.

Dear Al: Please continue to consider me a satisfied customer and fan. For those of us whose electical expertise doesn't extend much farther than knowing which end of a soldering iron to grab, please explain in lay terms what the advantage/benefit would be to make the modification (additional wire to tap 4) to our crossovers. Many thanks, Dave

I agree with you HDBRbuilder. I have a pair of '77 LaScalas and would very much like to proudly display the "pie slice" emblem. The modern logo I am currently using is acceptable, however I would really prefer the old style instead. Good luck on your crusade. Dave This message has been edited by Dave in Nashville on 04-27-2002 at 01:29 PM

Dear Frans: I would sell you a pair of primo ALK networks, however they have a pair of LaScalas hooked up to them. I realize that the networks aren't cheap and that as a student, funds are tight. But, if you want them badly enough, you'll find a way. Deliver pizzas on weekends, sack groceries, get a second job, put your loose change in a jar every night, quit drinking soft drinks, cut back on the smokes, drink one less beer, lay off the candy, etc. You get the picture. You'll be able to get the crossovers sooner than you think. Dave This message has been edited by Dave in Nashville on 03-19-2002 at 10:31 PM

Gary: After I demonstrate my '77 "ALK" LaScalas and my guest is sitting there in stunned silence, I turn one of the speakers around and point to the crossover with its gleaming copper coils and colored caps. "That's the secret, " I whisper. Read the posts, buy the crossovers, enjoy your music! Dave

Sleep? What the &%#$! is sleep? I didn't know people still did that. Dave in Nashville

Serjan: I have a pair of ALK crossovers in my '77 LaScalas. For the money, I believe they're the best addition/modification I could have made to my system. After people listen to my speakers, I swivel one of them around and point to the crossover. "That's why they sound so good!" 'nuf said. Dave in Nashville

I just got finished watching Sarah Hughes win the gold medal in figure skating. Wow! Although it was nearly 11 pm Nashville time, I said "what the hell" and cranked up my ALK LaScalas to 112 db (Radio shack SPL meter)when the National Anthem was played. It sounded great! In the morning, I'll probably get some dirty looks from my neighbors. Dave

One of my son's friends has a $4k setup in his SUV. The woofers/subwoofers take up as much room as a steamer trunk. Recently, I asked for the chance to give the thing a listen and they happily agreed. Inside the car in the passenger seat, I was not overly impressed with the quality of the sound. It was way too heavy on the bass. In fact, I felt that the sound was louder outside the vehicle rather than inside. The only thing that really impressed me was how much the whole vehicle shook. It was worse than a vibrating bed in a cheap motel. The owner of the SUV agrees that my LaScalas sound better than his system, but on the street, his truck rules on the "macho meter." ..... and that's what really matters. Dave This message has been edited by Dave in Nashville on 02-07-2002 at 02:30 PM

I just returned from Radio Shack, having purchased an analog spl meter. I set it up on a camera tripod at my listening position ten feet in front of '77 LaScalas (ALK crossovers) being driven by a 55wpc '71 Sansui 5000x tuner. I put on a cd of Annie Lennox (Eurythmics) singing "Would I Lie To You?" and turned the volume up to 50%. On the slow sampling rate, the meter indicated 118 db with highs up to 120 db+/-. As far as I could tell, there was no distortion. However, it was painful and my ears are still ringing an hour later. Dave This message has been edited by Dave in Nashville on 02-04-2002 at 04:33 PM

I've decided to buy an SPL meter from Radio Shack. They have two types (digital and analog). Although the digital meter more expensive than the analog meter, I'm more interested in performance/utility than price. I want to use the meter to make sure my son doesn't play the system at dangerous levels. I also want to adjust subwoofer levels. Any and all thoughts or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Dave

The very first time I ever heard and heard of Klipsch was when I was living in Denver in the early 70's. A friend and I went to a stereo store to do some listening. I remember one large room (maybe 30 x 30) in particular because it had only two speakers strangely placed in the corners. A sign on top of one of the speakers proclaimed this as being the loudest transistor radio in the world. On top of the speaker sat a small radio no bigger than a box of Campbell's onion soup mix. Two wires led from the radio to the back of the speaker. A saleman asked if I would like to hear the radio and I said "of course." Never had I heard anything like this! A little runt of a radio driving this huge speaker! The salesman asked if I wanted to hear what the speakers really sounded like and again I said "sure." I listened to Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" as I had never heard it before. The memory of that has never left me. Nothing I have ever heard or listened to since has equaled that experience. Dave This message has been edited by Dave in Nashville on 01-20-2002 at 03:09 PM

Scott: I also have a pair of black (industrial) LaScalas which had been on the road for quite a while before I bought them. They had more than their share of "battle scars" after years of use and abuse. I checked into repairing the chips and dings using Bondo (auto body filler) but then decided that my main concern was to get the internal components in the best shape possible. Since the enclosures themselves were structurally sound, I felt that the battle scars would add "character" to the speakers. My refinish efforts consisted of three coats of glossy black enamel paint. The speakers sit proudly in my living room, patiently waiting for the chance to shake the house to its foundations. Dave

KMan: If you decide you don't want the KHorns, I'll be happy to drive down from Nashville and buy them. Let me know. If I can buy the horns, I'll consider selling you my '77 LaScalas with ALK crossovers. They're sweet! Dave

Jake, If the speakers are in good shape, give him one of your kidneys and call it even. Otherwise, $1,500 to $1,800 give or take a few hundred dollars seems to be market value. Check the on line auctions for KHorns and you'll get a good idea of a reasonable price range. Dave

I'm in the process of getting a subwoofer and one of the most interesting bits of advise I've gotten so far is to put the subwoofer in the chair/best listening position in your room. Then, walk/crawl around the room until you find the place where the sound appears to be the best. That's where you put the subwoofer. Then, you go sit where the subwoofer was and enjoy the music. Dave

Jim: Soundman is absolutely right. I also don't think having LaScalas in a control room is a good idea. I've been in a number of "control rooms" over the years and have yet to see LaScala speakers used in this manner. Every monitor I've ever seen is much smaller and specifically designed for that purpose. That's not to say it can't or shouldn't be done, but there are much better choices available. Dave This message has been edited by Dave in Nashville on 12-12-2001 at 10:02 PM