Panelhead

From other companies products of the same era the parts quality used was variable. Some smaller pro audio equipment companies were rushed into oblivion by failures in active speakers. There were plenty of filter cap failures and also overheating output stages. Many products contained early Class D amps that just blew up sometimes. Build quality has come a long way in the last 15 - 20 years.

It is great you are able to fix equipment. Plus find parts on a Saturday. There used to be multiple stores here that sold both new and NOS parts. Down to a couple now. Support them if you still are lucky enough to have one.

Ward, I think that veneer you used used is too much. Such depth. For edges, I have put blue painters tape on the surface to sand the adjoining surface even. Always trimmed a little long. I used 303 or something spray adhesive. The iron on looks better.

At least this is reversible.

I have a couple amps that came with Speakon connectors. If not being afraid to modify my La Scala’s I would install a four pole Speakon for single cable biwiring.

I get the distinct feeling that most posters are hoping to sell something at elevated price.

I rewire a set of crossovers recently. Decided to use what Roy is now using.

Might be the voltage surges. Could not tell if any of the 630 volt caps failed. Just like electro lyrics, guess film caps have a lifespan. I would replace all the film caps. Should improve the Sonics too.

Some bits of advice. It was not current that killed your caps. It was voltage. Maybe temperature played into it also. How hot does the chassis normally get? Those poly caps may short out over time. But the caps are “self healing” and this blocks the shorts. If the temperature is not excessive, replace the 400 volt caps. If the chassis does heat up, put some vent holes in it to keep the heat off those film caps. Welborne built nice gear. Purchased some small items 30 years ago. Got a little shakey at the end.

You could locate Welborne Labs and have go over.

A guitar amp tech can trouble shoot with the schematic. A quick voltage check most likely will identify the issue. The is one big advantage of SE amps. Very simple circuitry.

Buy a used pair. Whether real old or a set from someone who changes equipment a lot. If you have good corners a used pair of K-Horns might be the ticket. If not the La Scala is a no brainer.

The L-Pad allows adjust of the output. Just for the driver it is attached to. The factory Klipsch crossovers used them to flatten the frequency response. Not all the drivers have the same efficiency. I do not seem them used in the latest factory crossovers. They use wire wound resistors instead. More stable, cheaper, and less time adjusting.

No, think they fit perfect. They are just a snug fit. The K-77F was a loose fit. The K-401 flange pushes up. The laterally was just centered with a gap on each end. The DE120 may be opening up after a little more play time. Played some tracks with brush work and high hats. From memory is is both more detailed and sweeter sounding.

Installed the “drop in horns” and B&C DE120 compression drivers. I think if you put the horn in the freezer and tophat in an oven the horn might drop in. The fit is snug. They are low hours right now, seem smoother than the K-77F. Think after 10 horns it might be even better. Looks are no question.

My listening area is a loft. The floor space might be enough to hold a pair of those S-MWM. But I would be stacked on top of one and the La Scala’s on the other. It pressurizes a large volume. Not as large as your labORatory. But most of the house is open to the loft. A 12 inch sealed sub rattles everything. But has a solid class AB amplifier built in. And of course a strong power supply.

I was feeling the same. Was trying to purchase a tapped horn flat pack to build one. This fell through. Ended up adjusting the crossover setting a little, bumping up the output a little. My sub is really contributing now. But cannot tell that it is playing even on tracks with heavy bass. The bass all seems to be coming from the La Scala’s. It is a professional sealed sub with a 12 inch driver. Does weigh about 80 pounds. Have another, same brand, the is a lot larger with push - pull 12 inch drivers. Leaving it in the attic for now. But it would keep up with the LS II at extreme SPL. I think we sometimes over think subwoofers. Most of the output is inaudible. We feel it and do not actually hear the notes below 50 Hz. Some subs suffer from “doubling” and we hear a multiple of the fundamentals. I think think is the “fast” subwoofers. Bandwidth limited to 60 Hz, like my setup, it is impossible to sound fast.

If the crossovers are in good shape, the sound from K-55 is not a limiting factor. The electronics, room, and lastly the music are where you can get improvements.

The end result looks like all that labor is well justified. Great looking speaker.

I picked cherry for my Hiii’s and Australian Walnut for the LSii. I really prefer lighter tone. Plus all the figuring looks fantastic at first. Loses its pop over time. Something like my cherry kitchen is preferable to a stained cherry like this armoire. At least to me.

The A-7’s were the mainstay of bands working Nashville 40 - 50 years ago. Think most came from either touring bands or smaller studio’s. But I remember toting many that supposedly came out of the RCA studio. Way more than the studio had. Eight A-7’s or so filled a venue quite well. Loading, set up, and unloading built character. Most had already replacement drivers, crossovers, or cabinets in the mid 70’s. They took regular beatings.

The Mullards are rebranded modern tubes. Does not make them bad, just not the Mullards of 50 years ago. I used to have tube gear. Liked tubes that were not microphonic, stable, and lasted a long time. This was usually a NOS tube. The Eastern Europeans, Russians, and Chinese all make a wide variety of tubes. Most are fine. Positioning, room interaction, and source quality make a larger difference than the brand of tubes. Play with those before spending a lot to experiment with tube Sonics.

I really splurged on mine. Since the AL-5 and AK-6 are wired internally with Audioquest Star Quad wire I wanted to use something close to connect my LSii. Using Canare 4S6 to connect the amp to the mid/tweeter and Canare 4S8 to connect the amp to the woofer input. The runs are only 10’ so total cost with connectors came to about 25.00. Cannot say it is better than zip cord sonically. I feel better about it.

This is what I have, Hiii’s and LSii. Hate to say it, the Hiii are in the closet. But considering they were 1600.00 new the Hiii are a much better value. A floor standing full range speaker handmade in the USA for 1600.00 is a bargain.

The raising of my LS would be good. I need something that looks okay. Stuck some thick hard rubber bumpers in the front under the small nibs Klipsch uses to achieve a little tilt back. Raised the front about a 1/2”. Must be hopeful thinking but it seemed to integrate better. Seemed like a change for the better. Need to hunt up some 1” blocks.