[French Press]

Weigh everything for consistency.  Most will recommend starting with a 1:15 (coffee to water ratio) I prefer closer to 1:10-12 ratio. Weigh the water at heated temperature (200 deg F). Fresh ground as course of a grind as my burr grinder goes. I use a kitchen scale and electric kettle with temperature setting to keep things consistent.  

 

Start with enough water to just wet the grounds and stir, let sit for 30sec to bloom. Stir again, add the rest of the water, stir again, put the top on. let sit for 10 mins. Press and enjoy!  

 

If your looking for a great french press the Frieling double wall stainless press is impressive, keeps coffee warm for at least two albums. 

 

As with changing audio gear, when experimenting to find your own ideal taste, only change one aspect of brewing process at a time, otherwise you never know what actually "changed" the taste.

 

This might sound excessive just for coffee, but if I don't get a good cup, I don't hear the music right... then the real problems start  ha! Good luck!      

[La Scala placement within built in cabinet advice]

Thanks for the feedback and serial number conformation so far. This might have been the first time I showed up to a craigslist purchase and the item was in NICER condition than i thought!   I figure I will build the speaker portion of the built-in with at least 3/4 ply or 1" if I can find it easy and line the inside with sound dampening foam. I am also going to try and dismantle the current bar and try a mock up before I get too far down this road. I am tight on depth space, but will certainly try to leave room for toe-in. We are typically playing pool in this room, so listening from a single point likely won't happen much, but reducing reflection on the side walls would be nice! 

 

I did have them set up with a NAD 326 integrated and they sound really good even with the original AA crossovers. My wife came downstairs and said she thought I had somehow got these upstairs by myself they sounded so clear from the opposite corner/different level of the house. They are super clear and super loud! I know they will need to be rebuilt or replaced which is now on the project list. Trying to decide if I should totally replace and keep the originals as is, or just update the original board. I always like when the originals are available, but then again what's the point if they are not good anymore.

 

I also couldn't resisted moving them to try them with my Scott 299A. That NAD impresses me for what it is, but these LaScala's with those tubes... WOW. It's just too bad this room is too small... there are 1986 Heresy II hiding behind the picture below, which are appropriately sized in that room.       

 

  

[La Scala placement within built in cabinet advice]

I have been reading this forum for a little while and have found so much information. It is truly a great resource for Klipsch owners. I have looked high and low to see if there has been a related post and could not find one so I am posting seeking some advice. I recently acquired a pair of La Scala speakers for what I thought was a good price. I am about to rip out and rebuild a built in "bar" area and a room that has my pool table. My only option to make this fit is to build the LaScala's into the bar. I have attached a photo of them placed where they would go, they would just be set back into the bar against the wall(photo attached).

 

My major concern is that building them in will make them sound muffled or give them an "echo". The fronts would be flush or about 1" in front of the cabinet opening. I am building this so I can build it the way I want or need to. I am hoping LaScala's are a good speaker to do this with since they are not rear ported etc... Has anyone tried this with success? Or have any tips or tricks to make an install like this work? As a side note, I am not looking for the sound to be perfect. This is obviously a rec room and the pool table is right in the middle of the sound field, I am just looking for a somewhat clear sound and reducing "boomy" sound if I can with this type of install. In this photo I placed them right up against the current bar and it sounded pretty good. 

 

...on a side note I included the speaker tag. From info I found on this site, these are from 1980 and are Birch Lacquer with a factory walnut stain? Is that correct? I have a pair of Hersey speakers that are Oiled Walnut and these defiantly look like they have a lacquer finish compared to those. Any regular maintenance that needs to be done to this type of finish?        

 

I greatly appreciate any advice or feedback! 

 

Jereme