neo33 Posted December 7, 2003 Share Posted December 7, 2003 I will have an opportunity to audition a pair of La Scala speakers (some times next week) local to where I live. I would like to get an opinion from you experts out there regarding these speakers. How does it sound? On par with the Khorns? Will it match well with the 2A3 Moondogs? Are they too big for my room (10x12)? All opinions are appreciated. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Posted December 7, 2003 Share Posted December 7, 2003 Your room will be all speakers. But what the heck, the Lascala is a great speaker! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyclonecj Posted December 7, 2003 Share Posted December 7, 2003 The first thing to check is to make sure all the drivers are working, mainly the tweeter. I have looked at many used Heritage for myself & friends, & it seems this is common. I have also seen a few where the bass driver was bad in one & the owner did not even know it. m00n had this happen to him with his Belle's. When I got married in '83, we moved into a house that had a 9x12 living room, & they had to be set up on the long wall. They sounded horrible, as they echoed off the facing wall. I ended up trading them for a pair of Heresy's, which sounded great in that room. For that small of a room, you might need a lot of absorptive material. But.... Every room is different, so they may also be ok for you. I see you might live local to me... if you want to check out a Heritage system (although SS powered), let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted December 7, 2003 Share Posted December 7, 2003 You buy Lascalas I'm selling mine and buying Bose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted December 7, 2003 Share Posted December 7, 2003 Craig, Good luck getting vintage amps to rebuild over at the Blose forum. I supose those Wave Radios could use a tweak or two. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo33 Posted December 7, 2003 Author Share Posted December 7, 2003 "You buy Lascalas I'm selling mone and buying Bose" Huh??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted December 7, 2003 Share Posted December 7, 2003 Your room will be a little crowded with speakers and furniture. They should sound fine, though. Someday you will move and the bigger room will be better. The La scala is identical to the K-horn from 400 Hz up in any given year. The La Scala bass horn is small and short, so it won't go as deep. Count on getting down to 50 Hz if they are in a corner. La Scalas have a bump in the bass that makes them sound warmer than K-horns. Some male voices will sound heavy, but female voices are manna from Heaven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted December 7, 2003 Share Posted December 7, 2003 John, I think 50 Hz is cutting them short I bet I get 40 Hz or better out of mine but I have a special placement tweak. I have an 8 foot work bench in-between then that is built out of kitchen cabinets! The Lascalas are sandwiched between the cabinet and false walls on each side. They kind of sit in a cubby hole or 3 sided box! If you stick your head in the cabinets they sound like they are a bass cabinet! The ultimate tweak only thing is you have to use them in your Kitchen <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Also it should be mentioned that the bass is incredibly quicker and controlled then a Khorn. At least that is what I hear. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Posted December 7, 2003 Share Posted December 7, 2003 ---------------- On 12/7/2003 10:24:54 PM NOSValves wrote: John, I think 50 Hz is cutting them short I bet I get 40 Hz or better out of mine but I have a special placement tweak. I have an 8 foot work bench in-between then that is built out of kitchen cabinets! The Lascalas are sandwiched between the cabinet and false walls on each side. They kind of sit in a cubby hole or 3 sided box! If you stick your head in the cabinets they sound like they are a bass cabinet! The ultimate tweak only thing is you have to use them in your Kitchen <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Also it should be mentioned that the bass is incredibly quicker and controlled then a Khorn. At least that is what I hear. Craig ---------------- So I should sell my CW's and get LS's, not KH's? j/k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted December 7, 2003 Share Posted December 7, 2003 I would like to hear John elaborate on his sub set up. I wanted to do LaScalas, but just don't think I could live with 50Hz. If I KNEW they would really go down to at least 42 -- they would be O.K. with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Mobley Posted December 7, 2003 Share Posted December 7, 2003 in crude testing with RS digital dB meter and a tone generator my correctly built DIY LS go down to about 45Hz before the response drops off. This was sitting out in the middle of a large room. I don't hear a bass problem when listening to music, but I don't listen to movies or music with electronically generated low bass tones. What I like about the bass of the LS is that it actually plays it as music, like higher notes. the bass notes have beginnings, middles and ends like other notes, not just the usual thump, thump of lesser speakers. (who was it that remarked about beating a sofa with a salami?) Incidentally, the test came out the same with both a fixed up Eico HF-81 and a newer Nakamichi HT receiver with 100 easy watts per side. Also, those were brand new K-33E from Klipsch, they only had a few hours on them at the time. These LS have the DIY ALK crossovers too. I didn't think to try them with the AA I had at that time. