Chorus II vs La Scala II

[Coytee]

He's graduating soon so he's got to start talking like we do out in the real world and not like an ingineer...

[]

I would be willing to give up some low bass for cleaner, smoother, more detailed highs/mids/lows, and a bigger sound stage, with much better imaging

Bradleyc, I don't know how important asthetics are to you but another thought...buy some less expensive LaScalas or simply build some bass bins for LaScalas so you could have them shorter, then buy the K402 and put that on top, making it a 2-way.

I've heard it and if you can get past having a horn that is technically taller/wider than a LaScala, sitting sideways on TOP of a LaScala, the sound that you list as your critera above, will probably bring a big phat smile to your face!

The K-402's would be "about" $1,000 each and you can pick up a pair of beater LaScalas and fix them up, or buy some nicer looking ones for a bit more. Called a "JubeScala". BillH has one that he's using as a center channel in between two Jubilees.

I keep trying to get my wife to allow me to flip flop the plans for our downstairs finish job, so I could put one between MY Jubes, but she's just not having any of that.

If you can't deal with plug ugly over sound then forget my idea []

Just thought I'd toss a different thought into the mix.

[Deang]

The LaScala II's sound awesome and would kick the total crap out of the Chorus II's -- especially with Rock-n-Roll. This forum just kills me sometimes.

[Marvel]

The LaScala II's sound awesome and would kick the total crap out of the Chorus II's -- especially with Rock-n-Roll. This forum just kills me sometimes.

My sentiment, too, Dean. I do think the Chorus IIs rock pretty well, but the LSIIs, being fully horn loaded with the newer cabinets.... Wow!

[bradleyc]

Thank you everyone for your input, this is a difficult decision to purchase without being able to hear LS2's. I'm not much of a DIY guy with speakers, although I recently replaced a diaphram in a KLF-20 lol My thoughts before posting here on this fine forum were, the LS2's would have a larger, cleaner, more detailed and dynamic sound that my Chorus II's. Speaker preferences are subjective, but I value all of your opinions. This will help me make the best choice. I've been told the original LS speakers get that "cupped" nasal sound, does anybody know if the newly overhauled LS2's do too?

[Mike Lindsey]

The LaScala II's sound awesome and would kick the total crap out of the Chorus II's -- especially with Rock-n-Roll. This forum just kills me sometimes.

Thank you Dean! I have owned Chorus I's, Chorus II's, Cornwall II's and La Scala's (not II's), and the La Scala's just destroys them all, and not by a little bit either! Now granted, I'm not playing techno music or rap (is anybody here?) but the La Scala's soundstage alone makes them worth it over the others. And then throw in their midrange superiority and fuggetaboutit.

Honestly, for those that think the Chorus's can hang with the La Scala's you need to upgrade your sources. The more revealing they are the more the La Scala's will separate themselves. Of course the opposite is true as well... bad sound will sound even worse on the La Scala. Ymmv...

Mike

[wallflower]

"I've been told the original LS speakers get that "cupped" nasal sound"

That's hogwash. With good updated crossovers, good amps and good sources, original LS do not sound nasal.

[G.Kennedy]

............. I'm not playing techno music or rap (is anybody here?) ............ 

Uh ... yes ( is that so wrong)

Pier Bucci will make your filling rattle.

[DrWho]

"I've been told the original LS speakers get that "cupped" nasal sound"

That's hogwash. With good updated crossovers, good amps and good sources, original LS do not sound nasal.

Have you ever heard any exponential horns side by side with a good tractrix? The difference is quite surprising and makes the LS sound very nasally, honky, and hollow. This is of course speaking very relatively since as far as horns go, Klipsch tends to be the least of this attribute.

Do the Cayin tube amps and CD player qualify as "good sources"?

[DrWho]

The LaScala II's sound awesome and would kick the total crap out of the Chorus II's -- especially with Rock-n-Roll. This forum just kills me sometimes.

Thank you Dean! I have owned Chorus I's, Chorus II's, Cornwall II's and La Scala's (not II's), and the La Scala's just destroys them all, and not by a little bit either! Now granted, I'm not playing techno music or rap (is anybody here?) but the La Scala's soundstage alone makes them worth it over the others. And then throw in their midrange superiority and fuggetaboutit.

Honestly, for those that think the Chorus's can hang with the La Scala's you need to upgrade your sources. The more revealing they are the more the La Scala's will separate themselves. Of course the opposite is true as well... bad sound will sound even worse on the La Scala. Ymmv...

What kind of rock are we talking about? How do you guys put up with an entire missing octave at the low end? []

As far as soundstage - that is mostly a function of the room acoustics. Any differences between speakers are going to be the result of their polar responses - which as I mentioned the Chorus II tends to beam a bit.

As far as sources....I might argue the same about those that think the Lascalas sound better.

[Islander]

Have you ever heard any exponential horns side by side with a good tractrix? The difference is quite surprising and makes the LS sound very nasally, honky, and hollow. This is of course speaking very relatively since as far as horns go, Klipsch tends to be the least of this attribute.

Although I have not heard any tractix horns, the exponential horns on my La Scalas and Heresy IIs don't sound nasal, honky, or hollow, to me or to anyone who has ever listened to them. Listening to a tractix-equipped speaker might be an eye- and ear-opener, but my current stuff sounds pleasant and realistic to me. I must admit that I wasn't impressed when I first got the La Scalas, but with the usual tweaks (Dynamat, new Sonicaps, CT125s, etc.) plus some grille cloth experimentation, they now sound really good, even at quite low volume levels.

