Shock-Late Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 I own a pair of modified LaScalas (EV SM120 mid horn in place of the "good" old K400). I absolutely love them. However, now that i moved from my parent's home in the country to an appartement in Brussels, I'm more and more frustrated about the level restrictions... On the preamp, the volume knob never goes higher than 1 (say 7o'clock); after 10pm, I have to lower the output level of the CD player if I don't want the neighbours to complain, and during the night this output level has to be lowered to -25dB!!! No need to mention doing this i'm losing a great deal of the sound quality of my system, especially the CD player when I have to lower its output. I really don't see how people use their Heritage speakers in apartments. Or maybe I should rather use a passive preamp, wich would give less gain, but i'm not sure my power amp would work with a passive preamp (such as the nice Creek OBH 12). You see i don't really mind listening at "low" levels (even if sometimes i wish i could crank it up like in good old times) but if i'm losing sound quality because of that then it's getting a lot more frustrating... why not buy a pair of Bose micro****s then... any suggestions welcome... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j-malotky Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 Shock Sorry to hear about your delema. I find my Heritage sounds very detailed at lower listening levels. For a few years I used my Khorns in an appartment in the city. What I did was to put my system in a back bedroom away from the street noise outside. I put up old quilts on the wall, anything to dampen the outside noise. JM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 Can you find a house to rent that is in the same price range as your apt? What about moving into a duplex? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Boone Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 It's interesting that you mention this. I also have a pair of La Scalas, a McIntosh mc2125 amplifier and also in an apartment for the time being. However, one thing I've noticed is that I can crank them up pretty loud and no one complains. This wasn't true when using my Promedia 5.1s. It's as though the sound is contained within the cabinets or something or maybe it's the fact that the La Scalas don't go below 50hz? Anyway it's interesting because I've asked several times if anyone has complained about my music and always get a no. That said I always here the thumping of the idiots near me with their rap and other crap they play on their systems. Go figure. Tony B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 Tony, Better to put up with their thumping than not be able to listen to your lascalas. I'd rather be in your situation unless you're losing sleep due to rap. When they thump their rap, crank your horns! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Garrison Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 The La Scalas should sound quite good at lower levels (mine did) as long as the signal driving them remains clean (not swamped by too much noise due to the lowered signal levels). What little bass the La Scalas have will appear to be lower in level relative to the rest of the sound due to Fletcher / Munson curves as you reduce volume, no way around that without tone controls, loudness switch, subwoofer or equalizer. I'd suggest *ADDING* a passive unit like the OBH 12 as opposed to *REPLACING* the active preamp with a passive preamp. You can try inserting it between the CD player and preamp, or between the preamp and amp. My guess is inserting it between the preamp and amp will do less damage to the sound, as the preamp will find it easier to drive the load represented by the OBH 12 than the CD player would. However, try it both ways and see what sounds better. If you buy it from Audio Advisor, you can mess around with it for 30 days and see if you like what it does, and if not then send it back. Also, don't be afraid to try changing the listening position late at night. Pull the La Scalas well out into the room, about four feet apart, toed in, and sit directly in front of them on a low chair. I did this sometimes, and while it doesn't sound as good as the normal setup, you can listen at louder perceived volumes without bothering the neighbors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Boone Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 ---------------- On 7/3/2003 11:46:33 AM garymd wrote: Better to put up with their thumping than not be able to listen to your lascalas. I'd rather be in your situation unless you're losing sleep due to rap. When they thump their rap, crank your horns ---------------- Actually I prefer to listen to my La Scalas at lower volumes although it would be nice to turn them up occasionally if I had a larger room. I find that the synergy between the McIntosh amplifier and the Klipsch La Scalas is such that the quality, definition, sound stage, etc. of everything I listen to sounds great at all levels. Having just turned 44 my tastes have changed in terms of the way I approach the music I listen to, what I listen to, volume levels and the subsequent pressure levels and so forth. Somewhere on the preamp dial between 9 to 11 am is sufficient for my listening pleasure. I have to be careful when listening at loud volumes and also when around noisy machinery. I have a hearing deficit in my left ear and have tinnitus which is a constant ringing in that ear due to damage of the left auditory nerve. This was caused by a combination of live fire exercises when I was a Navy Corpsman assigned to a Marine Corps infantry unit at 18 years of age and partly due to travel over the years on highways with my driver's side window down. The wind blowing in my ear along with the large trucks passing on that side of my car accounted for a lot of noise over the years. I could hear ringing in my ears after arriving at my various destinations on long trips. And of course the few rock concerts I went to and the in car audio systems I had in a couple of my cars were also a contributing factor. However, my exit physical from the Navy revealed a hearing deficit so I attribute most of it gun, grenade