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Strange indeed: mega-watt harm to LaScalas


JohnJ

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Before my `Canes best ex coach and his D beat the Pens, I had the most strange Saturday evening in decades.

 

There aren't audio dealers in Charlotte, NC anymore. Sound Systems with three listening rooms of three price tiers of equipment to plug your cassette into or play an LP. That is a thing of the last century gone along with common sense & decency being ridiculed by the dumbass masses right now. Or maybe they're still up in Green Bay where HiFiHeaven is.

Called some numbers of authorized Klipsch dealers in my town, one a half mile away. Answering machines, websites set up for pricey home theater installation.

Talked to one guy across town that was a hoot and we chatted for twenty minutes. He had a friend/client that had some LaScalas that had talked about upgrading. He hooked us up.

 

Parasound JC1s.  Yep one for each channel @400 watts each

VPI?? something or another looked like a $5k turntable with the motor separate from the chassis

about 1 year old Klipsch LaScala IIs in a small living room

Seemingly decent sociable guy.

 

I was f'n impressed.

Until I heard it. 

My sub $5k system sounds so much better: Cambridge CXA80, CXN, CXA, 2016 turntable - not my excellent dead YAH P50, 1991 Klipsch Heresy IIs.

 

Bass was ?, mid and high frequencies were there with some stunning clarity but not right. The "Big" Klipsch sound of the folded woofer type speaker was there. The so-called sound stage was there, but it was just not good.

 

I'm not a pressed and pleated gentleman with finesse, I wasn't born yesterday, but I'm not mean-spirited either.

 

Did he blow these and try to get me to cut his losses?

There could have been some senility in play and the fellow was lost in space? He seemed lucid, not stoned.

 

I know what my deductions lead me to think. I thought I had problems until earlier this eve.

 

`K doc, I feel better. Anything this sad and or bogus ever happen to you???

 

 

 

 

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8 minutes ago, JBCODD said:

Bad room acoustics?

NO. Something BAD wrong with that setup.

Nothing else could possible explain it. Why would anyone unless just ignorant want to put that many watts of a PAIR of amps onto speakers with 105db sensitivity??

** Well yea acoustics weren't good in that tight situation, but could not have caused what I heard and didn't hear.

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With all that rambling I didn't articulate my point well.

 

Could those LaScalas be damaged by the sheer power of those two monster mono amps?

 

I'll be embarrassed if this guy hears of this thread but I will covfefe to-of-by? my statements. 

 

Phoebe Snow's marvelous voice seemingly turning into a saxaphone passage at one point on an lp.

Bob James / David Sanborn record that I have had for decades myself produced exceptionally lifelike vocal presence and sound.

That Stones garage tapes record released recently didn't have half the depth or complexity that it should have or does in my car or at home from my cd.

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How loud was he listening? Did you say anything to him, ask him why the need for a ridiculous amount of power with speakers that don't need it? Did it sound bad using different sources or just one? All kinds of reasons that they could've sounded bad, beyond that he just blew them up, although why he would feel the need to use that much power with those speakers is beyond me. 

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20 minutes ago, JohnJ said:

Could those LaScalas be damaged by the sheer power of those two monster mono amps?

I wouldn't think so unless he over-drove the LS's to an insane SPL, in which case I would expect a driver to go out, not just sound bad.

 

It could also be the case that some electronics go well with Klipsch than others.  Just a thought, I really don't know why his setup didn't sound as good.

 

You might also consider his setup did not sound good in comparison to yours.  I'm guessing your setup is expertly dialed in.  That can make a difference when doing a compare and contrast as well.

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Maybe the guy figured he needed a lot of headroom.

 

I rather doubt the LaScalas were damaged, unless you noticed a lack of top-end or midrange from blown drivers or lack of bass from a dead woofer.

 

My guess is just weird synergy from large monoblock amplifiers, which LaScalas wouldn't really benefit in sound quality.

I had some LaScalas I had for a time...my opinion is they shine with tube amps...single-ended class A stuff...

 

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svberger

Not very loud at all in my memories of being 40 feet from Ted Nugent or Black Flag stages several times.

My Heresys with the dial at noon on an 80 wpc with the preamp at 2/3 are more loud.

No did not ask why, I comprehend the want for the best, shiniest, fastest... all of that.

 

wvu80

He said he had a not at all amicable divorce recently, ex destroyed lots of lps. Could have been more. Those grade A parasound components don't have shabby specs or reputations. But maybe that class of audio-nuts don't have our knowledge of efficiency and sonic purity that is Klipsch Heritage speakers.

