Peter P.

Remove the drivers and all the other parts. Practice you paint/finish removal on the bottom first. I'd first try 150-220 sandpaper, in the direction of the grain. A handheld belt sander would work the quickest since all the surfaces are flat but go easy because you don't want to sand through the outer layer of birch plywood. Any mistakes made on the bottom can be corrected until you perfect your approach then move on to the visible sides. Remove the Velcro dots as they're not original. If the sandpaper doesn't remove the paint to your satisfaction, try the environmentally friendly Citri-Strip. Mask off the rest of the cabinet while you work on the bottom. Once the paint is all removed you can use finer grades of sandpaper to really smooth out the finish, but ALWAYS sand in the direction of the grain. If you can't remove all the paint as some may get stuck in the wood grain, then you might want to consider painting the cabinets rather than some wood finish or stain. Be sure to take before, in process, and after photos. We'll all be interested in your progress. Note: I was NOT the first person to say, "REPLACE THE CAPACITORS"!

Another recommendation for Tripplite. We use them where I work, in a rack mountable configuration. Widely spaced outlets permit wall wart transformers, and some models have outlets on the front AND back, and a lighted power switch. Some models omit the power switch, which the OP wants. The AC cord is exta long, too. Insane choice of options HERE.

Not sure whether it's the voice coil or the diaphragm-Swap the various parts between the two speakers to see what works and what doesn't. Put a piece of tape on each part and label them so you don't get confused. As far as the resistance measurements, +/- 20% of the speaker's stated impedance should be sufficient. Another use for the voltmeter- clip it on to the tweeter output at the crossover. the AC reading will change with the music. Increase the volume and the number will go up. That will confirm there's no problem with the crossover.

If they ain't broke, don't fix 'em.

I don't think there's a need for a Variac. A surge/spike protector; sure it's a good idea. Variac; not so much. All incoming voltage to your stereo equipment goes through a transformer to a rectifier and voltage regulator. That should be sufficient.

I think the reason they sound different than your first experience with them in the "warehouse" environment is just that; your home and the "warehouse" are entirely different acoustic environments, including room volume and liveness. I doubt you can reproduce the volume aspect of that first listen, but maybe you can simulate the acoustic qualities of that warehouse, whether live or dead or somewhere in between and you'll find that sound you first heard. I'm not a fan of all that tweaking jazz. I think the LaScalas are best at filling large environments and I'll bet if you played them outside they would absolutely rip the drivers out of any other speaker!

No, your numbers aren't correct. You are listing RESISTANCE numbers, not IMPEDANCE. Picky, picky, picky! Impedance will vary with frequency and is more complicated to measure. The number listed on a speaker is usually a NOMINAL IMPEDANCE. But you could use a voltmeter set to resistance and you'll be close enough.

It depends on whether you're worried about killing the speakers, or the amp. If the amp, unless you drive the amp to clipping, it's not an issue. If you blow a speaker well then, you had too much power available! Why not fuse your speakers to save all worry? If I did the math right, and assuming the speakers are 8 ohms, a 4 or 5A fast blow fuse should do the trick. You could start even lower say, a 3A fuse to observe what volume the fuse blows at, and adjust from there. And the first person that tells me the fuse will alter the sound is gonna steer this thread off a cliff! 😀

You've got a restaurant, not a nightclub! You've got waaay too much high end audio gear for this application, and your patrons aren't going to care nor notice. They just want good background music that is not so loud that it competes with their conversation. You need in-wall or ceiling mounted speakers spaced properly so the sound level is EVEN throughout the listening area. The speakers should be transformer coupled to a 25 or 70V PA amp so you can run a lot of speakers on one amp, with small gauge wiring. There's no reason why you couldn't still use Klipsch in-wall or ceiling mounted speakers with outboard transformers that have separate volume controls. You need to talk to a sound installation company, or if you want to do it yourself, check out Bogen's System Design Guide. P.S. I am not affiliated with Bogen; I just happen to work on in-house PA systems for certain public buildings.

I'd measure the DC resistance of each tweeter and compare to see if the suspect tweeter has a significantly higher reading. You can measure at the crossover if you disconnect one leg of the tweeter wiring. You could also run some FM inter-station noise through the speakers and measure the AC voltage at each tweeter terminal and compare. Disconnect the tweeter completely from the crossover. A significantly lower reading at the crossover output would confirm it's a capacitor, otherwise I would leave it alone.

