Question about environmental temperature affect on speakers

[ratcobob]

I'm looking to have a pair of Khorns or LaScalas in a building with no heat or AC. Temps will range from -20 to over 100F and humidity will swing from very low in winter to near 100% in summer. I'd think the biggest vulnerability might be the woofer surrounds. Anyone have any experience with similar installations? Thanks. Bob

[Quiet_Hollow]

Anyone have any experience with similar installations?

Unfortunately yes I do and I'd recommend against it if at all possible. The extremes are hard on any wooden cabinet and can weaken any veneer layers, encourage flaking of any lacquer finish, and rust parts of the crossovers. Then there's insect infestation to take into consideration.

On a positive note...La Scala Industrials are pretty much bullet proof (the BG's quite literally) and are designed take quite a lickin'.

[Skylinestar]

You should not worry about that. High temperature (100F) is the norm in Asian countries near the equator.

[WMcD]

It would be interesting to hear about QH's experience. I was a little surprised about the damage to wood and metal which he mentioned. Did that happen in Milwaukee? OTOH, if you store these and if what QH states happens, you're going to mad at me.

My point is that the conditions described would hold for a lot of garages and attics in the mid-west even as far south as Dallas. Iowa is in there. Chicago can go to 110 and -20. Of course it rains here too, though not quite like the gulf states. No need to go to the tropics for summer heat and rain like Iowa. Are not good furniture and electronics stored in those places (garage and attic) without harm? If you've got bugs, and rodents, pool chemicals, well that is another story.

It is interesting that you mention the surrounds. These are accordian paper on the Klipsch models you mention.

I have been thinking about all the automotive speakers of similar accordian design. In the old days my car speakers were this type of surround. I'm sure these we not of any special material and held up well in the NYC and Chicago areas. Consider the conditions automotive speakers go through in any given area of the country. .

In all the flyers from Klipsch I've never seen a mention of limitations on storage conditions. Maybe you should call Klipsch and ask.

WMcD

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[Quiet_Hollow]

I didn't mean to imply doom and gloom, and maybe I'm being overly fussy, but if I can spare someone a little grief over cosmetic issues that can possibly be avoided, here's my account:

I acquired my current listening pair of La Scala FB-TG's in essentially new condition from another owner located in northern WI. Up until this point, they had spent their entire lives indoors and they looked like it. A simply breath-taking virgin black satin lacquer finish on both speakers. Immaculate in every way.

I had no choice at the time but to put them directly into garage storage that was not climate controlled at various locations in Northern WI and the U.P.

Fast forward 3.5 years later, I finally had the opportunity to haul them out of the garage and into my living space.

Cosmetically, the storage conditions had taken their toll.

I guess it depends how picky you are. Some might argue the cabs are still in excellent condition, but I can spot the flaws.

There's minor surface rust that formed on the auto transformers and near the diodes where there was originally none. Tiny bits of paint have flaked off the front end grains here and there and along some of the joints. Of course, every month I had to wipe out the cobwebs and random creepy-crawlies from inside the bass bins.

Not bad for almost four years perhaps, but I was not happy knowing that they started with zero cosmetic defects.

I simply kept the speakers under blankets so that I could listen to them when I had the time to visit the garage.

But if I were to do it again, with climate control storage not an option and knowing what possible cosmetic anomalies lie ahead, I'd recommend picking a dry day and bag the speakers using heavy-duty poly shipping bags. You can make a huge "bag" of sorts from buying a roll of 6 mil poly sheet and using a Eurosealer to bond the sheet into a bag. Toss a couple, large handfuls of silica gel packets in with each speaker, then thermal seal or tape the bags up as air tight as possible.

Most important is to keep them stored on pallets. Lay a large garbage bag on the pallet, then a layer of cardboard, then place the speaker on that. That will act as a thermal and vapor barrier from a raw concrete floor and also afford protection from puddles or minor flooding.

That won't guarantee anything against the large temp swings, but will go a long ways to mitigate any insect activity and effects from dust or humidity.

As was mentioned before, the plywood cabinetry is very robust, but there's no sense in adding extra mileage if it can be avoided. That preventative action would have most likely spared my speakers from
what little wear they ended up suffering, but I insisted on listening to them whenever I had the chance. [H]

[ratcobob]

This would be an installation where I would fly them rather than just storage and I can't justify sacrificing a pair of either. I think I need to find a pair of LaScala Pros. Thanks for the input. Bob

[jacksonbart]

They may age slighlty faster under those extreme conditions, but can't see how in say a 3 year period they are gonna be much worse for the wear. Some people have these speakers in thier domicile with no A/C and live under high humidity. I think it would be worse to attach them to an under powered amp and crank them regulary.