JFHSQT
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Posts posted by JFHSQT
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1 hour ago, Dave A said:
That having been said by the way if I wanted pretty the new Cornwall is better than the newest La Scala in my book, both of which I have heard. I have not heard the newest KHorn and am relying on those who have to form my opinion on what is best.
Thanks - in what way would you say the new Cornwall bests the La Scala? I am interested your impressions on what you heard. Just from the outside perspective of not having heard them yet it is hard for me to figure that Cornwalls would best the La Scala in terms of scale (enormous sound even at low volume) and dynamics. For example, I have Monitor Audio Gold 200s sitting next to my La Scala IIs that I use for my home theater. There are several things I think the Monitor Audio does better than the La Scala IIs, but I would never listen to music through them because the things I love about the La Scala IIs, they cannot touch.
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1 hour ago, jimjimbo said:
I honestly don't know if this is even possible, but have you considered (upgrading) your La Scala IIs to the new AL5 configuration? Klipsch has in the past sold kits to update speakers, such as from the Heresy II to Heresy III, but I don't know if they would be willing or able to do the same with the La Scala II. Might be worth a question via email or phone call to the powers that be.....please keep us posted as I'm sure there are others that might be interested.
That may be an option, however if I was going to stick with the La Scala I'd probably just upgrade entirely to the AL5. I think the cabinet bracing is different and it may have some design changes that go beyond the electronics/components. I currently have the walnut LS IIs but those matte black with the silver grilles are mighty nice looking.
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I'm starting to consider what my options may be in upgrading from the La Scala IIs, which I have owned and loved for a couple of years now. I have all my electronics settled at this point and don't see any further upgrades in that area for a long time. So I'm turning my attention to the speakers, which I plan to be my LAST speaker purchase, so I want to make the right choices here.
My signal is currently an all-digital front end (Innuos server, Chord M Scaler & TT2), Backert Labs Rhumba Extreme preamp, and Luxman MQ-88uSE valve amp.
What I would like to improve on the La Scala IIs is a bit smoother midrange with more cohesiveness from the top to bottom end (I am currently supporting the bottom end with dual SVS SB2000 subs). What I absolutely don't want to sacrifice is the scale, dynamics, and speed of the La Scala IIs. There are very few, if any, speakers I can think of that do what the La Scala IIs do so well in those departments. SO the last thing I want to do is spend thousands of dollars then have buyer's remorse because I've sacrificed one of those other areas.Aesthetics are somewhat of a factor. I want large form factor speakers that "fit" in a furniture sense and have a timeless aesthetic.
Unfortunately I have not heard any of the options I'm about to list here, but have done extensive research on reviews and owner feedback.
I'm looking at a few options - one would be the most expensive and the riskiest which is the Tannoy Canterbury GRs. I absolutely love the look of the Tannoy. I love the history of the company, and I believe the engineering of the Tannoys would definitely show benefits on the smoother midrange and cohesiveness of the sound. However I am a little skeptical they would match the scale and dynamics of the La Scala IIs. So this could be a compromise and I'm pretty wary of that. Plus they are very pricey.
Next option, I guess the most obvious, would be the new AK6 Klipschorns. They seem to check every box in terms of upgrading from the La Scala IIs. I am not concerned in the least about JA's recent Stereophile measurements, and it seems like Dudley claimed my exact amp (the Luxman) sounded marvelous with the Klipschorns. I do have 2 corners in my listening room, in fact my La Scala IIs are currently corner loaded on the short wall, about 15' apart and they sound marvelous. But I am a little concerned that the improvements I am looking for in the midrange could be incremental. I want the upgrade to be a "buy it for life" upgrade and I'm not sure I wouldn't get an upgrade itch a couple of years into ownership with the Klipschorns.
The other most recent option has been looking into Jubilees. I will say I am not a huge fan of the bass bin aesthetic of the Jubes. They do kind of look a little industrial and 1990s to me. Again, size is not a factor, but I don't want an eyesore as the main focal point in the room. However it seems like all of the great things I am reading about the Jubes could potentially be seen by holding on to my La Scala II bass bins and just replacing the tophat with the 402 horn. In this configuration I could see setting the 402 on top of the La Scala II bass bin, and continuing to use my SB2000 subs (sent out from my preamp). This option could retain all of the great things about the La Scala IIs that I love and improve the midrange and scale of the speakers.
