staylor Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 Hi all, new to this community, long time heritage fan. Question: are the improvements from LS II to AL5 that noticeable? I would not pay 12K for new AL5's but i would pay B stock pricing for blems on veneers.. so the question is new LS II or B-stock AL5's? I have my Eye on dealer owned LSII's 70Th anniversary in Australian Walnut or AL5 B stock / prices are comparable. any recommendations would help my decision. I have not owned La scala's, just heard them in showrooms. My current dailies are Cornwall III's, tube driven. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frzninvt Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 I seriously doubt you could tell the difference in a blind listening test between the two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted June 23, 2020 Moderators Share Posted June 23, 2020 6 hours ago, staylor said: Hi all, new to this community, long time heritage fan. Question: are the improvements from LS II to AL5 that noticeable? I would not pay 12K for new AL5's but i would pay B stock pricing for blems on veneers.. so the question is new LS II or B-stock AL5's? I have my Eye on dealer owned LSII's 70Th anniversary in Australian Walnut or AL5 B stock / prices are comparable. any recommendations would help my decision. I have not owned La scala's, just heard them in showrooms. My current dailies are Cornwall III's, tube driven. I have heard both, they are night and day, Last October, during Chief Bonehead's class about 30 or so people had the chance to critically listen to the AL5 vs. LS II, CWIII vs. CW IV, and I would say 100% said there was notable difference, and I will leave it to them to tell you if they thought it was an improvement or not. @mikebse2a3 has owned owned his awhile and was one of those who attended the class and I'm sure has plenty of comments on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old&Broke Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 New to this forum, but I'm definitely here for this discussion! 🍿 HUGE price jump to AL5 (50%) I'll hang up and listen! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted June 23, 2020 Moderators Share Posted June 23, 2020 5 minutes ago, Old&Broke said: New to this forum, but I'm definitely here for this discussion! 🍿 HUGE price jump to AL5 (50%) I'll hang up and listen! Welcome to the Forum! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panelhead Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 I have never heard he AL5. But after replacing the K-77 tweeters in LS II with MAHL horns and B&C DE-120 drivers the sound quality improved. Much smoother top end. Some feel the K55 is the weak link. Looking at what Klipsch changed points to the K77. Suspect the new tweeters used in the AL5 are responsible for most of the change in sonics between the two speakers. Doubt the updated wiring and thicker top hat walls are very noticeable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebuy Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 5 minutes ago, Panelhead said: I have never heard he AL5. But after replacing the K-77 tweeters in LS II with MAHL horns and B&C DE-120 drivers the sound quality improved. Much smoother top end. Some feel the K55 is the weak link. Looking at what Klipsch changed points to the K77. Suspect the new tweeters used in the AL5 are responsible for most of the change in sonics between the two speakers. Doubt the updated wiring and thicker top hat walls are very noticeable. Wiring is Everything. If Wiring wasn't an Important Change, they wouldn't have done it. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old&Broke Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 I listened to the Cornwall IV and AL5 recently at a dealer. Many years ago, I owned La Scalas. My heart pulled me to the sweet looking AL5s. My ears pulled me to the Cornwalls. I left torn and confused. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted June 23, 2020 Moderators Share Posted June 23, 2020 Go to 1:40 to listen to @Chief bonehead talk about the tweeter, at 3:00 he talks about the wire, same in AK6 and LS5 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 4 hours ago, Old&Broke said: I listened to the Cornwall IV and AL5 recently at a dealer. Many years ago, I owned La Scalas. My heart pulled me to the sweet looking AL5s. My ears pulled me to the Cornwalls. I left torn and confused. The new Cornwalls are the Best Cornwall ever -and that's saying a lot - 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthews Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 Feeling like a noob here 🤓 ...a little confused - Of course La Scala II, beautiful