2005 LaScalas 1st Impressions

[sfellini]

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On 4/13/2005 10:58:17 PM TBrennan wrote:

I like Cornwalls and Khorns.

But I dislike LaScalas and Heresys

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Hi Tom - a question from someone new to the Klipsch scene:

All the speakers you mention have the same mid/high drivers, no?

The Cornwall & Heresy differ only in the horn/xover - 600Hz

vs. 700Hz which surely (?) can't make a difference.

So how do the mids/highs sound good/bad in one but not the other?

Steve.

[ben.]

I won't attempt to speak to Tom's preference, but horn choice, crossover design, and the overall physical speaker design (eg. LF transducer & cabinet design) have a great deal to do with overall presentaion of any speaker.

[TBrennan]

Steve----Tonal balance makes the difference. The LS and Heresy are quite bass shy and that makes the mids and highs sound fierce, at least to me. The more robust and natural tonal balances of the Khorn and Cornwall give the sound a different character and ameliorate problems in the upper mids and highs.

I believe too that with the Heresys the problem was accentuated by my using them elevated at ear height, this seemed to maximize the problems of the tweeter, which is rough. As I've said before the speakers actually gave my wife a headache. The speakers now placed in the same spot are smooth and pleasing.

I find John Malotky's Khorns pleasing in the extreme; I found my friend Kurt's LaScalas (the last I heard) and my Heresys not so.

[sfellini]

Hi Tom, thanks for the reply.

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On 4/13/2005 11:51:55 PM TBrennan wrote:

Steve----Tonal balance makes the difference.

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Right. I guess what I was thinking was that while a

bass-shy system would seem bright and not desirable,

it wouldn't drill your ears like simply bad drivers

would. My thought was that if the highs are pleasant

in a Cornwall, they should be pleasant in a Heresy,

excepting that the overall sound of the Heresy is too

bright.

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I believe too that with the Heresys the problem was accentuated by my using them elevated at ear height,

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I wouldn't be surprised. I've been listening to Heresys on

the floor, tilted up. But even then, the best sound I'm hearing

is with the horns aimed UNDER ear level.

Steve.

[pauln]

I get it now - Tom "ear wire" Brennan. I agree with Tom about the hot high end of the Heresey. I listened to my '76 Hereseys almost daily for the last almost 30 years before getting the LaScalas. I believe PWK made the Heresey tweeters 3dB hotter because they were intended for floor placement in corners. The rest of the heritage have their tweeters up high off the floor. Putting Hereseys up on stands is too much without some steps to mitigate the sound. I did the autoformer connection mod to bring the tweets down 3dB and liked the sound better. I also switched from Carver 250W/ch SS to 2A3 tube SETs and liked the sound way better. I also abandonded digital sources, sticking strictly to belt driven vinyl - and I liked the sound of this really fine. Getting the LaScalas was just the next logical step in the progression. I don't know what the earlier LS sounded like, but I think I do know what Tom means by "ear wire" in the Hereseys. The 2005 AL-4 LaScalas have not shown this problem with my vinyl /tube source.

[garymd]

Tom,

I hope you didn't take me too seriously. Just joking around as usual. I also own heresys and they currently have basement duty (unhooked in the back corner gathering dust). I think with a sub and the right tube gear, heresys can sound quite amazing for their size but without those things, they can be QUITE forward sounding. I've never owned lascalas although I've heard them. I did have a belle in my system to audition and liked it quite a bit. I'm with you though. Khorns and Cornwalls are my 2 favorites (by far) which I use them in my systems.

[Deang]

The Heresy was originally designed as a center channel speaker, and the top end was voiced to match up sonically with the Klipschorn. When used as a stereo pair, floor placement, and situated in corners will give the smoothest overall response and balance. The natural downsides here are loss of imaging, and a shallow soundfield. I would also like to add here, in the event that anyone has missed it in the past, or not clearly understood me -- THE OLD CANS SUCK.

My primary listening is done with Heresy's, and I use them in nearfield. They are elevated to ear level, well off the walls, and toed so the horns fire across/in front of me. Just a little four foot triangle that I believe encompasses some of the best sound I've ever heard. To hear this for yourself, you need to modify your Type E's using the attached schematic.

[Marvel]

Dean,

What about the HIIs? Mine sound very smooth as is, more so with the modded ST-70. Could be the ST-70 has no high end.

Marvel

[Deang]

I've done a couple of sets of H II's. There are no taps on the autoformer in the H II network, so if you want to attenuate levels you have to go with fixed L-pads. I heard the II's in Indy last year and I thought they sounded sweet. The only thing I would do is replace the caps with some good polypropylenes. Not much expense there I don't think -- six 1.5uF caps for the pair I believe.

[J.4knee]

Dean,

What schematic are you using for the HII's?

[Deang]

The one in my head!

My schematics are on two PC's, the one at work and the one here at home that is broke. I'm home right now with no access to them.

[DizRotus]

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On <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />

4/14/2005

12:45:44 PM DeanG wrote: <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

"The Heresy was originally designed as a center channel speaker..."

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Although often later utilized as a center channel speaker, I dont believe that it was originally designed for that purpose.

I recall an article (probably in

Dope From Hope

) in which PWK described being asked by the minister of his church to design a speaker to be mounted up high over the proscenium*. PWK's initial reaction was that to use his horn loaded speakers in that setting would be heresy, hence the name. The fact that a speaker initially designed for use in a church was christened "heresy" was, IMHO, an intentional play on words on the part of PWK. He had a well developed, but frequently irreverent, sense of humor.

Unfortunately, I cant confirm the foregoing, as my complete set of

Dope From Hope

was tossed many years ago when one of my beloved sons thought it time to recycle the binder in which newsletters were kept.

*

The American Heritage

Dictionary: "The area of a modern theater that is located between the curtain and the orchestra."

[Cal Blacksmith]

Congrats on your new speakers! They look AWESOME! I am sure you are jazzed about them. I still have my B&O 1900 though it is on the spare equipment rack at the moment. The spring holding up the dust cover is missing and the cover was a pain to deal with. I like the mod you did on yours to remove it entirely. I need to look at mine to see how you did it!

[pauln]

Cal B.,

I replaced the cover of my 1900 two times before deciding to let it go for good. Its easy - the hinges are spring-loaded so first raise the cover completely to relieve them, then unscrew the three brackets from the chassis of the 1900. (edit - I see you don't have the springs - that makes it easier -)The cover will come free with the backets stuck to it at a 90 degree (unloaded) angle. I like the clean look without the cover. You may have noticed that I no longer have the "wood" sides and front. They just snap off and on - lost them years ago during a period of them being "off" - I've grown to like it. Industrial black like the Wrights and the LsScalas.

Paul

[mustang1]

Absolutely beautiful speakers!