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbsl Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 My best friend used to own a pair of LS and the bass TO ME sounds more muscial however I have not heard Khorns in 25 years so I cannot compare the two. When I have heard live music (I live in Austin, TX lots of live music) the bass is fast and tight not boomy. For me the LS bass is the way I like it. So if you like bass like I do then you will love the LS but if you want to use the LS bass in a home theater then you will have to buy a sub. The LS bass would be ok for home theater but with a good sub just adds more to the sound of home theater. In Nov I put in an order for some new LS that I should have in Jan. I also have the RSW 12 so if I do need the extra bass I have it. I have been using my sub with KLF 20s with excellent results. This set up sounds like the LS bass to me but I don't set the sub to the point where the bass starts sounding boomy. Do what I did when I went to audition my sub. I went through my music and found 10-14 songs that had strong bass. Then I recorded a cd with those songs on it. It helped me make my choice. I recomend that you do this with two cds. One for bass and one of your favorite songs. This will give you an idea of how your music sounds on LS. If the LS are not hooked up to quaility componets then you will not like them. Find out what they are hooked up to. If it is not very good system then ask if you could bring your preamp and amp(if you feel comfortable doing this) over. You are thinking about spending alot of money so make sure your system matches the speakers. I know taking the preamp and amp over would be alot of trouble but it is the only way to know for sure how the LS would sound for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 What I like about the bass of the LS is that it actually plays it as music, like higher notes. the bass notes have beginnings, middles and ends like other notes, not just the usual thump, thump of lesser speakers. (who was it that remarked about beating a sofa with a salami?) Incidentally, the test came out the same with both a fixed up Eico HF-81 and a newer Nakamichi HT receiver with 100 easy watts per side. Also, those were brand new K-33E from Klipsch, they only had a few hours on them at the time. These LS have the DIY ALK crossovers too. I didn't think to try them with the AA I had at that time. Tom, You're really nailing the advantage of the Lascala over the Klipsch horn. Its Bass definition all the way! I love Khorns but not sure I could ever give up the Lascala Bass it may not go as low as a Khorns but what it does do it does excellently! The mention of the HF81 compared to the 100W SS has me confused though. Sending a single test tone through an amp to your speakers is no way to make any real assumptions. Music is a very different strain on an amp compared to a single test tone.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 I had only a brief occasion to seriously audition, in my home, with the same equipment and the same music, Mike Lindsays pair of LaScalas. Compared to my walnut-oiled Cornwall 1s, with their B2 crossovers, the LaScala larger mid-range horn was smoother, larger, clearer, open, efficient, compelling, accurate and true. Though I loved the Cornies for over a decade, I suddenly had to have something better. Yet, when I got my classic Klipsch corner Khorns, I was shocked at the lean bass (although all of the dreamy qualities of the mid-range was there). The Khorns do reach down to 30Hz, within about 2dB. There is actually a lot of movie and music content that extends that deep. The first string of a bass guitar starts at 40Hz - who knows how deep its harmonics descend? It took some live jazz and classical music listening to realize how much more accurate the lean Khorn bass was compared to the mid-bass punch of the Cornwalls. In my opinion, if you do NOT have solid-state subwoofer support for any speaker that goes down to only 45 or 50Hz, you are missing out on a lot of content, tone and definition. The mid-bass punch of the Cornwalls may make this less apparent than the smoother LaScalas, but both of them enjoy powerful subwoofer support in the nether regions. The lean accuracy of the horn-loaded bass extends up into the smooth and open mid-range response. Whether it is the horn-loaded bass unit of the Khorns or the larger mid-range horn - which it shares in common with the LaScala - or both, the overall glorious sound of the biggest Klipsch brother is a different difference, that is a far superior cry than my lesser Cornwall. Despite disadvantages, ultra-sensitive big ole horns are ideal matches for flea-powered tube amplifiers. In fact, few loudspeakers are really suited to the 2A3 or 45 tubes like big ole horns. Yet, my Bottlehead 2A3 Paramour monoblocks can not push around the low bass impedances of the Khorns 15 woofer, even when so efficiently horn-loaded. This is easily confirmed with my vintage solid-state HK 330B receiver and Pioneer Class A amplifier. They both drive the bass better. I believe that this is because the low cost Paramours do not have the transformer iron to double their wattage into a lower impedance load. Unfortunately, LaScalas do have a big footprint, especially if you place them three to four feet from the side walls to create a wide and deep soundstage. They are also relatively low, for such a big speaker, and you may want to angle their front edge an inch upwards to face the horn directly towards your ear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j-malotky Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 Neo Your room is TOO SMALL to really enjoy the LAS. Yes they will sound OK, but really won't shine like they can in a small 12 x 10 room. Even a Chorus or Cornwall may be a bit too big to properly perform IMO. In that room size the Forte really performs nicely and would be my first choise. Especailly compared to the BIG Heritage like the LAS or KHORN. JM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo33 Posted December 8, 2003 Author Share Posted December 8, 2003 What is a reasonable price for a pair of '85 Fortes in good condition? Also, will the Fortes perform equally nice in a bigger room? The Fortes, when placed properly, can go down to 30Hz which the LaScalas can't. PS. I am thinking of selling the RF7s and buy a pair of Heritage speakers. I may move my gears to a bigger room. Damn, I am beginning to sound like Deano. Do I keep anything for that long? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 Chorus II. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j-malotky Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 I would guess Fortes go in the $400-600 range depending on condition etc. Unfortunately Biger rooms are where Fortes show there limitations especially for 2 CH listening. If you had a pair of Fortes you will always find a use for them. Say future HT surrounds or set up in your bedroom. JM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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