However with that option... I am kind of a "set it and forget it" guy and not comfortable in any way setting active crossovers and doing external amps to power bass bins, etc. I'm wondering if it is even possible to just add the 402 to the La Scala IIs and use it in the way I am thinking without a whole lot of tinkering around with crossover settings etc.Given what I've mentioned above, can I get some feedback on what option may be the way to go here?
Thanks!
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Just got a pair of 70th Anniversary Indian Rosewood Heresy IIIs and I couldn't be happier. I traded up my old Heresy speakers for La Scala IIs last year, but damned if there isn't something about these little Heresy IIIs that stays with you.
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22 hours ago, Westcoastdrums said:
You also said you listen at 75 DB and have neighbors in close proximity if memory serves correctly. These guys stated that they got hammered and had a cranked session. I never blew any drivers in any klipsch heritage, vintage or current regardless of those type of sessions. Has to be underpowering, boosted eq or..... Perhaps using too small a speaker for too large a space.
I don't know if you're referring to my original post... definitely not a case of being hammered and having a cranked session - stated a couple of times it was a burst of digital noise from having the wrong input running through my integrated. However in that time I have definitely had cranked sessions, and the louder they get the better they sound.
I was out of town for the last week and came home Friday morning, wife took the kids to school then went to the gym. While she was gone, I put on Judas Priest's Sad Wings of Destiny, through the Luxman 509X integrated and tube preamp and into the La Scala IIs, it had to be at least 105 dB. I get a text from my wife, she's in the driveway. It says "I don't even want to come in." Apparently the windows on her Lexus were rattling... and she got out in the driveway and across the street, a neighbor was staring at the house. "Sorry, my husband is listening to music," she said to the guy.
Tweeters held up nicely.
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On 1/1/2019 at 9:08 PM, RadBlue said:
Got my Z-brackets yesterday and installed the CT120's. I've only managed some 8 hrs listening since then so for now I'll just put up some preliminary POI's.
1. I set my trebble to flat and so far haven't had the urge to raise it ( big plus for me)
2. While I'm hearing more in the hi's I'm not getting anything sizzley , very smooth sound.
3. Definitely consider these to be an Upgrade in SQ so far.
I'll try to post more details this weekend, I'm off work for a while so will have lots of time to listen this week.
Good to hear the CT120s are working out for you!
After spending hours swapping out gear and driving myself insane over the Christmas holiday, I came to the conclusion that the sizzley top end in my system was a combination of components and source material and not the new tweeters. I had 3 different DACs, a new streamer, and had added back in my Anthem AVR as a preamp in my L-509X to boot, so it's no wonder the sound was disorienting.
After a week of heavy eBay selling, I have now offloaded about $5500 worth of equipment and narrowed my rig down to the Luxman L-509X, CL-40 preamp, DA-06 DAC, and Innuos Zen. Everything sounds better than ever now, and my La Scala IIs are back to their former glory.
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I'm currently using a Luxman 509X solid state integrated for about 75% of what I listen to. But for the other 25%, I'm engaging my Luxman CL-40 valve preamp in the signal path (L509X has a preamp bypass selection).
I can't explain it... for the majority of songs, the Luxman solid state sounds absolutely pristine... However, for certain content, there is a much more intimate and holographic sound from the tube pre... this is only the case for certain songs, so not genres, artists, or even albums. There are just TRACKS that for whatever reason sound so much better through the tube pre. The sound is warmer, more intimate, there is more sparkle and magic on the top end.
Make no mistake, the tube preamp is not accurate - it is noticeably less clean and has less accuracy and detail. But on certain songs, hitting that "Separate" button may as well be hitting the "magic" button.
For example, Maroon 5's Red Pill Blues is a modern pop record that is highly produced, but it sounds better through the tube pre. "Spain" from Chick Corea Trio's Trilogy sounds better through the solid state pre... but "Piano Sonata: The Moon" sounds better through the tube pre. Same record, different songs, different sounds. Steven Wilson's To The Bone sounds so much better through the solid state pre, but Pink Floyd's DSOTM and Tears For Fears' Seeds of Love sound better through tubes.
