Q RE Modifying A LaScala For Center Channel HT Use By Moving Horns

[nola]

1. I hope this is the correct forum.

2. Ok, this sounds nutty. But Q is based on preface that in order to get great sound from a horn, it must be in the "line of sight" of your ears. If this really would not matter, given my room and set-up, there would be no need to change anything on the LaScala. Also, would using a LaScala (I already own a pair) be overkill for my bedroom. BTW, I am considering doing this for my main room set up as well.

Preface: bedroom, about 15 x 15 x 14' sloped ceiling bedroom. Foot of bed is 5' from TV, bed is 20" above floor, so I would be well below center line of a horizontally positioned LaScala, if used as a center channel.

Current bedroom set up: WF 34s, KV2 center, crap surrounds, RSW-15 sub. Rear proj TV sits on top of about 2.5 ft high dresser-plan to move this so center can go under TV. I will be rearranging furniture and everyone has told me to go for the biggest center channel possible. I have kind of given up finding a low price decent shape Belle and already own a pair of LSs (and HIs, HIIs, Khorns, and 2 Acads too). So maybe I could move a rear speaker LaScala from the main room (replace with Heresy Is or IIs) and use it as a center. I also have a second Academy, but I am still thinking about placing that above my main room TV (so I can have 1 Acad above and 1 below the TV). May also change from WF 34s to Heresy Is or IIs (I already have 1 pair of each) as front spkrs.

As per the jpg (made on Powerpoint and converted to jpg, since I don't have photoshop in PC), I think I could unscrew the midrange squaker and tweeter, add longer speaker wire to the AA Xover network (which may also be replaced with an ALK or just recapped), and place on top of the TV in under 2 hours. That would give me the biggest center possible and I could "point" the horns aimed aimed to my position sleeping or sitting in bed. As per the picture, I could also place the horns just below the TV, but off center, again aimed at my position in bed, but my feet would be in the line of sight between horns and ears sometimes.

I don't think I need to worry about the horned LaScala cabinet for the woofer being aimed at the mattress, but any comments here also appreciated. I prefer not to tilt the LS 15 degrees or so off horizontal. That
would require more wood, etc to support the TV and HT gear. The LS would be
horizontal on a stone floor covered by a thin pad and thin carpeting. But it
should be moderately well isolated acoustically from the floor. I still keep
the sub on a small movers dolly, above the carpeted floor with the left WF-34
on top of it-using a small but strong box and a small blanket for acoustic
isolation (looks ridiculous, but it seem to work).

Qs:

1. When the horns are removed do I need to somehow cover the horn openings in the LaScala cabinet (to maintain the sonic integrity of the cabinet); if so, how? Given the woofer area remains unchanged would this matter? Is it simply cosmetic?

2. Once removed, do the horns need to be screwed into place firmly on a wooden board or can I simply use some lightweight wood on top of the rear proj TV, place some old towels on top (for sound isolation and for positioning), and then sit the horns on top of the towels - not solidly mounted? The horns as such, either tweeter on top of squaker or side by side, would not be enclosed in any sort of cabinet or box. Is this ok - do horns benefit from an enclosure for my purpose?

3. Given the slight difference (under 1 foot change) in distance between woofer to ear and horns to ear distances once the horns are moved, will my hearing sence that something is messed up? (EG, on my receivers, they ask for the spkr to listening area distance to adjust for this between DIFFERENT speakers, not diff components of the same speaker.)

Thanx all. (Wow, the pic uploaded ok)

[jbsl]

I've seen pics of that done with a La Scala.

I have a single La Scala that I use for center channel that I bought off Ebay. It was seriously beat up so I did not mind cutting off the top section and put that under the tv with the bass bin turned on it's side next to it. Works great.

My bass bin is not like in the pic but turned on it's side, on the right side of the HF section with a 50 inch tv on top and a grill cover.

[Marvel]

Since the mid and tweeter are not in the bass cabinet, per se, you could just remove them and mount them in a new baffle to place on top of the screen. However, the distance between the two may be very noticeable, as you won't be far enough back for the different sources to blend together..

Most of what you will hear directly will be coming out of the mid horn. I would think that with your bed at 20 inches, you won't have a problem leaving the LS in its original configuration. The ceter of the mid horn is about 28 inches. I would just raise the whole cabinet up a few more inches and place the tv on top.Since you are watching from the bed, you want to tv up a little more anyway.

