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What amp for my La Scala's?


32blownhemi

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I just bought some La Scala's the other day. I'm a new-be so I don't understand technical stuff. The tweeters & mid's are in a separate triangle shaped cabinet on top of the Woofer. My living room is 27' x 15'. The speakers are positioned on one of the 27' length of wall in front of and against a 9' wall that's made of drywall ( speakers 5' apart). There is a 11'6" opening on one siide of the 9' wall & a 6'6" opening on the other side. The rest of the walls are plaster & it has 8' 2" ceilings. There is a 12" window in one of the 15' walls. Also a window in one corner that goes up one side 9" & 5" the other way. From my seated position on the couch I'm 14' from one speaker & 12' from the other (2' off center of speakers). My ears are at the same height as the horns. Also a brick fireplace that one speaker faces. I drew a detailed drawing of the room but couldn't get it to attach. If what I wrote isn't clear please let me know... The room has wooden floors with a 16' x 12' oriental wool rug centered in it. I listen to all types of music except Jazz, opera & classical. Just a little rap, not much. Loud & low volume. I plan on listening to CD's, FM radio and music off of my computer through Apple I Tunes. At this time I won't do vinyl unless I have to. I've read a little on SET, PP & 50-60's amp's & went to a couple of sites posted here on amp's make by a couple of different individuals.  Not sure what budget to put. $1 to $2 grand, I guess. I'll spend more if I have to. The guy I bought the speakers from had a 60's Fisher. Should I get a sub because of occasional rap? One of those 2-4 watts per channel amp's sound interesting. If I go sub though I'll need another amp, right? If I left out any info that will help please let me know.  Thank You!   Bill

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Why are the [speakers only 5  apart? I don't see anything wrong wires that came with the speakers for the connection between the top hat and bass bin.

As far as amps go there are a bunch.....I have run a HK 24watt from the 70s....I have a dynaco ST70 hooked to them right now.

  For the speaker wire you could use almost anything since they are so close together or you could spend a fortune on them up to you.

 FM off your apple??? WHY?

 Do some reading on the forum and you will learn what you need to know.

 

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Thank You Ricktate! The way the room is configured with windows, fireplace, couch location & taking into account the ocean view the only place for the TV was on the 9' wall that is the 27' length of the room. And I put the speakers on each side of the TV (down the road after my 2 channel set-up I'm thinking of surround sound). After thinking about it (because of your comment on speakers only being 5' apart & one speaker being in the way) I'm going to move one speaker over 6' to the side wall. Then the speakers will be 13' 6" apart... "FM off of my Apple" Why? I wrote that wrong. What I meant was,  I want to listen to FM radio. Also I want to listen to the music I already have on my computer on Apple I Tunes... I already ordered the wire that Jimjimbo recommended. Karma SS 12 Gauge from KnuKonceptz... Thanks for the info on what you use. I'll go do some research now. What about using my car amp in my home with a 110 to 12 volt converter?   Thanks again!      Bill

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Bill, try to create a "listening" triangle, that puts you at the same distance from the speakers as they are apart from one another.  5 feet is much too close.  13 feet or more is much, much better...You can then try to cross the soundstage either just in front, or just behind your listening position.

 

Your car amp?  No.

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Thank You Jimjimbo! When I get home I'll move the speakers further apart. I'll put one against the far right wall & move the other over the same distance. So the speakers will be 18" apart center of speaker to center of speaker... Good thing there's no WOF cuz one speaker will be in the middle of an 11' opening  LOL... I guess not being up against a wall won't matter? If I had 4 La Scala's for a surround sound set-up would that be overkill?  Thanks again!    Bill

 

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Ok, an up-date is; The measurement from the front center of the horns on one speaker to the front center of the horns on the other speakers is 15' 8". Measurement from the front center of the horns on both speakers to the center of where I sit on the couch is 14"... Both speakers (Woofer & horns) are angled towards my seat on the couch. WAF on a scale of 1 to 10 would be Zero. Girl friend acceptance factor doesn't matter. It's my house...   Thanks again!    Bill

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Ok, an up-date is; The measurement from the front center of the horns on one speaker to the front center of the horns on the other speakers is 15' 8". Measurement from the front center of the horns on both speakers to the center of where I sit on the couch is 14"... Both speakers (Woofer & horns) are angled towards my seat on the couch. WAF on a scale of 1 to 10 would be Zero. Girl friend acceptance factor doesn't matter. It's my house...   Thanks again!    Bill



Perfect!
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On 3/15/2017 at 3:31 AM, ricktate said:

No car amp     I think car audio is 4ohms and will not work well ....may even ruin the amp......I would not do it.

 

Just an FYI on this statement:  I agree that a car amp isnt the best option for home audio due to the hassle of a good power supply, but it will work just fine.  The ohm ratings are at the speaker.  While it is correct that most car audio speakers are 4ohm & the amps are designed to work at a 4 ohm load, a speaker of 8 ohms (most home audio) will work fine because the amp will see less of a load & will operate cooler putting out less watts.  It will not damage or harm the amp in any way, it will actually be easier on the amp.  This logic applies in reverse to home amps when running a 4 ohm (or lower) speaker, the amp will run hotter & put out more watts.  so just as more expensive home amps can usually handle lower ohms, some high quality car amps are stable down to 2, 1 & even .5 ohms.

 

There are many amps that will work well with your la scalas, they are very efficient speakers so they dont "need" high power, but unless youre a diehard tube amp guy listening to more mild music generes, I would suggest an amp with some decent power in reserve,  especially if you listen to bass heavy music like modern rock or rap.  La scalas are not known for having low bass, in fact many say they are rather lacking in the bass department so i think a good sub would be best for that rap "music."  ;)  Also if you can get them into the corners of the room that will help the bass output.  

