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Best inexpensive LaScala mod?


Clint Phare

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Some mods make a significant change, but whether you find that change a good thing or a bad thing will depend on what kind of change you're looking for.

For example, I've installed Al K.'s crossovers ($450 for the pair) and applied Dynamat sound damping material to the midrange horns of my La Scalas ($70 or so total, could have spent less...). My La Scalas are 1974 models with the cast metal midrange horn.

Damping the horn made a big difference in the sound, particularly at louder levels. Reduced a blurring of the sound, made female vocals, in particular, sound much more like real people singing than HiFi reproduction of people. This is a good thing. However, damping the horns also moved the midrange back a bit, not so much "in your face", and reduced a bit of the "livelyness" I was used to, which I now realize was due to the horn resonances reinforcing certain frequencies. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Your call. (Dynamat is available at most auto supply shops. Several different versions - I found the old fashioned brown asphalt based stuff worked better than the new high tech silver backed stuff.)

The Crossover swap made a very positive difference. However, in my case, is that difference because Al's crossovers are better than the original equipment AA crossovers, or is it because the original crossovers were, like, 25 years old and the caps were old, or a combination of both? I have no way to tell. I love my speakers, though. They sound better now than they did the day I bought 'em.

Ray

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Music is art

Audio is engineering

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Clint,

I think Ray has given you the best mods. The dynamat is relatively easy, not very expensive, and for my ear, it made a big difference in the mid-range sound. Al K's crossovers were also the second mod I made and, if you can come up with the bucks, the new crossovers do make the biggest difference.

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Richard Hemmings

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Thanks Al! Were would the web page be to check it out? As for the soldering iron- swing- hell I can melt holes in tabletops! The first day on a new job I impressed everyone by burning a hole in the soldering iron cord and blew a breaker! Boy did that feel good!And most recently a soldering iron was sitting around ( not in use ) and I some how managed to cut the cord with a bolt cutter! Still am having a hard time with that one.

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You also might want to try automotive underbody coating (the thick, heavy pro type, not the cheap spray bottle). I have a friend who used to install car audio who liked this better than dynamat for reducing resonance in car doors. I guess it would adhere better to the contours of the horn.

I haven't tried it, but its an idea

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The advantage of Dynamat, aside from possible acoustic differences between it and rope caulk or spray on damping, is that you get to feel cool applying it. cool.gif

Taking the (HOT HOT HOT OUCH OUCH OUCH) pre-cut icky brown asphalt based dynamat pieces out of my slightly too warm oven, trying to get them on the metal body of the squawker horn while the dynamat was sagging and stretching and sticking to everything it touched and burning my fingers before it started to cool down, and moulding it onto the horn with my hands made me feel like a character out of Macbeth. "Double, double, toil and trouble, fire burn and caldrun bubble, horn of metal will be tamed and music now be unrestrained!"

I work too much.

Ray

------------------

Music is art

Audio is engineering

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