Dave MacKay
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Posts posted by Dave MacKay
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Thanks. Do you know if they will sell to Canada?
I’m in Canada where Klipsch service handled via Gentec, Klipsch’s Canadian distributor. Gentec (also operating as Klipsch.ca) refer parts queries to an affiliated company (www.repairparts.ca).
Unfortunately, the gaskets aren’t listed on the repairparts.ca website. I’ve e-mailed them to ask if they can supply the gaskets.
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12 hours ago, Bubo said:
- Replace the squaker gaskets, they look like washers for a garden hose. They have dry rotted
Where can the gaskets be purchased? What size & material?
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2 hours ago, The Dude said:
Best is to message him privately or search other forums.
@ClaudeJ1 and many others are active on “Klipsch Korner” of the Audiokarma forum.
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2 hours ago, OO1 said:
that's quite odd , I've reached them very easily by phone via technical support
What about other than tech support?
Called tech support because it was the only phone number listed on their web site. Tech support said they’d get Sales to call to let me know where to find a dealer. Nothing. No response e-mails sent via their website’s “Contact us” either. Seems they’re uninterested.
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On 12/30/2022 at 1:07 PM, Westerml said:
Should I use the XILICA? XILICA, folks say it is still a pretty decent processor even at its age.
I, too, was interested in Xilica (in my case an XP 4080) but I’d be cautious before purchasing. Xilica’s website lists the XP 4080 as a “legacy accessory”. I’ve not been able to get a response from the company despite several e-mails and phone calls.
Given that level of commitment to the product, I’d suggest looking elsewhere.
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My 2 cents …
- more than 1 sub provides a great deal more capability in taming room modes (esp. below the. Schroeder frequency). I’d suggest either 2 or 4 subwoofers
- use a MiniDSP 2x4HD to integrate the subs
- horn loaded subs are available, but often involve DIY. Check out Bill Fitzmaurice’s designs. I built 2 of his THTLPs and have been very happy with them
- consider other brands than Klipsch for subs. Klipsch does many things well, but I’ve not been impressed with their subs.
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In my experience having multiple subs (I have 2 in my listening room) made it possible to tame (to a certain extent) room modes.
However, dialling them in can be challenging. I needed a MiniDSP 2x4HD to get them set up suitably. YMMV.
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1 hour ago, henry4841 said:
When you go to someone's house you play by their rules. Rules have changed and some do not like it. I get it but it is still their house we play in.
Through our purchases we paid for the house.
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The PCB is so crowded with the new components that it sure looks difficult.
Just wondering if it might make sense to make new, larger PCBs. They can be drawn up with free tools like KiCAD and made quickly and cheaply by companies like PCBway. That might make the job a whole lot easier without incurring much additional cost.
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2 hours ago, geezin' said:
Were you able to hear a significant difference? And thanks for the tip.
Too soon to tell, but my initial impression is that I couldn’t hear any difference.
I didn’t think to take measurements with REW before and after to see if there was a measureable change.
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2 hours ago, geezin' said:
Might get around to sealing it,might not.
If you decide to do it, you’ll want to use a thin gasket. I was able to use 3/16” thick foam tape but it required a lot of force to get the rear panel to sit flush. I plan to get some 1/8” thick tape and re-do it.
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I’m refurbishing a pair of 1983 Heresy speakers that I bought a few weeks ago. I was surprised to find no evidence of any acoustic gasket between the removable rear panel and the speaker carcass. On my La Scalas, an acoustic gasket (foam tape) is used to seal the woofer access panel.
Did the Heresy 1 have acoustic gasket on the rear panel? Or was it not necessary?
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5 hours ago, Tom05 said:
Hi Dave , there’s different ways to do it , if I’m not mistaken you went with horn subwoofers , which is a good way to go , you get the Impact and the output , the quality ? I send all bass and LFE to full range Khorns and augment them with a parallel signal to a bunch of ported subwoofers located at the rear of the room. This works well and the khorns sealed back chamber seems to tolerate the situation just fine . Even when I had a horn sub I ran full range
Thanks.
You have a good memory: I have a pair of THTLP subs with my La Scalas. I think I’m doing what you’ve recommended, at least to the extent that my knowledge (and equipment) permit.
I run the La Scalas as “large” so that the entire audio signal —- including the bass —- is sent to them. The subs are fed a signal from the “subwoofer out” on my receiver via a MiniDSP 2x4HD. Although I’ve been experimenting with crossover frequency (anywhere from 40 Hz to 110 Hz), currently the subs are crossed at 80 Hz.
