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My first La Scalas


pcbiz

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Outfitted the first squawker with my Kilmat scraps. ALK's advice on damping material is really good advice. This is my third horn damping effort; Heresys, Chorus IIs, and now my La Scalas. My speakers consistently sound better with this treatment.

 

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The first speaker is done. I'm not going to change the caps right now. I'd like to see how they sound with new wiring. When my ALK crossovers come in, I will probably use an Audioquest type of wiring.

 

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They're all set up now. Listening to Nora Jones CD. On "Don't Know Why". Nora's voice is much more natural and present with these little upgrades. Guitars on the other tunes are crisper and more detailed.

 

I do understand now what everyone says about the conspicuous absence of bass on stock vintage La Scalas. I've got a fix on the way. These speakers are great. 

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I, like a few others here, have adjusted the midrange, dropping it down a few db. Turning up the gain then brings up the apparent bass. Not the same as adding a sub, but you might be surprised at how much more full they sound.

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11 hours ago, Marvel said:

I, like a few others here, have adjusted the midrange, dropping it down a few db. Turning up the gain then brings up the apparent bass. Not the same as adding a sub, but you might be surprised at how much more full they sound.

 

Excellent idea. That's how the crossovers I'm waiting on work.

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On 10/8/2021 at 4:05 PM, pcbiz said:

They're all set up now. Listening to Nora Jones CD. On "Don't Know Why". Nora's voice is much more natural and present with these little upgrades. Guitars on the other tunes are crisper and more detailed.

 

I do understand now what everyone says about the conspicuous absence of bass on stock vintage La Scalas. I've got a fix on the way. These speakers are great. 

make sure the bottom access woofer panel has a  tight seal -

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7 hours ago, babadono said:

Yes Sir, tweeters that blow at 5 watts need 10 awg wire. ...Meanwhile back on earth....

 

They definitely like the 10 AWG wire, but I'm pretty sure I'll never hit 5 watts with them in this apartment. The greatest threat to these tweeters are Dave's SMAHL-V2s. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

New tweeters and mid drivers are in. The sound is more relaxed with more detail. A wider sweet spot as well with the tweeters. 

 

When I upgraded my Heresy I pair with SMAHL tweeters, the sound was noticeably better. This time, with my La Scalas, the change is not as dramatic, but still very pleasing.

 

With the A-55-G/2 drivers, I'm hearing more drum detail and strings. Again, the change was not as dramatic, but very pleasing. After listening for an hour, I could tell when Frank Sinatra was experimenting with mic positions and vocal techniques. Hadn't noticed that before.

 

It's really interesting to discover that these La Scalas are just as much musical instruments as a trumpet or upright bass. For instance, I experimented with the mid driver gaskets. First, I installed skinny O rings with the A-55-G/2s, assuming this would improve the air flow. On listening, I could tell that the mid horn was not getting the right air. So I switched out the skinny O rings for the normal rubber gaskets, and now the air is back. The presence and highs are well represented.

 

I'm saving all of my old parts this time. I'd like to audition everything again when my ALK CSW-450s get here. 

 

The most dramatic upgrades so far are:

  1. 10 AWG pure copper speaker and terminal wire
  2. An audiophile AC power cord
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15 hours ago, pcbiz said:

It's really interesting to discover that these La Scalas are just as much musical instruments as a trumpet or upright bass.

I fully agree on this. And the smallest changes are directly noticable, to the good or the bad.

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On 10/29/2021 at 3:26 PM, pcbiz said:

More sonic candy just arrived! These little guys are pretty heavy.

 

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What are they? Are they the Crites tweeters with different lenses?

 

I'm interested in your modifications and in aplying some of what you've done to my La Scalas.

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