Bargain La Scalas found in Dallas

[TXteacher]

After a year of accumulating parts for DIY La Scalas, I found  a set of originals for $110 plus tax and BP at a local online auction.  Too cheap to pass up.  I figured they would be a mess.  Nope - perfect.  The item description was inaccurate, so that may have driven the price down, and the auctioneer was not a Dallas firm.  They were listed as a single "Klipsch X-2 Loud Speaker System".  There is no such thing.  Surprising because they have the original labels on the back clearly identifying them, so the clerk lotting the items messed up.  Maybe others here went to look at them during the preview.  

 

Raw birch, consecutive serial numbers, and all of the drivers work.  Sure they are 1986 models according to the serials, meaning the less desirable AL crossover and K-55m, but it saved well over the cost of the pair in just the time to build cabinets.  They are not completely perfect, both needed a good cleaning,  and hauling them 20 miles home was painful.  It was interesting, on one, the barrier strip screw for a wire to the squawker was missing - thought a driver was bad but replaced the screw, and it works fine.  So, if you get used speakers, be sure to check for bad connections.  They are a bit large for my office, but that's OK, they will eventually go in a listening room.

 

 

One fascinating thing is how different they sound from the DIY top units (K400 and K77 on a baffle) that I was using with an Adam LF driver for the last 6 months to test - wonder if it was the type A crossover and the K-55v on the DIY units?

 

The other lesson is to wait for a bargain rather than do a long parts search.  By the time you find all the drivers, pay shipping, then buy decent plywood (hard to find), you will be out way too much.  I paid the same for a set of K77 tweeters as I did for this complete set.

 

Now, to unload the parts I no longer need - but just the thought of packing it all up wears me out.

 

Is it worth swapping in the PD-5VH and the AA crossovers from the DIY pile?  Of course, I'd keep the original parts.

 

If you were going to keep some replacement parts in stock, what is the best choice?  The K77 tweeters?

 

The other question is if they should be left raw birch, or if a finish should be applied to protect the wood?  I assume that they are worth more in original condition.

[baron167]

86, eh? My 90s have AL-3s. I can't get rid of them; they sound that good (to me).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DizRotus]

Congratulations.  I would connect the AA networks and enjoy them as they are before deciding which alternative to K77s you prefer.

[wvu80]

1 hour ago, TXteacher said:

The other question is if they should be left raw birch, or if a finish should be applied to protect the wood?  I assume that they are worth more in original condition.

 

Welcome to the Klipsch forum! 

 

Do not stain those, they are worth the most in stock form.  They develop a nice patina and are great looking just the way they are.

 

Outstanding find, Klipsch X-2's for $110!    You did great to be on top of that.  You didn't just spend $110 you just found $1400!

 

Keep the K-55M mid driver.  It is a good version and fixes a specific problem in the frequency response that the previous version K-55V had.

 

Yes, dump the Type AL crossover (XO).  It is generally known to be the worst sounding XO ever on a LS.  I agree with @DizRotus ^^^, swap in the Type A.  The most desirable XO for that model is the Type AA which has some tweeter protection build-in if you use the stock K-77 tweeter.

 

For as little as you paid for those LS I would suggest looking on Crites.com and order the Type A/4500 crossover which requires another more robust tweeter such as Crites CT-120 or CT-125.  No matter what you spend you are still $1000 ahead of the game.

 

 

 

 

[Marvel]

My '89s had ALs and were terrible.

 

Hauling 20 miles was a pain? I hauled mine from Wisconsin to Georgia.

 

They look great! I would just swap the aa crossovers in and have a listen.

 

Bruce

[Coytee]

They do look great....  as for finishing them....  I'd personally put a clear on them.  I think I used a urethane on mine but, that was 1979 so I don't recall much.  I would however do something to protect the finish, lest you be the owner of record when someone spills their (enter something you don't want spilled on them) and it soaks into the wood.

 

 

[Thaddeus Smith]

Nice, congrats! Where are you located in the metroplex? I'm just east of McKinney and have some decently recapped AA's sitting on the shelf if you're interested.

 

edit: nevermind.. just re-read and saw that you've got a set of AA's sitting in the parts pile.

[wvu80]

11 minutes ago, Thaddeus Smith said:

Nice, congrats! Where are you located in the metroplex? I'm just east of McKinney and have some decently recapped AA's sitting on the shelf if you're interested.

@TXteacherthe recapped AA's sound perfect for you!

 

"recapped" meaning even if you found an older pair of AA's there are components which are well known to go out of spec after 20 years or so.  Recapped AA's will be an easy plug and play, and give you the original Klipsch sound so many love.

