Escher Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 As I just posted over in the garage sale alerts, I'm the noob who snagged the La Scala's in the Detroit area for $550. Long story short, a friend from Church introduced me to Klipsch several months ago (Khorns no less), and I decided that I would keep my eyes peeled for a deal. Well, these went up last night and I was all over them immediately. They are a bit rough in appearance, but perfect sonically. Raw Birch with numerous chips and a bit of delamination of the top layer on one bass-bin interior side... I think the seller had stored them in his garage... All in all - good for what I want. Heres some pics: Seller was the original purchaser and he used them for PA duty off and on around the area. He included all original paperwork. Purchased in 1982. So, My questions: 1) The crossover network is an AA version... from what I have read - this is a desired version. I plan to recap the crossover and replace whatever is required.. Just need a link to a schematic if someone has one... 2) From the pics - anything I should know regarding the drivers? I've read so much in the last two days that its beginning to blur, but I *think* I read that these are the drivers that people recommend based on the fact that the tweeter is square and the mid horn is metal. 3) Suggestions for the refinish? I will be going very dark, likely dark walnut stain and tung oil. But, do I need to pull the drivers first and stain / finish the interior as well? I plan to keep these for quite some time, so I want to go through everything that will need attention. And Lastly - I need a replacement matching logo - and ideas? Does Klipsch still have these? Thanks in advance everyone! I'm absolutely jazzed that I found these, and sorry to the folks I snatched them from... but not too sad.. - Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brac Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Welcome, as a new member you are required to send your purchase to the fist person who replies to your post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brac Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 But seriously, sweet score! La Scalas are the only heritage I have never owned =====================Contact Bob Ctires (do a search) He'll send you all the caps. Have you looked at this, ================= http://www.alkeng.com/bad_AA.html ================= Sorry my browser won't space anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Congrats on the score, and welcome to the forum!! [Y][H] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 oem design Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 improved Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 different Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escher Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 I saw the Crites site, and the alkeng site as well... but as you can imagine - info overload!!! But seriously, sweet score! La Scalas are the only heritage I have never owned =====================Contact Bob Ctires (do a search) He'll send you all the caps. Have you looked at this, ================= http://www.alkeng.com/bad_AA.html ================= Sorry my browser won't space anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escher Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 Speakerfritz: Interesting - I really wish I would have dual majored in EE.... While I can read a mean schematic, I couldn't tell you whats actually happening to the signal. I assume, from the notes on the "improved" schematic - that its a better impedance match since its forcing the squawker to the same impedance.. Also interesting is the addition and modification of the inductors as my understanding of them is that they are used in timing the signal... so I assume its to time the various components to create the proper alignment of each wavefront. Feel free to educate me if I'm wrong... I'm definitely no expert.. So, what is improved in each circuit, and why? I found your threads on the battery biased circuit... very interesting... so basically, you apply an initial charge to the caps, forcing them to be in a charged state as they would be after a period of time, causing more predictable and stable performance... You've definitely piqued my interest! I like the fact that Klipsch crossover networks are nice self contained units, so I could build several and swap them in and out to compare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennie Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Speakerfritz: Interesting - I really wish I would have dual majored in EE.... While I can read a mean schematic, I couldn't tell you whats actually happening to the signal. I assume, from the notes on the "improved" schematic - that its a better impedance match since its forcing the squawker to the same impedance.. Also interesting is the addition and modification of the inductors as my understanding of them is that they are used in timing the signal... so I assume its to time the various components to create the proper alignment of each wavefront. Feel free to educate me if I'm wrong... I'm definitely no expert.. So, what is improved in each circuit, and why? I found your threads on the battery biased circuit... very interesting... so basically, you apply an initial charge to the caps, forcing them to be in a charged state as they would be after a period of time, causing more predictable and stable performance... You've definitely piqued my interest! I like the fact that Klipsch crossover networks are nice self contained units, so I could build several and swap them in and out to compare. Welcome Escher, we're glad you're here. Lot's of knowledge and great people here. Congratulations on the La Scalas! [<)] It seems you already have the "Bug", so you're in the right place! Dennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triceratops Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 Hi Escher, Welcome to the forum--this is a great place! Some will suggest you give the La Scalas a listen in their stock form for a few weeks (or months) before making mods. That is unless you have already heard them and feel the immediate need for improvement. I am not doubting the benefit of the mods suggested, I am just saying it's helpful for aural education and will give you an appreciation for any upgrades you've made. The cabinets actually look pretty good in the photos you posted. There is plenty of info on here about refinishing, but please make note of this: the birch veneer in the low-void baltic birch plywood on your cabinets is very thin. You can see just how thin by looking closely at one of the unfinished edges. So when you are sanding use a sanding block by hand, not a power sander. Start off with fairly fine paper and go very slow, being careful not to round off the edges. The Heritage (Khorn, Cornwall, etc) cabinets with fancier veneers (walnut, mahogany, etc) have fewer plys and a thicker veneer, so some sanding advice given on the forum for those may not be relevant to your cabinets. The 9-ply (or 7?) material in your cabinets may be more rigid than the 5-ply lumber-core material used for the fancy veneers. It is best to take all the components out of the cabinets before sanding and refinishing. The trap door on the bottom allows you to access the woofer in the dog house. There is stick on gasket material that seals the trap door, which you may need to replace if it gets damaged when you pop the door. The badge you are missing used to be available from Klipsch until a few years ago when they ran out. You will likely be able to pick one up here if you post a request in garage sale, or keep a lookout on ePay. Your LaScalas are a great score and the ones you snagged are very desirable in terms of components and crossovers. The LaScalas have a large mid-horn like the Khorn that covers a bigger chunk of the music than Klipsch speakers with smaller mid-horns do. This is the frequency range that contains most solo instruments and the human voice, so it is a critical range for musical information and provides very life-like reproduction. Tighten all the screws in the crossovers and individually listen to each driver to make sure they are working (a cardboard roll from paper towels will help focus the sound--but keep the volume low so you don't damage your ears). Have fun with your new speakers and keep us posted on your progress. It's helpful if you can continue to take photos to document your work as you refurbish your speakers. Best, triceratops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runninshine Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 Congrats on the LS, they are some of the finest fully horn loaded 3 way speakers ever made. Your dollars spent on the networks will show (or sound) go with ALK networks and you will never stop listening to them. Welcome to the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrod Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 Congrats!!! Listen to them stock for a while. Enjoy them. Then think about Bob's 4500/CT-125 upgrade... I LOVE mine. And, as you can see, I have a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escher Posted November 25, 2011 Author Share Posted November 25, 2011 Thanks guys! I plan to keep them stock for a bit - and I am loving them! One thing I noticed - they definitely show much more detail than I'm used to... I'm hearing things I never noticed before. On John WIlliams "The Seville Concert" - I kept hearing this shuffling noise I couldn't place... then I realized - it was his sleeve brushing the body of the guitar as he played... amazing! They also reveal ALL the issues with lower quality recordings... Some of my albums sound dead, while others are just so alive.. Dave Brubeck - Time Out is an absolute joy to listen to, its like sitting in the recording studio back in '59 while they recorded!! As a side note, I just heard about Class T amps - and am planning on picking up a couple of Lepai Tripath amps and trying out bi-amping the La Scala's... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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