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My first La Scalas


pcbiz

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I would do Crites 4500 hz mod takes the load off the midrange driver......get a pair of his tweeters. I painted my metal horns with rustoleom enamel helps with sound I think also put a little dynamax type stuff on the. 

I made some ALKs a long time ago to much money nothing different in my opinion. I sold them...lol

If you decide to veneer them run some screws into the side boards to stiffen up those. 4 top and bottom should do it. 

I use O-rings on my mid driver cause that washer sticks out into sound path. 

A friend has industrials with the k-43 and it doesn't sound right. Does anyone have any information on what the K-43 does to LaScalas?????? 

 

 

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1 hour ago, ricktate said:

A friend has industrials with the k-43 and it doesn't sound right. Does anyone have any information on what the K-43 does to LaScalas?????? 

Industrials are spec'd for the K43 so how does it not "sound right"?   If they sound "different" from a normal LS, well then, they are supposed to...... I have split Industrials and have had other LS with K-43s, and they sound fantastic.  To my ears (and many others), even better are Eminence Kappa 15C woofers.

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20 hours ago, pcbiz said:

Here they are. I'm going to see just how close I can get them to the AL5s. I'll get the AL5s later, but tinkering with these will be fun.

 

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To be honest I don't know if it's a real desire that your beautiful vintage Lascalas should sound like a modern AL5 Lascala.
There are so many recommendations and advice on what to change and improve.
Of course, modern AL5s sound also very good out loud. Your vintage Lascalas sound especially good soft to medium loud.
For example, if you like your Alnico K77s then keep them. I'm definitely keeping mine.
All modern drivers and horns may be an improvement or modernisation.
But my now 62 year old ears like Alnico.
I have temporarily installed K77M in my 1977 LS because the original Alnico K77 are being restored, magnetised and new diaphragms. The K77M ceramic magnets sound much less emotional to me, and psychoacoustically this impression extends to the whole sound, not just the highs.

At the very least, I would keep all the parts and compare them from time to time with the so-called improvements.

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38 minutes ago, jimjimbo said:

Industrials are spec'd for the K43 so how does it not "sound right"?   If they sound "different" from a normal LS, well then, they are supposed to...... I have Industrials and have had other LS with K-43s, and they sound fantastic.

+ on this. LSI's are better sounding to me too.

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2 hours ago, Coytee said:

 

 

Are those spade ends also pure copper?  If not, would they nullify the benefits of pure copper?

 

(I'm just a wire hag that uses store bought direct burial low voltage lighting wire)

 

Maybe I'm just a hag, my wife might agree.

 

Regarding the 402/510....do a lookup on them.  If someone puts "X" amount of funds into fixing up LaScalas but more importantly, are actively looking to distinctly improve their sound, then that is likely going to be the most significant single upgrade that  you can do..... but it's not what I'd call inexpensive.  Right now, I'd say you are dancing on the periphery of improvements.  The 402/510 and actively biamping them is jumping into the serious end of the pool.

 

If you ever get near Knoxville,  you're welcome to hear what I'm talking about.  (I have 1979 LaScalas and 402's so can do a side by side comparison after some equipment swapping)

 

The spades carry the sound of the thicker wire nicely. If I had spades with a better metal, that would probably help, but these spades have worked just fine with my Heresys and Chros IIs. As far as bi-amping goes, I'll do that when I get the AL5s. Right now I just want to hear these old speakers sound new ++.

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10 minutes ago, jimjimbo said:

Good luck getting your vintage LS to sound like AL5.  Vintage LS are constructed of Baltic Birch, AL5s are much thicker MDF, but I'm sure you know that.....

Yes, and the AL5s have a 2" mid driver. Actually, the 2" mid driver is why I'm getting the AL5s. That's a mod I'm not willing to do for these old La Scalas.

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13 hours ago, pcbiz said:

 

They're actually pretty beat and scratched up. They were stored stacked with one on top.