[dtel]

Great deal, no way to lose, and Welcome

[dirtmudd]

7 hours ago, dtel said:

Great deal

No he just stole them @ that price.

 

Now I just vomited my coffee...

And deficated myself...

 

 

Great score and story...

 

I wish you the very best....

 

[Tarheel TJ]

Wow, helluva deal.  I thought I stole mine when I paid $350 for the pair.  They were in FAR worse shape than yours and took a lot of work to make them look and sound good.  Enjoy!

[Budman]

On 8/26/2018 at 8:21 PM, TXteacher said:

After a year of accumulating parts for DIY La Scalas, I found  a set of originals for $110 plus tax and BP at a local online auction.  Too cheap to pass up.  I figured they would be a mess.  Nope - perfect.  The item description was inaccurate, so that may have driven the price down, and the auctioneer was not a Dallas firm.  They were listed as a single "Klipsch X-2 Loud Speaker System".  There is no such thing.  Surprising because they have the original labels on the back clearly identifying them, so the clerk lotting the items messed up.  Maybe others here went to look at them during the preview.  

 

Raw birch, consecutive serial numbers, and all of the drivers work.  Sure they are 1986 models according to the serials, meaning the less desirable AL crossover and K-55m, but it saved well over the cost of the pair in just the time to build cabinets.  They are not completely perfect, both needed a good cleaning,  and hauling them 20 miles home was painful.  It was interesting, on one, the barrier strip screw for a wire to the squawker was missing - thought a driver was bad but replaced the screw, and it works fine.  So, if you get used speakers, be sure to check for bad connections.  They are a bit large for my office, but that's OK, they will eventually go in a listening room.

 

 

 

The other question is if they should be left raw birch, or if a finish should be applied to protect the wood?  I assume that they are worth more in original condition.

 

RAW BIRCH is the only way to go. do not stain them.

congrats

[TXteacher]

Thanks for the kind advice.  I swapped in Crites re-capped AA networks from my DIY pile today, after a few weeks of listening as-is.  Rusty old things with new caps.  They do have a different sound, and even with confirmation bias taken into account, it seems a few things cleaned up - the bass seems oddly cleaner, and there is an enhanced clarity.  Real or bias remains to be heard.  Long term listening to follow.  I did not expect any bass difference at all.  I wonder if the apparent clarity could be due to the hotter K-55m?  Is that even real?  Too bad it's way to many wires to build a switch relay for a real A/B.  It's always hard to tell without an instant swap.  I'll leave the AA in  for a few weeks, and swap back.  I can also put ancient original caps into the AA from the capacitor pile, but that seems like too much work.

 

In any case, the sound is different.  It will take some time to really understand it all and figure out the better alternative.

 

Has anyone managed to adjust the level of a K-55m with an AA, or am I hearing something that isn't there?

 

It was an odd score - I was taking a class to renew my auctioneer's license, and the instructor was from an out of town firm, so just as a lark I checked them out - here is the listing where it showed only one speaker, and the description was wrong.  But you can see the second one in the background, and in the other lot pics you can see two.  It was obvious there was a pair.  I'm way out on the lake in Flower Mound here in DFW.  I will say that they are really pleasant, and the next house will have a good spot for them.  I got the bid in a few hours before it closed:  

 

I'm going to put up the remnants of the DIY pile I'm not keeping for spares in the garage sale area, I hope later this weekend (2x K-510 with DH1A, 2x K-33, 2x K-400).  I'm traveling for work again, so it's hard to coordinate fast shipping of heavy things.  Some are probably too heavy to ship economically anyway, like the DH1A drivers.  Or is it all worth keeping?

[Marvel]

Many like to cut the mids back approx. 3db, which improves the overall balance. Raising the gain to get the mids back up will bring up the bass (such as it is).

 

Bruce

[jvs1670]

Sounds like the OP has noticed an improvement with the AA crossover versus the AL which he compared pretty much back to back but it doesn't sound like a night and day improvement.  Seems everyone here says how awful the AL's are but can anyone really explain the difference?   I'm on the fence to replace the AL's in my Lascalas with either AA's or ALK universals.  Are we talking like a 20% improvement or is it just some subtleties gained that most people struggle to hear?   

[Tony Whitlow]

After a year of accumulating parts for DIY La Scalas, I found  a set of originals for $110 plus tax and BP at a local online auction.  Too cheap to pass up.  I figured they would be a mess.  Nope - perfect.  The item description was inaccurate, so that may have driven the price down, and the auctioneer was not a Dallas firm.  They were listed as a single "Klipsch X-2 Loud Speaker System".  There is no such thing.  Surprising because they have the original labels on the back clearly identifying them, so the clerk lotting the items messed up.  Maybe others here went to look at them during the preview.  
 
