geoff.

@Deang, a little late to the party, work is really starting to get in the way of this forum, but I snapped a picture of the terminal cup/plate. Ya, who knows what someone else did to those La Scalas before I got them? They had an $8 Rat Shack piezo tweeter in one tophat and one K-43 ohmed out at 20 ohms. For eight years now I have been trying to figure out what is wrong with my perception because a pair of pristine AA crossovers, even after recapping with pseudo-authorized (mylar) capacitors, has never sounded like “all that and a bag of chips” in any of the FIVE pairs of La Scalas I’ve owned over the years. Each pair had K-55-Ms… I never found the midrange to be too loud, I always found the treble not as bright as I would have liked, but that is not uncommon for me. Before recapping I had to put my ear up to the K-77s to ensure they were working. Now though, even with colorful puppets to explain what I was hearing, thanks @mboxler, I’m left with questions. Hypothetically, not suggesting anyone modify any Klipsch product, how would a person correct for the overlap using an AA crossover with a dual phase plug driver? I seem to remember a suggestion to add a .35 mH coil to the positive squawker output, a la A/4500. Would another possibility be to add the same elliptical filter used in the AL series of crossovers and change the .245 mH to .125 mH? I really want to hear what the fuss is all about with the AA crossover. For starters, I imagine the un-smudged crossover would result in better imaging. So is what I’ve been hearing more like an “A” with better tweeter protection? Another question now springs to mind… how did the widely accepted crossover points become 400 and 6000 Hz if the graph clearly shows 4500? …my whole life has been a lie, lol

Maybe I’m missing something?

I own a pair of mis-matched LSI Splits, one came with the K-55-M / AL crossover and the other came stock with the soldered lug dual phase K-55-V / AA crossover. There has been discussion over the years, and still is on an “authorized vendor” site, that you cannot use the K-55-M with the AA crossover as it was not designed for it. The reasons originally proffered were the K-55-V rolls off sooner and has a dB less output at certain points in the frequency response curve. Well, the Klipsch FACTORY INSTALLED K-55-V dual phase driver in the La Scala Industrials using the AA crossover runs just as high as the K-55-M, and it turns out the frequency response results were based on test samples of the K-55-M that do not reflect final production units. It appears “the data on the Mig is inaccurate”.

…an object in possession seldom retains the lustre of an object in pursuit @Jvitti1970, did you wind up selling the ALK crossovers you had listed a while back or did you keep them?

I would buy all of those on principle alone

After taxes and shipping, from multiple sources, I don’t know if you could order the parts to build them for less than $500.

…I think you’re safe to start the bidding at $350

So…, my La Scala-ish speakers have unmentionable, unauthorized parts in them. Someone broke into my house and threatened my family if I didn’t let them perform these mods… From where I sit, quite figuratively, it’s not an issue of a bass trade off, the bass of the 396s although spec’d higher sounds lower to me. And the K-48 (any iteration) produces tight, fast, clean, and detailed bass. It’s more of a “live sound” versus “studio sound” argument that is brewing. I have yet to use more than simple tone controls on the 396s, comparing both sets of speakers “flat”, but wholly believe equalization may take them out of the studio and onto the stage. Not there is ANYTHING wrong with their sound as they stand. These remind me of my first pair of Tractrix horn equipped speakers, Forte 2s, only with more of everything. I find myself looking up from my screen and replaying songs I’ve listened to for decades. Again. ANOTHER thing I have yet to try is removing the grilles. These are pro models, built for battle, and there is an acoustic foam liner behind the perforated metal grilles. Removal of the grilles would no doubt bring a presence to the sound that cannot be achieved behind these screens. ONE CAVEAT to anyone new to these, @Heritage_Head, and others thinking of removing the grilles… Lay the speakers flat on their backs before removal. The screws, all 11 of them, have a hollow tube spacer between the motorboard and the grille. And take your time, I can’t even count how many screws I’ve stripped and surfaces I’ve scratched in my excitement, sigh.

…I envision myself with a four foot 3/8” threaded rod, a grinder and some bluing

They’re BETTER than the old Heritage! There is a bevelled plate under each screw, so you could just twist the wire and insert it under the plate and screw it down. No clockwise loop, lol. I would have soldered the ends if I didn’t already have (a box of) spaded terminations lying around.

My son commented again today about the soundstage, lol I have them angled such that the trapezoidal sides are parallel with the walls. It suits my OCD fine and FILLS the room.

