miketyler Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Although I have been pretty happy with the THX Ultra2 setup, I have been dying to hear what all the buzz is about with La Scalas. I'd like to say I picked these up for $200 but it was a bit more than that. Cabinets aren't in great condition but I am told they have little use. Thoughts on cabinet restoration? Value? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richieb Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Value? A bit more than $200. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketyler Posted July 19, 2017 Author Share Posted July 19, 2017 Yes, he was askig $800, I offered 600 and brought them home. Steel cables and all 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 They look like a recent vintage. What year are they? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvu80 Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 1 hour ago, miketyler said: Thoughts on cabinet restoration? Value? Value? You talking to me? I would grade the cabs in C condition. The good thing about black is that they are easy to clean up to a nice finish. I have so many examples of LS these days I have sub categories. LS in condition C-D-F averages $908. I have six examples of $1000 or more. If you can clean them up into condition A/B the average price jumps to $1285. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketyler Posted July 19, 2017 Author Share Posted July 19, 2017 Thanks - were gen1 LS all configured internally the same? The data stickers are gone. Was curious if they actually came with the suspension rings as well. Those definitley need to go. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted July 19, 2017 Moderators Share Posted July 19, 2017 Congrats on the purchase Mike. I'd say $600 is a fantastic price even if the cabinets are a little rough. Would love to hear your thoughts on them. The only thing that did not impress me with the La Scala's was the bass. I was used to the slam from RF83, RF7 and RF7ii and the LaScalas definitely do not compare in that area. However I will say the bass that they do provide sounds fantastic and super clean 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketyler Posted July 19, 2017 Author Share Posted July 19, 2017 Hi Mike - I'll confess your setup was an inspiration to me. I'll bet any lack of bass on the LaScala's part is highly over-shadowed by 4 15" subs you are running. I'm unsure where this is going but I did want to try them out as possible replacements for my THX 650's. Growing up, my older brother had a pair of Altec "Voice of the Theater" speakers in our tiny house and he drove them both with a Pilot tubed amplifier. They were as big as a clothes washing machine with a huge horn stacked on top. The house was peer and beam and the vibrations that they generated would translate throughout the house. Cant believe my parents put up with it. Wish I had a pic of those things. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted July 19, 2017 Moderators Share Posted July 19, 2017 12 minutes ago, miketyler said: I'll confess your setup was an inspiration to me. Thanks Mike. 13 minutes ago, miketyler said: I'll bet any lack of bass on the LaScala's part is highly over-shadowed by 4 15" subs you are running. Yeah...when the (4) RSW-15's were installed next to the LaScala Trio, I'm pretty sure I heard them say, "Don't worry about the bass....we've gotcha covered." LOL 14 minutes ago, miketyler said: I'm unsure where this is going but I did want to try them out as possible replacements for my THX 650's. The THX Ultra2 are one of the few Klipsch speakers I have not heard. I've only heard they are great for movies, and "ok" for music due to them having a pretty flat sound. I think you will find the LaScalas are fantastic at both HT and for music. The amount of detail and dynamics is pretty ridiculous. I have heard (4) THX Ultra2 subs with a pair of Palladium's and Belle as a center channel (see thread here) and the THX subs sounded fantastic. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babadono Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Never done it but...... if you are good with the black some on here swear by the Duratek product. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minermark Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Iv paid 8 for worse. that is a deal. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvu80 Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 5 hours ago, miketyler said: Thanks - were gen1 LS all configured internally the same? The data stickers are gone. Was curious if they actually came with the suspension rings as well. Those definitley need to go. They were similar but not exactly the same. The XO and the mid drivers were different. My notes say the AL-3 XO was first used in 1989. The mid driver you have is the K-55-M, an upgrade to the older K-55-V. Even if you want to flip your speakers making no cosmetic changes you will get your money back out of them, no problem. I have an example of LS in condition C with an AL-3 XO in black which sold in Cleveland for $1300. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Congratulations! I'd say 600 is the perfect price for these... you could have easily paid 800. I'd be removing the eye bolt rigging and planning to brace the bins before I do much else other than listen. A little bondo for wood will take care of any holes left. I can't emphasis enough what a difference bracing did for my 1976 La Scalas. I assume the improvement could vary depending on the condition of the cabinets and how tight all the joints are. I injected glue along all the inside bin joints from the inside of the woofer housing and installed braces on the bins. I glued in stages... using gravity to help I only did the bottom side and the following day I turned the speaker to the next side to apply to the bottom of that side. Made the bass sound "RIGHT." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Yeah, the Frakenbolts haveta go. Yours are well past 1982, with the AL-3 crossovers. Look near the crossover in the edge plys for the serial number. You have the perfect opportunity to brace the mouth of the bass horns before refinishing them. Use excellent birch plywood. Here is a pic, supplied by HDRBuilder I think, of an experiment Mr. Paul did. Note that the braces are not centered, to prevent changing the resonance from 1 to 2x. This is what you should do. Mine were finished before I discovered the mouth resonance (at high volume) and I am not about to muck them up, now. I covered the front edge plys with a 3/4 x 3/4 strip of solid cherry to frame the grille and make it look nicer, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketyler Posted July 20, 2017 Author Share Posted July 20, 2017 I cant make out any serial numbers stamped in the plys. Odd but this just gets more interesting. I pulled the base plate off of one of the units to expose the woofer chamber. Was surprised to see the woofer actually fires into the rear of the cabinet. I'm new to the La Scalas and didn't have a clue about this configuration. So they fire into a false wall dead space in the rear of the cabinet? It is not obvious to me but where does this space vent out to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtr20 Posted July 20, 2017 Share Posted July 20, 2017 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketyler Posted July 20, 2017 Author Share Posted July 20, 2017 Thanks, that illustrates it perfectly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted July 20, 2017 Moderators Share Posted July 20, 2017 Here is a view from the top down. The "Folded Horn" is what allows the LaScalas bass to be so clean and helps provide really low distortion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted July 20, 2017 Share Posted July 20, 2017 I'd fixed them up and keep em. A little work and the black coal can be a diamond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babadono Posted July 20, 2017 Share Posted July 20, 2017 In the one picture from the back i see white colored caps on one of the crossovers? Was this stock from the factory back then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.