audiojerry

Thanks for the compliment. Not a log cabin - just a basement rec room furnished to resemble a lodge. I'm happy to have been able to adopt it as my audio room now that we are empty nesters. Lots of good information and advice. Thanks to all. I'd really enjoy a chance to listen to a system set up properly with some big Klipsch's. I'm not inclined to add any absorptive treatment to the room. It is a very dead acoustic space. No clap echo. I've visited enough live rooms and echo-ey to know the difference. The rough sawn cedar walls are absorbent with 3 1/2" of fiberglass insulation behind them. Acoustic ceiling tiles with 10" of insulation above them. Carpeted floors with heavy padding beneath. If anything, I wish I could make the room a little more reflective.

What is MAHL?

I checked out both Crites and ALKENG websites. I am happy to see that both seem to be offering some very nice upgrade options for the La Scala. Can anyone offer anything from personal experience with either?

Cabinets have a few flaws. I'm thinking of making these babies my woodworking and audio mod hobby projects, provided I decide they are worthy. They sure seem to be. Good advice and thanks!

Greetings from Brookfield, Wisconsin! I am thrilled to have become the owner of a pair of vintage Klipsch La Scalla's as of this week. I spotted them at a Flanners Home Theater in Milwaukee, where I occasionally visit to check out their trade-in room. I've gotten some great vintage gear at really great prices from them in the past when uninformed young buyers trade in there old "junk" for some "awesome" multi channel home theater receivers and such. I got my La Scala's for $999. I've been checking the asking prices on Ebay and $1k seemed reasonable. I'm including photos so you can provide an opinion on whether or not I paid a decent price. Here's the info from the back of the cabinets: Type LS-BR, Serials 18T986 and 18T987, Tweeters are K-77, Mids are WK K-55-V, crossover is Type AA. I learned that the 'T' in the serial indicates 1979 vintage? Do you have an acronym for La Scala? I'll call them LS for the rest of my post. I took a chance on the LS because I've read about their legendary past and passionate followers. I am extremely happy with my current system which includes Harbeth SHL 5 speakers and a PrmaLuna Dialogue Premium integrated amp with Gold Lion KT88 tubes delivering about 30wpc. The overall personality of the sound is smooth and musically engaging with plenty of deep bass for my tastes. I wasn't expecting the LS to compete musically with the $6500 Harbeths, but I thought they might be able to deliver the dynamics and punch I sometimes crave for large orchestral and symphonic works. When I connected the LS to my system I was extremely disappointed by what I was hearing. They were exremely squaky, bright, and hard sounding with almost no bass. I had a very hard time staying in the same room with them. I was so disappointed I was ready to give up on them right then and there, but knowing that new speakers need time to burn in and break in mechanically, I decided to give these old boxes a reasonable chance as well. As the hours passed I was beginning to hear significant improvements. Now, after two days of non-stop playing, I am amazed by the sound. Dynamics seem unlimited. The squak is gone, there is great clarity and articulation, and the low-end goes down nicely. At this point I'm having a hard time deciding between my Harbeth and the LS as being the best overall speaker. The Harbeth delivers a smoother, pleasant sound with deeper and tighter bass. Vocals, guitar, and jazz instrumentals are sweet and delicious. But the LS does things the Harbeth can't, as I previously mentioned. So here is where I'm seeking some advice and opinion. If my 39 year old La Scala sounds this good now, can I do things to significantly improve the sound quality? I don't just mean change it, but improve it. Change does not always mean improvement. The cabinets really resonate - coloring the low frequencies, so I would like to see tighter, more articulate bass. Normally, this can be done with better damping and bracing inside, but I don't know if that can be accomplished with the LS folded horn design, and might result in even greater loss of low-end extension. While the squakiness is gone, there is still some degree of a 'voice speaking with cupped hands' characteristic of horn loaded speakers. I'm now aware of the Crites, ALK and Volti websites for La Scala mods and upgrades, so where do you think I could realize improvement in my main two areas of concern? Crossover upgrades, driver or horn upgrades? I'm willing and able to make cabinet changes, but having the original La Scala cabinet plans would be helpful. Thanks for any advice and opinions you are willing to share. PS: For listening, I place the LS against the back wall as close as possible and spread as far apart as possible, giving me about 9' of separation and 16' to my ears. The basement room is heavily damped with fiberglass insulation in the ceiling between the 10" joists, acoustic ceiling tiles, rough-sawn cedar on the walls with 3 1/2" of fiberglass insulation behind the walls, and heavy padding and carpeting on the floors. It results in absorption of a lot of room reflections, but also deadens the bass and liveliness of the music. Hopefully the photos will post. After taking the photos I learned that angling the speakers to face the listening position sound better.