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LaScala - Name That Mid & Are They Worth It?


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I am looking at rescuing some LaScalas from a school to restore and I am wondering if someone can help me identify this midrange driver.  This is a 1992 version using the AL3 network so it should have a K-55-M like its sibling.  These speakers are pretty rough but I hate to seem them thrown into a dumpster.  Do you think it is worth the cost of a K-55-M and the cost of the recap kit?  I typically do classic receiver restores and am not threatened by the electronics but the cabinet restores will be a time consuming task.  I am a perfectionist so I expect to sink a lot of time and $ into this so just wondering if this version of the LaScala is worth that effort and cost..  Thank you!

 

IMG_4978.jpg

 

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2 hours ago, babadono said:

LaScalas are always worth restoring IMHO unless of course they are just totally thrashed. The ones in your pics don't look all that bad. Are you sure that mid is not the stock driver but with the label gone?

I have to say I am sure I will do a restore if I can get them for extremely reasonable amount and thanks to you both for the feedback.

 

This mid driver is definitely different than the other (shown below).  Based on my reading this vintage lascala should have a K-55-M and the one shown earlier in the thread is completely different. 

 

This is the correct mid..

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This is not the correct mid.  As you can see the back is completely different and the connections are different too.  I assume I can probably find a K-55-M at a reasonable cost.  Hopefully the horn is original..

IMG_4978.jpg

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1992 is getting into the better-sounding versions, so no worries there.  If the squawker horns are marked K401, they're very likely genuine.  As for the drivers, I agree with The Dude.  Replace both drivers.  Get the speakers sounding right and don't worry too much about their appearance.  My La Scalas are the usual basic black, with a few scratches, but the Belles are another story.  A Forum member from Missouri (IIRC) alerted me that the nearby University of Victoria was selling a pair of Belles on eBay.  This Forum is great!  You can not only find friends, sometimes you can find speakers.  Bargain speakers!  I won the auction, and they cost me a total of $675.  I saw them for the first time when I went to pick them up, and they were rough, after spending 20 years in the University Music Room.  As well, they had Neutrik connectors instead of a more common type.

 

No matter!  They sounded okay, and buying the corresponding male Neutrik connectors cost me under $15.  BTW, the Neutrik connectors are a rare thing, a real audio bargain.

 

I only wanted one speaker, to serve as the front centre channel and TV stand.  I chose the less battle-scarred one and parked the other one in a corner.  Having the TV on top makes some of the marks less noticeable, and the price was great, since single Belles are extremely rare, so you usually have to buy a pair to get one.  In any case, I smile whenever I think of the price, and nobody has ever commented on the looks of the speakers, even though the one in use sits between a mint pair of La Scala IIs.

 

Get the speakers and fix their driver needs right away.  The cap replacement can be put off for now, and will give you a chance to get used to how they sound as they are.  That will let you know what difference new caps make.  As for their looks, they could be worse.  I'm a perfectionist, too, but those speakers do deserve a good home, and they will serve you well until you can budget to get a pair of later models in nicer cosmetic condition.

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So I was able to pick up the LaScalas for a monetary price of zero and after vacuuming out 30 years of dust bunnies and wiping them down they look much better.  I did put a ohm meter on them before attempting to listen to ensure they are not dead short and both show 4 ohms.  I powered them with a old Pioneer sx-750 as a start and I found that the odd mid driver in the pics above is not working.  Needless to say I am now on the search for a K-55-M as I would like to keep the electronics as original as possible (unless you all convince me otherwise).  Based on my research if I was to change out to the more common (and rebuild-able) K-55-V I would need to change the crossovers completely.   Do any of you know what the tweeter, mid and woofer should measure individually in ohms?  I would like to check each individually and ensure that they are all within spec before I get too crazy..  Hard to hold back, I admit..   Lascala2.jpg

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15 minutes ago, EssentialAudioRestoration said:

So I was able to pick up the LaScalas for a monetary price of zero 

 

 

Zero? I'll pay you..... Congratulations. I'm sure someone will provide the answers you need and help you find to correct parts. Again congrats!