The bottoms look like the tops! (Another one of) the REALLY great things about this second version, the SMA-II, is the simple yet effective barrier strip terminal connections instead of Neutrik.

Whew… glad to hear raw birch is not all they’re cracked up to be. I would always have wondered. Had I been in the unlikely position to order “new”, I would have been leaning hard in that direction too! The big black grill and 16 black bolts (and one big screw right in the middle on the top) probably make for an odd spectacle. Did Cory add any suggestions about a stand, whether it be screw in bolts or something more elaborate? As they come, they don’t sit flush on the floor and you won’t want to scuff up the new cabinets.

@Heritage_Head, what finish did you order?!

These puppies have 16 fly points, you unscrew a bolt and screw in an eye hook. No WAY MDF is prudent for that.

A few weeks ago I was able to obtain a pair of KI-396s for a price I believe I could sell them for should I grow tired of them. It was more than I have ever spent on a single audio purchase by a factor of two, which for me isn’t saying much, lol, but it was more than I spent on my last used car. My first impression was: “Wow, for a speaker that is only supposed to go down to 60Hz there is a ton of bass.” The 60Hz at -3dB figure doesn’t do the 35Hz at -10dB figure any justice. 91dB bass at 35Hz is pretty solid, un EQd. With room gain and a couple dB gain from the simple +/- 5dB bass knob on the NAD C165BEE preamp they pound through an Emotiva XPA2 with 300 watts RMS per channel. Not quite the Klipsch recommended 1200 watts (!), but far from underpowered. I haven’t pushed them to the point where they knock the chess pieces off the board and I like my windows so they still keep the rain out but I am searching for a professional amp… “I got’s to know”. My immediate second impression was: “Wow, these suckers image like a ______-______!” In the picture below both of my sons, independent of one-another, assumed the La Scala-ish speakers were active. They were as astounded as I was by the wall of sound in front of us. The sound stage is WIDE and full and the sweetspot from my tiny 10’ wide x 8’ deep listening triangle is not precise (a good thing), if I move my head from side to side and especially back and forth it’s still sweet. The 396s also seem very forgiving of poor recordings (masterings), without a doubt these are as FAR from harsh as any of the Klipsch I’ve owned. Dare I say it, verging on “studio sound” - gasp(!) I’ve owned Chorus 2s until recently and still own KP-301s, I think the 301s are going next (a moment of silence please). And those are both incredible speakers in terms of both performance and value. They are not, however 396s. I’m still early in the game here, but I hope I never have to choose between my all horn system and these.

A little footnote that may or may not be of any significance. Probably not for home use, but I can say from personal experience each time I have increased my amplifier power for a given set of speakers it was immediately noticeable in the bass. Woofers love watts. And the pro stuff loves lots of them.

I have contemplated doing the same thing with two separate crossovers! One for quiet listening and one for rocking out. Swapping out crossovers in an LSI tophat is tedious at best. A double pole, double throw switch on each driver, and the input. All mounted on one board under a case.

...consistently

Maybe I'm just lucky...

@Scott Grammer, If you are looking for a pair of T2As, I might suggest checking flea bay for some used crossover boards on the cheap. They’re usually in pretty nice shape as they live inside a sealed box. Not only do you get your autoformers, but you also score the boards and barrier strip terminals, in addition to whatever else makes up that particular crossover. For example the 2.5mH woofer inductor. It is relatively easy to rework an “E” or “B” into something else that suits your goals. If a 12dB woofer filter is what you’re after, “E-2” and other boards using the 4mH woofer inductor come up often as well. If you’re patient you’ll probably get a pair of crossovers for $100 plus shipping.

@Scott Grammer, Head on over to Audio Karma, there are fewer toes to step on over there.

The first pair of Heresys I recall hearing were inverted up in the corners of a bar I was servicing. I had listened to Creedance Clearwater Revival on vinyl, 8-track, cassette, and CD but never heard what I did before that day. I was hooked.

Hello, you must be rocking those speakers nicely to skip a CD. Not to spend your money for you, BUT… a Bluesound Node would be a cheap ticket to a world of tunes you probably forgot you loved and they don’t skip. It may just be me, but Spotify seems to sound better now than it did three years ago when I first tried it and stayed with CDs. I rarely play them now, unless the internet is dodgey. If you fried the woofer, Gentec International is just off the 407 at Warden in Markham and can set you up with new K-33s. Where’s the cottage?