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510 on top of the La Scala help dialing this in


Heritage_Head

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6 minutes ago, Islander said:

 

Well, it turned out to be more than I expected.  This was back in 2008, when the OG or UG Jubilees were around only $7,000, with free delivery in the main 50 states.  New, with warranty.  Putting together a pair of JubScalas, when I already had the speakers and one amplifier, cost me somewhere around $4000-4500, buying used stuff, like the Dx-38 processor from a Guitar Center in California, the second amplifier from a Forum member in Seattle (I drove down there to hear it and pick it up), the K510 horns and K-69-A drivers from another Forum member, this one in Tennessee or somewhere around there.  That was the original JubScala setup, with the speaker shown in the picture.

 

The upgrades came later, first the La Scala IIs, then the 402 horns.  The K402 horns are huge, a full metre across.  But I did eventually buy them, which meant a trip to the mainland, which costs $200-250, including gas and food, if you bring a friend. 

 

The only drawback to the actual Jubilees was their size.  They're 41 inches across, so I would've had to shift some stuff to fit them into my living room, but it probably would have been the better value, especially if I was starting from scratch, with no La Scalas.  Of course, now I've upgraded to La Scala IIs, and K402 horns with K691 drivers.  At this point, I've got several tens of thousands into the system, but on the other hand, by buying used, I saved many tens of thousands.  There are lots of enablers on this forum, and I'm sometimes one of them.  It's fun to see everybody's systems develop, but that's not for everybody.

 

I started this message a day ago, but then I headed over to the nearest A/V shop for an event day, when some of the company reps were there.  I've met the Audio quest guy and the Yamaha guy couple of times, and even Vince Bruzzese from Totem speakers was there.

 

Anyway, I hope this info is helpful.  Let me know if you have any questions.

If only I had the space, and the money… Some day maybe 🤞

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3 minutes ago, Islander said:

Being able to go into your living room and listen to better sound than you'd get at a concert is beyond cool, it's a source of joy.

 

True story:  I got my LaScalas in 1979.  Sometime that year, after I had them at home, Boston (the group) came out with their first self titled album.  Shockingly, they went on tour to capitalize on the LP's success.

 

A good friend of mine & I went to the show.  I recall him saying something like "your stereo sounds better than this"

 

 

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7 minutes ago, Heritage_Head said:

In seriousness you guys have been super helpful, and I know you’ve given me the answer already. I’m not ignoring that. Im trying to find a cheaper alternative (if there even is one). 


 


In lieu of the last post by Islander, I guess a prudent question would be what is the ballpark on how much you are expecting to spend, all said and done?

 

Horns, drivers, crossovers, shipping, and if you're really lucky, taxes.

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3 minutes ago, Coytee said:

 

True story:  I got my LaScalas in 1979.  Sometime that year, after I had them at home, Boston (the group) came out with their first self titled album.  Shockingly, they went on tour to capitalize on the LP's success.

 

A good friend of mine & I went to the show.  I recall him saying something like "your stereo sounds better than this"

 

 

 

Boston:  just like Pink Floyd, is the band that requires you to crank the volume as soon as they come on.

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4 minutes ago, geoff. said:


 


In lieu of the last post by Islander, I guess a prudent question would be what is the ballpark on how much you are expecting to spend, all said and done?

 

Horns, drivers, crossovers, shipping, and if you're really lucky, taxes.

Budget all done 1kish…I can get a pair of 510s with DE75s from a member on here for $400. That leaves about 600 for the rest. 

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2 minutes ago, Islander said:

Boston:  just like Pink Floyd, is the band that requires you to crank the volume as soon as they come on.

 

Not to thread crap too much....  but let me correct you.

 

When my buddy came over to first hear the LaScalas (bone stock), I had the 20 db mute button pushed on my Yamaha receiver (forget model, but it was 100 watts/channel)

 

Had volume knob turned to about 2:00, had the mute button pushed.  The intro to Long Time came on.  He walked up to one of the speakers....  the song grew in strength but had not yet blasted loose.

 

Unknown to my buddy, my finger gently went over to the mute button...

 

The song grew in power, 

 

boom

Boom

BOOm

BOOM

 

and when it creshendo'ed I let the mute button go.  By now he was 2-3 feet away from the speaker and the suddenness of how loud & impactful it got in that instant was (unfortunate for him, yes he can still hear today) but, it was absolutely hysterical...  he literally, and I mean LITERALLY jumped like a cat through the air backwards about three feet and landed on his butt.  

