[Bargain La Scalas found in Dallas]

Thanks for the kind advice.  I swapped in Crites re-capped AA networks from my DIY pile today, after a few weeks of listening as-is.  Rusty old things with new caps.  They do have a different sound, and even with confirmation bias taken into account, it seems a few things cleaned up - the bass seems oddly cleaner, and there is an enhanced clarity.  Real or bias remains to be heard.  Long term listening to follow.  I did not expect any bass difference at all.  I wonder if the apparent clarity could be due to the hotter K-55m?  Is that even real?  Too bad it's way to many wires to build a switch relay for a real A/B.  It's always hard to tell without an instant swap.  I'll leave the AA in  for a few weeks, and swap back.  I can also put ancient original caps into the AA from the capacitor pile, but that seems like too much work.

 

In any case, the sound is different.  It will take some time to really understand it all and figure out the better alternative.

 

Has anyone managed to adjust the level of a K-55m with an AA, or am I hearing something that isn't there?

 

It was an odd score - I was taking a class to renew my auctioneer's license, and the instructor was from an out of town firm, so just as a lark I checked them out - here is the listing where it showed only one speaker, and the description was wrong.  But you can see the second one in the background, and in the other lot pics you can see two.  It was obvious there was a pair.  I'm way out on the lake in Flower Mound here in DFW.  I will say that they are really pleasant, and the next house will have a good spot for them.  I got the bid in a few hours before it closed:  

 

I'm going to put up the remnants of the DIY pile I'm not keeping for spares in the garage sale area, I hope later this weekend (2x K-510 with DH1A, 2x K-33, 2x K-400).  I'm traveling for work again, so it's hard to coordinate fast shipping of heavy things.  Some are probably too heavy to ship economically anyway, like the DH1A drivers.  Or is it all worth keeping?

[Bargain La Scalas found in Dallas]

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.

[Help Identifying a horn - 510 maybe]

Thanks for the great input - yes, it's a flare angle change that goes curved toward the mouth.

 

I appreciate your time and comments - thanks again.  I'll keep my eye out for bargain DH1a drivers, or something like it, for what are apparently old 510 horns.

 

[Help Identifying a horn - 510 maybe]

Yes, it is 2" diameter at the throat, and there is a change you can feel about a third of the way in - not sure it is much of a bump - but you can feel it.

[Help Identifying a horn - 510 maybe]

This forum has helped me to DIY a set of La Scalas, and I'm working on cabinets now - thanks for all of the excellent advice.  I have all of the parts, but I keep looking for more because it's addictive.  The DIY tops are playing now.  But I keep finding interesting parts.

 

I was sitting at the ATL airport with nothing else to do, so I bought two smaller horns from the same person recently selling 402/510 pairs - just hit BIN because the flight was boarding.  Figured I'd sort it out later.  They were cheap enough that it didn't really matter, but before buying a set of drivers, I wonder if they match anything anyone has seen.  They are made of "not aluminum", and I was going to take a file to find out what it is, but it is best to ask first.  They seem to match some older 510 pics on the net, and also matched the horns in the sets he was selling.  The description was basically "horn, Klipsch".  If they are very old 510 horns, I'll keep them, if not, I'll pass them on as "horn, unknown".  There seems to be a change in the flare in the horn, they match the dimensions of a 510, they are 2",  and they are dated 2000 and 1999.  One seems to have never been mounted, the other has been used.  There are no other markings, the date stamps are the only info.

 

They match some 510 photos on the net, of older horns.  

 

If anyone has seen these, let me know if they match a known part so I know what drivers work or if it's worth doing at all.  And thanks again for all of the excellent technical advice available here.

 

Todd