Adding bass to a pair of La Scalas

[CWag5]

What's everyone's opinion of the MK 350II THX Sub ? I have one running with my khorns an it sounds great. Helps with the lower range.

[Walter Creati]

Hi,

thanks for the photo, now I know how to build the box, but djk told me my 515B has too low Qts to use in this vented box, so I ask him to know if it is possible to enlarge the box until to 150/200L ( total about 250L) like the Altec VOT.

I'm waiting for his answer.

Walter

[Walter Creati]

Hi,

thanks for the photo, now I know how to build the box, but djk told me my 515B has too low Qts to use in this vented box, so I ask him to know if it is possible to enlarge the box until to 150/200L ( total about 250L) like the Altec VOT.

I'm waiting for his answer.

Walter

[sound boy]

I am thinking of buying two of these JBL/Crown subs (to add to my Pro La Scalas)is this overkill or will one be enough? Have any of you guys ever heard these subs?

[111db]

As a matter of fact, I HAVE heard the JBL 18" subs recently, at a pro subwoofer shootout near Denver a couple of months ago. On demo were the JBL's (2), a pair of Peavy 18s, a pair of Bag Ends with some SERIOUS processing to get them down to 10Hz (!), a pair of Turbosound horn subs, a pair of EAW horn subs, and pair of Bassmax horn subs. My conclusion was that all the horn subs were better than any of the direct radiators. The JBL was easily the best of the direct radiators, because its distortion, though much higher than any of the horns, was more musical sounding than any of the other direct radiators. Of the horn systems, the Turbosound was the loudest and cleanest and deepest, but the Bassmax had the most musical quality.

It is important to note that the test began with sweeps from 10Hz upward, and that the amplifiers went nuts and shut down because of problems driving speakers at such low freqs. And they were MONSTER amps: Crests and QSCs with outputs measured in kilowatts. Thus subsequent tests were limited to 30Hz and above, which was still plenty low! It is also important to note that the tests were in a storefront church that could seat 500 people, and were conducted at levels between 100 and 120 dB.

So here's my take on your questions. The JBL subs, or most any sound reinforcement subs, would be overkill from a volume standpoint and underkill from a depth standpoint. You want to be able to reproduce the LOW synth or organ pedal tones, right? Of course you do! Subs designed for both hi-fi and home theater use are the ticket, as the best of them are designed for deep bass reproduction (to 30Hz or below) at relatively high levels in rooms of moderate size.

SVS and Hsu come to mind, certainly, as legendary bang-for-the-buck home subs. The larger Klipsch Reference series subs are worth considering, along with Sunfire and all the usual suspects in the $1500+ range. One approach no one has mentioned yet is to find a single Klipschorn bottom cab (or a Speakerlab clone, or build your own) on Ebay and amp it for a sub. That's probably what I would do, just to keep an all-horns-all-the-time philosophy intact. Horns Are Good.

Cheers!

Don

[khorn58]

Yup just get some khorns!

I have a pair of pro lascals I use for mointers in my band room. I had them hooked up to a crown psa2( a match made in heaven) they are the two piece sytem so I somtimes use them with a Altec A7 type cabnet for deeper bass this really sounds good with the lascala top.

I have also used the tops with my vintage khorns To see the diffrence betwwen early and later khorns.As the mid and highgs and cross over are the same as the later khorns.

[Daddy Dee]

I've been very pleased with the Cambridge Soundworks P1000 subwoofer. It has remote control, so you don't have to get down on your knees to adjust and is easily dialed in at whatever freq is desired. It's killer.

[Michaeltstocks]

Marvel,

Hi! I was wondering if you had any dimensions on that Lascala Bass Extension picture you posted (box depth, port diameter and length, etc)? I'm building a pair next week and would love to give this a spin. Also, any suggestions for a suitable replacement for the K-33 woofer (it's 4 ohms, right)? All help appreciated!

Thanks,

Mike

[Marvel]

These might wander a bit:

http://forums.klipsch.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=36054&forumID=68&catID=19&search=1&searchstring=&sessionID={BFBBCFBD-74CC-4815-870C-D89BB808B72B}

http://forums.klipsch.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=35527&forumID=71&catID=19&search=1&searchstring=&sessionID={BFBBCFBD-74CC-4815-870C-D89BB808B72B}

http://forums.klipsch.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=45546&forumID=71&catID=19&search=1&searchstring=&sessionID={BFBBCFBD-74CC-4815-870C-D89BB808B72B}

You'll have to read through these, but the info from djk is in there. As I recall, the box to place under the LS is ten inches high. The two ports are 4 inches in diameter, 10 inches long. You can get pvc at Home Depot or Lowes, with the 4 inch inside diameter, very cheaply.

As djk says, the K43 works the best, the K33 is okay. No one makes a comparable speaker, especially for the money.

I will point out that I don't have any LS. I don't have room.

Marvel

[jwc]

Soundboy,

i will chime in because I am in the same boat as you. The scala bass is very quick ans mucical but doesn't hit the low frequency. I have two scalas and two HSU 1220's running at 200 wpc at 4 ohms. They sound perfect but I have two gripes:

1. The "tube" subs don't have the sub/bass pointed at you. I don't care what anyone says, I like the base coming directed at me, not straight into the air. Some would argue that subs are not directional and can be put about any where or point anywhere. I disagree.

2. Also, there are weak points in my room. Where the subs are placed now, they sound fine. However, if i move two feet forward, I lose all base. This could be a room problem.

Opinion here: Now, I think the plan to add a ported bottom to the scala is a great idea. I would love to see some results. The boxed subs to me will be less directional, the tube subs will be more of a lower frequency for less money.

jc

[Michaeltstocks]

Marvel,

Hey - thanks! To be honest, I only saw the sectional rendering, so I did not know that this was a retrofit to the mid/tweeter section. I assumed that what you drew would be a mod for the bottom of the cabinet, and since I'm doing mine from scratch on Soildworks, I've already modeled it as and extension of the bottom with the ports facing forward. I'll give it a spin and keep you posted.

Thanks,

Mike

[Marvel]

If you already have LS cabinets:

Build the bottoms and place the LS on top of them. A painless way to try this out and totally reversible. You could make them out of cheap lumber to try it. If you like them, redo them in nice wood and finish. The only problem is it will raise the mid/high horns up ten inches.

If you are building from scratch:

Make a hole in the top of the doghouse and enclose the back of the top portion of the cabinet. Port out the back of the top with this method. While you are at it, make a cover for the woofer, in case you don't like it. Then you can go to a stock LS type enclosure without ripping apart the cabinet..

If you follow the above links, there is a pic for each mod.

Marvel