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Altec 19 vs La Scala


5ow

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I've listened to both but in different systems at other guy's houses. For reference, I am a long time Klipschorn and Cornwall owner. I would jump on a pair of nineteen's if they came up near me. I owned fourteen's which are the baby brother, but never sounded balanced with their 12" woofer being incapable of keeping up with the horn. That is not a problem with the nineteen. I love La Scala's, but I think the big Altecs best them in my experience.

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2 hours ago, 5ow said:

hello, has anyone had an a to b experience with Altec 19 vs  La Scala ?

It should be Altec 19 vs. Cornwall. If it's a Cornwall IV, no contest. A LaScala has short horn bass, which is like comparing apples to oranges.

 

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4 minutes ago, Toz said:

I've listened to both but in different systems at other guy's houses. For reference, I am a long time Klipschorn and Cornwall owner. I would jump on a pair of nineteen's if they came up near me. I owned fourteen's which are the baby brother, but never sounded balanced with their 12" woofer being incapable of keeping up with the horn. That is not a problem with the nineteen. I love La Scala's, but I think the big Altecs best them in my experience.

Again apples and oranges question. The one with the tweeter wins the top end, but the one with the horn wins the bottom........................oh wait, the LaScala has both. Stupid answer to a stupid question, but hey, I'm guilty of answering too! Add a subwoofer and the LaScala will trounce both.

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4 hours ago, 5ow said:

hello, has anyone had an a to b experience with Altec 19 vs  La Scala ?

You will have a lot of enjoyment from you LaScala. Every speaker can use a bit of tweaking. I have had a few pair of LaScala, now I have seller's remorse. 

In trying to come closer to address your question: There are several who have AB&C the Altec 19 vs Khorn vs EV Sentry 3.
 

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I've had La Scala's.....Nineteens....amongst others.

 

If you're talking stock, then the 19's are a clear winner. Much more balanced sound & nowhere near as aggressive as the LS. The 19's have a more extended bottom end, but the LS are quicker in the bass. You will find the bass of the LS a more "woody, dry" sound, where the 19's are more tuneful, fuller & warmer. Horses for courses. 

 

They will both improve with mods. 

 

The 19's will need a cap upgrade to the crossovers & dampening of the 811 horns. After this they will sound....very good.

The LS will need more work to bring them to life. Crossover upgrade....mid horn upgrade..... & they would benefit greatly from the addition of a sub. Depends on how much work you are prepared to do. Would they then be better than 19's??? Hard to say....in my opinion, they would both be fine speakers, but just a different flavour. 

 

I don't think anyone who wants LS would want a pair of 19's & vice versa. You really need to listen to them both & see what flavour you prefer before you jump in the deep end.

 

Of course lots of people just love the LS just the way they are. Personally I can't listen to them as stock. 

 

Good luck with you project.

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8 hours ago, 5ow said:

hello, has anyone had an a to b experience with Altec 19 vs  La Scala ?

I have owned both these speakers , the model 19 was a speaker that was phenomenal in the 70's  and very rare   , the Lascala  had  a bigger prestige mark    , the signature from V section was ultra modern ,  Klipsch was the TOP you could buy ,  the klipsch Khorn was even more of a luxury item  -

 

one particular difference between a Lascala was that it was made of plywood and it was not veneered ,  the Altec was made of some form of dense stock with either oak or walnut veneer  -  2  very different speakers -

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Altec produced a lot of great products

The 19 was considered their best home speaker by many

The cabinet with 2 connected chambers is a different design philosophy than the LaScala

19 = 2 drivers, better driver alignment

 

LaScala 3 drivers, fully horn loaded. 19 is 2-way so one less crossover point to manage

 

LS probably better for vocals with crossover at 400hz vs 1200Hz

 

19 goes to 30Hz, LS bottoms out at 50Hz

 

If I had room I would own a pair of 19s in addition to all my other gear.

I have always loved the LS for female vocals.....

 

 

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16 hours ago, Toz said:

I would jump on a pair of nineteen's if they came up near me.

During the "Quad Craze," I did a demo of my Heresys for an Altec Dealer's Salesman. He could have bought the Altec 19's at dealer cost, but he chose 4 Heresys instead. I think the Ninteens are the best implementation of Altec home speakers. They are well tuned, and the crossover design helps bring up the high end over 8 Khz.

 

That being said, I still think even an old Cornwall will sound better............that also being said...................

 

Whether to purchase a pair of Altec 19's or not depends entirely on the PRICE, which is never mentioned!

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Lions or tigers really. I have heard both but not in an A/B situation - hell not even in the same year. I suspect very few have, the odds of having both in a room at the same time are pretty slim and the venerable 19s aren't exactly thick on the ground.

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5 minutes ago, Woofers and Tweeters said:

I skipped the Quad Craze and went straight for the Googolphonic sound. All I need now is a moon rock needle

I agree with Steve Martin's making fun of Audio Geeks! The moonrock needle indeed with the Googol Phonic speakers systems still sound like shit compared to a live performance of acoustic instruments in a great room!

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I have a pair of Altec 15’s and old Lascala’s.  The Altecs are rather thin and lack the big sound from the LS. Both are greatly improved with sub. Not the same comparison, but it’s what I got. I am pursuing these threads, getting ready to start some mods on the LS... can’t wait..

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  • 3 years later...

Interesting thread. I was just asking these same questions. From what I've gathered, they say the 19's go down to 30hz vs the La Scala's 45-50 Hz? I haven't heard a La Scala in a proper setting and I've always been curious how a horn loaded bass sounds compared to a conventional front firing woofer. The thing about the 19's that seems so attractive is that from what I've gathered reading online is that they have amazing highs and midrange and that they also deliver great bottom end or at least more than likely enough bass to please my jazz listening desires. My Forte 1 is said to go down to 32 hz and I love their bass already. I just wish it contained the large scale of the  midrange the La Scala is said to have. Curious to hear others thoughts describing the horn loaded bass of a La Scala.

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Although I have never ABed them, I have read a lot about the Altec 19 vs Klipsch's offerings. The earlier Cornwall didn't have a large enough horn to compete with the 19, BUT I'd like to hear the new Cornwall vs the 19. The LaScala didn't dig as deep as the 19, but still, some liked the LaScala better.

 

The real battle was when the Khorn vs the 19 were pitted against one another. Both were top-shelf offerings from each company for domestic use. A lot of good reading out there with points for each side. IIRC, the Khorn digs deeper and has great sound. The 19 are not so placement-sensitive and come ready to rumble. At the end of it all, when the Khorn is placed properly in the corners of a large room, they smoke the Altec 19. 

The speakers I always wanted to pit against my Khorns are the Electro Voice Sentry III. 

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