Has to be something with the engineering of the songs that lend it to preferable quality of one over the other, but I cannot find a common thread. It's just a process of experimentation.
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4 hours ago, Panelhead said:
Are yours set up for bi-wire?
No I am using the stock jumpers and running SVS Soundpath speaker wire.
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Well I dragged 3 different DACs and an old Mac Mini out of storage this evening and narrowed down the issue and it ended up not being the tweeters after all. Seems my USB DAC input on my Luxman DA-06 was misbehaving. It almost seemed to be clipping at certain points. I think it was a combination of DSP settings between the Luxman and Roon. Anyway I seem to have sorted everything out and the whole system is sounding much better now 4 hours later!
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13 minutes ago, RadBlue said:
I blew 1 of my LSII tweeters about a week before you did yours in. I've had a factory replacement in for about 3weeks now. When first installed I found the new one brighter,crisper? than the old one. It took about 2 weeks for them to lvl out, but I still think the new one sounds just a lil..well newer? lol
Any how I received a set of Crites CT120'sjust waiting on the z brackets that I didn't order with the tweets 😳 doh! Hoping they will be in by Monday.
Back to original question, yes I do think thers a burn in time, give it another week
Crisper is a good word for it. The hi hats, cymbals, and some piano frequencies all do sound a bit sizzle-y and crispy. Interested in hearing your experience going from the factory tweets to the CT120s.
I also had some other upgrades in the time being since I was tweeter-less... added a Luxman DA-06 DAC to swap out with my Hegel HD30 and also a new Innuos Zen MK III music server. So all the system changes make it kind of hard to bird-dog where the changes I'm hearing are coming from.
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34 minutes ago, Panelhead said:
The factory ate the repairs on a pair of La Scala ii’s? I assume you are original owner.
The drivers should be the same. But may have changed a little over the years. The phenolic diaphragms may have degraded in your old tweeters after 10+ years too.
I heard a little break in on my LS iii. But seemed over at less than 50 hours.
Give them another week.
Yes, they were actually less than 6 months old, so the repair was covered under warranty. The dealer actually came out to my house and did the install themselves. I'll continue to run music through the next week and see how they sound!
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I have recently had both tweeters in my La Scala IIs replaced by Klipsch under warranty. It's been 7 days with the new tweeters, averaging about 3-5 hours/day of listening, but I am feeling that there is a bit of crispy sizzle in the top end that I hadn't noticed with my old tweeters. For example, a high hat featured prominently in a mix now sounds a little sizzley whereas before I feel like it was more detailed and less forward.
I've run a burn in track on the speakers while spending 10 hours at work for the past couple of days. Is this new "sizzle" just a byproduct of me getting accustomed to having tweeters again, or should I expect to break these new tweeters in further to get the sound I thought I was getting from the old tweeters?
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Was just about to suggest The Three... I have the pre-Google integration Three so I am using a Chromecast Audio hooked up to it and running Roon. For a medium-sized bedroom, it looks great, sounds great, and is dead-simple integration into the rest of my system. It is not a "stereo" solution, but I don't do any critical listening in the bedroom. But it's great when doing laundry, housework, and other bedroom-related activities.
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I too have noticed that Guttenberg has been oddly singing praises of horns and Klipsch in particular over the past year. Which I think is strange because, let's face it, the guy has been in the game for 40 some-odd years, and he's just now discovering the joys of horns?
Onto the subject of the video, I haven't heard them but I bet these RP-600s are killer speakers. I ran my Luxman L-509X integrated through my RP-150Ms recently while waiting for the new La Scala tweeters and they certainly punched far above their price point. Not in the same league as the La Scala IIs, but very detailed, dynamic, and smooth. I am sure the RP-600s are even more of a find.
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9 minutes ago, Thaddeus Smith said:
Blown tweeters in primary speakers. Blown woofer in backup pair.. Maybe cool your jets on the volume knob a bit?
