Chorus II's to La Scalas, upgrade or lateral move?

[001]

very curious to hear your impressions.  & a good deal makes it much easier to justify.  my main point is/was, for average market value, the lascalas are not a thousand dollar improvement over chorus2's. 

[willland]

I have an opportunity to get a nicely priced pair of Scalas, and was wondering your guys thoughts if there would be a big difference in SQ from the Chorus IIs.

 

Different sound IMO for different applications.  My opinion from my somewhat limited experience with Chorus II's and moderate experience with LaScalas.

 

Chorus II's are rocking "in your face" speakers that are very well balanced from top to bottom and convey a "bigness" that very few "affordable" speakers(Cornwall, Cornwall II) can duplicate.  They are fantastic for bass heavy rap, hip hop, heavy metal, classic rock, but also hold their own with jazz, classical, acoustic very well.

 

On the other hand, LaScalas excel at acoustic guitar, jazz, classical, and with the right subwoofer(RSW15 or horn loaded) can convey the other genres well.

 

If you decide to replace the Chorus II's with LaScalas, then you will still have a pair of "in your face" RocknRoll speakers with your RF7II's.

 

Bill

[Marvel]

LaScalas don't usually cost a thousand dollars more...

 

If you get the LS, just listen to them a bit, and listen at lower levels for a while. My impression, from the ones I've heard to the ones I owned, were mainly based around the balance between the bass and the mid. The mid can be adjusted down relatively easy, and in so doing, make the bass seem a lot more full.

 

BTW, my favorites two Klipsch are LS and Chorus (original or II).

 

Bruce

[beeker]

if you have a pair of LaScalas playing in the same room with a pair of Chorus IIs on multi speaker stereo at very high volumes, that 3 Db. means you wont even know the Chorus are playing because 3 Db. is twice the output at the same wattage.

 

Untrue. Iv replied to you before with and about this exact same statement with this reply. Max watts from chorus ii is 1000 watts so with a lascala maxed at its 400 watts the chorus ii is actually louder maxed out at 1000 watts. If you go by specs. Also some lascalas are 103db so that would change a bit and so on

 

If you are young or old and hear something as profoundly exquisite as a khorn or a lascala horns response you will likely be drawn to the either of them, maybe not. Likewise for many fellows who are accustomed to direct radiating low freq then they will be drawn to that, or not.   

 

Both are very good. At different points in an individuals life one may sound better than another

[001]

LaScalas don't usually cost a thousand dollars more...

 

 in my area & others lascalas frequently sell for $1200-1600+ depending on condition & vintage of course.  chorus & ii sell for 500-800, 800 being the high end in excellent shape.  pretty darn close to $1k difference. 

Edited March 2, 2015 by klipschfancf4

[twistedcrankcammer]

3 db is only slightly louder and most of us are going to reguarly listen at 121 db at the speakers limits.  Both will hit the 105 db peak for satellite speakers in a HT.  An amp less than 100 watts should do the job and are not costly.  Once again it comes down to personal choice.

The human ear is highly inefficient and while it takes 10 Db. to be perceived as twice as loud to us, in fact 3 Db. is twice the sound pressure meaning it will take two Chorus IIs at 2 watts to play the same loudness as two

LaScalas at 1 watt, or 4 Chorus II at one watt each.

Roger

[twistedcrankcammer]

very curious to hear your impressions.  & a good deal makes it much easier to justify.  my main point is/was, for average market value, the lascalas are not a thousand dollar improvement over chorus2's.

That is a personal opinion based in how much you can afford to spend. Are TAD drivers worth paying $3,000 over what you already paid for your K-69 drivers on your Jubilees? I can clearly hear the difference, but you get to the point of diminishing returns AND the size of your billfold....

Roger

[twistedcrankcammer]

if you have a pair of LaScalas playing in the same room with a pair of Chorus IIs on multi speaker stereo at very high volumes, that 3 Db. means you wont even know the Chorus are playing because 3 Db. is twice the output at the same wattage.

Untrue. Iv replied to you before with and about this exact same statement with this reply. Max watts from chorus ii is 1000 watts so with a lascala maxed at its 400 watts the chorus ii is actually louder maxed out at 1000 watts. If you go by specs. Also some lascalas are 103db so that would change a bit and so on

 

If you are young or old and hear something as profoundly exquisite as a khorn or a lascala horns response you will likely be drawn to the either of them, maybe not. Likewise for many fellows who are accustomed to direct radiating low freq then they will be drawn to that, or not.   

 

Both are very good. At different points in an individuals life one may sound better than another

Sorry to disagree with you Mark, but check your fact sheet again.

The Chorus II is rated at 1,000 watt peaks but still at 100 watts RMS and the LaScala is rated at 400 watts peak but 100 watts RMS.

Read the Klipsch web site, they both are spec'd out at 121 Max Db.

You are also incorrect about the 103 Db sensitivity, older LaScalas were always 104Db @ 1 watt/1 meter, LaScala II is 105 DB. @ 1 watt / 1 meter.

The only LaScalas ever produced with less than 104 Db. efficiency are the LSIs or Pro LaScalas and that is because the K-43 woofer rated at 200 watts RMS is less efficient than the K-33 rated at 100 watts RMS.

Again, check the Klipsch Web Site.