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3 hours ago, EssentialAudioRestoration said:

So I was able to pick up the LaScalas for a monetary price of zero and after vacuuming out 30 years of dust bunnies and wiping them down they look much better.  I did put a ohm meter on them before attempting to listen to ensure they are not dead short and both show 4 ohms.  I powered them with a old Pioneer sx-750 as a start and I found that the odd mid driver in the pics above is not working.  Needless to say I am now on the search for a K-55-M as I would like to keep the electronics as original as possible (unless you all convince me otherwise).  Based on my research if I was to change out to the more common (and rebuild-able) K-55-V I would need to change the crossovers completely.   Do any of you know what the tweeter, mid and woofer should measure individually in ohms?  I would like to check each individually and ensure that they are all within spec before I get too crazy..  Hard to hold back, I admit..

 

Great Scala score!  Sometimes amazing bargains are out there, just waiting for some lucky guy to find them.

 

When testing drivers, keep in mind that resistance and impedance are not the same thing, although both are measured in ohms.  Resistance is a DC measurement, while impedance is an AC measurement.  Also, impedance varies with frequency, so a speaker's impedance rating is a nominal number.  Klipsch does well to say "8 ohm compatible", because that's honest.

 

To test your drivers, you'll need to know the resistance numbers, which are not known to me, but quite a few Forum members do know them, and will hopefully chime in for you.  Meantime, you can check for continuity, so you know that driver doesn't have a broken wire in it.  Oh, I see you've done that already.  Beyond that, I don't think that resistance numbers vary that much for a given driver.  Mostly, it either works or it doesn't, so you'll either have some numbers between 3 and 11 ohms, or you'll have infinity, indicating something is broken.  A dead short, in other words.

 

As for whether to use K-55M or K-55V, the difference is not like day and night.  Having two matching drivers is the main thing.

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2 hours ago, EssentialAudioRestoration said:

Needless to say I am now on the search for a K-55-M as I would like to keep the electronics as original as possible (unless you all convince me otherwise)

 

Not knowing where you live, possible budget, how good you want things to sound....

 

(yeah, @Islander you know where I'm going BUT I'll let you do it)

 

So that said, before you spend too much, you might decide if you want them to simply sound good or move them UP significantly in sound (in other words, if you are KEEPING them.....if you are flipping them then never mind)

 

I'll go find my seat now.

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Hey, hey my kinda man!  ZERO is ALWAYS good!  ANY thing can be gone thru and brought up to speed IF you really need to dive into them.  Looks like someone changed out a mid-driver for some reason but with a lil luck you'll find one or a pair of drivers in the garage sale section here.  They come up for sale every so often. Patience is a virtue and the wait will be worth it imo.  See if you can swap the drivers to check the horn in question so ya know what you'll need horn-wise IF the size is different.  Also when you replace the drivers make sure to replace the gasket btwn the horn and driver.  Someone in here might have a pair of extras laying around.

 

Flip them?  Seriously?  You cra cra?  You CRANK them not FLIP them!

 

Now I'll go take my seat and watch.  Just my $.02 worth.  :) 

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4 hours ago, EssentialAudioRestoration said:

 I am now on the search for a K-55-M as I would like to keep the electronics as original as possible (unless you all convince me otherwise).  Based on my research if I was to change out to the more common (and rebuild-able) K-55-V I would need to change the crossovers completely.   Do any of you know what the tweeter, mid and woofer should measure individually in ohms?  I would like to check each individually and ensure that they are all within spec before I get too crazy..  Hard to hold back, I admit..  

First off all k-55M or K55V  wont require replacing the crossovers at all , both drivers will work just fine -

 

k55M  is 16 Ohms-K77M square magnet is 8 Ohms -Woofer k33 is 4 Ohms

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8 hours ago, EssentialAudioRestoration said:

 

You have a pair of K-55-M?  If so, please message with details and price..  Thx.

 

Great Forum by the way..

 

Sorry....I meant had a pair of the Peavey RX-22's in boxes which is why I knew what they were. 

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