SiliconTi Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 (edited) More info here for the back story:http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/in...-do-i-put-in-them.752078/page-2#post-10213667Basically, a guy that used to rent audio systems to clubs, bars etc.. is clearing out his old cabinet inventory. Poorly listed on CL, I just tripped over the ad accidentally. Said they were empty cabs covered in carpet, so I though they were Pros. They are not - raw birch with the mid horn and driver still installed and some Motorola tweeters installed. No woofers. AA crossovers still there. Total cost: $0. Yup, they were free, only about a 45 minute drive away. I could not get out of his driveway fast enough. The plan is to use:Crites crossover rebuild kits for the AA crossoverCrites CT125 Tweeters Crites K-55-V Diaphrams (One is weak).Klispch K-33 Woofer, factory new. Now, on the cabs, I'm not sure yet. Maybe a re-veneer with 1/2" or 3/4" plywood with Birch or Rosewood veneer. I may also just use auto body filler to smooth them off and paint them adding the "triangle" reinforcements in the doghouse. I have seen black and white ones, but I was thinking a nice dark red in a matte finish. Maybe a vinyl finish. Dunno yet...Found one badge jammed in a horn. Will need to source another.I pulled them apart, so here are some "before" pictures: Edited January 27, 2017 by SiliconTi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiliconTi Posted January 27, 2017 Author Share Posted January 27, 2017 They are nearly complete now, just waiting for new K-55-V diaphragms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiliconTi Posted January 27, 2017 Author Share Posted January 27, 2017 I ended up leaving the cabinets alone except for a light sanding and some Howard's. I wanted them to still have a story. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvu80 Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 1 minute ago, SiliconTi said: I ended up leaving the cabinets alone except for a light sand an some Howard's. I wanted then to still have a story. As I read your original restore post WRT veneering I wanted to tell you that might not be necessary. Mustang Guy has one of the best RESTORE threads I've ever seen and it was on the LS. Even as rough as your cabs look they can be brought back better than you would ever believe. I'll try to dig up that thread, just for your consideration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiliconTi Posted January 27, 2017 Author Share Posted January 27, 2017 Thanks wvu80, I know it may not be a popular choice to leave them, but I kinda like them being able to tell their own story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvu80 Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 No problem on telling the story. My diploma from college went through a fire and looks terrible but I didn't get a new pretty one or take the smoke damage off the metal frame for the same reason, it tells a story and is part of the fabric of my life. +++ If you don't mind I'd like to post the link to the Mustang Guy restore thread because it was so hard to find! He spelled "La Scala" as one word, making it impossible to search on! One would think he would know better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiliconTi Posted January 28, 2017 Author Share Posted January 28, 2017 Thanks for the link - have seen that thread already - he did a great job, as have others on this group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiliconTi Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 They are done! Just finished the new '55 diaphragms. Wow, even at insanely low volume, they sound great. Glad I replaced both, now the tone matches side to side. Need to get some power into them and really give them a workout. I may have to bring my Haffler HF-220 home so I can test the living room, my listening room is a touch too small for these. YAY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longdrive03 Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Congrats on your redo project. Many happy hours of listening ahead! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiliconTi Posted February 4, 2017 Author Share Posted February 4, 2017 OK, so I hooked them up to the Hafler 220 with my Nakamichi 410 preamp. Nice! I can see why people complain about the lack of bass. I'll let them break in a bit and see if it gets better. My home listen room is way too small for these, so I'll not really be able to open them up until I get them to the office. They do sound different - I am used to direct drivers, this is my first pair of horns. So far, I like! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 Glad you're liking them! My opinion, (presuming they're playing as designed) you won't get much (any) improvement in the deep bass. They will excel at punching you in the gut with midbass (crank up a good drum solo and you'll find out what I mean) The key is, what you hear will be clean sounding. Once you get accustomed to what you're hearing, you can go back to some direct/radiator speakers and hear more 'mush' (for lack of better word) in the bass department. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiliconTi Posted February 5, 2017 Author Share Posted February 5, 2017 Hi Coytee, I agree completely. They are actually too efficient - on my preamp, the fist volume step it very loud with these, need a pre without a stepped value control. They are very accurate - if the sound is in the recording you will hear it. I have one Flogging Molly track, "Float" that has some very subtle symbols in it - none of my other speakers can project them very well, but these do. As far as bass goes, if it is in the track, it is there. I am finding that true bass instruments sound great, computer generated bass that focuses in the lowest octave do not. I think I can live with that, especially since I know of no subwoofer that would match them well without selling off my car to buy it. I need to get these to my office an onto my Mac 4100 and see what they can really do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 You may want to try pulling the mids down a couple of db. Not sure what autotransformer you have on your crossovers (AA crossovers?) To me, and many others, it balances out tonal characteristics of the La Scalas, and will also give you a feeling of more bass. Bruce 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiliconTi Posted February 6, 2017 Author Share Posted February 6, 2017 Hi Bruce, I have the original autoformers. The room they are in is simply too small for them. I'll be moving them to my office which is about 3 times larger. Good idea though, I'll have to keep it in mind. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceptorman Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 I think it's a good idea to leave them with all their imperfections, to tell their story as you put it. When they're making their music, all those blemishes will go away. Congrats on the nice score, and giving them a new life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 1 hour ago, SiliconTi said: The room they are in is simply too small for them... The largest room mine have been in is 13x21. A large room won't give you more bass and can end up with the LS "chainsaw in the forehead" headache from overpowering mids. However... they are yours and you are hearing them. Love that you left them with all their imperfections. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiliconTi Posted February 6, 2017 Author Share Posted February 6, 2017 I'm not worried about bass. Right now, I am siting about 4 feet away. Too close. If they are too much in the bigger space, I'll reduce the mids as you suggest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiliconTi Posted February 11, 2017 Author Share Posted February 11, 2017 So, I finally just moved them from the listening room to the living room. Fortunately WAF is not an issue - my wife does not care :-). And the verdict: they sound terrible. Ran them for a few hours, but sound like they are running out of phase. Just ran an test on a different amp - one of the mids sounds great, the other awful, very "horny". Sounds like a PA speaker. I'll change out the transformer as the cap is new. I have a spare transformer that came with the speakers (now I know why). I'll report back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiliconTi Posted February 11, 2017 Author Share Posted February 11, 2017 Ok, changed out the transformer - that did it, now it sounds like the other - I was going to say "normal", but I do not know what that is :-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvu80 Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 You did troubleshooting on that thing and fixed it in record time! Good job, I don't think I would have been able to diagnose a transformer problem at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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