Going price on a pair of klipsch LaScala

[Islander]

One last bit.  Some folks figure that since these are vintage speakers, they should be driven by vintage electronics.  There's nothing wrong with that, but the newer gear does sound better, more clear, more accurate bass, and so on, whether you're talking SS or tubes.  So I hear, anyway, in the case of tubes.  With SS, there's no doubt.  The better the signal your speakers are feeding on, the better they sound, whatever age they might be.

 

Happy listening!

[82 Cornwalls]

8 hours ago, Islander said:

 but the newer gear does sound better, more clear, more accurate bass, and so on, whether you're talking SS or tubes.  So I hear, anyway, in the case of tubes.  With SS, there's no doubt.  The better the signal your speakers are feeding on, the better they sound, whatever age they might be.

 

There are many (most?) people that would disagree with this generalization.

 

No, I'm not a vintage guy, but have owned or listened to plenty of vintage electronics that sounds great, is clear, and has accurate bass.

[OO1]

22 hours ago, RBurnJames said:

 JEM (I’ve read a lot about their parts)  

 JEM is a klipsch parts vendor , the installation is easy , do not twist wires  or leads  , do not use too much solder or heat  , you can use crimping tools  , the capacitor lead should not be compressed or twisted    .

[OO1]

10 hours ago, Islander said:

  the newer gear does sound better, more clear, more accurate bass, and so on, whether you're talking SS or tubes.  So I hear, anyway, in the case of tubes.  With SS, there's no doubt.  The better the signal your speakers are feeding on, the better they sound, whatever age they might be.

 

  you're very right ,  clean SS power is the way to go  for the long haul , no tubes to replace ever , no adjustments needed , no tune-ups   , no  repairs for 10-20-30 years  , the perfect example , with an excellent pre-amp  , Yamaha  A-S-1000 or 1100 or 1200   ,   and yes quality matters , a cheap SS amp will not do  

[RBurnJames]

13 minutes ago, OO1 said:

 JEM is a klipsch parts vendor , the installation is easy , do not twist wires  or leads  , do not use too much solder or heat  , you can use crimping tools  , the capacitor lead should not be compressed or twisted    .

I was just reading on updating the caps.  I’ve done a little bit of soldering on drones and Rc cars etc.. I did lose my last nice solder station to a wildfire taking out my outbuildings and just have a common stick solder unit now,  I should get a new solder unit….
But yes I’m thinking I will get everything setup (still dreading moving them up the stairs) and listen to for a while the original caps should be replaced.  I was thinking should I send them off to have caps done or do it myself… I’d like to clean up the board and components so is it best to remove the xo and work on it? Seems like the way to go.

Thanks.

[Shakeydeal]

11 minutes ago, OO1 said:

  you're very right ,  clean SS power is the way to go  for the long haul , no tubes to replace ever , no adjustments needed , no tune-ups   , no  repairs for 10-20-30 years  , the perfect example , with an excellent pre-amp  , Yamaha  A-S-1000 or 1100 or 1200   ,   and yes quality matters , a cheap SS amp will not do  

 

But you have to put up with inferior sound. I guess it's all about what's most important. I can live with retubing an amp every few years for the SQ.

[RBurnJames]

3 minutes ago, OO1 said:

  you're very right ,  clean SS power is the way to go  for the long haul , no tubes to replace ever , no adjustments needed , no tune-ups   , no  repairs for 10-20-30 years  , the perfect example , with an excellent pre-amp  , Yamaha  A-S-1000 or 1100 or 1200   ,   and yes quality matters , a cheap SS amp will not do  

 

I here you. For some reason I’m drawn to the tube pre and amp…. Lol.  I will hook the. Up to my denon 5700 and be gentle with it.  
My father inlaw still has the sansui 7070db I gave him years back, it’s like new with original box.  I’m wanting the new kit dynaco pas preamp and st70 for a start.  I could rethink this.

[OO1]

4 hours ago, RBurnJames said:

My father inlaw still has the sansui 7070db I gave him years back, it’s like new with original box. 

it's an excellent amp  

[OO1]

3 minutes ago, RBurnJames said:

   I’d like to clean up the board and components  

  keep the old wiring   ,  clean up any corrosion  on the Autoformers   ,  check the zener diodes ,  the 245uH coil  requires a brass screw   .

[82 Cornwalls]

1 hour ago, RBurnJames said:

 

For some reason I’m drawn to the tube pre and amp…. Lol.  I’m wanting the new kit dynaco pas preamp and st70 for a start. 

 

Good pieces, but a lot of options for tube preamps, tube amps, and tube integrated amps.

 

The Sansui should be looked at by a tech if all original due to age.

