Troubles with the sound of my new La Scalas

[TasDom]

13 minutes ago, Shakeydeal said:

 

 

I never did get the confirmation that these are AL5s. In his OP, he says "new lascalas". Well that could be "new to him".

 

So if indeed they are brand spanking, out of the box new, then more break in time will most likely cure his issues.

 

On 11/27/2023 at 11:42 AM, Bhai said:

I have the Cornwall III and the La Scala AL5 (brand new)!

 

Haha already feeling quite relieved... I totally agree about the super clean bass... And honestly I do struggle many times after spending big money - usually starts out with deep regrets and ultimately settles in pure joy 🤣 So yeah could totally be my mind...

 

What do you guys think about the amp? Is the one I have okay or should I get a better one? Should I try to get one with an output for a subwoofer?

AL5's

[Shakeydeal]

2 minutes ago, TasDom said:

 

AL5's

 

Ok, makes sense. I point the finger at break in time.

 

 

[OO1]

[Tom05]

Vocals should come across as positively forward with Lascala , I believe that what you sense  here is the very tight overdamped quality of Lascala bass,which is further enhanced by the relatively high cutoff at around 50 hz . The Cornwall goes lower , but overall which speaker provides the highest quality bass ? I prefer Lascala , all day long . Give yourself some time to adjust to the new sound.🤓

[Flevoman]

 

Can't delete my post 🙄

 

And I think we have lost the OP 😄

 

On 11/27/2023 at 7:42 PM, Bhai said:

 😉

[82 Cornwalls]

1 hour ago, Flevoman said:

 

And I think we have lost the OP 😄

 

 

Hopefully he is busy listening and trying to get them to sound more in line with his expectations.

[KT88]

1 hour ago, 82 Cornwalls said:

 

Hopefully he is busy listening and trying to get them to sound more in line with his expectations.

Maybe the thread opener will get in touch again. If he is interested, he will. Yes, it happens in forums that someone wants to know why something sounds thin and is bombarded with Fourier analyses.

[Ceptorman]

3 hours ago, Flevoman said:

 

Can't delete my post 🙄

 

And I think we have lost the OP 😄

 

It's only been 52 hours since he started this thread. He'll be back.

[JohnA]

On 11/27/2023 at 12:29 PM, Bhai said:

Hey guys!

 

So I bought the La Scalas, but there's something not so great about the sound and I'm trying to figure out whats happening. I'm using the PrimaLuna Prologue Premium as my integrated amp.

 

I've had a Cornwall that I've enjoyed for almost 4 years now. But when I compare the sound of the La Scalas the magic just seems to be missing. The vocals are not forward and magical as they used to be. The sound stage is great. But it almost feels a bit too clinical and lacks some warmth. And yes the low end of the bass also is bothering me I guess, but that was expected given the La Scalas don't go below 50Hz whereas the Cornwall goes down to 34Hz. I am struggling so badly for words when it comes to what I'm experiencing! But it's not just me, my wife also feels that the Cornwalls were better! Which is crazy so I'm trying to figure what happened.

 

Here's a couple of theories I have:

Amp pairing: Could it be that I just need a much better amp? That maybe the one I have is not doing the speakers justice?

 

Low end: Or maybe I'm just reacting very badly to the low end being capped at 50Hz instead of 34Hz? Many of the people who recommended the La Scalas also recommended getting a sub. But looks like getting a tube amp which has a separate out for the subs is going to be quite an investment.

 

Also it could just be my mind playing tricks on me. I've moved the Cornwalls to another room so will be a real pain to try and do an A/B test just to see if I'm tripping or what. Maybe my expectations were too high.. Or more likely maybe I'm just going through a rough patch in my relationship to music and sound.

 

Please do share your wisdom, it always helps!

 

 

None of that sounds off at all.  The PrimaLuna should be excellent and it has plenty of power. 

 

It sounds like you may have 2 issues.  The woofers are new.  Woofers really do need some time to loosen up.  After I first heard them, I was disappointed in my new Heresy IVs thin sound.  So, I ran dub-step with full bass boost through them for about 80 hours (not too loud).  Just shut the door.  At 40 hours they were much better and probably didn't change after that.  Give that a try. 

 

You can experiment with using the 4 ohm speaker outputs, too.  Older La Scalas ran about 6 ohms in the woofer's range and I expect the new ones do, too.

 

The other is that the La Scala's don't reproduce the lower 5 or 6 bass notes of a double bass/bass guitar very well.  Cornwall's will, but also add some distortion that will "fatten" the sound. 