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3 hours ago, Tom05 said:
What you said here is important , I agree completely , just to further emphasize , if ANY of the Lascala bass output is being passed to a subwoofer, great care must be taken to ensure that there is no loss of IMPACT , OUTPUT or QUALITY to what the Lascala was providing , we must be careful not to make negative compromise to the Lascala sound .This also applies to Klipschorn 🤓
@Tom05 What would you recommend to ensure those things? Would simply running the La Scalas as “large” (i.e., full range) speakers in the amp set up accomplish that?
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16 hours ago, nickyboy6100 said:
Dave, how much do the THTLP’s bring to the table when paired with the La Scala’s? Ive considered pairing a horn loaded sub with mine for years. I’ve just never pulled the trigger. I’ve had larger Klipsch pro speakers in the past and miss the low end they provide.
@nickyboy6100, I've been quite pleased with the THTLPs and how they fill out my La Scalas.
Prior to making the THTLPs, I had an inexpensive Klipsch subwoofer (repurposed from a Klipsch Synergy home theatre). It did nothing. I replaced it with an SVS SB-1000 Pro subwoofer, which I liked quite well. However, I'd read comments from @ClaudeJ1 that, in his opinion, a THTLP was a great sub for La Scalas. Because I was looking for a COVID project, I decided to make one.
My listening room suffers from a number of acoustic deficiencies such that I couldn't get consistent good sound from a single subwoofer --- neither the SB-1000 Pro nor the THTLP. Since I'd enjoyed building the first THTLP, I built a second. Adding the second subwoofer (in the corner diagonal to the first THTLP) helped tame the room quite a bit.
Despite having the two large THTLP subwoofers, I still wasn't entirely happy with the sound. I knew that most of my dissatisfaction stemmed from the room itself, and WAF limited what I could do in terms of room treatment. I added a MiniDSP 2x4HD to drive the subwoofers. The MiniDSP 2x4HD has been fantastic. I would recommend a MiniDSP for any multi-sub configuration.
I used REW to measure the effect that the THTLPs have on my system. This graph (with 1/3 smoothing applied) shows both:
- a 20-20KHz sweep of my La Scalas only (in brown), and
- a 20-20KHz sweep of the La Scalas with the THTLPs (in blue)
I've tinkered with placement, room treatment, and MiniDSP settings since taking those measurements so that my system now performs a little better. This graph (no smoothing) shows a 20-200Hz sweep (i.e., the frequencies affected by the subs) before and after making those changes:
@wuzzzer has a similar configuration (i.e., La Scalas with THTLP subwoofers). From what he's posted, I think he has achieved results superior to mine.
With respect to how much the horn-loaded subs bring to the La Scalas ... I don't know how to answer. In truth, the little SVS SB-1000 Pro is a dandy little sub. However, I didn't take any measurements to quantify how it performed with the La Scalas. I might well have been happy with a pair of them (or their larger siblings). Certainly the THTLPs have brought loads and loads of low-end to my system. They are efficient (which I hope brings low distortion), quick, and clean sounding.
I tend to listen at modest volumes (typically < 85 dB). Even though my THTLPs are the smallest size (15" x 18" x 72" with 12" drivers) and are driven by small (250W) plate amps, I've never come close to their limits. Even when showing off, I doubt I've ever pushed 50W through them.
Perhaps @ClaudeJ1 or @wuzzzer might be able to provide you with more informed perspectives.
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Here are the REW measurements that show the affect that adding risers to my La Scalas had when measured at my listening position. I have applied 1/3 smoothing to the graphs.
The risers (blue line) raise the La Scalas just over 5" so that the tweeters are at the same height as my ears (roughly 40") at my listening position.
From the graph, it looks like the frequency response is flatter without the risers (perhaps the risers exposed more problems with my room's acoustics). The measurements show that the riser brought a bit more volume.
Although I tried to keep all of the measurement parameters the same, they were done several weeks apart. It's possible that, maybe, the volume settings were different. If that were the case, if one were to turn up the volume on measurement without the risers by 4 dB, the graph would look like this:
The graphs show that the risers didn't bring much benefit; the SPL graph is flatter without risers. Even if the risers did result in higher SPL at the listening position, the effect was generally modest (~4 dB).
I thought that the speakers sounded better with the risers but the measurements belie that. I'll use the risers for a while longer, but they may not have a permanent place in my listening room.