[KT88]

And disconnect the two diodes that are connected in parallel to the tweeter. You don't need them, and they make the sound a little bit harsh. It is sufficient to interrupt them at some point so that they are no longer in parallel in the circuit.

[RBurnJames]

Hooked up to 5700 front channels. Ran cd with direct through in stereo mode.

Wife said “Wow”

 

now to start the cleaning

Edited November 21, 2023 by RBurnJames
Wording

[KT88]

It‘s always the proof what the wife says👍😀

Plus they fit very well in your room, congrats.

[Shakeydeal]

Quote

Hooked up to 5700 front channels.

 

That is a lot of channels.......

[tragusa3]

Congrats!  You got a fantastic buy by today's market!   Most would have paid $2k for those.  I don't need a pair and couldn't walk from those for even $1500.  I'd buy a set to have in storage for that price.  

 

I used LaScala for a decade before moving to Khorns.  If you run a subwoofer with those, you aren't missing much from the Khorns.  

 

Wonderful to hear your wife's impression.  My wife had the same...and had the same again when I changed to Khorn.  Nice to have their approval. 

 

I wouldn't be afraid to change the caps.  I used JEM.  Pull the entire crossover out.  Break it apart and clean all connections well.  I used a little sandpaper on all connections and then Qtip with alcohol.  Sand all the spade connectors too.  Honestly, I didn't hear any difference with the caps and cleaning...but I feel better about it.

 

I would enjoy hearing ongoing impressions and experiences! 

[svberger]

Congrats on the La Scala's from another NoCal La Scala owner. The only change I made to mine was to put a pair of @Deang Universal crossovers in mine. I've driven  them with various McIntosh tube and solid state amps. They like them all. Getting great sound from a tiny Ayima A07 Chinese chip amp currently selling on Amazon for $60!

 

I have many other pairs of speakers that I love and use, but the La Scala's are truly special, and since I live in a small house that won't accommodate Khorns, they will always be here. 

 

 

[tragusa3]

In case you hadn't seen this, I've enjoyed it several times.  He hits the nail on the head!

 

[Islander]

There's no need to overthink things.  Now that you've got your La Scalas in place, take some time to get accustomed to their sound, before making any changes.  If and when you do make any changes, you want to improve the sound, not just change it.  To be sure of that, you need to be really familiar with the sound of your Scalas as they are.

 

Happy listening!

[KT88]

On 11/19/2023 at 5:13 PM, RBurnJames said:

New here and looking to get into home audio since I just retired @60.   I’m in northern calif and have seen a pair of la scala pop up for sale.  They are asking $2000 obo. The history the original owner passed and the son got them and borrowed money from a friend and gave these to him until payback… well it’s been many years and they have been in his “garage workout area” that is sheetrocked and carpeted  hooked to it seemed something newer for amp.  They were moved into the house maybe some time ago (a year?) and now they want to get rid of them.  So it appears they have not been modified? but I don’t have any pictures to make sure at this point. I’m basing this on the couple picts showing the metal that seems rough. They are in a fairly dry area north of me but a garage brings different thoughts to my head.  He said there is a very small chip below the mid range speaker.  He said they sound good but I do not believe he is an audiophile and they are not hooked up to anything special so sounds good or loud as he says I take with a grain of salt and I’m not able with any decent amp to check out the sound.

I’d appreciate your thoughts on what you can see here. I’m thinking in my head that $1500 maybe a better price but I may be way off?  I was thinking of all the what ifs like having to replace horns or upgrades etc. I’m a civil engineer and I’m very detailed oriented and I absolutely like all original gear. I plan to hook these up to a st70. They will go into a dedicated room, where I have my home theater setup that is a 1998 year klipsch speakers with a denon 5700. I plan to run these with tube pre and amps with vinyl.

 

Thanks

 

BTW Hifishark (link below for a La Scala search) is a meta stereo gear search engine which I have used several times with success. One can get a daily update about such gear you are looking for. Here you can see the price expectations from everywhere on the planet concerning a La Scala. I think you really made a good deal.

 

https://www.hifishark.com/search?q=klipsch+la+scala

[absolve2525]

On 11/21/2023 at 1:27 PM, RBurnJames said:

Hooked up to 5700 front channels. Ran cd with direct through in stereo mode.

Wife said “Wow”

 

now to start the cleaning

Those look great! 😊 Congrats! We're all excited for you. They don't need much power, and it's all about synergy in regards to amplification. Nothing wrong at all with your Denon, they make solid amps. If the crossover caps aren't leaking, they might be just fine as-is for now. I bought new caps for my AAs, but haven't gotten around to swapping in new ones.