After a year of accumulating parts for DIY La Scalas, I found a set of originals for $110 plus tax and BP at a local online auction. Too cheap to pass up. I figured they would be a mess. Nope - perfect. The item description was inaccurate, so that may have driven the price down, and the auctioneer was not a Dallas firm. They were listed as a single "Klipsch X-2 Loud Speaker System". There is no such thing. Surprising because they have the original labels on the back clearly identifying them, so the clerk lotting the items messed up. Maybe others here went to look at them during the preview.
Raw birch, consecutive serial numbers, and all of the drivers work. Sure they are 1986 models according to the serials, meaning the less desirable AL crossover and K-55m, but it saved well over the cost of the pair in just the time to build cabinets. They are not completely perfect, both needed a good cleaning, and hauling them 20 miles home was painful. It was interesting, on one, the barrier strip screw for a wire to the squawker was missing - thought a driver was bad but replaced the screw, and it works fine. So, if you get used speakers, be sure to check for bad connections. They are a bit large for my office, but that's OK, they will eventually go in a listening room.
One fascinating thing is how different they sound from the DIY top units (K400 and K77 on a baffle) that I was using with an Adam LF driver for the last 6 months to test - wonder if it was the type A crossover and the K-55v on the DIY units?
The other lesson is to wait for a bargain rather than do a long parts search. By the time you find all the drivers, pay shipping, then buy decent plywood (hard to find), you will be out way too much. I paid the same for a set of K77 tweeters as I did for this complete set.
Now, to unload the parts I no longer need - but just the thought of packing it all up wears me out.
Is it worth swapping in the PD-5VH and the AA crossovers from the DIY pile? Of course, I'd keep the original parts.
If you were going to keep some replacement parts in stock, what is the best choice? The K77 tweeters?
The other question is if they should be left raw birch, or if a finish should be applied to protect the wood? I assume that they are worth more in original condition.