Question for LaScala owners

[scotbuck]

Greetings,

Yesterday I had the opportunity to hear some near-mint LaScalas (with the Type AA crossover and alnico drivers). I was really knocked out by the music these speakers made, bass response included! One thing I noticed, though, was that the volume needed to be at a certain level before it seemed that the speakers came alive and breathed.

Have any of you experienced this? And if so, can you say whether this is a function of the room or the physics of the horn? (The listening area in my condo is about 14.5 feet deep by 20 feet wide; the speaker owner's room was about 10 feet larger in each direction and had a cathedral ceiling.)

I'm strongly considering buying these speakers but would hate to get them home only to realize that they'd need to be at "bad-neighbor-relations" levels to really shine.

Any opinions you could share would be greatly appreciated!

Take care,

Scott

[colterphoto1]

They really are a PA/theatre speaker for the reasons you point out. For a similar experience with smoother bass imho, try out some Cornwalls. They can be positioned about anywhere and seem to better in mid sized rooms such as yours. I have both.

Michael

[Frzninvt]

They will sound great at lower levels too, but you get the "live performance" effect when you put some volume to them. The same holds true for all the speakers in the Heritage line. I live in an apartment and do alot of low level listening but I have gone gonzo on the volume before and it leaves me shaking my head in disbelief the dynamics, power and authority that they are capable off without the slightest hint of breakup or distortion.

You don't need a huge room for La Scalas.

[Duke Spinner]

correction ...

You have a LOTTA BOTH >>>

[6foot8]

ditto what Michael said. I have La Scalas as well and they seem much more comfortable in a large room. I have never owned a pair of Cornwalls though but would love to have a mint pair.

[mark1101]

I have both cornwalls and LaScalas, heresys too. All of the Heritage line sound fantastic at low volumes, especially the LaScalas.

Now yes, they get authoritative when some decent power is applied, but that is not necessary to make them sound great. I love low listening every now and then. All of the Klipsch models I have sound great down low. Most of the time I listen loud however, because that's just how I am.

[cjgeraci]

As noted, LaScalas usually need plenty of room to breathe. And the quality of the gear behind the speakers (from the CD/turntable to the prepro to the amp) also dictates the quality of sound from the speakers.

I can tell you that with decent gear, LaScalas can be outstanding at lower volumes as well. Do you know if the pair of LaScalas had freshened crossovers?

If you heard a pair of LaScalas with AAs, it could be that the original crossovers in that pair were pushing 30 years old. When I acquired my set of 1976 Belles, they had AA xovers with Alnico drivers in them. They sounded pretty good at higher volumes, but were not anything special at lower volumes. Then, I had Dean build some DHAxovers (a first order network), and it seemed as though a "veil" was lifted off the speakers at lower volumes. Much more detail and dynamics at lower volumes. I think the improvement came from new parts (vs. ones that were worn out) and from a different x-over design.

So, if you have the opportunity, you really need to hear a pair of big Heritage (K-horns, LaScalas, or Belles) with freshened crossovers or new design crossovers to hear what the speakers can do at lower volumes.

In here, both Dean and Bob offer rebuilds or freshened versions of classic Klipsch crossovers, such as the AA. Dean also builds DHAxovers, which were designed by another forum member John Albright. Al K. offers two of his crossover designs, both of which are fantastic. So, depending on what you would want to spend (and/or what your listening habits are), the resources are available, from DIY designs to ordering a rebuild or freshening of OEM stuff. If you have the skill, you could rebuild a set of x-overs yourself with new parts.

Perform a search over in Updates and Mods, and you will see various threads on crossovers. Read peoples' experiences for yourself.

But, again, if you have a forum member located near you that has large Heritage with freshened or different crossovers, it would be beneficial for you to hear that pair - to see if you can hear a difference from what you heard. That way, if you decide to purchase a pair of LaScalas, you've made an informed purchase. Or, it might be good to hear a relatively-new pair of LaScalas.

Carl.

[Klewless]

Don't forget

That your hearing becomes more linear at louder volumes (up to a point)!!!!

[psg]

They sound really good at lower volumes if you listen to music appropriate to those volumes (e.g. trio jazz; nothing with a drum).

[tofu]

----------------

On 6/22/2005 2:29:23 PM psg wrote:

They sound really good at lower volumes if you listen to music appropriate to those volumes (e.g. trio jazz; nothing with a drum).

----------------

i have to agree with you here. i find that songs that have bass as a main entity don't sound as good at lower volumes. need to feel that kind of music to enjoy it.

[Colin]

What level? Measured how? With what equipment?

[joessportster]

=my lascalas are in a room 12 x 16 and i listen to classic rock on vinyl mostly, and i am very happy at almost any volume am using a dynaco st 70 for now with 35 watts per channel i love the scalas with all types of music Joe

[psg]

----------------

On 6/22/2005 3:13:34 PM Colin wrote:

What level? Measured how? With what equipment?

----------------

I like trio jazz at 80 to 85 dB (around -30dB on the dial of my h/k avr-325 receiver) whether then on La Scala's or now on KHorns.