Two very different situations that shan't be repeated again. The tweets were because I was booting up my Mac Mini after moving my Luxman L-509X and not realizing the volume knob had brushed against my chest and been turned up to 12... immediately after turning on sent a burst of digital noise at over 100 dB... the tweeters never had a chance. The JBLs were the stupid result of trying to volume match a 90 dB sensitivity speaker with a 104 dB sensitive La Scala II in the other channel.
90% of the time I'm listening at night at around 85 dB tops... But I have learned some hard lessons over the past few weeks
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10 minutes ago, BEC said:
Lots of CT120s have been installed in the Lascala II. Problem is that at some point Klipsch stopped squaring the corners of the cutout for the tweeter. The K-77D does not need them squared but the CT120 does. A few guys have fixed that in a couple of minutes with a file, but not a job for everyone. I do not know exactly when that change to the rounded corners happened but at least the first several years of production, there was not that problem.
On another subject, lots of tweeters get blown in the Lascala II. I sell lots of diaphragms and K-77D tweeters to fix those. Problem is that, in my opinion the polyswitch is just not quick enough to operate and prevent damage when something really quick happens. The polyswitch has to heat up so is good for protection from high continuous power, but sudden high power or a quick transient just takes the 2 watt rated tweeter right out. Even in the olden days when the polyswitch was used in the old AL networks, when that network was used in the Pro version Lascalas, they put in zener diodes. Those will handle the quick transients.
Bob CritesThanks Bob, this is what Michael told me when I called you guys. I'm glad that Klipsch honored the warranty and are replacing both tweeters (even though they didn't have to). The technician who came by my house to replace the tweeter did mention that he wasn't surprised that the tweeter blew... basically what you said - quick bursts can't be protected on these things and it only takes a little bit (like a burst of bitstream noise from an LG OLED) to fry them to a crisp.
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It's been a few weeks so I just wanted to follow up on this... Klipsch came through as well as my local dealer (Audiotronics in Roanoke). They ordered a new tweeter and came to the house to replace it today. It wasn't until they put the new tweeter in that I realized BOTH tweeters had been blown, so we're going to do this all over again next week.
In the meantime I had picked up a pair of JBL L5s on Craigslist to get me by, and they sounded good enough... but I did blow the woofer on one of them, so now those are toast. Survived the past 2 days with a pair of RP-150Ms.
The funny thing is even with "only" 1 bad tweeter now, just how easy it was to forget how amazing the LS IIs sounded when listening to the other speakers. I didn't do any real critical listening with the other speakers but to me they rose to the level of "good stereo system." But when I plugged the LS IIs back in it was just such a whole different world. There were times over the past couple of weeks (with the other speakers) where I actually thought, "man, maybe I am not so excited about my stereo system anymore... maybe I was just caught up in some audiophile sickness and now this little break is the cure?" Now that I have at least 1/2 of my La Scala IIs back though I can say that was definitely not the case.
They are amazing... can't wait to get my other tweeter in next week so things can finally get back to normal around here. -
One idea just occurred to me, wondering if this is feasible or not.
Since I do not biwire my La Scala IIs, I'm wondering if (until I get the tweeter swapped out) it would be possible to remove the biwire jumpers on the La Scalas and plug one set of speakers out from my Luxman L509X into the "Low" speaker posts on the La Scalas and plug another set of speaker outs from the Luxman into my RP-150Ms... and using the RP-150ms for the highs.
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Thanks Miketn and Dean, I think there's some good news here. I just spoke with the service department at Audiotronics here in Roanoke (where I bought the speakers) and he thinks Klipsch will send a new diaphragm under warranty with no issues, in just a few days from AR. It sounds like I'll just be able to bring the doghouse into the service dept and they can swap the diaphragm there, so this may not be as long-term an issue as I had feared.
Although now I am kind of curious about those JBL L5s, haha.
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OK so I talked to Michael at Crites, and it seems like the CT 120 would require modification to my cabinet anyway, so not a good fit. As others have suggested, he also cautioned against voiding a warranty in a 6 month old speaker system... so it seems like the best route is to just go back to the dealer and see if they can negotiate replacement diaphragm under warranty and do the service work there.
Which means I'll be missing my awesome speakers for at least several weeks if not longer.
