Panelhead

At this time the alnico versions sometimes have lost magnetic field strength. Saw some plots of drivers that were rolling off before 10k. The CT-120 should extend past your hearing limit. And should stay consistent for a long time.

There are options for lower prices on the AL-4. Contact Cory and he may be able to get you a pair of 2nd’s at a better price. With the AL-5 in production the remaining AL-4 should get priced to move. I think they are now building AL-5 only. They are still a La Scala ii. Tweeter, hi freq horn, crossover, Audioquest Star Quad internal wiring, and 1” MDF used on the top hat are main changes from a AL-4. Weigh about 20 lbs more per speaker. There maybe other changes incorporated into the build.

I like light colors. Either a clear poly or oil. I really like oil recently. Purchased some oil finish cherry furniture 15 - 20 years ago and the durability has been outstanding. Plus maintenance is wipe with an oiled cloth every few years. Have clear poly on the mahogany front door and cherry kitchen cabinets. The front door has been higher maintenance. Annual coats of spar varnish had to come off after fifteen years. That was two days getting back to the wood. I would oil them. They will darken a little from the oil. The trim and panels will not darken the same. May see the same with a brush on stain.

Not many here are potential buyers. With the numbers being produced and amount of hand labor this price is not out of line. If there was a demand for a thousand a year the price might have stayed where it was for the AL-4.

I need those too. Would me a reason to get a stage to sit them on.

There are several improvements incorporated into the AL5. I doubt the 2,000.00 price increase per speaker is build cost related. Maybe a quarter of that at most. Building a 200 lb speaker in the US is expensive. Lot of labor intensive steps involved. In the crazy world that is audio today this is still a bargain. Many 15 pound stand mount two ways are in this price range. I cannot go to salons anymore. So disappointing.

Good job!

Maybe Roy can comment on the new Klipschorns and how they handle loading when not flush in a corner. Even with a back the new ones shoukd load the bass best when flush in the corner. How much will depend on the placement. Adding back panels to older models may not be the same as the new models. I suspect there is more to it than screwing some plywood to the back.

I would also try to use similar amplifiers. At least topology. A low output impedance amplifier would be better on the bass. The mid amp less critical. I use a current output amplifier. Feedback lowers the output impedance.

I suspect you are correct. The retail end of the business is broken. In my mind, Bstock is close to internet direct.

Looking forward to seeing these. Should be able to playback at rock concert levels. At home I hear a little hardness sometimes at jazz club playback level. Think it comes from the K400. It is at less than 100 dB, should be less than 1 watt amplifier power. Might be the source material. Some discs are overloaded.

How much are you picking up?

If you go with one of the XLS models I have two suggestions. 1. Drive it from a balanced source. Many comment about issues with normal efficiency speakers and hum or noise. The amp generates some strong fields in the back of the amplifier. Some RCA cables pick it up. 2.Terminate the speaker cables with Speakon connectors. The EU binding posts are the worst. With a balanced source and Speakon connectors the amps are nice sounding. Everyone one who had negative comments on sound quality used RCA cables and the binding posts.

Also check how you connect. The connections on some receivers are confusing. Check the balance control also. When you swap speakers if the same channel continues to play it is the receiver that is damaged. If the playing speaker moves channels it is the speaker.

These look great. I rebuilt some crossovers and used foil inductors once. Went back to wire after. Not sure I could hear any difference over just coiled wire construction. But they sure are pretty. Maybe in ten years I will look at the crossovers in the LSii and Hiii. That is why I bought new. I would diddle with older sets instead of listening. If I had an older set ALK, BC, and you would be tired of the inquires by now.

I have no idea how to measure the cables either. That is how I know they are exactly 114.25 inches. It is starting to rub off on me.

If someone does go with spades or quick disconnects there are nice ones available at reasonable costs. You have to know the size of post connecting to and the gauge of the wire being used. Or buy a bunch. They are made in the USA and constructed from copper. Definitely softer than the audiophile types I have tried. They were brass. The ones from Home Depot, Auto Zone, and other places may be steel. They are very hard material. If looking search eBay, spades or quich disconnects and USA connectors should return hundreds.

