Rebuilding La Scala

[roddey]

Hi everyone!

I have been lurking for a while but this is my first post. I just bought a 1978 La Scala. I have had the cabinets repaired and repainted in gloss black. There almost done. I also had the diaghrams changed to new in the k55-v. I had the crossovers rebuilt to add Bob Crites tweeters and sonic caps and the 4500 mhz squawker mod. I left the extra parts on the board so it can be changed back to the aa crossover and the k-77 tweeters if someone wanted to. I put caulking rope on the k-400 horns. I also wrapped ducting putty over the caulking putty. The home depot guy said it wouldnt stick or harden but I did not want to take a chance so I put it on after the roping caulk.. It added 5 lbs around the throat and the stuffs cheap. But I have some questions.

1. Was the ducting putty a dumb move?

2. Would Bob Latino's st-120 in triode mode work good with these? What mid-price cuopling caps in the st-120 sound good for the La-Scala? How do you guys like the Dynacost-120 kit?

3. I allready have a hand made MHDLABS tube DAC and need a pre-amp. I have a hoard of bremer 12sn7's(under the Phillips Mini Watt brand name) or maybe they were mullards. I forget now. They sounded sweet in my headphone amp. I rolled a lot of tubes too and none sounded as good as these. Would the mapletree pre-amps that uses the 12sn7's sound good with this combo? Have anyone heard them(the amp,pre-amp,Dac) by themselves or in any combination like my equipment that I have or want to buy. Would this setup be good with the La Scala's?

4. How far down should I go with the rope caulking? I have another 90 feet of it.

5. Are the original metal cans caps still available(oem or non oem) somewhere or are the new type film caps better?

6. If I do decide to change the woofers what is a suggestion besides Bob Crites. I do have a sub woofer by the way.

7. Would Solen inductors improve the sound of the crossovers? The ones used in the ark crossovers.

I also have a pair of heresy's I havent even started on yet. Its an ongoing project.

Well theres nothing else I can think of to add right now. Thanks for any input, Rod

[Guest David H]

For starters, welcome to the forum. I see you have made alot of good choices so far, and although I have never heard the Latino ST-120, I have used a Triode Dynaco 70 VTA which had more than enough power for the Lascala's. Johnny 5 was running a pair with 300b set amps and I could not believe what a measly 8 watts can do. Good luck, and enjoy the hobby.

If I do decide to change the woofers what is a suggestion besides Bob Crites. I do have a sub woofer by the way.

The Crites Woofers are a direct replacement. Other options would be a K-33 direct from klipsch, if available. Is there something wrong with the originals?

Would Solen inductors improve the sound of the crossovers? The ones used in the ark crossovers.

The Sonicap upgrade you used are far better than the the original can caps that came with your Scalas. The inductors will offer some improvement, but the best crossover mod for the Lascala in my opinion is the ALK. www.alkeng.com I have used the universals with good success. Have not heard the slopers yet.

[roddey]

Thanks for the answers. The woofers sound fine. I was just curious about woofer options.

And I made a mistake, I meant alk nor ark crossovers. Sorry, Rod

[roddey]

There done. They allready sound much better and there not even broken in. Cant waite for a tube amp now. Thanks for the tips everyone. But I do have one more question. Would it hurt the sound any to paint the inside of the horns with krylon black laquar spray paint at wal-mart? Thanks Rod

[flatgrass]

With a possible refreshing of some Heresy(s) coming up, I also wonder if painting the inside of the squawker horn is verboten. ??

But, how even would a spray adhere on the inside?

Curious.

[roddey]

Hello everyone! I took people's advice here and changed the horn to a pair of Altec 511b's. These were in P.A. Cabs and fit the top of the La Scala's well. Only about a quater of an inch wider. I also damped the horn with air. cond. and heating putty that works well. About 12# of the stuff. Here it is:

Sounds better. Distortion at higher listening levels went away. I am now done.(do you really believe that?)

roddey

[Daddy Dee]

The ducting putty will be fine to damp the horns. The price is very good. You'll be able to hear the difference in the sound, just put on what sounds right.

I'm not familiar with the B Latino amps, but Scalas will sound fabulous with any decent amp. Tubes are very nice.

If the woofers are working ok, probably wouldn't be an improvement if replaced.

The cabs look great.

[gearfreak]

I'd considered painting a set of my 511b's. I was on track to take them to an auto-body shop or similar and ask them (about blasting and repainting).

My expectation was that they would have used 'powder coat' paint ('powdercoating'), which (should be) the electro-static plastic-paint that they then bake. IIRC. (The metal is charged one way, the paint the other, it sticks, they bake it and it adheres and cures)

The next question for them is 'does it have to be e.g. ferrous metal, or will aluminum or plastic/fiberglass work'

I got off track and did not follow though. Sorry!

The heresy's horn is simpler and more shallow (than my K400 or 511B) ?

So it might just be possible with spray paint and dexterity.

(Now I have visions of somebody in their garage with a battery charger and a can of spray paint...)

[Daddy Dee]

I'm pretty sure I've seen powdercoated aluminum tube patio furniture before.

[Davecv41]

I just had my 300B amp project aluminum chassis powdercoated. They blasted it with a mild abrasive, powder coated it, then cured it in a 350-400 degree oven. Many colors are available as well as shiny and flat finishes. My chassis came out really primo looking. Blasting the inside of the horn throat might be a problem. Some non-metallic things can be coated, but I understand it's more expensive due to the preparation needed to make the item hold an electrical charge. Eastwood sells a DIY kit you can use in the garage with a yard sale oven, since you wouldn't want the ol' lady finding out you polluted her kitchen with chemicals from your project.

I've used products from POR-15 on my truck with good results. Their paint remover worked great for me on steel and aluminum. I painted my aluminum transmission with black POR-15 and a rag. The finish is tough as nails, though you'll need to redrill the mounting holes and cover the threads before painting.

Dave