"Factory Special" La Scala II's at Onecall--1,799.97/e***

[Coytee]

I'm miffed. Why would one pay $3600 for a pair of speakers made out of MDF, when they can but the originals (plywood) for $1500 or less per pair? The only reason a speaker manufacture uses MDF, is to cut cost!

That may be so (I have no idea). What I CAN attest to though is their sound. Given the audition I had with the LaScala II's, they were an immediate and clear improvement over my regular LaScalas (which I've owned since 1979). It sounded like they added an entire octave on the bottom end (though the output is suppoesed to be about the same). What they did was tame that side wall from resonating.

[theplummer]

Next time your in Home Depot or Lowes, look at the price difference between MDF and veneer faced plywood. MDF is about 1/2 the cost. I don't have the article, but one DIY speaker builder built two pair. One out of MDF, the other out of plywood. He said there was no difference in sound quality, but that MDF is very unforgiving with screws, banging a corner, etc. And don't even get it wet.

Be very carefull when considering MDF, I've found that Lowe's markets plain old particle board as MDF and yes it is about half the price of plywood, but it's not the same product. Go to a lumber yard and price it, you'll find that true MDF is MUCH more expensive. I recently paid $54.00 per sheet of 1" MDF to build my DIY Sub from. I have to say it is very sturdy, and heavy.

[Coytee]

I don't have the article, but one DIY speaker builder built two pair. One out of MDF, the other out of plywood. He said there was no difference in sound quality

1. What he said might be true for his specific experiment

2. He might have been blowing smoke or made an honest mistake in his opinion?

3. For MY ears and listening experience, there is NO doubting that the LaScala II's sound like they have distinctly more/deeper bass than the old versions. Only difference is the MDF tightening up the sidewalls from resonating. Did the aforementioned builder make LaScalas or some other kind of speaker? Is it possible that the LaScala in particular benefits from the more dense material (than perhaps some other designs) because of those big ole sidewalls doing the Ickey Shuffle. So if your builder in the article made some Mach One clones, maybe there was no difference in that specific application. If he in fact made LaScalas, and two pair at that...one MDF and the other plywood then I'd suggest he was either deaf, made a mistake somewhere or perhaps has an axe to grind? (regarding no difference in sound quality)

I'd find it more scientific to maybe listen to an old LaScala and then listen to a LaScala II, this way you have taken ALL other factors out of the equation and can make a judgement on the sound alone.

(all that said, I still don't like MDF for the many bad reasons already commented)

[Guest " "]

"For MY ears and listening experience, there is NO doubting that the LaScala II's sound like they have distinctly more/deeper bass than the old versions.  Only difference is the MDF tightening up the sidewalls from resonating. "

The xovers are also different...

Have you you heard bircxh LaScala's with AL-4's?

Have you heard birch LaScala's with AL-4's and K-45's?

part of the awe folks are hearing may be due to AL-4 vs AA or other xovers.

 

[ssh]

Correction to my earlier post- Only one black ash Heresy III was available, so it'll be a center for my four LaS after I move the Khorns into a two channel setup.

SSH

[Islander]

Four LS and an H3? Sounds like an excellent setup!

[colterphoto1]

MDF can be precision milled much more accurately than plywood. The method of attaching panels adds considerably to the structural integrity and resonance reduction of the cabinet.

We made a pair of each in the LSII. The MDF ones won out over even 1" plywood.

End of story.

[colterphoto1]

Next time your in Home Depot or Lowes, look at the price difference between MDF and veneer faced plywood. MDF is about 1/2 the cost. I don't have the article, but one DIY speaker builder built two pair. One out of MDF, the other out of plywood. He said there was no difference in sound quality, but that MDF is very unforgiving with screws, banging a corner, etc. And don't even get it wet.

Did your DIY builder have access to sophisticated test equipment?

And we really wouldn't advise anyone getting any speaker cabinet in a position of heavy moisture, let alone abuse the cabinet with corner banging.

If you need Industrial cabinets, call me and I'll see what I can do. We made a series with fibreglass mat surfaces and aluminum trip for trucking.

I'm sure we could have used a more costly material and increased the retail price accordingly. BTW, increasing the thickness to 1" necessitated purchasing 5x10' sheets instead of the standard and much more economical 4x8 sheets that cut into LS with nearly no waste. You should see the equipment needed to handle those larger sheets. I don't think you can accuse Klipsch of going 'cheap' when top quality materials, joinery, veneer, and American labor are used to build the LaScala II.

Why don't you buy a pair and give them a whirl?

[Islander]

MDF can be precision milled much more accurately than plywood. The method of attaching panels adds considerably to the structural integrity and resonance reduction of the cabinet.

We made a pair of each in the LSII. The MDF ones won out over even 1" plywood.

End of story.

Thanks for the info, Michael! I'm sure I'm not the only one who was curious about that.

But did anyone try one-and-a-half-inch plywood? That's not a silly question, I'm tossing around the idea of adding a second panel of 3/4-inch plywood to each side of my Scalas to stiffen them up. In the meantime, maybe I'll start saving up for some LSIIs and do it right when I can afford it.

[bluesboy]

Next time your in Home Depot or Lowes, look at the price difference between MDF and veneer faced plywood. MDF is about 1/2 the cost. I don't have the article, but one DIY speaker builder built two pair. One out of MDF, the other out of plywood. He said there was no difference in sound quality, but that MDF is very unforgiving with screws, banging a corner, etc. And don't even get it wet.

The hardwood veneer plywood at Home Depot or Lowes is not suitable for building Klipsch bass bins. It's full of voids, not good. I really don't see any drawbacks to using MDF. It machines well, takes paint or veneer well. Plus you can buy it already veneered. It doesn't matter if it can take screws or not. The strength in joints comes from the glue. The only reason screws were used in Klipsch bass bins is they didn't have brad nailers.

[seasterl]

But did anyone try one-and-a-half-inch plywood? That's not a silly question, I'm tossing around the idea of adding a second panel of 3/4-inch plywood to each side of my Scalas to stiffen them up.

The idea of stiffening up the box and sealing the inside to direct airflow through the proper channels is always a wise idea. The use of plywood is thought by many professional builders to color the sound compared to MDF. Without rehashing the verdict, there are an overwhelming number of reasons why a professionally-built box should be designed and built from MDF, and only a few reasons why a DIY'er should use plywood (emphasis on professional versus DIY). If I really wanted to build a plywood box and thought that I might want to continue to partially disassemble it, the plywood makes sense. Doubling up on thickness makes even more sense. But the best way is to use 1" MDF and double or triple up on that, screw it, glue it, and seal it up, veneer it, and leave it alone. As long as the drivers and crossover are well-thought out, then there'll be no need to keep changing them. Gosh! Just thinking about this makes me want to do it now! You guys are having all the fun.