twu Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 I was listening to Coldplay yesterday and when "Clocks" came on, the "s" sounded is rather extragerated compared to other recordings but on my La Scala it sounds really harsh, it's almost painful to my ears. I'm wondering of anyone have the same experience and how do you tame it? If you have that song, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on your system. I'm using a digital source with stock La Scala driving with MK III mono blocks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennie Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 I'm sorry, I don't have that album, but I have to wonder, is it the recording and not the speakers/gear? How do other recordings sound? It is only a problem for me and my La Scalas, when the mastering of the recording is poor. But on a good recording, I don't have any problems. Dennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twu Posted May 23, 2011 Author Share Posted May 23, 2011 That's a good point. It could be a combination of the recording and the fact that La Scala are so revealing. The other recording I notice this issue is "Human Nature" from Thriller. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djk Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 What network are you running? If it's a newer one with the elliptical filter on the tweeter, try disconnection the trap portion of the filter. It will sound much smoother and is easy to do, and reversible too. Just locate the connection between the 2µF cap and the 500µH inductor, and unconnect the two. That's it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twu Posted May 23, 2011 Author Share Posted May 23, 2011 I have the stock AA network. Does that mean I can't do it? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennie Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 I have the stock AA network. Does that mean I can't do it? That means your networks are 30 years old! Mine were 31 when I hesitantly replaced the networks. I couldn't imagine they could sound any better and why spend the money. Boy was I ignorant. I went ahead and ordered new AA/A convertible networks from Bob Crites and it was like taking a blanket off of the speakers. Really! Everything was so Clearer, Cleaner and just came to life. Oh, and the BASS...OMG, it was now AMAZING! La Scala Bass is a beautiful thing, when the capacitors are working correctly. I think it might be time that you think about updating those networks! Dennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djk Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 IfI had A or AA networks, I would order the cap kits from BEC and refresh the networks before going any further. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Warren Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 It's a 13uF, 2uF and 2uF cap and this has to be "kitted"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Any of the old "oil can" Aerovox's should be replaced as a routine "maintenance" on any Heritage older than about 10-15 years. They just dry out over time. The old cans were actually originally designed for electric motors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 It's a 13uF, 2uF and 2uF cap and this has to be "kitted"? Why not? Could you imagine someone throwing on an 0402 ceramic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KanedaK Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 I was listening to Coldplay yesterday and when "Clocks" came on, the "s" sounded is rather extragerated compared to other recordings but on my La Scala it sounds really harsh, it's almost painful to my ears. I'm wondering of anyone have the same experience and how do you tame it? If you have that song, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on your system. I'm using a digital source with stock La Scala driving with MK III mono blocks. If you're using stock AA networks it's big time to refresh them at least; if you can afford them, ALK "universal" networks are worth every penny IMO. But be aware that if the harshness problem is in your electronics, a network upgrade / update will only make it more obvious by letting more treble information come trough. (that shouldn't discourage you to refresh your networks, you need to hear your LaScalas at their best and then decide if the rest is up to it...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twu Posted May 24, 2011 Author Share Posted May 24, 2011 Thanks for all your input. A bit of history, this is my second pair of La Scala. I just got these stock ones recently, they're just in much better condition than my previous set and I've always wanted grills. My previous pair also had AA networks but with new caps I got from BEC. To me, the updated networks sounds better than stock networks, it's more airy, open, balanced, slightly forward presentation on the mids and as Dennie like to put it, "it was like taking a blanket off of the speakers". The stock networks to me sounds very nice also, maybe on the warmer side, more laidback, probably a bit muddy on the mid-bass but still sounds very good. One thing that's consistent on both networks is the "s" harshness on the recordings I mentioned. I'm just wondering if this is just the nature of the beast and there's really nothing we can do about it, regardless of gear. It's a trade off for clarity and dynamics, one that I'm more than happy to live with by the way. In the end, I think I will get new networks and not change the stock ones incase I decide to to part with them later. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshnich Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 When you say digital source what are you referring to? As you say the speakers are very revealing so I would suspect source material or digital device may be the issue as opposed to the networks. MP3s of poorly produced or highly digitally made music ( as opposed to recordings of acoustic instuments ) in my experience can be pretty harsh on speakers as sensitive as the the La Scalla Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twu Posted May 24, 2011 Author Share Posted May 24, 2011 I'm using lossless FLAC feeding a Logitech Transporter. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Any of the old "oil can" Aerovox's should be replaced as a routine "maintenance" on any Heritage older than about 10-15 years. They just dry out over time. The old cans were actually originally designed for electric motors. Agreed By 30 years they are really out of specification and performing poorly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshnich Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 I'm using lossless FLAC feeding a Logitech Transporter. Doesnt sound like its the equipment! J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebes Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Is this straighwire into your amp? In other words no preamp. Sorry but every solid state device I've ever heard imparts that ss hiss and it's particularly noticeable on high efficiency horns. Particularly on speakers like LaScalas which are not as refined throughout their entire range as other Klipsch offerings. Borrow and try a tube preamp and report back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twu Posted May 24, 2011 Author Share Posted May 24, 2011 No, sorry, I should have been more specific. I'm using a SS preamp. This is my signal path.. Lossless FLAC > Logitech Transprter > NAD 1700 Preamp > Dynaco MK IIIs > La Scala (stock AA network). Thanks for the suggestion. I can look into trying a tube preamp and see what happens. If anyone who has a similar setup, I'd be curiious to hear your thoughts. Particularly on speakers like LaScalas which are not as refined throughout their entire range as other Klipsch offerings. Are you referning to Klipsch's modern offerings as opposed to the Heritage? If this is true, then it's the shortcoming of the La Scala, no? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironsave Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 This is apples to oranges; as I am using Heresy Is. But the networks should be refreshed. (New caps cost me about $40 and 1.5 hours actual time). It definitely smoothed things out.... and as Mr. Dennie said; it was like having a blanket removed....... (His result was probably WAY better as he replaced the complete crossovers with HQ stuff....... This may not help your "SSS" problem, but you will be glad you did it. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennie Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 I'm using lossless FLAC feeding a Logitech Transporter. Doesnt sound like its the equipment! J I agree. You are saying that it is only on certain songs, so some songs sound fine? Right! Then it is the source. Although, refreshing the "Caps" or replacing the networks will still make a noticeable improvement in the sound quality. La Scalas are very revealing, so as the saying goes, garbage in, garbage out. Quality in, Quality out! Dennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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