mike_oh Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 Hello! I have a pair of La Scala's that I bought new in 1988 and was wondering if there is anything I should do to keep them in top shape as far as the drivers/crossovers go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budman Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 hey mike, welcome to the forum. if all the drivers work you'll be fine. crossovers could you a freshen up. contact BEC ( bob crites ) here on the forum he will fix you right up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 If they're working fine then I'd speculate the only thing to maybe look at is the items in the crossovers. At least, that seems to be the primary area of concern but I do not know how old they must be before that's an issue. My LaScalas (purchased new by me) were made in 1979. About 2005, I replaced them and although I would agree there is an improvement in the clarity of sound, I personally, didn't find it to be as dramatic as I have inferred some to suggest. It DID help though. I must say though, "now that I know what I know", prior to spending that kind of money on some fancy passives (extreme slope) I wish I had put that expense towards the JubeScala. So, to me, the real question is.... are you happy with them as they are or do you really want to increase the quality of their sound by a substantial margin? If so, then do a search on "JubeScala" and read up!!! It would mean shutting down your midrange/tweeter horns and replace that duty by either the K510 or the much larger K402. Although the much larger K402 sounds better, the K510 is no slouch and will still give you a significant increase in sound quality and over all scale of sound than your stock horns. Or, if you are simply happy with the sound of your LaScalas, keep enjoying them!! [Y] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_oh Posted March 1, 2010 Author Share Posted March 1, 2010 Well they still sound good to me. I run an 18" Velodyne sub with them. I have had them since new and love them! Have thought about selling them over the years but will never part with them. Do I need to check the woofers? Tighten screws or check the crossovers in some way? Thanks! What a great forum!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 Just replace the capacitors and consider replacing the K-77 tweeters with a pair of BEC's CT125 units. I did both things with my 1974 La Scalas and I could hear the music more clearly right away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 Just replace the capacitors and consider replacing the K-77 tweeters with a pair of BEC's CT125 units. I did both things with my 1974 La Scalas and I could hear the music more clearly right away Yeah but what happened when you bypassed all that for that horn in your avatar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 As you would well know, the sound improved a great deal, but it was not cheap or simple, and I think the OP was just looking for some minor updates/upgrades. I did consider suggesting the JubScala conversion, as I did in another recent post, but you don't want to throw the new forum members into the deep end right away, do you? [6][] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 but you don't want to throw the new forum members into the deep end right away, do you? On a semi-serious note (for a change [bs]) I look at it this way. He's new here (posting, might have lurked for eons) and might not realize that he has multiple choices where he can improve his LaScalas. He indeed, might only want to spend $50 and 'tweek' them. He might have deeper pockets and experience and be very open to hot-rodding them. Since I (nor anyone else) really knows his situation, I always try to defer to showing the more radical choices available and let them work down from there. There is no way that I'm going to spout off and make anyone spend more than they want. however, we can also be just as sure that if no one knows what their real options are then they will continue to spin their wheels arguing over which brand of caps to put into their crossovers. I always like to start at the top and let them work down. [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_oh Posted March 1, 2010 Author Share Posted March 1, 2010 This is a great forum. I was killing some time one night and went to the Klipsh website to see what La Scala's were going for these days and discovered this forum. I have a surround setup and have an RC7 center and RS3's for the rears. The RS3's need new grills as they are white and look very bad. Wonder if I can get those from Klipsh? Also running a 18" Velodyne sub. So if I wanted to upgrade the capacitors and the tweeters in my La Scala's how much $$ would I be looking at? Thanks to all that have answered! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_oh Posted March 1, 2010 Author Share Posted March 1, 2010 Just looked and my crossovers are AL. And boy are they dusty!!! :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 Just looked and my crossovers are AL. And boy are they dusty!!! :-) Time to figure a budget. You could just replace the caps, replace the whole crossovers with ones that get better reviews, like A or AA types, or you could jump in the deep end and go JubScala. All it costs is money... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_oh Posted March 1, 2010 Author Share Posted March 1, 2010 So where do I get new crossovers and what kind-o-money we be talking?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 Contact Bob Crites (BEC on this forum). He has crossover parts and complete crossovers that are direct replacements for stock Klipsch units. I don't know current prices, but caps would not be very expensive. Complete crossovers may be a few hundred dollars, but you'd need to contact him to get accurate pricing. Bob's very knowledgeable and good to deal with. There are a couple of other guys who do crossovers, but I'm not sure how active they are right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 So where do I get new crossovers and what kind-o-money we be talking??Part of this would be dependent on the music you listen to, and honestly, the AL crossover isn't very well liked. I replaced mine as soon as I got the chance, and had a borrowed set of better crossovers in place until I could build my own.The Type A crossovers are under $200 for a pair from Bob, and he has a couple of other models going up in price. The difference in mine was stunning. I also eventually replaced my K-77 tweeters with a pair of Bob's CT125s. An easy replacement that took maybe ten minutes to do both cabinets. The driver in Bob's tweeters is an Eminence APT50, and gives more high end but is very smooth sounding. This all depends on how much you want them to remain "Klipsch". If you want to go that route, some updates on your own crossovers would be in order, but an email or call to Bob would really help out. He is super to deal with, too. http://www.critesspeakers.com/ And welcome to the forum, btw. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 Welcome! First, if you have used the speakers regularly, there is probably nothing you need to do. The capacitors tend to go bad sooner in speakers that sit unused. OTOH, Those Type AL crossovers are absolutely the worst ever put in La Scalas. I had a pair with them. Changing your crossovers to more modern Type AL-3s or some of the custom designed crossovers published here will surely improve the smoothness and balance of your speakers. My favorite crossover is the Type AA, but it requires a minor adjustment to use with your K-55-M squawker. Mr.Crites can price some crossovers for you or you can build your own fairly easily. Alk Engineering makes some great crossovers for the La Scala he calls "Universal". Last I checked, they were abiout $550 a pair. If you decide you want a pair, e-mail me. I have a barely used pair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEvan Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 On my 78 Khorns I went from stock to a fresh Crites crossover. I noticed a subtle improvement in clarity and coherence. Then I went to a "Universal". THAT'S the ticket for me. Nice difference! I need to contact Bob about a pair of tweeters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyrc Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 Welcome! First, if you have usd the speakers regularly, there is probably nothing you need to do. The capacitors tend to go bad sooner in speakers that sit unused. John, What do you think the shelf life is for the kind of caps used in the AK4? About how long could I safely store Klipschorns (AK4) without using them while our music room/theater is finally being built, especially if our contractor turns out to be Eldon from Murphy Brown? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 John, What do you think the shelf life is for the kind of caps used in the AK4? About how long could I safely store Klipschorns (AK4) without using them while our music room/theater is finally being built, especially if our contractor turns out to be Eldon from Murphy Brown? WOW! I don't know. The old paper and foil in oil caps Klipsch used in the 50s through the 70s lasted a good 20 years without serious degradation. Sure the new ones would, too. I'd call Klipsch Customer Service and ask if I thought they'd be stored over 5 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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