sootshe Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 Starting the road to La Scala ownership again after many years absence. For whatever reason I can't remember, I sold my early 80's La Scalas & went through a variety of different speakers before settling with a pair of Altec Model 19's. Fantastic speakers & ideally suited sound wise to the home environment. I've always missed that tight bass from the La Scla's though, so I've taken the plunge & ordered all the components from Bob Crites & will get some cabinets professionally made here in Oz. We don't get a lot of options second hand wise here in Australia, so I figured this was the best route to go. I'll be running a Velodyne HGS 12 inch sub with them so can't wait to hear the bottom end.[] Will post some pics in the new year when the cabs are under way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaspr Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 Great idea!! Hope you don't get rid of the 19's though...those are a fantastic speaker in their own right. Are you having the cabs built using 1" MDF as is used in the new Lascala II?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sootshe Posted December 15, 2008 Author Share Posted December 15, 2008 No, keeping the 19's. Learnt from my previous mistakes that if at all possible you should try to hang on to the good stuff. I'm going to keep the retro look & for that reason will have them built from 3/4'' birch ply like the originals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaspr Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 I understand the desire to keep the retro look, but... Check out the thread on 2 channel "Lascala I vs Lascala II". Sounds like the change in cab material really made a significant difference in the bass thwack... Can you still get most of the retro look using MDF?? That's for you to decide. Good luck and keep us posted...pics are always welcome. Wish I could trade you weather right now...-40 C windchills the past few days...brrrr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sootshe Posted December 16, 2008 Author Share Posted December 16, 2008 Yes, I see what you mean. I can get the look I want by using the 1"MDF, but my concern then is that I have to veneer the cabinets which is extra expense & probably not something I would tackle myself. Having said that, the sound is the most important priority for me & I will give this some serious thought. Components should arrive early in the new year so am arranging a meeting with my cabinet maker for then & will discuss this option with him. Yeah, it's probably average 30 degrees C each day up here with hardly a cloud in the sky, except for the evenings when we will get a storm. Well, someone has to live here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaspr Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 Your cabinet maker should have some sources for 25mm veneered MDF...might not be as costly as you think. Add some edge banding and you are good to go. I gues the only other problem that I see would be to adjust the measurements of your plans to allow for the extra thickness of your material. Sorry to hear that your weather is hot and boring.[H] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sootshe Posted December 16, 2008 Author Share Posted December 16, 2008 Yes, just looking at the plan adjustments now. The new La Scala is 24 1/4' wide & 25 1/4' deep. The old one is 23 3/4" wide & 24 1/2'' deep. By my reckoning the cabinet will be 24 3/4' wide if I keep the base chamber & the horn exit widths the same. Maybe they've adjusted the size of the dog house slightly? I suppose this might not be that critical as the bass driver seems to work just fine in a Belle & that's a totally different shape altogether. Wait a minute......just have to turn the aircon up a notch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaspr Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 Hmmm...Those measurements for the new Scala might cause some problems if the sheet goods only come in 48" widths...might get around that problem by adding a "face frame" of solid wood to get to the required dimensions...I'm sure you can work it all out... Time to throw another log on the fire...and head outside to the hot tub for a bit...must remember to wear something on my head[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaspr Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 Just another thought...the doghouse in the new Scala is probably made of 3/4" material...might account for the width difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sootshe Posted December 16, 2008 Author Share Posted December 16, 2008 From any of the photos I have seen, the sides, top & bottom of the bass cabinet are made from 1" material. So to achieve the correct overall width you'd need to make the dog house from 3/4" material. What I was thinking of doing is make the bass cabinet as a seperate enclosure with the cabinet sides, top, bottom, back & woofer mounting board from 1" MDF, the rest of the dog house from 3/4" MDF. The horn & tweeter enclosure in 3/4" ply to keep the weight down. Both enclosures veneered. So in effect this would be La Scala 2's. Can anyone with a set of factory 2's tell me whether the dog house is made from 3/4" or 1 inch material? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaspr Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 This is what I imagine the top view of the II's might look like... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyKlipschFan Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 My suggestion.. use thicker wood on the bottom bass bins.