Roger

Edited March 1, 2015 by twistedcrankcammer

[RRR]

LaScala's will easily outperform the Chorus, Chorus II in the loudness department though the midrange in the LaScala starts to sound congested once you really throw some power to them.

 

LaScala with a good horn loaded subwoofer is where its at with any type of music you can throw at it.

[OO1]

LaScala's will easily outperform the Chorus, Chorus II in the loudness department though the midrange in the LaScala starts to sound congested once you really throw some power to them.

 

LaScala with a good horn loaded subwoofer is where its at with any type of music you can throw at it.

not a bad description -

[derrickdj1]

 

3 db is only slightly louder and most of us are going to reguarly listen at 121 db at the speakers limits.  Both will hit the 105 db peak for satellite speakers in a HT.  An amp less than 100 watts should do the job and are not costly.  Once again it comes down to personal choice.

The human ear is highly inefficient and while it takes 10 Db. to be perceived as twice as loud to us, in fact 3 Db. is twice the sound pressure meaning it will take two Chorus IIs at 2 watts to play the same loudness as two

LaScalas at 1 watt, or 4 Chorus II at one watt each.

Roger

 

ln a calibrated system, this is a mute point.  My RF 7 are spes wise louder than the RC 64 and RS 35 but they are level matched via autocalibration to sound the same  the the THX reference standard of 105 peaks for the satellite and 115 db for a sub plus the re-directed bass.  I am glad you like the Heritage line and so do I but, you concept of how this all work is not correct.

 

Also, If you are talking about really loud listening, most of the Heritage and Reference line will start to sound a little boxy without a good sub.

Edited March 1, 2015 by derrickdj1

[beeker]

both are listed as max acoustic output 121db

 

the lascala should actually be 25% louder and I have seen written specs for the lascala at 103db

[OO1]

actually the LSI is even louder - paired up , they are too loud

[twistedcrankcammer]

both are listed as max acoustic output 121db

 

the lascala should actually be 25% louder and I have seen written specs for the lascala at 103db

Again, 103 DB specs for LaScala are for the LSI because of the inefficient K-43 200 watt woofer.

Roger

[Shodrewken]

Glad my post can spark such an in depth discussion 

 

Only had some listen time with the Scalas today, so no A/B testing, but from what I heard, I like very much. What I noticed right off the bat, HUGE sound stage, and I can listen to the scalas at almost any level without listening fatigue. The detail these guys can produce is amazing! Even at lower listening levels I feel I can still get a very enjoyable experience where with my other speakers it seems I must turn them up a bit higher to do the same thing. So horn loaded bass you say? I love it! So clean, so crisp. I know others have express a disappointment with the lack of lower extension, but dang to me it rocks. With that said, some music I listen to just doesn't have its full effect without some lower extension, so I'm pleased to report that my RSW-15 blends very well with the scalas. Even my wife came in and sat down to listen, and then proceeded to play some of her favorite music    

[tromprof]

For those who say the Chorus is better for rock, and the La Scala better for jazz/classical/whatever. What you are really saying is that bass distortion is ok in that genre of music. Isn't there a lot of distortion there in the recordings anyway?

A direct radiator will add distortion and color the music in ways that a good bass horn will not. That distortion can add a sense of excitement, but it does not convey what is actually on the recording regardless of genre.

I am not saying the Chorus is a bad speaker. Quite the contrary, it is a marvelous speaker. It is however limited by its design which takes a more space efficient approach to bass. Bass horns are big. Ones that go low are huge. Not everyone has the space but it is worth listening to a good bass horn system with recordings you know to hear what is really there. You might be surprised at how much is added (and how much is obscured) by the bass reflex design.

[jimjimbo]

actually the LSI is even louder - paired up , they are too loud

Too loud for what?  I own a beautiful pair of LSI's and have no idea what you are referring to.

[Coytee]

For those who say the Chorus is better for rock, and the La Scala better for jazz/classical/whatever. What you are really saying is that bass distortion is ok in that genre of music. Isn't there a lot of distortion there in the recordings anyway?

A direct radiator will add distortion and color the music in ways that a good bass horn will not. That distortion can add a sense of excitement, but it does not convey what is actually on the recording regardless of genre.

I am not saying the Chorus is a bad speaker. Quite the contrary, it is a marvelous speaker. It is however limited by its design which takes a more space efficient approach to bass. Bass horns are big. Ones that go low are huge. Not everyone has the space but it is worth listening to a good bass horn system with recordings you know to hear what is really there. You might be surprised at how much is added (and how much is obscured) by the bass reflex design.

 

Pfffffffffffft......voice of reason.......  go back to your ice cream.

 

[sean5340]

For me, percussion and acoustic bass from the LaScala is exquisite. It is very real and live sounding. Add a subwoofer to handle 55hz and below and you can crank metal and hip hop to levels that are felt as much as heard. The sound stage of the LS is large and deep. I preferred my LS 2.1 setup over my current 5.1 setup. They could throw sounds behind me and I could pinpoint an actor across a 70" screen. It's been years since I've heard the Chorus but for me the LaScalas are an upgrade. JMO

[jimjimbo]

Listened to some Bob James, Earl Klugh, George Benson last night on my LSI's.  Low to moderate level, Marantz 1250 integrated amp, via Spotify.  Absolutely beautiful.  I use my Chorus II's for Rock, Blues, Soul and they are as equally adept at those types of music.  Not saying the LS are not, it's just that I prefer the Chorus in those situations, (at higher levels).