and explosives fire. As a professional photographer amongst other things I do occasionally find myself at concerts shooting the various artists and their shows. However, I have these awesome ear plugs that are filled with some sort of inert sand or glass material. You stretch them long ways and put them in your ears and they conform to your ear canals. Can hardly hear a thing with them on and that's right in front of the pa equipment. Get a pair of these babies if you wish to preserve your hearing. It amazes me and sometimes angers me (as a registered nurse who no longer practices, 12 years was enough) when I see parents bring their small children to outdoor concerts and take them right down in front of the speakers WITHOUT ANY HEARING PROTECTION at all. Anyway I digress and that's another topic for another thread. But yes I am able to play my La Scalas louder than I think is reasonable but no one has complained so far. However, I need not play them loud to listen to them at a volume I like. Plenty loud for me. Must be the horns? Now my Magnepans were a different story ... Anyone want a pair of Magnepans in excellent condition? lol Regards, Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Boone Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 ---------------- On 7/3/2003 12:00:13 PM Ray Garrison wrote: I'd suggest *ADDING* a passive unit like the OBH 12 as opposed to *REPLACING* the active preamp with a passive preamp. ---------------- Call me a purist or anal retentive but I don't do the equalizer thing. I believe that with a proper amp and speakers that equalizers aren't necessary. Seems like more to just mess up the original recording. Maybe an small increase in bass and treble knobs on the preamp but that's about it for me. Just a straight signal from source to speakers. Plenty of mids and highs with my La Scalas. Ample bass for me as well. I don't need my brain bouncing around my small skull to enjoy the bottom end of music. If more bass is desired then I'd buy a subwoofer which is coming but sometime down the road. Going to get my components first. Tony B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 Tony, I do have an equalizer but for most of my listening I bypass it. When listening to some heavier rock I use it. Anything else, it's off. I agree with you. Especially with jazz and classical it just colors the sound of the instruments. Not as real sounding no matter what setting I use. Same goes for using the RSW-12 for my center channel. Sometimes, however, I like to put on Pink Floyd DSOTM or something similar, turn on the EQ and sub and just let the rafters shake. My wife hates when I do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 Shock-Late, you may not have too much to worry about. You have great components, and I see no reason why you would have to go to a passive preamp to enjoy your music at lower levels. Unless you hear some adverse affects when playing your music quietly, then if I were you, I'd keep the components you already have. Your neighbors not having complained about your music being loud may be due to the fact that the building you're living in may be of sturdy construction with thick concrete, brick, or stone walls. When I lived in Ludwigsburg, Germany, my neighbors never once complained to the landlord about my music being too loud because the construction of the old apartment building (ca. 1890's) seemed to deaden any vibrations from my JBL's soundwaves. The walls were extremely thick and dense; even the glass windows seemed insulated from outside traffic! Wonder if the same would've been true if I owned my Cornwalls back then (between '83 to '86). The construction of European dwellings seems to be of very high quality...they have to be well insulated to keep their occupant's warm from the extremely cold winters you have! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prodj101 Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 ---------------- On 7/3/2003 11:40:37 AM Tony Boone wrote: It's interesting that you mention this. I also have a pair of La Scalas, a McIntosh mc2125 amplifier and also in an apartment for the time being. However, one thing I've noticed is that I can crank them up pretty loud and no one complains. This wasn't true when using my Promedia 5.1s. It's as though the sound is contained within the cabinets or something or maybe it's the fact that the La Scalas don't go below 50hz? Anyway it's interesting because I've asked several times if anyone has complained about my music and always get a no. That said I always here the thumping of the idiots near me with their rap and other crap they play on their systems. Go figure. Tony B. ---------------- the fact that you can call an entire genre crap shows that you either have little experience with it, or else are letting personal qualms, or arrogance get involved. while it's probably the latter, I still suggest trying some titles by Atmosphere, Typical Cats, Blackalicious, or Del The Funky Homosapien. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DVois Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 _ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formica Posted July 4, 2003 Share Posted July 4, 2003 As crazy as it sounds... I've wondered about Rotels volume control when it's at it's minimum setting, as it may be adding some background noise. Perhaps it is the selector switch. Obviously this becomes apparent given the heritages efficiency. Do you have another preamp to compare? Or a variable output for the CD? Do you have another clean source like a DVD player, and does it make the noise? Try flipping the inputs around... and see if the noise follows the component. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Boone Posted July 5, 2003 Share Posted July 5, 2003 ---------------- On 7/3/2003 9:58:53 PM prodj101 wrote: the fact that you can call an entire genre crap shows that you either have little experience with it, ---------------- I think you're stretching reality to call crap a genre. The original 'artists'(?) wanted to call it crap but were unable to spell but a few four letter words. Crap wasn't one of them. Tony B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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