 

Just thinking about it today and trying to type it out has me again, giggling at how startled he was by what happened.

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9 minutes ago, Heritage_Head said:

Budget all done 1kish…I can get a pair of 510s with DE75s from a member on here for $400. That leaves about 600 for the rest. 

 

That won't get it done.  If you're trying to put together something that will approximate the performance of Jubilees, then you need sources that are of the same calibre, meaning excellent power amps and a good preamp, and so on, including a pro processor, not a cheap one.  It would be better to keep saving, putting aside whatever you can afford, and keep looking for bargains, until you have the budget to buy the right stuff.  You can often save lots that way.  You can wind up surprised at how much you've spent, and at the same time surprised at how much you've saved.

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It's hard to estimate closely just how much it will cost someone to put together a high end system.  The first question will be how high?  Then, new or used?  After that, it depends on what's available in your area.  That applies mostly to speakers, because of the size and weight of Heritage speakers, but if you like to hear the gear before you buy, it's very relevant.  The next factor is how lucky you are, which is dependent on how much time you put into following sales listings.  The more you look, the more you'll see, which also educates you as to prices for stuff.  Also, keep putting money into that stereo account, which doesn't have to be kept in a bank.  If a month goes by, or even a few months, and you don't spot anything interesting, that's okay, your account is still growing.

 

Count on spending a few thousand every year, until you reach the point where you're satisfied. Only you know that point.  Remember, you can get off the merry-go-round at any time.

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9 minutes ago, Islander said:

 

That won't get it done.  If you're trying to put together something that will approximate the performance of Jubilees, then you need sources that are of the same calibre, meaning excellent power amps and a good preamp, and so on, including a pro processor, not a cheap one.  It would be better to keep saving, putting aside whatever you can afford, and keep looking for bargains, until you have the budget to buy the right stuff.  You can often save lots that way.  You can wind up surprised at how much you've spent, and at the same time surprised at how much you've saved.

As much as I would love to get into the Jubilee level (yes please!). That was never really what my expectation was here. A nice upgrade over what I currently have. If that’s possible (with my budget and space). 

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16 minutes ago, Heritage_Head said:

As much as I would love to get into the Jubilee level (yes please!). That was never really what my expectation was here. A nice upgrade over what I currently have. If that’s possible (with my budget and space). 

 

That was my expectation, too, lol!

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Beware of the enablers!  They lurk in many places in the Forum.  They'll help you spend all your money, until your living room is full of giant speakers and your friends always want to party at your place, but there's only room for a love seat and an armchair, so they have to sit on some of the speakers, which is no problem, because they're that big.

 

Also, as Coytee pointed out many years ago, La Scalas make excellent speakers for a guy in university, for a couple of reasons.  First, they're too big to steal, and second, they're stable enough for drunk college girls to dance on them safely.

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4 minutes ago, Islander said:

Beware of the enablers!  They lurk in many places in the Forum.

Some of them will pee on your favorite rug or furniture.  

 

Here's my take....  if you are intrigued on walking down this road...well, first, it seems you've found a pair of drivers & horns.  I don't recall which drivers were listed nor if the crossover will deal with them.

 

Starting at bare bones....  obviously you'd need horns & drivers.  That's going to cost "X".  If you can deal with the passive, that's going to cost "X" more.  If it works and is good to your ears, then you could be done.  1,2,43 years down the road, if you get the urge to improve things, you can then grab an active, extra amps....  in other words, it doesn't have to be all done at once, in the beginning, as long as the sound you're building is ok to your ears.

 

Though it's currently out of the system, I've got a dbx BX-3 to use and swap it with a Crown K2 (K1 is also fine).  Some might call these Kludge amps (if I recall the correct description) and that's fine.  Sounds fantastic to me and I got each one for under 1K (I have three K2's).  I sold the McIntosh MC-2102 amp and the MC-30's I had so I view it as I'm a LOT of cash ahead and still have killer sound.  

 

I think I've seen used EV DX-38's for roughly 300-500 on ebay (not looked in long time).  One nice thing about that active is it's modular inside and if it ever needs serviced, the circuit board can be replaced and you're back in business.  That might end up costing less than configuring a passive BUT, I am clueless as to what a passive might cost other than Rigma's which were also works of art.

 

 

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