Should I fulfull my lifelong dream to own Klipsch speakers?

[Dave1290]

1 hour ago, ClaudeJ1 said:

One of the reasons a LaScala sounds so good is the it's phase coherency between the bass and midrange sections. If you take the 1/4 wave guideline seriously, and maintain relative distances within 1/4 wave between drivers at crossover, the LaScala does a way better job than a Khorn or Jubille (mine are time delay corrected with active Xover, not passive like the Khorn). LaScalas can do this passively because the bass horn is about 32 inches long vs. about 24 inches for the midrange horn, yielding a path length difference of about 8 inches. So if we take the speed of sound 1,126 feet per second and divide by the 400 Hz. passive crossover point, we get 2.815 feet. Divided by 4 gives us .704 feet for a 1/4 wave length. Multiplying by 12, we get 8.445 inches, which puts the bass and midrange horn within 1/4 wave of each other. This is why many people prefer the LaScala with subwoofers below 80-100 Hz. over a Khorn because they are more sensitive to phase differences in the horns. It is less so between the tweeter and midrange, but some people have put tweeters on top of a LaScala to align those also.

ClaudeJ1, I'm STILL chewing all of this...  I KNEW there was a reason they sounded so good!!!  Makes sense, thanks! 

[Chris A]

26 minutes ago, elee532 said:

Would I want to get rid of these if I were trying to place a speaker like the Forte into the corner?

Note that the Fortes have a passive radiator that gets in the way. You can place the Fortes close to the bass traps, but leave a little space (about 2-3 inches) for the passive radiator to port it's output to the sides of the loudspeaker cabinet.

 

 

26 minutes ago, elee532 said:

A. Do you think I could get away WITHOUT a center channel? At least temporarily? I was thinking if for some reason I end up not liking the Forte (or whatever model I end up with) that it would be easier to sell 2 rather than 3. As a reminder, the biggest use for my system is surround sound music (SACD, DVD-A, Bluray).

You can certainly get away without a center channel, but speech dialogue/clarity will suffer.  It's usually easy to hear the difference--just turn off the center channel with your AVR and listen to a few movies with more difficult-to-understand dialogue than the norm.  I've found that the most important loudspeaker in my 5.1 array (with two corner-located horn subwoofers) is the center channel.  More on that subject can be found here and here.

 

26 minutes ago, elee532 said:

B. If I do get a 3rd Forte for center channel and put it behind the screen, it's going to have to go right up against the wall since I only have something like 13"-15" space between the wall and the screen. Will this be a big problem? It works okay with my current center speaker which is front ported.

As I've mentioned above,  you only need a couple or three inches spacing from the front wall to provide enough area for the passive radiator to radiate its output into.  More spacing will improve the radiator output, but decrease the wall loading effect--your choice.

 

Chris

[Guest wdecho]

Never found a need for a center channel myself and yes I did try one many years ago. But the need for a center will depend on the size of your room. 

[elee532]

1 hour ago, wdecho said:

LaScala's relatively cheap used vs K-horns with better room placement, smaller too. 

 

So, I have 24” between the side wall and inside edge of projector screen frame. Do you think I could squeeze a LaScala in that space?

 

For the front right speaker, there is no side wall. Would you still recommend a LaScala here?

 

Is there a smaller speaker that would mate well with LaScala for a center channel?

 

How would an amateur like me go about finding a used pair of working LaScala?

[elee532]

Quote

You can certainly get away without a center channel, but speech dialogue/clarity will suffer.

 

Is this similarly true for music? Or, more of an issue for movie dialogue?

[Guest wdecho]

Just measured my LaScala's width, slightly less than 24". If you decide on LaScala's it will be the last speaker you will ever need. Typical sources to search, here, craiglist, ebay. 

[elee532]

2 hours ago, wdecho said:

Just measured my LaScala's width, slightly less than 24".

 

Thanks. I think these might just fit!

 

Quote

Typical sources to search, here, craiglist, ebay. 

 

Just found a pair of II's from 2009 nearby for $5,000. Unfortunately, about $2,000 outside of my budget! 😞 Hmmm... to keep looking for something in my budget or "settle" for the Forte... decisions, decisions! 🙂 

 

 

[Chris A]

I'd look for used La Scala I's. They should be available for around $800-$1200 a pair in good condition.  La Scala II's still command a fairly high price.

[Guest wdecho]

59 minutes ago, elee532 said:

 

Thanks. I think these might just fit!

 

 

Just found a pair of II's from 2009 nearby for $5,000. Unfortunately, about $2,000 outside of my budget! 😞 Hmmm... to keep looking for something in my budget or "settle" for the Forte... decisions, decisions! 🙂 

 

 

Cornscala's may just be the right fit for your budget. Bass may not be as tight but will go deeper anyways I often think bass is way over rated. Midrange is where music lives. You will have to finish them yourself but when you finished you will even more proud of them. If I wanted a big pair of speakers and did not have LaScala's I would seriously consider them or at least being a diy'er build a pair. https://critesspeakers.com/cornscala.html  Especially the 2 way pair with the big 2" driver. 

 

https://community.klipsch.com/index.php?/topic/178567-cornscalas/&tab=comments#comment-2298627

 

[Guest wdecho]

2 minutes ago, Chris A said:

I'd look for used La Scala I's. They should be available for around $800-$1200 a pair in good condition.  La Scala II's still command a fairly high price.

Absolutely correct the older, in good shape, the better the price. Some crossover upgrades and you will have a perfectly good pair. 

[Bubo]

On 8/8/2018 at 8:52 PM, elee532 said:

 My system is used about 75% for music and 25% for movies. My music listening is primarily 5.1 (SACD, DVD-A, Blu-ray concerts) - mostly rock/pop.