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34 minutes ago, Peter P. said:
What's that thing in the corner; is that a subwoofer?
In the corner to the right is a DIY bass trap. In the corner to the left is a THTLP subwoofer.
I have 2 THTLP subwoofers in the room. The second THTLP is in the corner diagonal to the one in the photo.
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On 1/24/2022 at 10:38 PM, 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.
It took me a while, but I finally built risers for my La Scalas. I made them tall enough so that the tweeter is at the same height as my ears at my listening position. For me, that meant building risers slightly more than 5" tall.
I thought the speakers sounded a little better in that the music sparkled a bit more. But, that could simply be because I was hoping to hear an improvement. 🙂
I have not yet run any sweeps with REW; I'll post the graphs when I've done that.
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On 12/3/2021 at 1:11 PM, Dave MacKay said:
All told, my ~US$2200 La Scalas will end up costing about US$3400.
Actually, I ended up spending about 40% more than that.
After all was said and done (new crossovers, replacement tweeters, laminating plywood to cabinets, making risers, veneering and finishing), I ended up spending about US$4700 to purchase and refurbish my La Scalas.
I don't regret a penny of it.
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On 11/26/2021 at 2:18 PM, Dave MacKay said:
I was able to find the terminal strips I was looking for at an electronics surplus shop. In case the information might be useful for others, I'll share the product information here.
They are made by CINCH Connector Division and are called a "barrier block". They are CINCH part number 2-142. Here's the web page that describes them:
I have learned that the barrier block I purchased was mislabelled at the store. Although the CINCH 2-142 will work, it is larger than what was originally used on the La Scala (and other Klipsch speakers).
A more suitable part is the CINCH 2-141. The CINCH 2-141 takes a #6-32 x 1/4 machine screw and can accommodate up to 14 AWG wire. I do not know if the part originally used by Klipsch was a CINCH 2-141. Although similar, the 2-141 does not have the markings that the barrier blocks on Klipsch speakers had.
An alternative to the CINCH 2-141 would be the Marathon Special Products 601 GP 02.
Other barrier blocks that might be suitable are the Eaton-Bussmann TB200 (TB200-2, TB200-2BS, or TB200-2B) or the Molex Beau 38780-0202.
- The datasheet for the Eaton-Bussmann part doesn't specify if the back is open or closed (we want open). [I contacted the company and learned that it has a closed back so that one would have to drill through.]
- Although the Molex part has a closed back (which one would have to drill through) it can be ordered with markings similar to what Klipsch used.
I have attached datasheets for the Cinch, Marathon, and Molex barrier blocks. The datasheet for the Eaton-Bussmann part is too large to upload. It can be found at: https://www.eaton.com/content/dam/eaton/products/electrical-circuit-protection/fuses/bussmann-series-connector-products/double-row-connectors/bus-ele-cat-1007-flc-2017-sec-10-connectors.pdf
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If Toronto-area people wanted to meet, there is a venue that seems like it would be a natural gathering spot for us. “The Little Jerry” is an audiophile bar at College and Bathurst. Their primary system is a pair a Klipschorns supplemented with a pair of La Scalas.
Any interest in a gathering in the new year?
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Seems like a great deal. US$1600 is about CAD$2200.
About a year and a half ago, I paid $2800 for a pair of La Scala in similar condition. I have enjoyed them every day since getting them.
I really enjoyed the process of refurbishing them (new crossovers, veneer, and more).
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I’m close to Toronto (Port Credit neighbourhood of Mississauga). I’m not aware of any meet-ups.
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Condolences on your loss.
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Recommended maintenance for a 1978 pair of Heresy 1.
in General Klipsch Info
Posted
I've answered my own question. I'll post the answer in case it helps others.
I reached out to repairparts.ca (a division of Microland which is a subsidiary of Gentec, Klipsch's Canadian distributor). They were happy to make arrangements to bring the parts in from Klipsch USA.
Because they don't stock the parts locally, it will take about 4 weeks for them to arrive, which was just fine with me. To my surprise, the price was very good --- considerably lower than if I'd purchased from a well-known (but unnamed in this forum) supplier in the USA, even before considering currency exchange, shipping, and customs duty.
The lesson I take from this experience is that --- if you know the Klipsch part number of what you're looking for --- it's worth checking with Klipsch.ca (operated by Gentec) instead of defaulting to a third-party supplier.