Local Craigslist has a pair of JBL L5s for sale. I wonder if those would be a good pinch hitter for the time being.-
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8 minutes ago, Deang said:
Yes.
Since you're not Mr. fixit, you can remove it, and send it to Bob for repair.
You should definitely call Klipsch first and see if you get lucky. You will need the serial number of your loudspeaker.
Thanks, I called the dealer to get some feedback from them before contacting Klipsch (they are only 6 months old), and will call Bob as well to see what he thinks.
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Is simply replacing the diaphragm any more difficult than replacing the entire tweeter?
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Thanks for all the great advice, it's been very helpful.
A couple of things...
I haven't opened the cabinet and done any testing with voltmeters, etc...
But I did the "cardboard tube" test, and it does appear that it's actually only the RIGHT tweeter that is blown. This would explain why I was able to hear the cymbals, etc in a recording like Chick Corea Trio's "Trilogy" but the recording still overall sounded muffled and lo-fi.
One big fear I have is that I have never opened a speaker before, I am not really electronically inclined. I'm sure I can unscrew tweeters and horns and replace them, but things like inspecting networks, etc is totally greek to me. Dean, what you are saying makes sense but I have no clue how I would go about inspecting crossovers, networks, etc. If I just swapped out both tweeters would this still be necessary?
So I am thinking the easiest (not the cheapest) thing to do would be would be to simply order new K-77 tweeters and unscrew the old ones and screw in the new ones and plug them in, correct?
Then a possible "upgrade" option would be to call Crites and order a pair of new CT-120s, which would provide (according to reviews I've read) a smoother high end than the stock K-77.
What is the difference between the CT-120s and the B&C DE 120s on Parts Express?
Also, the final BIG question - I cannot see how in the world the top cabinet comes apart to access the tweeters. It looks like a big molded veneer box, even the front grill seems to be built into the box. Is this a simple job that I am missing somehow? Can I do this myself with a screwdriver in my living room?
The last thing I want to do is get a service center involved where I have to move these or wait for weeks for repairs.
In the meantime I've put my RP-150Ms on top of the LS IIs and I'm using them instead along with my SB-16 Ultra. I wish I could say "Wow, there really isn't THAT much of a difference between the RP-150Ms and the La Scala IIs!" Hahahaha! But that is not the case
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Thanks very much...
Could be this an opportunity to replace the tweets with some Crites C-120s?
Next Upgrade from La Scala II
in General Klipsch Info
Posted
Thanks @Dave A and @JohnA - the Cornwalls were actually not even on my radar but it seems like they deserve an audition for sure. I have heard the Cornwall IIIs and they did not match or exceed the listening experience with my La Scala IIs. I've owned or still own Heresy IIIs, La Scala IIs, and for a brief time the Forte IIIs (and heard the Cornwall IIIs). The La Scala IIs are the closest to "live" I have ever heard which is why I love them so much and I'm interested in wringing out that last 3% with a potential upgrade (without losing what I love about the LSIIs).
I want to mention, when I talk about "aesthetic" I'm not some lifestyle-only guy who needs my speakers to match my bookshelves, etc. There are much "prettier" speakers than the La Scala IIs for example. Hell I consider both my 70th Anniversary Indian rosewood Heresy IIIs and piano ebony Monitor Audio Golds to be better looking than the La Scala. But they will never measure up when it comes to sound! When I sit down in my room to listen to music, it's usually after a 10-12 hour work day and I have a couple hours to relax and do some critical listening... surroundings and aesthetic is a factor in that. I don't want to sit in a bare room with speaker wire hanging everywhere, I just want to "feel good" about the experience and calm down my brain. This is a dedicated media room, not a living room or other shared space in the house. So I'm not trying to appease a spouse or anything like that. To some degree, looking at Jubilees kind of struck me as a very industrial speaker that honestly kind of looks like one of those early 90's rear projection TVs. All that being said, if I listen to them and they knock my socks off then I am sure I could make them work in this room. On the other hand I feel like it's worth checking out all my options and weighing them against each other.
I am in southwest VA by the way, so unfortunately I don't know of any Jubilees in the area. I am going to Capital Audiofest next weekend and perhaps will be able to hear the Cornwall IVs and new Klipschorns.