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Good to know. Bare wire will be my next experiment.

These connectors gave an immediate upgrade to the sound. Much better than my home made adapters. Maybe I'll put copper connectors on all of my crossover terminals.

How are they different sonically?

I did this for my Heresys, Chorus IIs, and now my La Scalas. Knocks the boxy/stuffy/honking mid horn sound right out. It also improves the bass very politely.

Thanks for the suggestions. All good ideas. I'm getting these connectors, as they look just like what I was about to build. At $60, they definitely fit my time/money preferences. https://www.transparentcable.com/collections/analog-audio-adapters/products/transparent-spade-to-mini-bar-spade-adapter

So... the Wyvern adapters started sounding just like the other cheapos after one day. I'm back to home made banana to fork adapters with full fidelity restored... they just look home made.

😁 I am the forum disruptor.

I installed these little banana plug adapters for the speaker inputs. You may see a lot of these on Amazon at varying prices, but they are not all made alike, nor do they sound alike. This is the Wyvern brand, and they sound great. I'm on my second audiophile speaker cable set. The second one is definitely better, and these little adapters let them sing nicely.

The market is getting soft. These have been available for three weeks at this price. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/402747431246135/

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/570289737563410/

$9,000, free shipping, B-stock new Al5s. https://www.ebay.com/itm/393066344952?hash=item5b849471f8:g:8VwAAOSwhZFf4k61

These old caps were sounding really good with my 10awg wire and horn damping updates. My new cables and caps seem to need more burn in time, but the sonic difference makes it obvious that these old caps rock. Edit: My home made spade connectors were the culprit. They stole the highs, details and presence. The proverbial 'blanket over the speakers'. Connectors really do make a difference.

I used Kilmat on my Heresy I pair, and that simple mod made the bass and mids far more distinct and clear. The upper mids had substantially more clarity. Similar results with my Chorus IIs and '80s La Scalas.

Mission accomplished. I installed the JEM Audio caps, and my La Scalas are now restored to factory stock, minus the big fat 10awg wire I've used throughout. The new caps definitely upped the volume and sensitivity of the speakers. I also bought a pair of twisted copper 8AWG cables from an ebay little home factory operation. Only $55. They are very impressive! More music is coming out of these cables. I'm really liking the sound, but I have more experimenting to do with Dave A's tweeters, the A55Gs, and ALK crossovers, whenever they get here. I'll let the updated AA crossovers and new cables burn in a few more days before the experimentation resumes.

Today I put the K55V back in with new diaphragms. I put my K77 tweeters back in as well. The new midrange diaphragm is really nice, an absolute must if you have 40 year old K55Vs. I actually like the setup now better than my new tweeters and mid driver. Another reason I reinstalled the original drivers is that my JEM Audio caps just arrived. I'll install those tomorrow.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/402747431246135/

My second pair. Today I'm listening to more of my very familiar music. They are really impressive with my Scalas. Combined with the A55Gs they produce a lot more studio or stage detail. A better sense of space.

New tweeters and mid drivers are in. The sound is more relaxed with more detail. A wider sweet spot as well with the tweeters. When I upgraded my Heresy I pair with SMAHL tweeters, the sound was noticeably better. This time, with my La Scalas, the change is not as dramatic, but still very pleasing. With the A-55-G/2 drivers, I'm hearing more drum detail and strings. Again, the change was not as dramatic, but very pleasing. After listening for an hour, I could tell when Frank Sinatra was experimenting with mic positions and vocal techniques. Hadn't noticed that before. It's really interesting to discover that these La Scalas are just as much musical instruments as a trumpet or upright bass. For instance, I experimented with the mid driver gaskets. First, I installed skinny O rings with the A-55-G/2s, assuming this would improve the air flow. On listening, I could tell that the mid horn was not getting the right air. So I switched out the skinny O rings for the normal rubber gaskets, and now the air is back. The presence and highs are well represented. I'm saving all of my old parts this time. I'd like to audition everything again when my ALK CSW-450s get here. The most dramatic upgrades so far are: 10 AWG pure copper speaker and terminal wire An audiophile AC power cord

Yeah... but that would add $350 for the move.

A bunch of folks probably called the seller telling him to raise the price or not to sell. That's what happened to my La Scala seller a few weeks ago. Fortunately, he still sold them to me.

I lowered the price to $900.

More sonic candy just arrived! These little guys are pretty heavy.

Just arrived!

... and the answer is... We'd have to ask the Chief to give us a modern design, so our old Chorus IIs can sound as good as the new Cornwall IV.