 

I was thinking about something like 3 Heresy III speakers or 2 Forte III's with a Heresy III for the center. I'm open to other options. I'm also open to new or used.

 

 

5 Heresys would rock with 2 subs, Heresys fit nicely on coffee tables, Ikea has some nice black ones for $10ea.

5 LaScalas would rock with 2 subs

3 LaScalas across the front with 2 Heresys in the rear, 2 subs would rock

Center and rear (3) Heresys and 2 LaScalas Front, 2 subs would rock

 

Heresy 1 or 2 are available mint for $350 pair (5= $1050 total). Might take a 2-3 months to find excellent all walnut or cherry etc.

LaScala 1, pairs in excellent shape can be had used for $1200 (5 = $3600 and would take longer to find 3 pairs)

 

The advantage of the Heresys and the LaScalas is front firing, no corner mandate, and footprint is doable.

 

I prefer the TV at eye level, so I would be inclined to go with Heresy Center slanted up under the TV, 2 LaScalas as the fronts for Stereo Listening plus surround, and Heresys on coffee tables in the rear would rock.

 

Every LaScala needs a smoked glass top, everyone mistakes them for a place to leave a cold sweating beer can.....

 

Photos show the evolution of my systems, the little Klipsh speakers and Yamaha Amp rack were an experiment in surround sound, I liked so much for my small room, that I left it. I was very happy with just Stereo and the LaScalas.

For Scale the TV is 50 inches.

 

 

[garyrc]

9 hours ago, elee532 said:

 

I wish it were that easy. 😁 I don’t believe there is family buy in (or budget) for building a wall and getting a smaller projector screen. 🤯

 If you are going to replace the screen, get a bigger AT one, preferably 2.35:1 (Seymour has them) that goes wall to new wall across in front of whatever you put in the corners -- Khorns or Forte III -- (one corner can be an artificial one, or one formed by a new wall).

In your case, you would only need a firm pony wall on one side, unless there is a question of rigidity. 

 

*

[garyrc]

5 hours ago, elee532 said:

 

Is this similarly true for music? Or, more of an issue for movie dialogue?

 

Most of my SACDs are 5.0 channel.  I value the center channel (a modified Belle Klipsch) when playing these discs.  On the other hand, a phantom center (no speaker) can provide a spacious sort of "free floating" effect.  People sitting off to the side may get poor imaging, without a center. 

[Schu]

A dedicated center channel of matching timber is always essential for my tastes... it's not necessarily the only way to fly, but it's definitely a preference for me.

 

I have a spare set of LSii's... I have not completely decided to sell both as a set or one as a spare 

[Schu]

7 hours ago, ClaudeJ1 said:

One of the reasons a LaScala sounds so good is the it's phase coherency between the bass and midrange sections. If you take the 1/4 wave guideline seriously, and maintain relative distances within 1/4 wave between drivers at crossover, the LaScala does a way better job than a Khorn or Jubille (mine are time delay corrected with active Xover, not passive like the Khorn). LaScalas can do this passively because the bass horn is about 32 inches long vs. about 24 inches for the midrange horn, yielding a path length difference of about 8 inches. So if we take the speed of sound 1,126 feet per second and divide by the 400 Hz. passive crossover point, we get 2.815 feet. Divided by 4 gives us .704 feet for a 1/4 wave length. Multiplying by 12, we get 8.445 inches, which puts the bass and midrange horn within 1/4 wave of each other. This is why many people prefer the LaScala with subwoofers below 80-100 Hz. over a Khorn because they are more sensitive to phase differences in the horns. It is less so between the tweeter and midrange, but some people have put tweeters on top of a LaScala to align those also.

 

^This... I am truly in love right now.

 

[ClaudeJ1]

1 hour ago, garyrc said:

 If you are going to replace the screen, get a bigger AT one, preferably 2.35:1 (Seymour has them) that goes wall to new wall across in front of whatever you put in the corners -- Khorns or Forte III -- (one corner can be an artificial one*, or one formed by a new wall).

In your case, you would only need a firm pony wall on one side, unless there is a question of rigidity. 

 

*

Paul Klipsch built a pair of those false corners for his huge living room. I was at his house in 1985 and saw them myself. They were about 3 feet in front of a large window. His entire array of speakers Right Khorn, Center Belle, and Left Khorn were to the left of opposite facing Bosendorfer and Steinway Grand pianos (Valeri Klipsch being a piano teacher). PWK told me he was a musician by marriage. He played me his own master recordings which sounded great while we enjoyed a shot or two of single malt Scotch. I was a kid in a candy store that day, as you can imagine. Those false corners work great. I built a few myself for different homes.

[jimjimbo]

51 minutes ago, Schu said:

 

^This... I am truly in love right now.

 

So, I guess the Australian Walnut veneer made that much of a difference over your previous set of LS II's.

[Coytee]

Ya know....I got to thinking about it.

 

I retract my comments.  I think you might better appreciate something like a Mach 1 or some Bose cubes....  The cubes after all, have room filling sound (insert the trademark stamp)..... 

 

Even the Klipschorn isn't advertised as having room filling sound  (insert the trademark stamp) so the cute cubes gotta be better, right?

 

 

 

[JohnKuthe]

4 hours ago, Chris A said:

I'd look for used La Scala I's. They should be available for around $800-$1200 a pair in good condition.  La Scala II's still command a fairly high price.

 $800-$1200 a pair? I paid $3000 for my pair of 1977 (I was told) La Scalas, and no I have NOT had the crossovers worked on, I just listen to them.

John Kuthe...

[Speed]

1 hour ago, Coytee said:

Bose cubes

Clearly the Bose Wave Radio, is the choice here. With it's Wave length, it beats any horn with ease...