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New LaScala drivers and horns compatible with vintage?


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29 minutes ago, avguytx said:

 

I've thought about doing that myself.  Well, not buying them but building them. Was curious in the change of sound bringing down that tweeter some and restricting the mid from going to 6k.   But, it looks to be a different autoformer used on the A/4500 than the 3636's used in my Type AA's. 

I have the AA as well in my ls1. Was going to re cap. But was thinking sense I already have the 125s in them, and it sounds like the A/4500 could be a upgrade and not just a refurbish by re cap. I still have the k77 and this way would still have the original xo. As much as I never think I'm going to sell some speakers I always do at some point. So being able to offer all stock with the upgrades helps if that happens. Selling the A/4500 wouldn't be hard if they don't work out. Then just re cap the AA. Just some thoughts I'm having. 

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1 hour ago, PrestonTom said:

 

This may not be good advice. The specs on the K-33 and the 15C are different. The VAS differs by about 10%, the Qts is different and the Efficiency is about 2dB different. Given this is  a horn loaded cabinet, the throat, back volume and crossover would all need adjustment. The K-33 can be purchased form Klipsch and also Speaker Exchange. There are plenty of horns available on eBay. Keep in mind the newer k77's are about 1 db different in efficiency than the older versions (I forget the letter they appended to the model number). Although a difference of 1 dB is only slightly audible. 

That is your opinion, and I would guess not based on any actual listening to the specific components mentioned, but rather specs.  I have done all of these mods numerous times, as have several other folks on this forum, and the Eminence Kappa 15C is an outstanding replacement for the K33 in the La Scala, with no other modifications required to the network, etc.

 

@ClaudeJ1

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1 hour ago, jimjimbo said:

That is your opinion, and I would guess not based on any actual listening to the specific components mentioned, but rather specs.  I have done all of these mods numerous times, as have several other folks on this forum, and the Eminence Kappa 15C is an outstanding replacement for the K33 in the La Scala, with no other modifications required to the network, etc.

 

@ClaudeJ1

I am glad you have enjoyed the modifications you have performed. 

Regarding my experience in doing these .... well you are right. I am not an audio engineer. However in my defense, I will say that I do have some training and experience in an allied area. I will rely on that. 

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3 hours ago, Jvitti1970 said:

@jimjimbo the Crites route is most likely what I'm gonna do along with the woofers you mentioned. I was just curious about the new stuff in production

I think this is your best value path forward. A/4500 xover plus new tweeters is $500ish. That alone will give you brand new xover caps and a better xover frequency to the mid horn. You might find with that you don't really need the additional $350 mid drivers. You have to do the xover and new tweeters together, but after that you can do the rest over time.

 

Looking forwards to hear about your progress.

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18 minutes ago, jason str said:

I have used the Eminence Kappa 15C as well with great results.

Jason, the Kappa 15 C may be a fine driver ... I don't know.

 

These things are designed as a system. There are certain specs on the driver relating to its electrical and mechanical properties (VAS, Qts, efficiency etc). These in turn will guide (not dictate) how the engineer can "tilt" the spectrum of the system (driver inside a horn loaded box and integrated with other drivers). My point, which seems to be lost on others, is that when you change drivers, you may want to change the geometry of the horn throat, the back volume behind the driver and the crossover etc . The issue is design and NOT mix & match.

 

 I have no doubt that your system "sounded different" after your modifications. However, I remain skeptical that it sounded more accurate. 

Can we agree to disagree?

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55 minutes ago, PrestonTom said:

I am glad you have enjoyed the modifications you have performed. 

Regarding my experience in doing these .... well you are right. I am not an audio engineer. However in my defense, I will say that I do have some training and experience in an allied area. I will rely on that. 

I will rely on my ears, old as they may be......

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4 hours ago, Jvitti1970 said:

@jimjimbo the Crites route is most likely what I'm gonna do along with the woofers you mentioned. I was just curious about the new stuff in production

I don't know. I've been following your posts for about a year, along with the questions on my Facebook page and emails -- I'm betting you don't do anything.

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6 hours ago, jimjimbo said:

I think I may have mentioned this about 2 thousand times previously, but, get the CT120 and A55G from Crites, and get the Eminence Kappa 15C woofer from Parts Express.  Wrap the mid horn in Dynamat, change out the old caps in the networks, and Voila!

Good advice here. The Kappa 15C represents the best bang for the buck woofer because of it's greater midrange response while giving really tight bass. It's a great replacement for the K33 in the LaScala and Cornwall and it's about half the price.........IOW 2 for 1.  They lowered the price from my original experiments with the Quarter Pie horn about 6 years ago. The rest of the part mentioned are also top notch. If you follow Jim's recipe, you will not have any regrets!

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3 hours ago, PrestonTom said:

I am glad you have enjoyed the modifications you have performed. 

Regarding my experience in doing these .... well you are right. I am not an audio engineer. However in my defense, I will say that I do have some training and experience in an allied area. I will rely on that. 

Meanwhile, Jim and I will rely on my countless hornresp models and measurements, listening sessions, the success of my DIY Quarter Pie Horn world wide, and the many LaScala and Cornwall modders who have used the 15C successfully and PM me about how great it was. What specifically have you done to merit the OP's attention??

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6 hours ago, Jvitti1970 said:

@jimjimbo the Crites route is most likely what I'm gonna do along with the woofers you mentioned. I was just curious about the new stuff in production

Depends on what you want to save on the woofers. Either way you can't go wrong with Crites. If you do go that costlier route, go all the way and get the cast frame version, but you'll have to shave some LaScala wood to get them in there. 

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3 minutes ago, ClaudeJ1 said:

Meanwhile, Jim and I will rely on my countless hornresp models and measurements, listening sessions, the success of my DIY Quarter Pie Horn world wide, and the many LaScala and Cornwall modders who have used the 15C successfully and PM me about how great it was. What specifically have you done to merit the OP's attention??

Yea, what he said.....Although, I'm not sure about that world wide success thingie....

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Interesting hearing about the kappa 15. Down the road I was planning on starting a thread to see what was the latest and greatest k33 upgrade for belle and cornwalls. Expressing interest in getting the absolute best performance from each cab. Tightness, clarity, impact, and low distortion are top priority. I could care less about losing a little low end extension. They will all be crossed over to a horn sub anyway. 

 

I was thinking k48 might be the best option for both. People rave about their performance. 

 

Also running things active I wouldn’t have to worry about making a driver fit into factory crossovers settings or mildly modified settings. 

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Look, I certainly don't profess to know the perfect recipe for vintage La Scala marvelous goodness, I just know what I've heard.  I think there are at least a couple of folks here that can attest at least to some of the recipe goodness....

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