LS II vs. AL5 are the improvements worth the money

[Islander]

8 hours ago, RandyH000 said:

 the LS II  split cab is a beauty  -

 

The 2-piece cabinet makes moving them quite a bit easier.  The HF cabinet might be the heavier part.  When a friend and I repositioned my LS2s a month ago, I was really surprised to feel how heavy the top cabinets were.  If the cabinets were a 1-piece unit, it would make moving them really difficult.  To get the idea, set a pair of 25-pound barbell plates on top of a first-gen La Scala, lose the flat bottom and steel button feet, and then try shifting them.

 

All told, though, the improvement in looks over the early versions of the original La Scalas is hard to overstate.  To my eyes, the 3/4" panels or the originals somehow look a bit too thin when they meet the top section, while the 1" panels of the LS2s look just right.  As well, the Furniture Grade finish of the LS2s is so much better looking than the Utility finish of the earlier ones.  I don't include the later (post-1980 or 1990?) models of the originals, because they do look like they belong in a living room, instead of on stage or behind the sofa.

 

Of course, this is how they look to me.  Your personal La Scalas may look exactly right to you.  I feel lucky to have both varieties.

[Goldenear67]

Hey everyone:

 

Original Klipsch La Scala K-33 woofer frequency range starts at 47 Hz

 

Eminence Kappa 15C woofer is 63 to 2,800Hz  https://www.parts-express.com/Eminence-KAPPA-15C-15-Driver-4-Ohm-290-459?gclid=Cj0KCQjwk4yGBhDQARIsACGfAetqN1ctJTSiuoJtilclZaFs9RwDwchTxtUsqBsVA2FHFlVmKAywy9MaApPbEALw_wcB

 

Goldwood GW 15PC is 25 Hz - 2500 Hz https://www.midwestspeakerrepair.com/shop/home-audio/woofers/15-1-woofers/goldwood-gw-15pc-15-heavy-duty-woofer/

 

It appears that using the Eminence Kappa 15C  you'll loose 20 Hz on the bottom end.  The La Scala's need as much low end as possible so why are these  replacement woofers so highly recommended?

 

I can't speak for the Goldwoods clarity or performance because I have never used/heard them installed in a La Scala but did notice their specs on paper look better than the  Eminence Kappa 15C. 

 

Wouldn't the Goldwood GW-15 PC be a better choice for a replacement woofer?

Edited just now by Goldenear67

[KT88]

Does Klipsch sell the AL5 tweeters as an upgrade to LS2 owners?

[mikebse2a3]

29 minutes ago, KT88 said:

Does Klipsch sell the AL5 tweeters as an upgrade to LS2 owners?

I doubt it …

The AL5 HF Cabinet is about an 1” to 1.5” taller due to the the new tweeter and the crossover of the La Scala ll wouldn’t be compatible without modification as well. 

 

miketn

 

 

 

[KT88]

Many tanks for your response, miketn. Just spun as a fantasy. Let's assume someone has an old Lascala from the 70s. It is not in good shape. The tweeters are missing. The crossover could be restored. But one could also go new ways. 
The Atlas driver of today is identical to the one of the 70s. The K400/401 horn is also still the same shape. In principle, one could build a new AL5 Xover and use the new tweeter horn. Let's imagine that the old Lascala has a lot of damage to the baffle of the squaker and tweeter. You could build a new baffle to fit the very current tweeter. That would be a cool thing for sure. It's just a reverie.

[OO1]

1 hour ago, mikebse2a3 said:

I doubt it …

The AL5 HF Cabinet is about an 1” to 1.5” taller due to the the new tweeter and the crossover of the La Scala ll wouldn’t be compatible without modification as well. 

 

miketn

 

plus the new tweeter is only sold by Celestion for line arrays /OEM's only , so you would need quantity purchases , not sure what the minimum order is ?  Distributors dont stock the tweeter  either , and finally ,even if you could find a pair ,  you would be buying the tweeter only , no horn lens ,  or the klipsch phase plug -

[Audible Nectar]

15 hours ago, Goldenear67 said:

Hey everyone:

 

Original Klipsch La Scala K-33 woofer frequency range starts at 47 Hz

 

Eminence Kappa 15C woofer is 63 to 2,800Hz  https://www.parts-express.com/Eminence-KAPPA-15C-15-Driver-4-Ohm-290-459?gclid=Cj0KCQjwk4yGBhDQARIsACGfAetqN1ctJTSiuoJtilclZaFs9RwDwchTxtUsqBsVA2FHFlVmKAywy9MaApPbEALw_wcB

 

Goldwood GW 15PC is 25 Hz - 2500 Hz https://www.midwestspeakerrepair.com/shop/home-audio/woofers/15-1-woofers/goldwood-gw-15pc-15-heavy-duty-woofer/

 

It appears that using the Eminence Kappa 15C  you'll loose 20 Hz on the bottom end.  The La Scala's need as much low end as possible so why are these  replacement woofers so highly recommended?

 

I can't speak for the Goldwoods clarity or performance because I have never used/heard them installed in a La Scala but did notice their specs on paper look better than the  Eminence Kappa 15C. 

 

Wouldn't the Goldwood GW-15 PC be a better choice for a replacement woofer?

Edited just now by Goldenear67

 

 

Talk to ClaudeJ1 on this forum (look for his posts in the Technical/modifications section of this forum) as he has forgotten more about the specifics of these woofers than I will ever know. He is a fund of information and can/has broken down a number of these woofers here in the past. I replaced an old set of K33 with Eminence Kappa 15C in a set of '76 Belle Klipsch with excellent results based on his recommendations and breakdowns, although there's certainly nothing wrong with using a K33 of course. The improvement in the midrange of the lower bin of the Belle was the primary benefit of that choice, the "loss" of the lower bass response isn't as much an issue as those LaScala and Belle cabs roll off on the low end below 60 hz anyway. But I would look through Claude's posts on these topics, and see if he can clarify anything for you.

 

And now back to your regularly scheduled programming.