(tops bottom and sides... .and maybe braces too... You will notice it. Welcome back to the madness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 I've taken the plunge & ordered all the components from Bob Crites & will get some cabinets professionally made here in Oz. We don't get a lot of options second hand wise here in Australia, so I figured this was the best route to go. I'll be running a Velodyne HGS 12 inch sub with them so can't wait to hear the bottom end. Will post some pics in the new year when the cabs are under way. G'Day! Be sure to have the sides of the doghouse made from 25mm plywood. The top and especially the bottom don't really need to be that thick. Both are braced by the doghouse. Be sure to preserve the inside dimensions of the bass horn, letting the extra thickness of the sides make it wider on the outside. This mod mimics the La Scala II and stiffens the sides. The stiffer sides don't vibrate and it removes the 200 to 250 Hz response bump. You can improve the upper range of the bass horn (make it smoother and go higher) by adding corner reflectors to the back outside corners. I did the calcs, once, but I've forgotten the exact dimensions. The reflector has to be set on a 45 degree angle and is about 25mm from the 45 degree surface to the back of the corner. If you do it you should also make the crossover for the bass horn to the squawker 2nd order (12 dB/octave). That crossover slope will reduce distortion in the squawker at higher volumes, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sootshe Posted December 17, 2008 Author Share Posted December 17, 2008 This is what I imagine the top view of the II's might look like... Yes I think you're spot on there.....the cab is made from 1"stock & the dog house is made from 3/4"stock. This scenario tallys up exactly with the plans I have for the original La Scala if you were to substitute 1" material for the sides.Will be discussing with the cabinet maker soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marting Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 G'Day! Be sure to have the sides of the doghouse made from 25mm plywood. The top and especially the bottom don't really need to be that thick. Both are braced by the doghouse. Be sure to preserve the inside dimensions of the bass horn, letting the extra thickness of the sides make it wider on the outside. This mod mimics the La Scala II and stiffens the sides. The stiffer sides don't vibrate and it removes the 200 to 250 Hz response bump. You can improve the upper range of the bass horn (make it smoother and go higher) by adding corner reflectors to the back outside corners. I did the calcs, once, but I've forgotten the exact dimensions. The reflector has to be set on a 45 degree angle and is about 25mm from the 45 degree surface to the back of the corner. If you do it you should also make the crossover for the bass horn to the squawker 2nd order (12 dB/octave). That crossover slope will reduce distortion in the squawker at higher volumes, too. Would a diy Belle need to have the sides of the doghouse thicker also? The panels are smaller. Would they resonate less? I just got a new table saw so Oak Belles are on my list of things to do for 2009! Martin in Austin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 I would tend to think they would not need to be thicker in a Belle. However, the Belle's bass horn grille affords you the opportunity to add a brace from the back wall to the grille and from the doghouse to the side wall, so why not do it? The whole thing will be lighter made from 3/4" ply and as stiff with the brace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyKlipschFan Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 I can attest to the Peavey FH-1 bottoms.. If matched with Klipsch La Scala tops.. Wonderful match! I agree with the thicker sides, but be sure to keep the inside dimensions as is.... Great point John, that could of been overlooked easy and made a difference sound wise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaspr Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 You might want to try doing the motorboard using this type of plan...more like how the Jube bins are built...don't know how the changes would sound tho...might be better off sticking with the devil you know?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sootshe Posted December 17, 2008 Author Share Posted December 17, 2008 You might want to try doing the motorboard using this type of plan...more like how the Jube bins are built...don't know how the changes would sound tho...might be better off sticking with the devil you know??The motorboard is basically the same as what you have posted from the plans I have. I have added them as an attachment as I don't know how to post them as a picture like you have done. Getting very confused here with all the info everyone is contributing but I do appreciate it though. My first plans were to build a set of original L Scala's as that is always what I have wanted & the pair I had sounded great....no complaints at all. I have a few doubts about changing the design & also the material. I know from previous experience that the cabinet will produce a sound of it's own & the ply will have a characteristic tone. By altering this, theoretically it will change the sound of the speakers. Whether that is for the better or the worse is ultimately up to the listener. Thicker walls & less resonance may remove a hump in the frequency response, but that may be part of the characteristics of the original sound. My thoughts always return to that original sound of my previous La Scala's & that is the sound I am looking for. I need to have a good hard think about what I am trying to achieve here before I commit to construction.LaScala11.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaspr Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 The drawings that I made were based on the same set of drawings that you have. The changes to the motorboard are subtle...slightly harder to build. I hear your concerns about the sound that you remember... all depends on how tweaky you are willing to be. Your money....so it's your call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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