Flevoman

Thank you for your input. This is what makes it confusing for me. My audio dealer (who mainly deals with high-end equipment) claims that corners are not necessary. And I assume they know what they're talking about. Their employee (whose La Scalas I have now purchased) has Klipschorn AK6 at his own home, placed against a single long wall without corners. He also believes that this setup is perfectly fine and that the difference between placing them in corners or not was hardly audible (they tested this at the store). I take him seriously too, as he has been involved with audio his whole life, and from what I know, he doesn't settle for compromises. However, opinions on the internet are divided. I hear different claims here. But are the La Scala and the Klipschorn sonically similar, with the Klipschorn having a bit more and deeper bass? Isn't the Klipschorn overall a step up from the La Scala?

I started with the Heresy 2, and step by step, I'm climbing up the Heritage ladder. Jubilee is excluded, but the Khorn seemed like a great end goal to me. However, I don't have any corners where these speakers can be placed. So maybe the La Scala was what I had in mind as the end goal. Until I spoke to someone who owns the Khorn AK6 and claims that this generation of speakers can be placed fine against a long wall, corners are not needed. Now I'm wondering, in my situation where I only have one long wall for the speakers, La Scalas (with a possible subwoofer), or the Khorn AK6 (false walls are not an option), where only one side can be placed against the wall. Which one is the best option?

The story is as follows. An employee of my audio store had purchased these. He didn't like them, he felt they were lacking too much bass. He tried a few things for a while, like adding a subwoofer, but ultimately he went for the Khorn, and these speakers returned to the audio store where they served as a demo model. I don't know how many hours they have been played, but it's not a lot yet. Edit:he replyed around the 250 hours

No sorry!.. Your tips are more then welcome. So thank you, I will give it a try without the rubber pads. But I have the feeling that the rubber pads give some more air in the bas....

I have the feeling this will improve the sound. But this is more based on my experience with the CW4 tbh.

@mikebse2a3 That's what I call a listening room. Very impressive... And with the speakers placed so far apart, are all the instruments and vocals still sharply defined in their proper positions?

Moving the CW4 is really too much hassle. I could throw a thick rug over it if that's advisable. But I can't and don't want to drag them back and forth. By now, I know myself well enough to know that I need time to adjust to any change in my system. Only later do I realize that I will come to appreciate the adjustment. Unfortunately, it seems I have a difficult musical brain 🙄. Knowing this, I don't want to say too much about my first impression, as there's a good chance it will be completely different in two weeks. However.... 😌, with that in mind, if I can tentatively provide an initial reaction based on how I currently experience the LaScala, I prefer the CW4 for now. I hope it's due to my combination of components, still finding the right positions, etc... but I find the sound quite dark, which is contradictory to say because it does sound dynamically and detailed. However, I have this urge to pull a kind of cover off the speakers to make it sound light and open again. The placement of vocals and instruments is currently less precise compared to the CW4. This will probably improve with some shifting and experimenting, as it took a while for everything to fall into place with the CW4. I miss the bass less than I expected, but on some songs that I know well on the CW4, I find the LaScala sounding somewhat weak. I sincerely hope I can get it right because I can hear that the LaScala has a lot of potential. On TIDAL, I've come across a few songs that sounded incredibly tight and dynamic. The CW4 could never achieve that.

Well, for now they stay in there corner 😄 Till I know which pair of speaker will be my keepers I'm not moving them arround. Besides, I also want to be able to compair the CW4 vs the Al5 in the near future. I'm just curious what my impression of the CW4 will be when I am used to the AL-5 sound. Will I still prefer the CW4 above the Al5?

This is a little bit how I started. More distance between the speakers (I think 2 feet or so?) But the X-line was in front of me. They told me this should be the best way to setup the speakers for the most bass performance and soundstage. Unfortunately in my situation it didn't work out that well. But thank you for this advise, I will give it a try this eavening with the X-line behind my position.

They are sitting in there own corner now 😉

I will indeed fine-tune a bit more with toe them more or less in and perhaps bring them closer together. There are still a lot of things to try before im done. What I would most like to improve for now is a tighter positioning of instruments and vocals. But above all, the hint of resonance that I hear. The sound sounds a bit boxy (I hope this sounds understandable). Maybe this is just characteristic of these speakers, that's possible. In that case, the CW sounds fresher and more open. But I'm still trying to find some more air around the vocals/instruments and a more open/fresh sound. Maybe through a different streamer or amplifier?

