jwc Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 Well, Al sent My ALK's and they arrived today. I will post a series of pictures to show you the installation. Let me say that I am pleased with the quality and I am pleased with AL. Great to work with. Here is a pic of the ALK on top of my 84' scalas and the AL factory network w/in. jc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted January 19, 2005 Author Share Posted January 19, 2005 here is another view...the top jc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted January 19, 2005 Author Share Posted January 19, 2005 Well, I'm not too good with the pics jc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted January 19, 2005 Author Share Posted January 19, 2005 These next posts are not meant to be boring. Most of the people on this forum may find it silly that I am posting simple steps to remove and intall a network. I myself was nervous about changing out this network. I had thought about it for months. This short series of pictures and post are for those who want to see what is involved with this. It turned out to be fairly easy. jc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted January 19, 2005 Author Share Posted January 19, 2005 Need a flat head to unscrew the 6 screws that hold down the 3 pairs of component wires (white). Don't put too much tension on the tweeter cable. If it becomes disconnected from the tweeter, it will be hard to re-attach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted January 19, 2005 Author Share Posted January 19, 2005 Phillips screwdriver to remove 4 screws from the wood base of the network. You need a "short and fat" screwdriver to do this. The picture shows you where the screws were. Look for 4 empty holes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted January 19, 2005 Author Share Posted January 19, 2005 Here is the scala w/out the network and the driver cables unhooked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted January 19, 2005 Author Share Posted January 19, 2005 Here is the ALK in position. This is the position like the schematic sent by Al K. The driver cables are pushed out of the way. Notice the one screw that is not "screwed in". This is one of the screws used from the AL network. Right now, this is the only screw that I have used to fasten down the network. This network sits slightly higher than the factory AL due to the nice "pads" AL K has put on the bottom of the network. The network is secure with one screw, however, if I were to ship this speaker to some one, I would put in more screws. There are 4 screw holes in the wood base of the network. These were templated for the Khorn and the Belle. Therefore, for the scala, you will have to "screw" the screw into a new hole. Feel free to put up to 4 screws into new holes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted January 19, 2005 Author Share Posted January 19, 2005 Here is a picture of the driver cables mounted. The white wires from the drivers had Red lines to show "positive". Note that AL K had already connected an example of a sqwauker setting (midrange from the network side) with the red cables and the blue connectors. There are different options for the sqwauker, but I left them as is for the installation. You can change this later to change the sound of the midrange the way you like it. I have bi-wire capabilities, but I connected this network with simple positive and negative Radio shack 12 gauge cables used with the previous network. I wanted to be able to make a comparison using the same cables. If you bi-wire, AL K sends good pictures on how to do this. He also has good pictures for w/o bi-wire as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted January 19, 2005 Author Share Posted January 19, 2005 Well here is my setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted January 19, 2005 Author Share Posted January 19, 2005 Here is for you Mcintosh fans Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 very nice, thank you, I enjoyed it, sweet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted January 19, 2005 Author Share Posted January 19, 2005 Well, the verdict for a few hours of listening is good. I have noticed that the harshness is gone. This was my main concern with the AL networks. The very high end is soft and more noticeable. Small sounds in the background are more noticeable as well. I haven't heard enough too make a statement regarding the low frequencies. Let me make a comment for those who feel they have no clue what good sound is. My wife has been very supportive of my hobby with audio stuff. Sadly, the main reason I have all McIntosh equipment is because she loves the "look". We intertain lots of people and I have to make an approval from the chic "side". Anyway, she really takes no part in the appreciation of hifidelity. She does, however, sit on our theater seats with me and listen to music. I typically drink scotch while she drinks bourbon (Jim Beam). Once I had the crossovers installed, I first put in Diane Krall (of course). She stated, "this is different". She seemed somewhat sceptical of my purchase. Then she asked for me to play something else. The choice was "Tool". Well, I put this in and she was very impressed. Remember, she has no "real audio" experience. These were her words: "These (ALK's) are definately better. The sound is more warm. It's no longer harsh. If I can listen to Metal Music at high volumes w/o the harshness, they (ALK's) must be good". I couldn't believe she used those words. So far I am pleased as well. There is more "depth" and the sound is more "around me". The biggest improvement to me is the highs. They are soft but more crisp if that is possible. I need to check the other options for the mids. I have noticed in some songs that the Voice of the singer is less pronounced or more distant. I will try other settings and report back. Also I will speak of my experience with upgrade to high end biwire cable. Thanks for reading my posts and thanks AL K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 Beautiful setup. Actually, I appreciate the pics and explanations of changing out a network. Many are intimidated by this simple process, but as you found out -- there is absolutely nothing to it. I'm glad you're enjoying better sound -- enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Mobley Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 Holy cow dude! Are those piano black LaScalas? I don't believe any were made like that. Are they custom built? mmmmmmmmmmm piano black mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Nice setup. Like the built-in shelves. Nice work there. You a DIY type of guy or did you bring in a contractor to do that? That's one of the nicest setups I've seen in a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Klappenberger Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 Jim, Nice setup! It was a surprise to see the home page of my web site up on your big TV. I don't think many of the Klipsch guys bother to look at that filter stuff! One hint though: Convert you "bmp" pictures to "jpg" before you upload them. Poor folks like me who only have pokey-slow dial-up internet have to sit on the edge of their chairs waiting for the pictures to download! Bitmaps are HUGE compared to Jpeg images. Al K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted January 20, 2005 Author Share Posted January 20, 2005 I came up with all the dimensions and hired a contractor to do it. As you can see, there is a door to the right of the picture. This enters into a small, narrow room behind the setup. As you can imagine, there is a ton of wiring plus my carver amp and two line conditioners. This setup keeps it looking nice. There are no speaker cables on the floor; all running through the ceiling into gold plated speaker jacks. The built in cabinet is made of 2x4's and 3/4 inch shelving. That way, those >100lb amplifiers aren't a problem. They La Scalas are Piano Black. They came this way. I bought these from a guy in Atlanta some time ago. He had a other pairs la Scalas in different non-custom stains. My wife only wants black speakers. She is picky about the "look" jc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted January 20, 2005 Author Share Posted January 20, 2005 I will work on that AL. Possibly after work. Will this allow the Pics to be in the thread? jc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 Beautiful setup and nice work describing the process of changing out xovers, that might be daunting to some. BTW, excellent 'product placement' with your choice of images to show on your screen. I'll be doing the upgrade to my Cornwalls soon and look forward to the change in sound with great anticipation. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-MAN Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 ---------------- On 1/19/2005 10:44:17 PM jwcullison wrote: These next posts are not meant to be boring. Most of the people on this forum may find it silly that I am posting simple steps to remove and intall a network. ---------------- Not boring in the least! This is excellent, and takes alot of extra time and effort to do, so thank you for your effort and sharing your experience. DM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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