Help buying used Lascalas

[Ray_pierrewit]

Hi,

I just posted this over on the audio asylum and thought it'd also be good to post it here.

I'm going to see (and listen) to a pair of used "great condition"
Klipsch Lascalas on Monday. I believe the price is right, however I was
hoping to get a little help from some knowledgable inmates...



Besides the condition of the cabinets, what should I look(out) for???

Also, should things not be quite right, are these speakers still serviceable, or do upgrades/mods exist for them?



Thanks!

dna

[Marvel]

If the cabinets are in good condition, everything else is quite serviceable. Depending on what has already been done to them and the year of manufacture, you will probably want to make sure all is brought back to spec. Do you have any details on the LS?

Bruce

[jbsl]

What are they asking?

cover the tweeter up with your hand then take your hand off and if sounds the same tweeter may be blown or problem with connections on the crossover.

There are a lot of upgrades and mods you can do. This forum has a "Updates and Modification" section that you can research.

Good Luck with the La Scalas.

[jbsl]

What kind of equipment will you be using? La Scalas and Klipshorns need quality equipment for the La Scalas to sound their best.

Use quality solid state or tube equipment. A $400 Audio/Video receiver from BB is not what I mean by quality.

[Ray_pierrewit]

I initially plan on using them with the Trends Audio TA-10.1,this
glowing review is what turned me onto this particular speaker
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/trends/ta10_3.html. Afterwards I
plan on building flea powered tube pre/amps and see where it goes from
there.

How can I verify that the drivers are all original?

Another
question I'd like to ask is given the size of these speakers, is it
necessary to drive them at high volumes, or is it still possible to
listen at reasonable levels (my listening room is approx. 15' x 25',
floors are hardwood over concrete and the walls are very soundproof).

Thanks for any imput.

dna

[Daddy Dee]

I think the Trends will be fine for listening at reasonable levels. I enjoyed them most at not really high volumes.

Original drivers will usually have a klipsch logo sticker, but not always. It wouldn't matter whether they are original drivers. There are quite a few LaScalas and other Heritage speakers that have OEM replacement drivers in the mid and tweeter and they are exactly the same as Klipsch parts.

Depending on the year of manufacture, the tweeter will have a round or square magnet assembly. Round magnet assembly are for the earlier models. On the woofer also a square or round magnet, but on the woofer the square magnet is older.

The most likely driver to be bad is the tweeter. Just put your ear up there to confirm that it is working, same with the mid though it's absence would be more noticeable. A new diaphragm would probably return either of these to spec. If you can hear the drivers, they should be fine. Occasionally with the old round tweeter magnets, they are Alinco and sometimes have a diminished output.

[Guest " "]

" but on the woofer the square magnet is older."

 

 square mag woofers re-appeard during the early 80's....so you could have a 80's model with a square mage woofer and it would be OK.