[Stripped threads on a K400 horn]

3 hours ago, jason str said:

If the install gets done on a slight angle witch could be caused by the wear, mechanics wire trick or both it's inviting leaks without a gasket.

 

The gasket is installed again

[Has anyone ever refinished/sanded the aluminum trim on La Scala Industrial speakers?]

I’m thinking of doing it on mine. Starting off with a very fine grit like 320 and working my way up gradually to finer grit to get a nice smooth and even finish. I personally like the “road worn” look of my LSI but I think they will look pretty sharp if I can bring the trim back to what it looked like in 1987 when they were made. Any input, suggestions, comments, concerns or repudiation warmly welcomed 😎
 

-Gil

[Stripped threads on a K400 horn]

On 2/1/2022 at 7:25 AM, henry4841 said:

Old mechanics trick. Stick a small diameter piece of wire over the horn threads and then start the driver. Should tighten up and work fine. All you need is a tight fit. Might need piece of wire on both sides of threads before starting driver. All above suggestions are just not practical with such a big diameter. If this does not work one needs a new horn. Machine shop repair is going to cost most more then a new horn.  

I tried this and guess what? It worked!!!! Thanks Henry4841! That driver is sitting in there snug as as snug gets! 

[Would my 1987 La Scala Industrials sound better if I installed risers like the new AL5’s have?]

On 2/2/2022 at 3:04 PM, muel said:

I just assumed the difference in dimensions was mostly about the thicker panels but I can say that stiffening the sides of my 1976 versions made a big difference.  Still haven't veneered the cabinets but might stick with the original black.  Been on the fence for quite a few years now.

 

I tried quite a few variations of heights to raise them up but no amount sounded as good as flat on the floor (room is wall to wall carpet). 

I use DSP to trim off 7dB at 148Hz Q 8.0 which cleans the sound up a lot.

Also played with knocking off 4 dB at 180Hz Q 12.0

These numbers came from some conversation here about the LaScala bins but I don't remember the original source.  My ears had me at 150Hz knocked down 4dB so I was pretty close. 

 

 

Would you happen to have the link to that particular conversation about the bins? 

[Stripped threads on a K400 horn]

54 minutes ago, pauln said:

Not only does the gasket provide an air tight seal and correct spacing between the driver and the horn; its inside diameter defines the design aperture for the throat.

 

If you are operating for a while without the gasket in place, your throat aperture is larger than design, which means the horn produces less output level, which means you might turn it up to compensate but find the horn's relative level keeps sounding attenuated.

 

Until you have a proper gasket in place with the right inner diameter, you might refrain from loud playing, and resist any loud testing or other exciting sonic experiments / investigations into why it might sound funny without the gasket.

That’s really good to know. Thank you, Pauln. It’s amazing how a little 1/16” gasket plays such a big role in the overall function of the horn. 

[Stripped threads on a K400 horn]

Thank you to everyone who has given their input. A lot of good ideas here, but for now what I’ve done is just removed the gasket and applied plumber’s tape so that it seals air tight. I know someone mentioned that the gasket is essential, so eventually I will either get a new horn or repair it somehow at a machine shop. Just to reiterate: the driver will not hold if the 1/16” gasket is in place but holds if the gasket is removed, therefore the driver is being held in basically by one thread. Not a permanent solution but it will have to do for now. The mids do sound good, no discernible difference that I can observe without the gasket.

[Stripped threads on a K400 horn]

58 minutes ago, Marvel said:

I used a set of driver in some k-400s and had no gaskets at all. the face of the drivers were tight against the horn and it was a lot cleaner than the funky gasket that had been in the horns.

 

The teflon plumbers tape would work fine and is cheap. Lowes, HD, ACE would all probably carry it.

Tried the plumbers tape and it didn’t help. I will try just screwing it in there. The face of the driver is pretty flat and so is the surface where the horn meets it so I’ll give it a shot.

[Stripped threads on a K400 horn]

1 hour ago, grindstone said:

Yeah it's not vibrations but air-tightness and proper distance to the throat that are your goals if you're being picky.  Tape'll be fine, too, but the question becomes how did they get like that and what does your driver look like, too?

The threads on the driver look pretty sharp. As for the driver itself, it’s very oxidized but still working

[Stripped threads on a K400 horn]

Since the driver will hold tight without the 1/16” gasket I figured maybe I could try using a thinner “gasket” to see if it would hold. Well, I ended up applying thin strips of electrical tape to the top of the driver edge where it meets the horns and sure enough it fit snug and the tape is acting as a gasket albeit a very thin and improper one. My question is, would this do the trick as far as damping any vibrations from driver to horn? My guess is yes but I’m also thinking that since the electrical tape is very thin it might transmit some or a lot of vibration.

[Stripped threads on a K400 horn]

33 minutes ago, grindstone said:

Yeah wash that thing out well & find somebody with the right tap and chase those threads first.  All they need to do is seal against a gasket and really about 2.5 threads do the lion's share of the holding in most applications. 