 

mike stehr

Serious lack of bass towards "mid-bass" I've owned Heresy IIs since 1991 50hz bass can rattle your bones for sure. Yep tube amps have always been prescribed, my simple ignorance of them probably kept me from looking into them last fall when I spent about $3k on refurbishing my 30 year old worn out stuff.

 

USNRET

They are similar speakers but the Belles correspond more closely to the LaScala I  right, the old pdf I've got (Heresy II - La Scala - Belle Klipsch Brochure) show those both dip down to 45hz. That's why I was close to driving all the way up to CT for those Belles in another thread, they are my want it but don't NEED it right now.

 

Appreciate it folks.

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I'm still a bit unclear....are you looking to buy a pair?

 

If so...and if this guy is looking to upgrade, he must hear what you hear.

 

If the price is right, I'd say get them (presuming they're in acceptable condition and the price is right for you)

 

If it's the room, then you'll hear something different when you get them home.  If it's the speaker (and you bought them priced right) you can easily fix them.

 

After all, they're not much more than a box stuffed with 'stuff'.  The box can't be "bad" (as long as it's intact).  The 'stuff' could be but as has been said, it would tend to be silent rather than sound weird.

 

Regardless of above, good luck in your pursuits!

 

 

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jason str

Yea the room wasn't set up for a string quartet. Sparse but rug, curtains large 8' X 10' art with three inch sound deadening triangular foam behind it. I'll repeat I actually feel sorrow for this fella I don't even know. Those $8k speakers are messed up.

 

Thaddeus Smith

You ever get a pic of one of those darn snarks? I never could, fast little mofos!

No, not too loud at all. The vocals and sax range of khz was what I would have expected to hear. I crouched between them about 8' from each one. I know the James / Sanborn Double Vision lp, did not sound good.

 

Coytee

Yep Bigger is Better!

If they're only a year old he paid $8k, I can't touch anywhere close to that. If he thought that sounded good, we don't speak the same language PERIOD.

Found this place when I heard about the Forte IIIs. I literally lust after those Black California Walnut ones but I'm not in a high tax bracket so Khorns = too big, Belles & LaScalas = folded bass instead of the direct 15" Cornwall. Haven't heard Khorns since about 1980 and I recall never ending bass and lifelike guitar, piano and vocals.

Some Belles can still be had but what I found was a road trip that would need Bob Crites 4500 crossovers w/ the c125? tweeters. Then of course those dusty mids would have to be replaced & on & on.

Just want more bass without adding a left and right sub. Cleared 5K off a decent credit card Friday.

Don't want a dependent!

 

I'll post in the "Look what I just got" imminently. 

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So that's two of you putting double the 100 watts per channel into them without issue. I'd assumed they would be well built, they're two rungs up the proverbial ladder from my Heresys that are built like tanks.

If I get the chance to listen to more I'll go if it isn't a ten hour drive. I responded to a person somewhere in upstate SC near here with a pair. Also a pair listed in Chattanoga, TN that would be an all in a day road trip.

The LaScalas are a little bigger than I envisioned looking at the dimensions on the screen.

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Every response above contains a good chunk of truth.

 

Who cares how much power the amps have? There's no way anyone would USE all those watts unless they were trying to smoke out Manuel Noriega.

 

The owner was probably all wrapped up in name-dropping what he owns rather than a love of music.

 

It was the room acoustics I tell ya!

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1 hour ago, Peter P. said:

Every response above contains a good chunk of truth.

 

Who cares how much power the amps have? There's no way anyone would USE all those watts unless they were trying to smoke out Manuel Noriega.

 

The owner was probably all wrapped up in name-dropping what he owns rather than a love of music.

 

It was the room acoustics I tell ya!

Dude I remember that, they played a ZRock radio station through megaphones for about ten days and drove that dictator apes*$t !!! Well the tank shells probably helped a little too.

 

LaS        X       LaS
spkr      me      spkr

 

Nothing else there between them and me.

No bragging done. My jaw hit the floor looking at that audiophile pileup. Recognized the turntable brand from clicking highest to lowest price on a website just for fun. I looked at the stack of components that was literally 4 feet tall at those amps. Looked them up at when I got home.  My shock & dismay in how it all sounded caused this thread.

 

Looks like you were having fun with that post, damn I just wanted to hear some of the "big" Klipsch again once I found out they were IIs and out of my reach.

Jammed on my last Little Feat record after dinner, I might not sell my old speakers when I get my new ones. They've got it all, just the bass lacks a little for me after all these years.

 

 

 

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