LaScala - Name That Mid & Are They Worth It?

[EssentialAudioRestoration]

9 hours ago, avguytx said:

 

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

 

No worries and thanks for the offer .. and the info..

 

I did take the ohm meter to the drivers and found tweeters to be 6.3, woofers 3.6 and the good K55M to be 10.4.  The non functional Peavey is zero..  I have put out the "K55M Wanted" in the Garage Sale forum and on some FB groups; Vintage Klipsch Fans and Klipsch Heritage Only..  I also have been trying to reach Crites.  Hoping something shows up soon as I would like to hear them with 2 working mids.  Thanks to all.

[Marvel]

I didn't see it mentioned to loosen and retighten the screws on the terminal strip on the crossovers.

 

If the crossovers are original, the 8 ohm Peavey drivers will shift the crossover frequency a little.

 

Those look pretty good. I paid $100 for cabinets with none of the correct parts.

[Islander]

3 hours ago, Marvel said:

I didn't see it mentioned to loosen and retighten the screws on the terminal strip on the crossovers.

 

 

That’s a very good idea.  Over time, maybe decades in this case, corrosion can start between the screws and washers, causing intermittent or broken connections.  Just loosening and tightening the connections can often be enough to make them work properly, with no need to take anything apart.  It’s maintenance of a a sort.

 

The black plastic barrier strip, where many connections are made, is an obvious place to check that the screws are snug, after loosening and re-tightening them, with just a half-turn of the screw.  BE CAREFUL!  The barrier strip has brass inserts for the screws, but it’s still a piece of plastic, so don’t overdo it with the tightness.

[EssentialAudioRestoration]

Thank you to all for the feedback and PMs.  I did ohm out the Peavey driver and it is shorted, but the good news is that today I found a working replacement K-55-M for a reasonable sum.  I want to get these working as step 1 and then I will be replacing the caps on the AL-3 crossovers.  My neighbor makes furniture and he cannot wait to get started on the cabinets..  At this point not sure whether to patch up the damage, fill the holes and try to go low cost restore or go full in on some sexy veneer.  I think my decision will be made after I listen for a while..

[OO1]

38 minutes ago, EssentialAudioRestoration said:

 I will be replacing the caps on the AL-3 crossovers. 

 reach out to  @JEM Performance   for replacing the caps with klipsch OEM Capacitors , the caps are affordable , these klipsch parts will restore the specs of the network without altering any other parts  -if you can solder , you can do the work yourself -

[EssentialAudioRestoration]

4 hours ago, RandyH said:

 reach out to  @JEM Performance   for replacing the caps with klipsch OEM Capacitors , the caps are affordable , these klipsch parts will restore the specs of the network without altering any other parts  -if you can solder , you can do the work yourself -

I will definitely check them out.. I can certainly solder as I have been doing some old Pioneer SX restorations.  I think the electronics will be by far the easiest part of this restore.   I am stoked about finding a K55M and I am looking forward to getting them as is into my listening room for a while.  I would like to get a baseline and then do the networks and hopefully hear the difference.  My mind has been spinning on this as there are so many options and so much information out there for these.  I plan to blog the upgrade process on my website and once I get it started I will share the link.  Thanks again.

[Dave1291]

10 hours ago, EssentialAudioRestoration said:

I am stoked about finding a K55M

ANOTHER one begins the dance!  Put your helmet on and buckle up tight cause it's gonna be a long ride...  😂

[KT88]

E.A.R. I would like to tell you briefly about my experience and congratulations on your "purchase".
I have had LaScala from 1977 since 1999 but they have been dormant for about 15 years. I came back to them for various reasons. I made a few mistakes with the Lascalas 15 to 20 years ago, that's how I would describe it today. One is seduced all too quickly to go along with all kinds of "improvements" and "increases". Since I reactivated my LS, I've been going down the path of being as faithful to the original as possible, and later, when I've reached that point, I can think about careful improvements, but so far the steps I've taken in the direction of originality have meant an increase in sound.

However, my 1977LS are equipped with the Alnico K55V driver, the K77 Alnico and the Type AA crossover.

I can't judge your LS and I would certainly do as you do so that they run first.
I am a big fan of the Alnico K55V and installed new Michael Crites diaphragms two months ago...what a wishful difference!
Capacitors...what Klipsch also recommends are these yellow polyester typer. I was surprised how good they sound. The argument is that with them the impedance of the whole network is maintained and I can say that they do indeed give an overall coherent sound impression unlike some of the more "modern" or "better" types I have had in my AA network before.

 

 

 

The ne t step I will do is that I have found a company here in Germany which is able to remagnetize the K77 Alnico and the K55V. I do not know if it is necessary for the K55V but the K77 will probably benefit from this measure.

 

 

[EssentialAudioRestoration]

On 8/9/2021 at 11:07 AM, KT88 said:

E.A.R. I would like to tell you briefly about my experience and congratulations on your "purchase".
I have had LaScala from 1977 since 1999 but they have been dormant for about 15 years. I came back to them for various reasons. I made a few mistakes with the Lascalas 15 to 20 years ago, that's how I would describe it today. One is seduced all too quickly to go along with all kinds of "improvements" and "increases". Since I reactivated my LS, I've been going down the path of being as faithful to the original as possible, and later, when I've reached that point, I can think about careful improvements, but so far the steps I've taken in the direction of originality have meant an increase in sound.

However, my 1977LS are equipped with the Alnico K55V driver, the K77 Alnico and the Type AA crossover.

I can't judge your LS and I would certainly do as you do so that they run first.
I am a big fan of the Alnico K55V and installed new Michael Crites diaphragms two months ago...what a wishful difference!
Capacitors...what Klipsch also recommends are these yellow polyester typer. I was surprised how good they sound. The argument is that with them the impedance of the whole network is maintained and I can say that they do indeed give an overall coherent sound impression unlike some of the more "modern" or "better" types I have had in my AA network before.

 

 

 

The ne t step I will do is that I have found a company here in Germany which is able to remagnetize the K77 Alnico and the K55V. I do not know if it is necessary for the K55V but the K77 will probably benefit from this measure.

 

 

KT88 thank you for the feedback and I think you can probably see that I have been a bit seduced by what I will call the need to modify but am trying to stick to a plan.  When I found these LS I knew that one had an incorrect mid driver and that they have the AL-3 networks.  Decision one, which was a big one, was to determine whether to hunt for another K55M and hope that I find one so I can keep the AL3 network OR replace both mids with K55V or the PD-5VH and know that my networks are not meant to work with these drivers.  While I have heard LS before, I have not had a pair to live with in my room so I definitely want to get them working as close as possible to original and determine my own path forward.  From what I have read, the K55M/AL-3 combination is a generally considered to be a good combination so I consider it to be a good starting point.  I have been talking with Crites and JEM regarding the recap of the AL3 and it is interesting how many different opinions exist for network modifications.  This is a great site and there are clearly a number of people out there that have been living with these for years and have great advice (such as yourself).. I fully intend to post my thoughts and ask questions as this moves forward.. 

 

BTW.. Cologne is a beautiful city.  I spent 2 weeks there on a project and loved it..