LaScalas: 76s vs. 87s

[Appleskinner]

I currently have a pair of '76 LaScalas that have good sound but are in need of a refresh in the crossover department. I have an opportunity to pick up some 87s that appear to be in pretty good condition. From what I've seen, the mids and tweets were changed between these model years. Is there any other significant difference (good or bad) between the '76 and '87 model years? I cannot swing keeping both pairs and am interested in knowing if there is any benefit/upgrade of going with the '87s. The finish on the 87s is definitely better than mine, but I don't want that to be the only deciding factor. Thank you for any advice.

~Gary

[Guest " "]

Yes, tweeters changed, mid drivers changed, xovers changed, and many of the 80's versions had square mag woofers vs the round mag ones.

bottom line....assuming you could listen each and assume each were brand new with no issues....there is a split vote on which would sound better....my personal take is the the mid 80's version would sound better at higher volume levels and the mid 70's version would sound better at lower poer levels.

[WopOnTour]

Gary

I have a pair of 76's too. Replacing the caps in the crossovers and giving all the crossover and driver wiring a refresh really improved my sound quality.

I went with inexpensive Solens and a large motor run oil can bypassed with a Multicap

It was an low cost refresh while I gather better quality parts for the DIY AK Eng crossovers (still looking for a good deal on the Litz inductors)

I had a Solen cap in the 13uf position for a while but preferred the oil filled motor run which seemed to improve soundstaging (wider, more forward) at least to my ears

As you can see I've eliminated the zener based tweeter protection, but I plan to add some fast blow fuses, for now I'm just risking it

Others have suggested to add a 10ohm swamping resistor across the autoformer to insure impedance stability back at the amp (I'm using a Harman Kardon Citation II) but havnt tried that yet

Right now they sound GREAT!

Total cost for the caps about $30 ea. side

I have another pair of these 12.5uf motor runs if you want to try them ($20 plus maybe $5 shipping)

WOT

[Appleskinner]

Well, I picked up the '87s. They are consecutive serial #s in the original boxes and are nearly perfect with the exception of a couple of very small chips on the front of one bass horn. They are certainly prettier than my '76s...I won't be able to compare the sound for a couple of days. They've got K-77M tweets and K-55M mid horns with AL crossovers. Are these components considered better, worse or the same as the original K-77/K-55/AA setup? Would it make any sense to switch any of these around to get the best of both worlds?

According to some past posts, it sounds like the AL crossover may have some issues...also that the plastic mid-horn is better sounding than the old metal one in my '76s. Can anyone speak to the differences (good/bad/indifferent) between the models?

I am one of those people that that feels older is often better and would like to know if the newer drivers actually improved during this 11 year period. The ultimate plan is to drive these with a Scott 299 in a 2-channel setup. If the '76s are better at low volumes in this environment, these may be the ones I keep.

[Guest " "]

it sounds like you have both...give them a both a try and see which you like better.

[Islander]

it sounds like you have both...give them a both a try and see which you like better.

Good thinking. What you hear is more important than all the the opinions and theories.

[Appleskinner]

Well, I got a few minutes last night and did an A/B comparison on the LaScalas. The difference in sound was not subtle. The amplification was a McIntosh MC 2105 amplifier with a C 29 preamp with the mode selector on "mono." I placed each of the speakers in a corner to ensure each of them had the ability to perform in their optimum environment. Both speakers are straight stock--no mods whatsoever.

The test CD was Mapleshade Records "The Art of the Ballad." The LaScalas seem to perform their best with well-recorded jazz and jazz/acoustic blues is primarily what I listen to on my home system.

The immediate difference between the two speakers was that the '76 was noticably louder than the '87. It was not a small difference--it was as though I turned the volume up another notch when switching over to the '76.

I also felt the bass was a bit boomier on the '76 while the '87 was much more laid back. The '76 definitely had the edge in the bass area. There is nothing as beautiful as the sound of a stand up bass being plucked during a jazz solo. The '87s just couldn't produce the thump required to thoroughly enjoy the bass passages.

Last and definitely not least, the midrange between the '76s and '87s was like night and day. For lack of a better word, the '76 was very "throaty". While the midgrange of the '87 was smooth and balanced, the '76 was in your face. At times, it had somewhat of a megaphone sound. Depending on the music, this could be good or bad. I sort of liked the sound of the '76s in this area, but can see how it could get irritating over longer periods of listening...especially with the wrong music. The '76s really sounded "horny" in this area. Again, for lack of a better term.

Now comes the decision as to which one goes and which one stays. Keeping in mind that the '76s are in need of a crossover upgrade, I personally think they are the better sounding speaker. Unfortunately, they are also in need of a good refinishing. Hmmm...if they weren't as visible, looks would not matter so much. Would the '76s be overkill as a garage system???

[ssh]

Overkill? What's overkill? Colter, you got an opinion here?

Naah, put them in the garage, with some new xovrs.

SSH