Bruce

[nola]

My LaScala Is from the 70s do not have separate bass bin and horn sections. I think the black industrial version does have separate parts that fit together, like in a Khorn. I do not intend to saw the horn holding part off. I would just take the horns out by unscrewing them. Thus the cabinet would be otherwise untouched, but have "holes" where the 2 horns once were. I am unclear what is meant by mounting them in a new baffle. Do you mean that I would have to consider building a "box" to put them in? If so, of what dimensions, etc.

I also have major horizontal space issues in the bedroom, with the bathroom door and a closet door sort of to the sides and behind the big TV and a hallway where I have put the sub and LT spkr. That was the reason for buying the WF-34s. lack of horizontal space. There is also basically no free space for the RT spkr too.

If I stand the LS vertically (its normal position) I cannot mount the stereo/HT stuff without putting the TV to high. In an LCD or plasma TV that is really not an issue as they are evenly bright even if off angle. However, you cannot do that with a rear projection TV. If the "central beam" or angle is not coming right at you, you loose brightness. I would prefer not to tilt the TV down. This becomes an issue once the TV base is more than 2.5 ft above the floor; or more than 6 inches above the viewing spot (the bed). Even as is on top of the dresser, the picture is uneven when I lie down, although fine when I am sitting up. (It is just too big for the room). If I place the stereo/HT stuff stacked up from the floor, my remote will not hit the sensors from the bed due to the angle and/or my feet being in the way. At 2 ft up, as per placing the LaScala horizontal, there would be no problems with the remote. However, when horizontal, the center of each driver or horn is only at 1 ft above the floor and would aim for the mattress of the bed.

As stated, if the horns would basically be ok without messing with them, fine. If not, would I likely notice the mis-timing of the horn and woofer sections?

[JohnA]

On its side is the weakest direction for the La Scala bass horn. I would not load it in that direction. If you need it to be short, cut off the HF section of the cabinet and use it upright, or put a brace on each side of the doghouse.

[Frzninvt]

The solution is simple use the La Scala as your TV stand and put the gear in a rack off to the side. That way you don't have to take apart the La Scala and seek an alternate cabinet for the top section.

On that note I did use my La Scala laying on it's side a few years when I had a projection TV and it worked alright but the dialogue was tougher to hear if you were sitting considerably off-axis from it.

[nola]

I found this old thread about a horizontal LS:

http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/p/37909/339768.aspx#339768

The followng comes to mind. At the Pilgrimmage last yr, the Klipsch audio engineers mentioned that the Palladium was designed to have a very rigid "box". This was NOT true for our Heritage gear. One even mentioned how ?wobbly? the box on the LS was. When I got back home, I looked at my LSs and could easily feel vibrations from the sides of the "doghouse" (but not so much from the top surface). If clamped half way up, I would guess, that changing these vibrations would effect the sound, but I have no idea how much. Apparently these box vibrations are part of the aural experience of the LS. Whether we consider this as part part of the "pure" reproduction of the originally recorded sound or just a pleasant artificiaI enhancement is another issue. I presume, therefore, that laying a LS horizontal would "mess up" the vibrations from 1 side of the doghouse or woofer box.

On my big subs; the framing of the 18" drivers was too weak, requiring a remount of 1 driver. I doubt this would be an issue on the woofer driver of a LS. However, 30 yr old foam and paper might not react well to a new direction of gravitational pull. But I have no real idea what to expect here.

These could be the reasons why others have had aural issues with horiz LSs.

So I propose a solution: lift the LS off from the floor. Maybe 4" would be enough. Because the LS, the HT components, and the proj TV will weigh in at 300 lbs, some 4" thick pieces of wood at the top and bottom ends of the horiz LS might be ok. Use some towels for sound/vibration isolation. Either 1 solid 4 x 4 x 24" wood piece top and bottom or 4" cubes at the corners - but NOT in the middle, so the resonance of the woofer box would be less effected.

As for putting gear to the side of the LS, as stated before, the remotes will not hit the lower components (at/near floor level) from my position in bed lying down. At 24" up, or on top of the horiz LS, there would be no issue. I cannot place them to the side of the TV, as they would block the closet door; my space is horizontally challenged.

[psg]

My LaScala Is from the 70s do not have separate bass bin and horn sections

He meant that the mid and tweeter are not in the bass bin section that is sealed from the top. You could simply unscrew them both, and connect them with longer wires to a new baffle to hold them both over your TV.