Just for curiousity, which other companies are currently making affordable horn-loaded speakers, especially those honky ones that keep getting mentioned? I don't count Avant Garde as affordable, even though they probably sound great.

As for the missing octave at the bottom end, that's definitely true, but a good sub fills it in nicely and should be a part of any La Scala setup.

[Islander]

Why wouldn't the La Scala horn loading produce lower base? Can you elaborate on your statement from above post?

"The horn loaded bass in LaScala does not have the bass extension of a Chorus, but this is due to the dimensions of the LaScala bass horn."

Here's an example of a horn-loaded sub that goes down to 18 Hz. It's not cheap and it tends to dominate the room a bit.

http://avantgarde-usa.com/basshorns.html

[stormin]

I've owned Chorus II's for almost 18 years. I've had them sound bad, ok, descent and flat out great. You really have to have a descent room and the right combination of equipment and these babies sing. I listen to rock of all types and I always amaze folks that stop in. But thats prettty easy to do with this setup. I believe all the heritage speaks can rock but don't let anyone tell you the Chorus II's cant get er done.

What really makes the Chorus II's look appealing is they have been going for 3-500 dollars all over the place. You arent buyin a speaker even close for that kind of change. If I am going to spend 5 grand on a pair of speakers which is 10 times what I can buy my Chorus II's for they better do alot more than just spank em. With the type and style of music I listen to I think I better stay right where I'm at. Now if I was into classical and jazz you can bet your behind I would own another speaker. But then again its name would be Cornwall.

[ClaudeJ1]

Well there is a slighly larger LaScala bin made. Peavy basically parrotted the design in the FH-1 cabinet, I assume when the patents ran out. It is extremely well built and is 6" wider. It sounds great with and active Xover with proper EQ and a K-33 (got mine to go to 30Hz.)

Klipsch does make a "la scala" that uses more than one sheet of plywood and goes lower than a Chorus II, which I used to own, it's called a Klipschorn

Ducking as I write this. LOL.

[Guest " "]

" Well there is a slighly larger LaScala bin made. Peavy basically
parrotted the design in the FH-1 cabinet, I assume when the patents ran
out. It is extremely well built and is 6" wider. It sounds great with
and active Xover with proper EQ and a K-33 (got mine to go to 30Hz.)"

Interesting, What's the size difference between an FH-1 and a LaScala from a bass bin/dog house perspective.

[Guest " "]

Why wouldn't the La Scala horn loading produce lower base? Can you elaborate on your statement from above post?

"The horn loaded bass in LaScala does not have the bass extension of a Chorus, but this is due to the dimensions of the LaScala bass horn."

Here's an example of a horn-loaded sub that goes down to 18 Hz. It's not cheap and it tends to dominate the room a bit.

http://avantgarde-usa.com/basshorns.html

I'm surprised that a horn system the size of 4 khorns only has an SPL of 96db at 1 watt. Well, actually, I'm not surprised, the bass system sits in the middle of the room, had they designed it to sit in one or both corners, they could have made some serious reductions to the size of this thing.

[Marvel]

" Well there is a slighly larger LaScala bin made. Peavy basically parrotted the design in the FH-1 cabinet, I assume when the patents ran out. It is extremely well built and is 6" wider. It sounds great with and active Xover with proper EQ and a K-33 (got mine to go to 30Hz.)"

Interesting, What's the size difference between an FH-1 and a LaScala from a bass bin/dog house perspective.

The FH-1 is approx 30.5W x 25H x 24D 58-500Hz.

[luckasaaron]

Here's an example of a horn-loaded sub that goes down to 18 Hz. It's not cheap and it tends to dominate the room a bit.

http://avantgarde-usa.com/basshorns.html

Thats just disgusting. Almost as bad as the 30kHz horns. People have to wonder if you're getting a speaker system or a time machine installed.[8-|]

[Islander]

A comment on Harmony Central Musician Community Forums from a former FH-1 owner:

I had an old pair of FH1 back in kansas. Ended up putting a Gauss 15 in each one (these were single 15's W bins) and used them a couple times. Each time I used a Yamaha PN90 crossover (line level passive @ 90hz 12db/oct) and an RMX1450 bridged into the pair. Yes way too much power, yes it did fart when pushed to hard...

With careful compression on the kick I was able to get a reasonable sound out of them. But they were a bit bulky, didn't go all that low, looked like ***, and I was moving to seattle so off they went.

Plug-ugly speakers are one thing, but speakers that look like ***? Think I'll stick with my black La Scalas...

[sean5340]

Have you ever heard any exponential horns side by side with a good tractrix? The difference is quite surprising and makes the LS sound very nasally, honky, and hollow. This is of course speaking very relatively since as far as horns go, Klipsch tends to be the least of this attribute.

As for the missing octave at the bottom end, that's definitely true, but a good sub fills it in nicely and should be a part of any La Scala setup.

I concur. I loved the sound before the sub, now I can't stop listening.

[Marvel]

Plug-ugly speakers are one thing, but speakers that look like ***? Think I'll stick with my black La Scalas...

Here is one of John Albright's FH-1s, whith an Altec horn on top. They were made for PA (which was John's use).You could make them easily enough, though, and make them look good.