[Bhai]

Hahaha love this thread and all the enthusiasm!

 

Yes I'm just going to give it a lot more time. Lots of amazing useful tips and thoughts here. I think the clean bass is actually what threw me off before - as someone said, I maybe got used to the muddy bass from a direct radiating speaker like the Cornwall. 

 

I think the real insights will come when I get a new amp so I can power both my cornwalls and my la scalas which are in different rooms! I will most definitely report back once I do that.

 

Thank you again everyone for being amazingly helpful! 

[82 Cornwalls]

1 hour ago, Bhai said:

I think the clean bass is actually what threw me off before - as someone said, I maybe got used to the muddy bass from a direct radiating speaker like the Cornwall. 

 

How are the CWs positioned, close to the wall, in a corner?

The sound changes noticeably moving them, closer = more bass.

Mine need to be moved a few inches out or closer depending on the amp I'm using.

[the real Duke Spinner]

22 hours ago, Tom05 said:

Vocals should come across as positively forward with Lascala , I believe that what you sense  here is the very tight overdamped quality of Lascala bass,which is further enhanced by the relatively high cutoff at around 50 hz . The Cornwall goes lower , but overall which speaker provides the highest quality bass ? I prefer Lascala , all day long . Give yourself some time to adjust to the new sound.🤓

Purchase yourself an EQ. 🙂

[Bananas and Blow]

5 hours ago, Bhai said:

Hahaha love this thread and all the enthusiasm!

 

Yes I'm just going to give it a lot more time. Lots of amazing useful tips and thoughts here. I think the clean bass is actually what threw me off before - as someone said, I maybe got used to the muddy bass from a direct radiating speaker like the Cornwall. 

 

I think the real insights will come when I get a new amp so I can power both my cornwalls and my la scalas which are in different rooms! I will most definitely report back once I do that.

 

Thank you again everyone for being amazingly helpful! 

 

The two sets of Heritage IV series I purchased, the midrange was the last stage of sound changing. It really opened up between 80 and 100 hours. Dramatically. Especially on the Heresy. 

[Tom05]

3 hours ago, the real Duke Spinner said:

Purchase yourself an EQ. 🙂

Good advice 🤓

[babadono]

On 11/28/2023 at 4:58 PM, Chief bonehead said:

Big breath….again…

Count to ten.....

[Dave1291]

Blah.  I'm running PLuna on my LS and they kick butt allllll day long.

 

Back off the gas, give those new LS time to marinate, stop listening and comparing the CW's and CHILL with that new system you put together.  Don't even try to piss off the neighbors now cause they won't get it.  Stash some cash for the new PWK subs and quit trying to hear things you never heard before.

 

Be gentle!  Just let them breathe a bit and break in.  They'll blossom in time and you'll hear it all happen.  THEN get off the wine and hit the bourbon, step on the gas a bit and watch what happens.

 

Sure you're gonna need some bass but sit back and chill cause that's down the road and another treat for you to look forward to.  THEN you and everyone else will appreciate what you have.  Slow and easy brother.

 

I love my Prima Luna and threw a set of Gold Lions in it fwiw.  I'm nevah goin back to SS.

 

Try counting backwards from 10 for a lil change of pace.  It's a challenge for me but I think you'll make it.    

[the real Duke Spinner]

On 11/28/2023 at 5:49 PM, Flevoman said:

I think everyone is familiar with the history of the La Scala. Mentioning this, however, adds nothing to this topic. 

Really ??

Perhaps the OP is expecting BASS from said speaker It's not gonna happen. 😀😀😀

[OO1]

8 hours ago, Bhai said:

 I think the clean bass is actually what threw me off before - as someone said, I maybe got used to the muddy bass from a direct radiating speaker like the Cornwall.  

dont believe everything you read ,   a CW III is said to have a very warm bass because the woofer is placed higher up  ,    and it's far from being muddy .

[Flevoman]

11 minutes ago, the real Duke Spinner said:

Really ??

Perhaps the OP is expecting BASS from said speaker It's not gonna happen. 😀😀😀

I don't quite understand how your quoted response clarifies things. But indeed, with the LaScala, you shouldn't expect deep bass.

[Shakeydeal]

1 hour ago, the real Duke Spinner said:

Really ??

Perhaps the OP is expecting BASS from said speaker It's not gonna happen. 😀😀😀

If you don’t believe lascalas have bass I can show you different in a minute. Now if you want to listen to pipe organ, keep looking. But to say that LS has no bass is an ignorant statement.