M.H Posted April 10, 2002 Share Posted April 10, 2002 Hello, I had a little discussion with a friend lately about the differends between the Lascala and Belle. So far i always thought that there are no differends at all in the sound. But that friend of my told me that the Belle doesnt sound so good as the Lascala. And that whas because of the shorter midhorn. When hearing that i whas thinking about how few things i read about the Belle on this forum. Is the Belle not so popular? And what are the differends in the sound between the Lascala and the Belle??? I hope someone know exactly how both of them sound and can give me the answer. Greatings M. (p.s. i own a pair of Lascala's) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danartdis Posted April 10, 2002 Share Posted April 10, 2002 MH It was always my impression that the LaScala and the Belle are sonically nearly identical. The only difference being in the shape of how the bass horn is folded. I also thought the mid horn is the same in both. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Reed Posted April 10, 2002 Share Posted April 10, 2002 The mid horn is shorter in the Belle. These speakers sound slightly different, (very slightly to my ear) but it's hard to describe. I think the LaScala has more of a following, possibly because there seems to be more of them out there. The Belle just may be the most attractive speaker I've ever seen. Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornEd Posted April 10, 2002 Share Posted April 10, 2002 Tony between my Klipschorn and Belle I have been reading Paul Wilber Klipsch, The Life... The Legend and find it better than I expected it would be. Few people realize that PWK was enshrined in the Hall of Fame for his contributions to acoustics, ballistics and geophysics... an honor reserved for the elite of engineering and science such as Thomas Edison, Jonas Salk, M.D., Orville & Wilber Wright, and Enrico Fermi, Ph.D. Fewer still know that Mr. Paul graduated from Stanford with a Masters in Electrical Engineering. The old photos, notes and hand made patent drawings are a treasure. And certainly the five signatures make it something to treasure for generations to come. Thanks for your noble efforts on behalf of my son and I, your friendly gesture and that of Trey Cannon were most appreciated. -HornEd PS: The book has a sketch of the "three-channel stereo" schematic for those who wanted to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted April 10, 2002 Share Posted April 10, 2002 M.H., There cannot be too much difference between the La Scala and Belle. The Belle squawker crosses over 100 Hz higher than the La Scala's 400 Hz. In many years both used the same crossover and they have always used the same drivers in the same year. I lack proof, but I believe the Belle's bass horn is capable of going higher because the effective bend radius is longer than the La Scala's (it is bent more gently). That should make up for the shorter squawker horn. That shorter horn should also be less prone to ringing since it shorter length makes it effectively stiffer. John with 4 La Scalas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Garrison Posted April 11, 2002 Share Posted April 11, 2002 M.H. One important point to keep in mind is that, while the Belle and La Scala may sound subtly different from each other in some ways to some folks, they, and the Klipschorn, are going to sound more like each other than either is going to sound remotely like anything else. Hummm, as I read that, I'm not sure I worded that correctly, but I don't know how else to say it... I'd've hated to've had to diagram that sentence in 6th grade English class... ------------------ Music is art Audio is engineering Ray's Music System Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschguy Posted April 11, 2002 Share Posted April 11, 2002 A while back, somebody here posted response curves for the Khorns, the La Scalas and the Belles. If memory serves me, the K-horn was the smoothest by far, then the Belle, then the La Scalas. The various responses of the folded horn portions of the curves looked pretty different. I'll have to do a search to try and find the thread - kinda curious myself. From a practical standpoint, I agree with Ray. Belles and La Scalas are going sound much more like each other than they do to anything else. Regards, Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.H Posted April 11, 2002 Author Share Posted April 11, 2002 Thx for the reply's Ok..so if i get it right there aint that much differend between both. Thats what my Klipsch dealer told me also some while ago. But i became curious when i heard another story from that guy who owned both of them for some time. He found the Lascala more musical then the Belle. He owns now a pair khorn's. Maybe we meet each other some day. I'm really curious how the Khorn will sound =). Anyway..thx again for making it a bit more clear for me. Greetings M.H 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxg Posted April 12, 2002 Share Posted April 12, 2002 The Belle does seem to be less popular than the LaScala and I have also never understood why. Maybe the shape of the LaScala is easier to live with - or fits into more people's homes better. I have only heard the Belle once as against hearing the Scala and the Horn many times. I have very fond memories of that speaker and have always regarded it as my dream Klipsch to replace my lowly Heresy's. One day my Heresy's will travel to the rear channel and be replaced up front by either Scala's or Belles depending on what I can find at the time. One thing - here (Greece) at least the Scala is a fair bit less epxensive than the Belle. Maybe that explains the extra popularity. ------------------ My System: http://aca.gr/pop_maxg.