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'92 LaScala's Have Ruined Me For Direct Radiating Speakers!


geoff.

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It was an eventuality, like marriage, and kids. In that order. Experience and fate leading to another fantastic life experience. OK, maybe not the marriage bit... LOL!

 

I have been a Klipsch fan for decades. It started with a pair of Heresy's, then Tangent 500's, RB-61's, RF-3's, Heresy 2's, Quartet's, Forte ii's, Corwall 1's, Cornwall 2's, and CF-3's.

 

Today it jumped a valence. 

 

I was afforded the opportunity to bring home a pair of 1992 LaScala's. At close to twice the price of the next dearest pair of Klipsch I've ever bought it was a calculated leap. 

 

I heard a pair of Belle's at the house of the gentleman I bought my first pair of Forte ii's from. He was listening to them when I arrived to audition the Forte ii's. He had both pairs for sale but I could not afford the Belle's and had heard great things (on here!) about the Forte ii's I had come to buy. When he switched to "my" Forte ii's it was as if the life got sucked out of the music. But I brought the Forte ii's home, switched out the (non-Klipsch) speakers I had and was blown away by the clarity. I also got up to turn the bass down only to find it was at defeat. My take on it was a basement was no place for Forte ii's. Still , I never doubted what I heard from the Belle's.

 

That experience never left me. After years of trying to recreate it with various incarnations of NON HORN LOADED woofer designs time had run out.

 

The closest I have come is from dual woofer cabinet's like the CF-3's.

 

I had "heard/read" so many negatives about the Lascala's bass dropping off at 45 hz. But I also remembered my Heresy 2's sounding punchy with a higher cut-off.

 

MANY on this forum have stated a preference for their LaScala's and after years of reading their comments HERE, I felt re-assured enough to take the leap.

 

I now know firsthand, without a doubt, what all the hype is about!

 

I now know why people sell their Cornwall's, as incredible as that may seem!

 

This un-moddified pair of '92 LaScala's blows everything I have out of the room!

 

Tractrix horns, titanium diaphragms, and the lower frequency response of the other's notwithstanding, these LaScala's are at least as revealing and punch HARDER, at all volumes.

 

What little bass that is missing is not what drives the music that inspires me.

 

I had accidentally switched my amp to bridge today when I re-wired it for these (no banana plugs!) so initially only one speaker was working and even at that the soundstage nearly filled my modest livingroom! I had to put my ear right up to the "dead" LaScala to confirm it! The presence is that big.

 

My Cornscala's are now serving as "Atmos" speakers. LOL!

 

Hearing IS believing!

 

 

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As I was reading all of that I kept thinking yes, I know, you're right and similar things. 

 

I agree horn loaded is a different sound, right or wrong I like it, to me it sounds more natural and effortless.   you should hear them outside, impressive

 

I think PWK was onto something with the horn loaded thing.........:huh::D But he learned that a while back, like in the 40's.

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Thanks dtr20!

 

I balked on a pair of Klipschorns a couple of times now.

 

I don't see that happening again...

 

I also cannot understand what equipment people are using to find these speakers unpleasant. 

 

Maybe it is age but I hear more GOOD in these than anything else.

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The story I tell is owning Belles and Cornwalls at the same time rotating them in/out of the system. After a long stint with Belles the Cornwalls sounded so different than last time I heard them. Recessed, distant, slow, dull - something's wrong. Belles back in everything perked up noticeably. Corns again, yep there is a problem. Open them up check connections, check newly built Crites networks, check out ok but that must be it. Ship them to Bob for a once over, all is good. It's simply the complete horn loaded Belles overall quickness and detail that runs roughshod over the Corns or most other ported speakers. And the LaScala take that one step further with the much larger mid-horn of the KHorn. The LS trumps the Belle in that regard. I guess why even with Jubes I have my LS back again with no regrets. For the third time. There is indeed something special about a LaScala -----

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It looks like the HF horn on the Cornwall is the K510??

 

Do you like to experiment?

 

If so, you might tinker around one day...  pull it out (or move appropriate wires around) and connect the K510 to the LaScala as a 2-way.

 

You might find another leap (verses incremental) in improvement.

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I have had the most seller's remorse when I sell a pair of La Scala.  Even with having other pairs of La Scala that I am keeping.  

Same top half as the Klipschorn, with none of the corner placement issues.  

Yes, there is less bass, but it is easy to add a sub, if you need more bass.

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Coyote, I had thought that "down the road" my K510 would wind up on a folded horn, but after hearing THESE LaScala's I CANNOT imagine them sounding significantly better!

 

It pains me to entertain the thought of "messing with a good thing". If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

But there would/will be no harm in placing the K510 on top of the cabinet!

 

And I think Richieb summed it up in his post above.

 

As I have mentioned in other posts, I have the K603 tractrix in two other pairs of Cornwall's, one pair with a K-77 top and the other with the K-107-ti for the highs. I also have Forte ii's with the titanium diaphragms. I have CF-3's too.

 

None of them hold a candle to these '92 LaScala's!

 

My Cornscala's even sound flat compared to them. 

 

The shear presence is astounding.

 

I have paid money to attennd concerts that didn't deliver the sound in my living room now (hyperbole alert!).

 

Seriously though, my stereo has only two volume settings now. Astounding and more astounding!

 

 

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8 minutes ago, Full Range said:

I won't be moving on my La Scala's anytime soon now that I have modified them to the penultimate level

Just the way I like them 🔊

Think I will pass them onto the family when I die 

 

 

 

My kids look at the the LS and Jubes and just kinda laugh and scratch their heads. If I passed them on to those two they would probably end up in the fire pit so they could sit around all cozy and listen to something on Alexa. On second thought they would wonder how much they're worth and sell them for $$$. Ah kids ----

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28 minutes ago, richieb said:

 

My kids look at the the LS and Jubes and just kinda laugh and scratch their heads. If I passed them on to those two they would probably end up in the fire pit so they could sit around all cozy and listen to something on Alexa. On second thought they would wonder how much they're worth and sell them for $$$. Ah kids ----

THIS is what I worry about a lot.

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Congrats on the LS purchase!  My story is similar to yours.  I had heard one pair several years ago and a pair came up at a good price on CL so I bought them merely out of curiosity.  Figured I would bring them home, do some A/B comparison with RF-83's, play with them for a little while and then send them on their way to someone else.  What I heard blew me away.  I could not believe how beautiful they sounded.  My only dilemma at the time was the LS look "old school" and "dated" compared to the modern, sexy RF-83's.  Well, it took me a week to realize the LS were here to stay.  I knew for my home theater, I would want a third one but who has just a single LS they would be willing to sell.  I posted a WTB on the forum and @wstrickland1 drops into the thread stating he was selling three LS and had a buyer in line for two of them so he indeed had a single. 

 

Now after having the LaScala Trio, my home theater has never come close to sounding this good with any other speakers I've owned.  The (4) RSW-15's make up for the lack of "slam" that the RF-83's had.  I could not be happier.

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