Raw birch, consecutive serial numbers, and all of the drivers work.  Sure they are 1986 models according to the serials, meaning the less desirable AL crossover and K-55m, but it saved well over the cost of the pair in just the time to build cabinets.  They are not completely perfect, both needed a good cleaning,  and hauling them 20 miles home was painful.  It was interesting, on one, the barrier strip screw for a wire to the squawker was missing - thought a driver was bad but replaced the screw, and it works fine.  So, if you get used speakers, be sure to check for bad connections.  They are a bit large for my office, but that's OK, they will eventually go in a listening room.
 

 
One fascinating thing is how different they sound from the DIY top units (K400 and K77 on a baffle) that I was using with an Adam LF driver for the last 6 months to test - wonder if it was the type A crossover and the K-55v on the DIY units?
 
The other lesson is to wait for a bargain rather than do a long parts search.  By the time you find all the drivers, pay shipping, then buy decent plywood (hard to find), you will be out way too much.  I paid the same for a set of K77 tweeters as I did for this complete set.
 
Now, to unload the parts I no longer need - but just the thought of packing it all up wears me out.
 
Is it worth swapping in the PD-5VH and the AA crossovers from the DIY pile?  Of course, I'd keep the original parts.
 
If you were going to keep some replacement parts in stock, what is the best choice?  The K77 tweeters?
 
The other question is if they should be left raw birch, or if a finish should be applied to protect the wood?  I assume that they are worth more in original condition.

Isn’t there a Rod Stewart song that goes [emoji445]Some guys have all the luck....[emoji445]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DLStryker]

On 9/1/2018 at 11:32 AM, TXteacher said:

Thanks for the kind advice.  I swapped in Crites re-capped AA networks from my DIY pile today, after a few weeks of listening as-is.  Rusty old things with new caps.  They do have a different sound, and even with confirmation bias taken into account, it seems a few things cleaned up - the bass seems oddly cleaner, and there is an enhanced clarity.  Real or bias remains to be heard.  Long term listening to follow.  I did not expect any bass difference at all.  I wonder if the apparent clarity could be due to the hotter K-55m?  Is that even real?  Too bad it's way to many wires to build a switch relay for a real A/B.  It's always hard to tell without an instant swap.  I'll leave the AA in  for a few weeks, and swap back.  I can also put ancient original caps into the AA from the capacitor pile, but that seems like too much work.

 

In any case, the sound is different.  It will take some time to really understand it all and figure out the better alternative.

 

Has anyone managed to adjust the level of a K-55m with an AA, or am I hearing something that isn't there?

 

It was an odd score - I was taking a class to renew my auctioneer's license, and the instructor was from an out of town firm, so just as a lark I checked them out - here is the listing where it showed only one speaker, and the description was wrong.  But you can see the second one in the background, and in the other lot pics you can see two.  It was obvious there was a pair.  I'm way out on the lake in Flower Mound here in DFW.  I will say that they are really pleasant, and the next house will have a good spot for them.  I got the bid in a few hours before it closed:  

 

I'm going to put up the remnants of the DIY pile I'm not keeping for spares in the garage sale area, I hope later this weekend (2x K-510 with DH1A, 2x K-33, 2x K-400).  I'm traveling for work again, so it's hard to coordinate fast shipping of heavy things.  Some are probably too heavy to ship economically anyway, like the DH1A drivers.  Or is it all worth keeping?

 

 

I'm in Flower Mound as well!!

[DLStryker]

On 8/26/2018 at 8:59 PM, Thaddeus Smith said:

Nice, congrats! Where are you located in the metroplex? I'm just east of McKinney and have some decently recapped AA's sitting on the shelf if you're interested.

 

edit: nevermind.. just re-read and saw that you've got a set of AA's sitting in the parts pile.

 

I'm in the Metroplex as well... Flower Mound.  I just tossed a set of AL-3 crossovers in the trash the other day!  I guess I should have offered the for free on here.  The ALK universals sound much better!!

[JohnA]

I'll take some of your kinda pain! 

 

Due to (my perceived?) differences in squawker output I'd install a set of Type AL-3s with nice caps in them and run them a (long) while.  Type AAs will work best with K-55-V/Xs (PD-5VH, too)  There are some nice tweeters out there and even nicer wooden tractrix horns, but they'll prolly cost you 3x what your speakers did!  😀