spaaaz Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 Ok the 85 La Scalas have landed and I am going to have Dean built a pair of networks for them,I am also going to damp the horns,Is dynamat better than rope caulk?and should the tweeter horn be damped as well?thanks Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frzninvt Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 The '85's should have the K-401K horn which is composed of composite material and no dampening material should be necessary. If they are the metal K-400 whatever material you can get cheaper would be the best bet. The dynamat will look a little more tasteful if neatfully applied the rope caulk looks like a plumber threw up on the horn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 Dynamat type sheets are much easier to install on LaScalas with their small opening. There is no need to remove the horn, just make sure to remove any dust for good adhesion. While you are at it, it is a good idea to "Dynamat" the top and sides in the upper enclosure. I am going to put some on the inside walls of the dog house too one day. I use this from Parts Express (link). great price performance ratio. I have used it on everything from speakers to CD players and amps. I have done some K-77 tweeters and I can't hear any difference there. The difference in the K-400 is immediately audible. Frank Van Alstine was about the first advocate of speaker (and everything else) damping in his "Audio Basics Newsletter" (link).. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.4knee Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 Rope Caulk is cheaper. The horns are not that hard to get out, I just did my 84's. The mod is worth doing. Either one will do. I just feel that sometimes the hullabaloo about getting horns in and out is a little overstated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 "Rope Caulk is cheaper." Not really, I think I used 4 or 5 boxes of rope caulk on my K-400 horns that's about $20. That sheet for $21.50, is enough to do both K-400s. both K-33 woofer baskets, a couple of CD players and several amps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylanl Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 Rope caulk - completely reversible I am not sure of the Dynamat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBrennan Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 Zapper---Horn lore is full of various damping schemes back to the 1930s at least when Lansing Mfg. damped their multicells with tar filling and RCA made multicells of wood. I used to have a pair of 1940s-50s era Altec "Hollywood" tar-filled multicells. There was a sheet-metal skin around the horn cluster that was filled with hot tar through openings that were then plugged. Buggers were about 90 pounds each and dead as doornails. Add a late model ferrite 288 driver at about 30 pounds and I ended up with an assembly that I needed help to lift atop the bassbins. Lucky I have strong sons, loyal retainers are they. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedball Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 Hi Spazz, Do'nt know if you need it but Home Depot's Plumbing Dept. has 2" wide gummy pipe insulation tape. Not the foam stuff, the flat doughy like substance, cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 I thought rope caulk was easier to install, didn't even use a full box on my Corns' metal horns and it made a difference... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 Colin, did you damp the woofer baskets with the leftovers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHUFF Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 Rope caulk makes better contact and is more easily shaped to conform with surface irregularities, becomes one with the horn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 Well here I go guys, got one of my LS Industrial cabinets apart. I have the split boxes, so the front panel comes off. ONly problem was the retaining bolt for the horn throat, had to access it through the connector plate hole. Also removed the AL xovers for Bob Crites to examine. For now I'm going to change out one cabinet and leave the other completely stock so I can A/B em in a month or so. I've taken all 'pre' photos and have camera nearby for work in process for ya. Got 4 boxes of the rope caulk and bowl of warm water nearby. Here goes nothing. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodger Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 If one goes with the Dyna-Mat, a wallpaper seam roller works well for adhesion. There's the offset type which is better or the centered wood roller. Just make sure that the metal is clean. dodger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 gawd, this is like work! I know it's going to be inside the cabinet, but trying to do a neat job with this stuff is difficult, You really have to smash it down hard to get it to stick to the metal. I've done only one roll, about 1/2 of one horn in the time it has been between these posts. At least it'll scrape off easily if I hate it. It does look like about 4 boxes per K400 horn will be required. Michael- back at it.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 I was wondering about this at about 3:00 a.m. the other night when I couldn't sleep: Have there been any experiments using rubberized, spray on undercoating for metal squawker horn dampening? It sure would look cleaner than mummification via rope caulk, but I just don't know how it would work. It's used for sound deadening on the underside body panels of cars. Once cured and dry, it might actually work pretty well. I'm not going to do anything like this on our metal horns, because I like how they ring, which I have never actually heard...... Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BS Button Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 Nobody likes my spray on truck bed liner idea? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael hurd Posted March 29, 2005 Share Posted March 29, 2005 Spray on bedliner material like rhino linings would work. Maybe, if there was a dealer nearby that does spray in bedliners, he would spray them for a $ 20 slipped in his pocket, the next time that they spray a truck bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BS Button Posted March 29, 2005 Share Posted March 29, 2005 Exactly, exactly, exactly. Give it a shot...it's got to work. What color are you going with? Slip 'em a 20.00 and let r rip. BS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbsl Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 Just got a single 1975 La Scala for center channel duties and would have been perfectly happy not to do this mod. But now that I have read this post this mod will be in the back of my mind until I try it. My left and right La Scalas are 2004 models without the metal horns so there may be a slight difference in sound. Waiting on a new crossover for the center LS so once I get it in I can then decide if I want to try this. Xman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 Oh, here's a neat trick, make sure the horn and caulk are WARM before beginning, MUCH easier to work with. I just set both out in the sun yesterday (about 60 out) and the mortite stuck much better and was easier to form to the horn. I did a first layer longitudinally (from mouth of horn back to about 6" from throat),cutting each piece neatly with utility knife, smooshed it down good, then starting at throat end, started a rough spiral wrap all the way down. It overlaps kind of funny, but then the final smooshing (tech term) compresses it pretty flat anyway. About 3.5 boxes for one K400 done this way. Definitely a different sound when hammered with fingernail - it's now a dull 'thunk' versus a belllike 'ring'. Havent reinstalled and heard it yet, but it's got to help some and wasn't that difficult to do. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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