specimens they are. However, AL5? What is this AL5? Someone wrote me in a PM asking about AL5 and I thought it was an upgraded AL3 crossover. I may have given a very misguided response LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staylor Posted June 23, 2020 Author Share Posted June 23, 2020 (edited) All: appreciate your feedback and comments. I just missed AL5's B stock on Audiogon for $6,500. I will keep looking for a pair that wont break the bank. Dwilawyer: thank your for you comments and contact as well. Old&broke: I too am torn with cornwalls IV, I love the beauty of la scala Al5's. I currently have California black walnut with lambs wool cloth CWIII"s, not sure what to do... Edited June 23, 2020 by staylor 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panelhead Posted June 24, 2020 Share Posted June 24, 2020 Play some music. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonathanBrown Posted January 16, 2021 Share Posted January 16, 2021 (edited) On 6/23/2020 at 7:21 PM, staylor said: All: appreciate your feedback and comments. I just missed AL5's B stock on Audiogon for $6,500. I will keep looking for a pair that wont break the bank. Dwilawyer: thank your for you comments and contact as well. Old&broke: I too am torn with cornwalls IV, I love the beauty of la scala Al5's. I currently have California black walnut with lambs wool cloth CWIII"s, not sure what to do... Need to monitor and compare prices all the time. For me, this is not a little important condition, because prices can vary to unacceptable levels. Moreover, I had only half of the required amount, so I tried to view as many offers as possible. I turned to payday loans online in Montana, and applied for the missing amount, and quickly received an answer. And even with the interest that I had to pay, it turned out to be a rather lucrative offer. Edited January 19, 2021 by JonathanBrown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted January 16, 2021 Share Posted January 16, 2021 they are both EXCEPTIONAL performers... you cannot go wrong with either the AL5 or the LSii 70th. Implementation is the key Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panelhead Posted January 16, 2021 Share Posted January 16, 2021 As much as I like my LS 70th model, would swap for AL5. Without hearing or seeing them. The changes were made to improve the Sonics. But get a sub or four for either. The lows start rolling off around 100 Hz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmalloy Posted January 16, 2021 Share Posted January 16, 2021 On 6/22/2020 at 6:51 PM, rebuy said: Wiring is Everything. Wiring isn't everything. It's the only thing. 😄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 On 6/23/2020 at 9:21 AM, staylor said: All: appreciate your feedback and comments. I just missed AL5's B stock on Audiogon for $6,500. I will keep looking for a pair that wont break the bank. Wow! That was an amazing deal! Get your cash ready and check Audiogon, usaudiomart.com, usaaudiomart.com, and any other audio sales site you can think of. Check them every day, and don’t miss the next pair that shows up at a great price, even if it’s not as amazing as that one you missed. Saving thousands of dollars on super speakers is a bit of work, but when you get your speakers, you’ll find (and can calculate) that it was time very well spent. As for personal experience, I have original La Scalas and La Scala IIs, with both pairs in the same system (the original Scalas were my main speakers until I got the LS2s, and now they’re my surround speakers). The LS2s were a clear improvement over the old boys, both in sound and in appearance. The AL5s are similar in appearance, but it should be easy to hear the difference between them and the La Scala IIs, one would think. Hopefully, a few members will have heard them both and will comment soon. Happy hunting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebse2a3 Posted January 18, 2021 Share Posted January 18, 2021 On 1/16/2021 at 11:29 AM, Schu said: they are both EXCEPTIONAL performers... you cannot go wrong with either the AL5 or the LSii 70th. Implementation is the key Absolutely Agree 👍🙂 miketn La Scala ll 70th Anniversary. (Australian Walnut) La Scala AL5 Museum Edition (African Black Limba) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted January 18, 2021 Share Posted January 18, 2021 21 hours ago, Islander said: The AL5s are similar in appearance, but it should be easy to hear the difference between them and the La Scala IIs, one would think. Hopefully, a few members will have heard them both and will comment soon. Happy hunting! the LS II split cab is a beauty - 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.