Funny that you mention the gasket and the 2&1/2 threads because I just now took the horn out, removed the 1/16” gasket and the driver fits snug without it. Put the gasket back in and driver won’t hold. I found a machine shop nearby so I’m taking it there today to see what they can do. 

[Stripped threads on a K400 horn]

I just realized my K55M was basically just sitting in there loosely. After taking the driver out I confirmed the threads are indeed stripped. Anybody ever have this issue? If so we’re you able to fix it and how?

 

Thanks in advance for any input or suggestions.

[Would my 1987 La Scala Industrials sound better if I installed risers like the new AL5’s have?]

3 hours ago, 001 said:

Risers decouple the  LSI speakers from the Floor surface  , they also raise the speakers by 3 inches ,  but the bass is not improved solely by adding risers  ,  however you can avoid bass loss  via a tighter  seal of the lower  woofer door panel  -

 

 

Thank you 001. I will look into reinforcing the woofer door panel although I gotta say, after trying unsuccessfully to remove it a few days ago, I might not need to do too much reinforcing. These LSI were in storage for 20 years after being used as DJ speakers for 10+ years throughout the 90’s so they surely were pushed to their limits during that time. Should that type of heavy usage be of any concern as far as the integrity of the woofer goes? By the way it doesn’t sound bad at all as it plays now but given their history It did make me wonder whether or not they could or should be sounding a little better than they do. My old LS just seemed to sound a bit more “woody” and articulate when playing upright bass. These LSI seem to be more pronounced in the mid bass around 70-120hz just from the listening I’ve done so far

[Would my 1987 La Scala Industrials sound better if I installed risers like the new AL5’s have?]

29 minutes ago, Dave MacKay said:

What a coincidence!  I've been wondering if risers would be of benefit to my 1986 La Scalas. I wasn't thinking of bass, just about getting the speakers closer to ear level when I'm seated.

 

Just today I went through my notes about the AL5 risers because I was thinking of making some for my 1986 La Scalas. If my notes are correct, the AL5 risers are 3" high and are made of 1" MDF (just like the AL5). 

 

When the snow stops I was thinking I'd rummage through my wood pile and make a pair of risers just to see if they make any difference.

I hope the snow stops soon because I would like to hear how your risers turn out! 
 

The reason I mentioned the bass improving is because I had some mid 80’s La Scalas a while back that we’re on casters and the bass wasn’t as deep as the industrials I have now. I figured the bass is better on the industrials due to them being closer to the ground and more inert, but it could also be due to the K43 woofer. Have you had any experience with bass bins for the LS? They are supposed to provide more LF extension but I’m not sold on the concept yet as I really don’t like to modify/tinker too much.

[Would my 1987 La Scala Industrials sound better if I installed risers like the new AL5’s have?]

They currently have 4 1” rubber feet each underneath but I’m wondering if the bass would improve if I put risers on them like the new AL5’s have. Thanks in advance for any input. 

 

[Stock KLF-30’s sound fine to me, maybe it’s the Fletcher-Munson curve]

Hello everybody I’m new to the klipsch forum. I’m a proud new owner of a pair of gently used KLF-30 speakers and after reading a lot of posts about their shortcomings I must say I have yet to be disappointed and do not feel the need to address any of the perceived issues that others have had. I will admit that the bass is lacking if they are being driven with under 2 watts or so. Initially I was disappointed with that because I was hoping to be able to drive them with some flea watt tube amplifiers but I think they really come alive when fed with some real power. The bass in particular really comes through starting at about 10-15 watts SS power which is good because I would like to experiment with bi-amplification later on down the road.

 

I am aware of the issues with the baffles coming apart but haven’t noticed that happening to mine, but it might after this daft punk listening session 😁 I am also aware of the crites diaphragms for the mid and tweet which I do plan to try in the future, but for now the stock diaphragms are tolerable. I will look into damping the mid horn though because I imagine that would produce noticeable improvements. Bracing is in the plans as well, that’s just a no brainer. As far as the ciare woofers go, I am not convinced. I do believe that it may be an improvement, but I would like those who have done this modification to elaborate on exactly what is improved because I would hate to spend $500+ and have these bad boys start to sound “bloated”. 

 

Anyway, I think these are great loudspeakers as they are so once I have the time to let curiosity get the best of me I will most definitely start to update/upgrade/retrofit these beasts, but I must say even as they stand now they are formidable heavyweights. I’ve owned LaScalas and cornwall ii’s and these keep up with and in some aspects exceed those models. Of course, the 1980’s lascalas have a beautiful midrange that is tough to beat, but the KLF’s make up for it in other ways, primarily in the bass region, which makes them an overall more enjoyable listening experience for me. Cheers to all you klipschonians. Be blessed.

 

-Gilligan