I really enjoy the fresh ideas. Jeff has allowed a maybe one page topic grow to 29. Got to say many ideas do not appeal. The GTO caps, rats nest wiring, old VOTT speakers are all of no interest. I gave up on SET amps a long time ago. Two have two in the attic. Do not like the distortion and colorations. Many prefer the effect over solid state. Will not make a three wire cable for use in the system. If one was made they would be braided together. The 8 ga single cable used by Decware is not the same as two 12’s and a 16 ga tied together. Decware is way out there also. No golf balls, tape rolls, or pavers. There are ideas of Jeff’s I did implement. The composite 8a wire made me look at the 16 ga used initially. Paralleled two 16 ga to make 13 ga for the woofer and two 20 ga wires for a 17 ga to mid/tweeters. The length needed to be 9 -10 feet to reach from the amp to the speakers. So made them a multiple of 57.1235 at 114.250 inches. Not sure how you measure this. So mine are exactly 114.25. I think the system does sound better. Cannot pinpoint if it is using a Star Quad speaker cable now, larger ga wiring, a length close to the magic length. But without Jeff’s sharing of ideas I would still be using a 9’ pair of 16 ga cables on each speaker.

I am partial to Marantz gear. Never heard any of these, so it is just bias.

Congratulations are in order. They are excellent. Easily the most bang for the buck in the Heritage lineup.

The ones used on the LS ii look to be standard rubber. They should offer some isolation. Chris will have to comment on the noise he has measured and source of it. I read it as the top panel being activated by the K400. The three wooden cross braces installed by Klipsch are there for a reason. The knuckle test yielded a lower output and frequency. But that was knuckle on the outside of the top panel. Knuckle test on the inside yields no noise. I lined one checked the resonance and then the other. After checking them it seemed to be a good thing to add the rubber.

That is a photo of the inside of the top hats. Lined with 1/2” closed cell rubber. Added over two pounds to each top hat. The mass does a little mass dampening, more is the rubber will not transmit much energy to the wooden panels. The dampening material looks better on the inside.

This is my take on reducethe contribution from the top and bottom panels o my LS ii. May not work as well as the fiberglass. The radiating area of the panels is 4 square feet. Each.

I hate to be confronted with facts and measurements. Does anyone have a Spectral analysis of a La Scala ii? The mid is band pass limited and K77D horn is a little different than the CT120.

I am convinced wire does make a difference. How much I do not know. The latest version of the La Scala AL-5 is wired with Audioquest Star Quad. I suspect it is used in the AK-6 also. Roy would only change from the clear 12 ga zip cord for two reasons. 1.Audioquest saw a marketing opportunity and gave the wire to Klipsch for use in these new products. Saving maybe 10.00 in construction costs. 2. Roy in testing either heard or measured an improvement in playback performance. I have never seen an Audioquest Star Quad wire, assume even in bulk is an order of magnitude more expensive than clear insulated 12 ga zip cord. If I was rewiring a Klipschorn or La Scala the expense of Canare Star Quad speaker seems worthwhile. There are three sizes, 11, 13, and 17 ga. Most would use the 13 ga for all. This is 4S8. Around a dollar a foot. I think 12 dollars would do both. I picked some of the 17 ga, 4S6 for the mid/tweeter side of the LS ii. It was 31 cents a foot. Gets the rewire cost down to maybe 8 dollars for the biwire crossover. Single wired older Khorns will be significantly cheaper to rewire. The Star Quad construction rejects RFI and EMI better than zipcord. Must be why that is used in the new models. In an older speaker replacing the wire and especially the connectors may be an improvement. Those crimp on connectors and wire oxidize over time. Dissimilar metals. Some may slide off easily. Just going back with 12 ga zip and some quality (USA NOS) connectors is worthwhile.