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New owner of vintage La Scala seeking advice


audiojerry

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On 11/15/2018 at 6:24 AM, audiojerry said:

@Islander"shouty" 

 

That was one of my main issues after setting them up and listening to them for the first time, but I was so amazed by their sound that I decided to move forward with upgrades  after getting advice and suggestions from this forum, 

 

So far I have installed rebuilt AA xovers from ALKENG, braces to the woofer horns in the front, and a vertical brace in the midrange/xover compartment. The braces have noticeably helped with the vibrations from the cabinets, which I believe helped clear up colorations, and the ALK xover made a big improvement to the sound quality. It really reduced the shouty character and really improved overall quality and coherence. I'd have say my $99 investment so far has netted great results. 

 

I'll have more to say - I've only finished the changes 2 days ago.

 

Vancouver Island. eh? - I'm jealous, beautiful but a place I could never afford      

 

 

 

As soon as I got the La Scalas connected and playing, I noticed the shoutiness, which was a disappointment, naturally, but the fact that it was easily resolved made me appreciate the speakers more.  The way the cabinets are open at the back (and in the case of my 1974 top-loaders, the tops are removable and retained by screws, which gives very easy access to the crossovers and the mid and high drivers) makes the speakers seem more approachable and less of a mystery black box.  The new La Scala IIs are closed at the back and have much more complex crossovers, so maybe they'll not be tinkered with and tweaked as much as the first-generation LSes.

 

BTW, the La Scalas and La Scala IIs have a noticeable peak at 148 Hz.  This is a consequence of the shape and size of the horn, and has nothing to do with side panel resonances or anything like that.  In the JubScala conversion, the electronic crossover is able to deal effectively with this.  If your AVR or whatever pre-amp you use has some kind of room EQ setup, that peak can be minimized.  However, it's not something that everybody notices, so there's no need to go to extremes to "fix" it.  If you're using a subwoofer (for me, pretty much every speaker costing under $30,000 benefits from the help of a sub) and running its signal through an equalizer to try to clear up peaks and dips caused by the room, you may be able to reduce the effects of the 148 Hz. peak, but if not, it's no big deal.

 

As for life on Vancouver Island, it's pretty great, and we get much less rain than Vancouver.  House prices are much lower, also, although food may cost a bit more.  Victoria's a small city, so you don't need to drive as much as in a bigger city, which can save you lots on gas and car depreciation.  This place may not be for everyone, but it sure works for me!

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