 

AA Crossovers. I'm impressed by the sound, even though I know an ALK crossover will take them to new and improved sonic capabilities.

 

 

 

I have owned tons of Klipschorns and LaScala and the AA crossover sounds best to me of the older speakers.

 

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2 hours ago, twistedcrankcammer said:

 

 

 

I have owned tons of Klipschorns and LaScala and the AA crossover sounds best to me of the older speakers.

 

Hmmm.... Perhaps that's why Al offers the Super AA-X upgrade for $130. 

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3 hours ago, KT88 said:

To be honest I don't know if it's a real desire that your beautiful vintage Lascalas should sound like a modern AL5 Lascala.
There are so many recommendations and advice on what to change and improve.
Of course, modern AL5s sound also very good out loud. Your vintage Lascalas sound especially good soft to medium loud.
For example, if you like your Alnico K77s then keep them. I'm definitely keeping mine.
All modern drivers and horns may be an improvement or modernisation.
But my now 62 year old ears like Alnico.
I have temporarily installed K77M in my 1977 LS because the original Alnico K77 are being restored, magnetised and new diaphragms. The K77M ceramic magnets sound much less emotional to me, and psychoacoustically this impression extends to the whole sound, not just the highs.

At the very least, I would keep all the parts and compare them from time to time with the so-called improvements.

 

I like alnico, too. I have blue alnico speakers in my Vox AC-30 guitar amplifier. The amp sounds great on Fender Rhodes, too.

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5 hours ago, pcbiz said:

Yes, and the AL5s have a 2" mid driver. Actually, the 2" mid driver is why I'm getting the AL5s. That's a mod I'm not willing to do for these old La Scalas.

As far as I know they have not changed mid drivers on the Heritage, all use the Atlas driver same size. 

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1 hour ago, pcbiz said:

 

Ah... ok. Well, they sound bigger so I want them.

actually , the new AL5 are quite an upgrade/evolution  from the LS 1  -

the cab is 1 inch MDF , so much stiffer ,and it's a 2 piece cab ,-

-the HF is separate , so not as crowded sound wise --

-the doghouse has a plug which seals much better any air leaks  , the risers decouple the speakers from the floor rather than resting on the bottom panel -

-the new tweeter is  phenomenal with the K55X , there is nothing out there than can match that tweeter's sparkle and High Res sound  with a Lascala or a Khorn 

-the new K33E woofer can handle more power 

- the  passive network is  so ultra-modern that there is not even a need for DSP on the AL5  -

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1 hour ago, RandyH said:

actually , the new AL5 are quite an upgrade/evolution  from the LS 1  -

the cab is 1 inch MDF , so much stiffer ,and it's a 2 piece cab ,-

-the HF is separate , so not as crowded sound wise --

-the doghouse has a plug which seals much better any air leaks  , the risers decouple the speakers from the floor rather than resting on the bottom panel -

-the new tweeter is  phenomenal with the K55X , there is nothing out there than can match that tweeter's sparkle and High Res sound  with a Lascala or a Khorn 

-the new K33E woofer can handle more power 

- the  passive network is  so ultra-modern that there is not even a need for DSP on the AL5  -

I don't doubt any of this and even without hearing them would have to assume they are a better, more modern speaker I just didn't want the OP buying these based on something that just isn't true if you catch what I'm throwin' down that's all. 

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1 hour ago, twistedcrankcammer said:
On 10/5/2021 at 8:26 AM, pcbiz said:

Yes, and the AL5s have a 2" mid driver. Actually, the 2" mid driver is why I'm getting the AL5s. That's a mod I'm not willing to do for these old La Scalas.

 

 

 

If you had heard Jubilees, you wouldn't look twice at the AL-5 Dude...

 

 

The AL5s midrange has a 2" diaphragm, NOT a 2" throat. All the K-55 versions have a 1 " (more like a 7/8" throat.

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