I have an older SB1000 paired with Heresy IIs, using the LFE input on the subwoofer, and aftermarket 80Hz high pass filters on the inputs to each Heresy. I set the sub's crossover by ear, using the dial indications as a guidline. Same with the level. which is roughly at 11 o'clock. Honestly, you'd never know the sub was on, the transition from sub to Heresy is so seamless.

The size of a horn load subwoofer would be prohibitive for most of us. You're limited by physics so there's not much that can be done to differentiate one brand from another. Probably the only improvement to Klipsch subs I see would be veneer finished sub cabinets that match the finish of Heritage line speakers, including matching veneer on the motor board.

"Labels won't affect the sound," said the yogi at the top of the mountain. I agree with wuzzzer. Even dented dust caps on the speakers can be popped out. If owner will demo them and they work, buy them. They were an extremely popular speaker, and a good value, in their time.

Electronic dance music (EDM), rap, and other types of music will go below the frequency range of most "full-range" speakers. If you want the full experience of some types of music, a subwoofer will be beneficial.

If "break-in" was real, somebody would have proven it by now: Some audiophile magazine would have measured the frequency response out of the box and after those theoretical break-in hours, then displayed the difference, AND proved the difference is audible. I'm still waiting...

It is neither difficult nor ridiculous. Checking the woofer directly at the terminals will tell you whether that connection is broken. There are many ways to troubleshoot electronics. You can start from the beginning of the circuit and work toward the end; you can work backward from the woofer, or you can break the circuit up into segments and test each segment individually. None of the three are better or worse than the others; at least that's what I was taught in school.

NEVER check for resistance with power or a signal applied. You can damage your voltmeter. You must however, disconnect at least one woofer wire from the crossover to "open" the circuit, which will ensure you're measuring just the woofer. Please report back to the forum with what you find.

First, put a voltmeter set to AC Volts across the two screw terminals for the woofer. The number you read should bounce around in conjunction with the music that has some bass. Any rock or Jazz is fine; string quartets, not so much. As you raise the volume, so should the numbers on your meter. If the numbers don't rise and reflect the music, you have a problem with the crossover. Crossovers don't usually go bad. Next, access the woofer through the bottom door, I believe. Make sure the wires are connected to the woofer terminals. One connection could be detached or broken, or the wire could be cut. Last, unplug the wires at the speaker. Set your voltmeter to ohms/resistance and place one lead on each terminal. On the back of the woofer you should see it listed what the speaker's resistance is; usually 8 ohms. You should read 8 ohms +/- a couple ohms. If you read a very high number say, over 100 ohms, the woofer is bad.

Let the buyer make any modifications. Mods infer butcher work, whether done well or not. While sellers think their mods are great, buyers are always looking for original stuff.

The price gap between models can be attributed to marketing. Production costs don't necessarily parallel the increased cabinet sizes or cost of materials, but PERCEIVED tolerable pricing for the consumer-Consumer looks at "the box" and makes a decision whether the price makes sense. For instance, if price went DOWN instead of up with increased speaker size, what would the consumer think and how would that affect purchasing decisions?

That stacking concept was a trend years ago, a gimmick. I think it gets you 6dB of gain, and all of the other possibilities mentioned above.

Man, have those LaScala's have patina!

That's EXACTLY what I was thinking! While I doubt you measured the frequency response after the mod, can you tell us if you noticed any difference in sound?

What I was thinking of was a SMALL version of the Cornwall: Essentially a Heresy (same components and rough cabinet volume) with just enough increased height for a single, or maybe a two-section rectangular vent along the bottom ala the Cornwall. Maybe the only way Klipsch could get satisfactory increased low end extension on the newest Heresy was to port it out the back or maybe if they vented it out the front like I suggest the cabinet volume would be insufficient.

The Heresy came first (1957) and its full-er range brother the Cornwall, arrived in 1959. The Heresy IV was designed with an improved low end extension using a rear port and a slightly larger cabinet. I thought: Wouldn't it have been interesting had Klipsch designed the Heresy IV as a "mini" Cornwall-instead of a rear port, a front vented design. I'm of the unsubstantiated opinion that vented and ported speakers perform (sound) differently at the low end even though I have nothing to back that up. So do you think it is possible to design the Heresy as a mini-version of the Cornwall with say, two front vents just to retain the Cornwall type looks, and possibly get that Heresy IV low end extension? Do you think that wasn't done for financial, performance, or aesthetic reasons? From a marketing standpoint, I'd think it would be a great way to advertise the newest Heresy as having Cornwall-like performance in a smaller package. Feel free to go wild discussing this!