Yesssss.. They're here. And still a familiar sight, though 😄 Only now in a much more beautiful design. If I had the choice, I would prefer Walnut. Cherry seems too red to me. But well, demo models... and for this price (which I found very reasonable), I shouldn't complain. I hope I can fix the veneer a bit because it's quite ugly and obvious... Such beautiful speakers, what a shame. I'm currently searching for the right position. I started with them quite far apart and the intersection in front of my listening position. But there was no soundstage at all. Everything seemed to come only from the left and right speakers, and something was happening in the midrange and that's it. Now I've placed them closer together, slightly angled inward, and this seems to be a great improvement. Not as good as I had it with the CW4, but the music feels more detached from the speakers. There's also more happening between the speakers and in the midrange. I also put them on rubber pads, and I feel like this has a positive effect too.

Strange, when I look at your photos, I get the impression that the distances are much greater. But I think in terms of distance, my speaker position is about the same, only my seating position is half a meter further. The speakers will be placed in the middle of a long wall in my case. The advantage is that I have some freedom in determining how far apart they should be. Maybe the downside is that I don't have side walls that can enhance the bass a bit, resulting in a fuller low end. I can also adjust the listening position a bit, either making it larger or smaller. So, I'm fairly flexible when it comes to placement. However, I've read a few times in reviews that for the best sound, the speakers should be positioned a bit away from the wall (I think for better soundstage). Unfortunately, this won't be possible. They are simply too deep. Maybe just about 10 cm away from the wall, but going further than that will be very difficult. Well, if what you're saying is correct, then the chances of me ever coming across the Jubilee on MP are extremely slim. If you ever decide to part with them, send me a PM pls 😉.

Thanks for the explanation. I've never actually seen the Jubilee listed on Marktplaats as a used item. I have no idea if the JU was ever sold here in the Netherlands, to be honest. Do you have any idea how far apart your La Scalas are and how far you are from the speakers in your listening position? Based on the photo, it seems like they are quite a distance away. And yes, I'm also very curious about my first impression. But I intentionally kept my expectations very low. I'll give myself a week to get used to the bass, which will be less full than what I'm used to. And then I'll probably have to do some rearranging and searching for the most ideal position for the speakers before everything falls into place. So my first impression won't be as "first" anymore 😉.

Great response, and I really enjoyed your impression of these speakers. Thank you for that. But the Jubilee, wow... That's amazing. I had the opportunity to listen to the latest Jubilee at my audio dealer, and I was extremely impressed by this speaker. From what I heard, I think the La Scala and Klipschorn sound quite similar. But the Jubilee, it's a completely different speaker. The sheer size of it left me awestruck, but the music sounded so delicate, airy... The level of detail... If your Jubilee performs nearly as well as the latest Jubilee, then you truly have something incredibly beautiful. Maybe I'm misunderstanding the text, but I get the impression that your Jubilee and La Scala are on a similar level? If that's the case, then I'm extremely surprised. Based on what I heard, there's a world of difference between the La Scala and the Jubilee, with the Jubilee truly being the king. Regarding the comparison between the original La Scala and the AL5. I also had the original La Scala for a while, and I was bothered by a bothersome resonance in the low/midrange. This issue is supposed to be absent in the AL5. Although I'm not exactly sure what changes have been made, it seems that more than just thicker walls have been implemented in the latest AL5. I believe there's an updated crossover filter, and perhaps different drivers or horns as well? Correct me if I'm wrong. My lascalas will be delivered tomorrow 😁