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyKlipschFan Posted April 12, 2002 Share Posted April 12, 2002 The facts on the stats....Hope this helps. BELLE KLIPSCH FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 54Hz-17kHz± 3dB SENSITIVITY: 103dB @ 1watt/1meter POWER HANDLING: 100 watts maximum continuous (400 watts peak) MAXIMUM ACOUSTIC OUTPUT: 120dB SPL NOMINAL IMPEDANCE: 8 ohms ENCLOSURE TYPE: Fully horn-loaded DRIVE COMPONENTS: Three-way fully horn loaded system using one 1 (2.5cm) phenolic diaphragm compression driver and one 2 (5.08cm) phenolic diaphragm compression driver with an exponential horn and one 15 (38.1cm) fiber-composite cone woofer with an exponential folded horn. TWEETER: K-77-F 1" (2.54cm) Phenolic diaphragm compression driver HIGH FREQUENCY CROSSOVER: 4500Hz MIDRANGE: K-55-X 2" (5.08cm) Phenolic diaphragm compression driver MID-FREQUENCY HORN: Exponential Horn MID-FREQUENCY CROSSOVER: 450Hz WOOFER: K-33-E 15" Fiber-composite cone / folded horn-loaded DIMENSIONS (H x W x D): 35.625" (90.5cm) x 30.125" (76.5cm) x 18.75" (47.6cm) WEIGHT: 125 lbs. (56.75kg) ENCLOSURE MATERIAL: Plywood & Medium density fiberboard construction (MDF) FINISHES: Walnut Lacquer, Mahogany Lacquer, Medium Oak lacquer, Unfinished Oak, Black Lacquer YEARS BUILT: 1971 - ================================================== LA SCALA FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 53Hz-17kHz± 3dB SENSITIVITY: 104dB @ 1watt/1meter POWER HANDLING: 100 watts maximum continuous (400 watts peak) MAXIMUM ACOUSTIC OUTPUT: 121dB SPL NOMINAL IMPEDANCE: 8 ohms ENCLOSURE TYPE: Fully horn-loaded DRIVE COMPONENTS: Three-way fully horn loaded system using one 1 (2.5cm) phenolic diaphragm compression driver and one 2 (5.08cm) phenolic diaphragm compression driver with an exponential horn and one 15 (38.1cm) fiber-composite cone woofer with an exponential folded horn. TWEETER: K-77-F 1" (2.54cm) Phenolic diaphragm compression driver HIGH FREQUENCY CROSSOVER: 4500Hz MIDRANGE: K-55-X 2" (5.08cm) Phenolic diaphragm compression driver MID-FREQUENCY HORN: Exponential Horn MID-FREQUENCY CROSSOVER: 400Hz WOOFER: K-33-E 15" (38.1cm) Fiber-composite cone / folded horn-loaded DIMENSIONS (H x W x D): 35.5" (90.17cm) x 23.75" (60.33cm) x 24.5" (62.23cm) WEIGHT: 123 lbs. (55.84kg) ENCLOSURE MATERIAL: Plywood & Medium density fiberboard construction (MDF) FINISHES: Unfinished Birch, Birch Lacquer, Black Lacquer YEARS BUILT: 1963 - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audible Nectar Posted April 12, 2002 Share Posted April 12, 2002 Maxg, the price vs performance ratio is certainly an advantage to the Lascala. I do prefer the look of the Belles though - but I'm not sure that a potential purchaser would agree that the Belle is worth that much more at list vs. the Lascala - given similar performance characteristics. IIRC, the Belles were priced at 40-50% more than the Lascalas. ------------------ First we Rock, then we Roll! A Beast is Lurking.........To be unleashed May 2002 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted April 16, 2002 Share Posted April 16, 2002 As for performance of the LaScala vs. the Belle Klipsch, they are almost identical...as for looks, I believe the BK to be absolutely gorgeous compared to the LaScala....as for cost difference, that is obvious, since the Belle is finely veneered, had lots of grille cloth, etc...leading to its higher price....as for the reason for popularity of the LaScala over the BK...it is obvious that cost is a major factor, but a LaScala also just looks meaner, and is more utilitarian...can you imagine setting up a pair of BKs outside for a patio party if you could use LaScalas instead?....BKs are more "fine furniture, and not as utilitarian...that and their cost gives the LaScalas the thumbs-up among many purchasers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j-malotky Posted April 16, 2002 Share Posted April 16, 2002 IMHO I also think the Belle is a nicer looking speaker. The La Scalla has always been a less expensive speaker - Most likely why there are more out there. I did consider both for use as a Center channel between my Khorns. In talking to "experts" here and elsewhere, I was guided to stay with the K400 horn (La Scalla)instead of the K500 (Belle). This sounds to me that there is a slight diference in the performance of both horns. I have heard Belles and IMHO - I do not hear any diferance between them and the Scalla.. JM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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