 

"would 4 la scalas for surround sound be overkill?"  No, but you will need a 5th for a center to keep up with them...

 

 

 

 

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Thank You Klipschfancf4!  I did some Googling on using a car amp & it said the biggest problem was converting 12v to 110. I thought all you'd need was one of those converter but I guess not. It said a good way would be to use a 12v car battery hooked up to a car charger! Even though I have both, I think I'll go another root! I'm not sure what 'mild music' is but I do know I like 60's rock a lot. I think the only thing I don't listen to is opera, classical & Jazz so I'm probably better off not going with a low watt amp. What would you consider to be an amp with 'decent power in reserve'? 20 watt, 40 watt or? Could I go with a tube Mcintosh? Or the guy I got the speakers from was using a Fisher x-202-c. What would be a good sub to use? And what about power to the sub?  Thanks again!      Bill

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Yes the 12vdc amp to a 110ac house current is a hassle.  Back in the day as a teenager, I used to run a car amp & subwoofer in my room but only because I didnt have the car the subs were in anymore & didnt have a nice stereo.  I used a small motorcycle battery & a small charger.. it worked fine but isnt really a permanent situation.

 

Mild music= jazz, classical, opera, very soft rock, or anything intended to be played at lower volumes.  Tubes are nice & provide a unique sound but I really dont think they are best for rock & roll & heavy bass music thats usually played loud or VERY loud.  I have many vintage klipsch speakers including the k-horns, my music taste is "rock & roll", from classic rock to some older heavier rock & newer stuff too, I also like to listen to jazz on occasion, you should check it out sometime, I dont know many artists by name but jazz music is the foundation of rock & roll & has some excellent drums & overall "groove" to it that is good listening when youre in a "mellow" kind of mood.  But I also like some "good" old school rap from time to time.... I like anything but country & obviously opera & gospel!  For that bass heavy type of music I feel a higher watt solid state amp is best to get the impact & full bass at higher volumes.  For the music you listed, you might want to post this question in the solid state section or just the 2 ch stereo section, but by all means if you can afford it, try out some of the higer power tubes (5-10 wattt.)

 

Reserve power= 75-100 watts or more.  There are many good brand quality amps out there, many like mcintosh for klipsch but there are tons more that members here can suggest if you post this in another section.  Currently I cycle between an adcom gfa555ii amp with 200wpc, or a rotel rb-990 @ 200wpc or an onkyo integra m-504 @ 165wpc, granted I never use barely 25-50 watts but the reserve or "headroom" is what makes the bass so strong, & for the chorus 2's they really like the power & come alive at half volume or more.... but I've toned that extreme volume down a bit lately, I've been to 30+ LOUD rock concerts & countless bar bands in my younger days, plus I play drums & have blasted my home stereos for a very long time... I want to save my hearing from this point forward!

 

There are many good subs too, for your la scalas I would suggest a good 12 or 15" woofer powered sub, can be a newer more expensive sub like SVS, HSU or velodyne makes some nice ones, many other brands too.  Many members here will suggest a horn loaded sub, but most of those are DIY or you can pay someone to make you one, I think a member here "jasonstr" does that.  Most the subs I mentioned are powered & come with their own onboard amp, but some good subs can be passive & you provide the amp, again a good high power amp is needed for a sub.... & on the ohms note, you can use car subs in a good properly tuned box if the amp can handle the lower ohm loads, or if the amp cant handle lower ohms you can hook 2 4ohm subs up in series & the amp will see 8 ohms. In general car subs can be "boomy" & not as musical or "tight" as quality home subs so i'd stay away from them unless you just want to play around with adding the car subs you already have to see how you like the extra bass with the la scalas.

 

& by the way, the car in your avatar pic looks awsome!  what is that blown 32?  i love old hot rods & deuce coupes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thank You Klipschfancf4!  Wow! A million dollars worth of info! Yes, in the 60's I too had a car stereo hooked up in my bedroom with a 12v to 110 converter!  LOL...  So we like the same music except I like country & you listen to jazz. I don't know if I like jazz or not, never really listened to it! But, I'll try it! So I'll go with a higher watt SS amp. I just spent hours searching on the SS site & then went to Craigslist & matched what was recommended. Think I'll go with either a McIntosh SS # MC 2100, MC 2105, or a MC 2120. All these are either close to home or 2-3 hours round trip away. I'll also get one of the sub's you recommended with an on board amp. Not into building one, it take me forever. I don't have a car sub just a really cheap home one that I won't even bother with... Your ears too, huh? Yeah between rock music & artillery in the Army my ears are blown. Plus I go shooting from time to time. Need a CD player too.  The hot rod's a '32 Ford 3 Window Coupe with a 392 Hemi out of a '58 Chrysler. Got an 8:71 GMC supercharger on it. HP around 670... Well, I'm headed over to the SS amp section to ask some questions... Thanks Again!   Bill

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What amp are you going to go with?  Me personally....it would be tubes of some sort.  Something new like a tubes4hifi VTA ST-70 that can run either pentode or triode.  Those speakers are efficient and don't need a lot.  My ST-70 will bring the Cornwall's to puh-lenty loud levels for me and it will be running my Belle's once I get them built.  Just my $.02.

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  • 2 weeks later...

try running the car amp.  get an Optima deep cycle battery.  any decent charger will do.  charge it up, run it till it's near dead.  Charge it again.  don't run the charger and the amp at the same time, hash from the charger is not nice.  It'll have a pretty decent FM section, hook up an antennae made for FM and go.

 

With LS or other Klipsch Heritage power output from the amp is not a big factor.  10-20 watts is plenty.  Clean watts is what counts.

 

 

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