It was , but for me soundwise a bit to harsh in my set for my taste

Just a small update: Last Saturday, I visited the high-end audio store. First, I compared the Melody PSE 300B with the Cayin SET 300B. Then, I compared the Melody PSE 300B with the same Cayin model but with WE300B tubes. Initially, I found the stock Cayin to have a rather dark sound.a bit dull. The Melody, on the other hand, was more open, fresher, and had greater dynamics. In my opinion, it was the clear winner. Even when comparing the Melody with the Cayin using the WE300B tubes, the Melody still sounded better to me. Although the WE300B tubes clearly performed noticeably better than the stock tubes, providing a more open and detailed sound. Afterward, it was time to listen to the Lascala AL-5. At that moment, every upgrade was still possible: a completely different amplifier, different 300B tubes, maybe the Lascala AL-5, and perhaps even the Klipschorn AK-6 that I might be able to acquire from someone. I must admit that the listening session I had earlier with the Klipschorn AK-6 left me somewhat confused. I had expected to be more impressed by those speakers. Aside from hearing a few things that I hadn't noticed on the Cornwall 4, I wasn't really impressed. However, this might be because the person prefers a laid-back sound and has set up everything accordingly, whereas I prefer a dynamic sound and want to feel like I'm right in front of a live performance. Returning to the Lascala demo, the first thing that struck me was that the sound was absolutely different from the CW4 and also different from what I had heard in the demo with the Khorn AK-6. Unfortunately, just like with the Khorn, I heard a somewhat horn-like sound in the music. The sound also had a boxy quality. This may sound contradictory because the sound also felt very open and dynamic, as if it had an even higher resolution. The placement of vocals and instruments was very tight, and some songs sounded very good. However, the lack of low-end was immediately noticeable. This demo was also somewhat confusing. I found the Lascala to sound more pleasant than the Khorn in this demo. But even with this demo, I noticed aspects in the sound that I hadn't heard with the Cornwall before. However, I found the slightly boxy and horn-like sound a bit challenging, and the thin bass took some getting used to. During the playback of one song, I was completely convinced that I absolutely had to have these speakers, but with the next song, it was like, "mehhh..." I'm not sure if it's a mind game or if it really makes a difference, but when I removed the front covers from the Lascala, I immediately felt like, "Hey!!.. We're there." It suddenly sounded more open. And that's when the decision was made. Because I'm not 100% sure if the Lascala will truly suit my taste at home, I decided to keep the CW4 and traded in my Melody MDA2. I only had to pay an additional 4000 euros (I had bought the amplifier for 5000 euros a year ago). If everything goes well, I will have the Lascala speakers at my place next Tuesday or, if not, by Saturday. I'm really excited about it and looking forward to it. I'm very curious to hear how it will sound here 😊. It will definitely take some time to get used to before I can give a proper judgment. The cool thing is that I can compare the CW4 vs the lascala AL-5 side by side in my own livingroom. In the end one pair of speakers will leave, but for now I just enjoy the situation to be able to compare both speakers 😁

Funny that you mention this. Because besides the La Scala that is for sale, there's also a possibility that I can buy someone's Khorn AK-6. He actually just placed them against the long wall of his living room, with one side of each speaker not against a wall. According to him, this should work fine with this latest Khorn. Something that my hi-fi dealer also confirms. But on the internet, I still hear/read messages that the Khorn is not intended for this. Still, it's quite important for me to clarify this, as I would have to place them the same way if I do indeed buy the Khorn.

Interesting topic to read. There's nothing wrong with being aware that these types of amplifiers are also sold. However, the R300 may not be built with the most expensive components, but it's definitely not a monstrosity. There are already plenty of photos available showing how it is constructed, as well as numerous reviews and experiences with this amplifier.

I do indeed think that I will hear fairly soon how different (or not) the La Scala sounds compared to the Cornwall. I have been listening to the CW4 almost daily for a year now, and I have a good idea of how this speaker can sound. Although it always takes some getting used to when you hear the same speakers in a different room/setup.

Sorry, I can't determine whether you're being sarcastic or serious.

You say that you would choose the La Scala over the Cornwall in a heartbeat. But have you ever been able to compare them to each other to say this so confidently?

Honestly, I'm surprised that you couldn't really hear a direct difference (apart from the bass). Intuitively, I would expect a noticeable difference in the midrange. Doing a direct A/B comparison is difficult. They do have the CW4 and the La Scala, but they are in different listening rooms. And then, as you already mentioned, you're also comparing different acoustics and equipment. By the way, I don't expect to have to add an extra 8k. They are demo speakers with a large ugly spot on the veneer. If the asking price is not below 10k, then I'm definitely not interested. From what I could see in the price history on hifishark.com, they sell for under 10k as used items, and in perfect condition.

So you own the CW4 and you have heard the AL-5. Beside the difference in bass, what difference did you hear between these speakers? . Is the mid that much better on the AL-5 compared to the CW4?