[heresy2guy]

I agree with PSG & TOFU. In my experience, the La Scalas really come into their own when the volume increases, but at lower levels, I think they sound a bit unbalanced. You can argue that they sound unbalanced at higher levels too, in comparison to a Khorn or Cornwall, but the mid-bass they deliver really comes alive at higher volumes and helps balance out the mids and highs. At lower, background listening levels however, I personally like a speaker then goes deeper. In fact, at dinner-music levels, my Heresy II / KG4 combination sounds much more pleasing to both my wife and me. BUT (and this is a big but here), when you need volume, the La Scalas rise to the occasion and then step all over the Heresy II / KG4 combo with their effortless dynamics and total clarity. So, in sum, it is my opinion based on my own experience and musical taste that La Scalas need some volume to sound their best and really come into their own.

[colterphoto1]

survey says ??????

Pretty close one guys, according to my count, 7 think that LS need more room and/or mid to high volumes to 'come alive'.

5 say that LS is at home in any size room and/or that they sound great at all listening levels.

I think we would need to define the room size and what constitutes low, normal, loud listening volumes before the survey can be valid.

Note that NOT ONE LS owner in this little survey mentioned anything about lack of bass! Most all had something positive to say about the sound no matter what the level..

It's a draw in this one gang!

Michael

[mark1101]

I agree with CJ that what you may be hearing is an out of spec crossover issue, where the speaker has lost efficiency and sounds poorly at low power levels. This could manifest itself especially in the top end. This is common as the speakers age. If they are around 20 years old or older, you are probably not hearing the original factory performance.

This was the case with my '73 cornwalls. The issue is easily corrected as CJ describes. I had Bob Crites (BEC) bring my networks back to original specs (new caps). It made a huge difference and it didn't cost very much.

I'll bet that's all it is.

Colter: Yea my LaScalas could have more bass. I use 2 subs. Every once in a while I'll turn them off to realize their effect, and there is no turning back for me baby. I would spend even more money on some better subs if I had some extra to burn. But this time I'd get something that really projects at some distance, probably pro models so I could use them outdoors. That being said, I really love the convenience of the LaScala not being restricted to a corner like a Khorn (big +).

[6foot8]

Michael hit this one on the head, they sound good period! I love mine and will never get rid of them. I did find that the BGW 750B really improved the low end performance on mine. I have a reasonably sized room and while awaiting my new speakers to arrive decided I would put my La Scalas to to the test with my recently restored BGW. I was very impressed with the punch they had.

[126mhz]

I have a mint pair of birch La Scalas from 1985? I drive them with a Dynaco ST70 and a Mapletree 4A SE Pre. I also use a Sunfire True Sub that I just got back from Carver/Sunfire in Snohomish, Wa. (It has been completely gone through with all new Caps and a new cabnet)

While I too love the LaScalas and never plan to get rid of them, my set up needs a fair amount of volume to get any real bass out of them.

I'm driving the sub off one of the outputs on the Mapletree pre and I am almost happy with them at low volume levels when I'm listening to Miles Davis, ("Kind of Blue") they do seem to come alive a higher volumes listening to Joe Walsh, "The Smoker I Drink the Player I Get."

In contrast I have a pair of Kilpsch KP301s, which I beleive are almost like a industrial Cornwall on my basement system. I use a Scott 299D to drive them with a old Carver C4000 Pre and they really pump out the bass with almost any music.

I'm open to advice and will continue to try new tweaks on my LaScala system.

Regards,

Bill Woodward

[scotbuck]

Greetings,

Thanks for all the great input thus far - I really appreciate it!

Regarding the bass response, breathing, and volume levels... What I heard is somewhat hard to describe. The balance between highs, mids, and lows was approximately equal regardless of volume, perhaps tipped a bit in favor of the mids and highs at lower listening levels. However, as the volume went up somewhat, the *character* of the bass changed. For example, an upright bass in a jazz combo (ala "Way Out West" by Sonny Rollins) had more body resonance, more "hrumph" on each note almost as if a "sweet spot" was encountered as the bass-horn came alive. (BTW - I never got the impression that these speakers were lacking in bass response!! )

This didn't require ear-splitting volume levels (we really didn't have much power to work with), at least considering size of the room. I listened mostly to jazz played through my little SI tripath amp as well as the owner's 300-B amp, so we were using between maybe 5 and 15wpc.

As an aside, I though one of the most impressive things about the LaScala was the way that big squaker sounded; the midband was absolutely gorgeous with either amp ... and even a wailing tenor sax never sounded harsh (as it did in the past when I was using Lowther-based horns).

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts!!!

Take care,

Scott

[colterphoto1]

"As an aside, I though one of the most impressive things about the LaScala was the way that big squaker sounded; the midband was absolutely gorgeous with either amp ... and even a wailing tenor sax never sounded harsh "

Hardly an aside, that's the main reason we love our LS- that mid horn is a thing of beauty! I keep it simple and say it just sounds musical, but I like your take on it too. Nice thread guys!

Michael