La Scala II's In The House!

[ClaudeJ1]

It is slightly rolled off bass, and superb mid bass.

I don't have subs on my LS, and they sound great in my room. The LSII have even better, tighter bass.

The midbass is improved even further when you use a K-43 instead of a K-33, since the higher BL product of that woofer generates about 2 db more output near the Xover point to the mid horn. All measurable AND plainly audible on good test music.

But the best midbass ever is from the Peavey MB-1 I'm currently using. It's unreal what it does for vocals, piano, guitar, and drums in terms of realism........scary.

[jdm56]

It is slightly rolled off bass, and superb mid bass. I don't have subs on my LS, and they sound great in my room. The LSII have even better, tighter bass.

Must be a set-up thing. I didn't spend a lot of time tweaking placement. I was eager to get crankin'! I really don't have a lot of leeway for movement anyway on a 15' wall. It's either stick'em in the corners or pull them out a bit. The difference in the bass from the two extremes was only about 3dB gain with corner placement, at the cost of roughing up the response higher up in the spectrum. So I left them out along the wall, leaving enough room in the corners for my two subs.

[SWL]

The only sonic deficiency I hear is the rolled off bass.

Have you tried co-locating the subs......either stacking them or sitting them on the floor side by side? Location and placement of the subs will have the biggest influence on how they sound/roll off.

IMO.......headroom is where it's at......and when you get your subs dialed in right.....they should disappear, making your speakers sound better in every aspect. Deeper, fuller bass......enhanced mids and highs. []

With a room that's not very big.......you may want to try co-locating the subs......in between the LaScala's or outside. Less chance of bass cancellation but in a smallish room you can still acheive good room coverage and headroom.

Congrats on your Lascala ll's and good luck. []

[jdm56]

Thanks!

I know putting two subs together in a corner should yield a 6dB increase in output, but for 2-channel music I prefer "stereo" subs --one left and one right-- Although I may lose 3dB in total output, I don't have to worry about localization if I choose to run the x/o higher than 80Hz or so. I agree though, "headroom is where it's at"! I'm even considering pro subs because they have such tremendous output capability. Unfortunately, most of the ones I've checked out roll off pretty hard below 50Hz, and most are butt-ugly!

[jdm56]

I thought I'd post this pic that shows the "non-matching veneer", in case someone may be considering buying one (or more!). It really isn't as obvious as the flash makes it appear. Of course, anyone would rather have a perfect match, but to save $2500, and considering it is only visible from the sides, I feel like it's a flaw I can happily live with. Of course, to some people it would be a deal breaker.

[jdm56]

No problems on the business end!

[mbajner]

jdm56

can you tell me were you bought yours?

I know Vann's has a great price on a pair of cherry ones and they are in stock and their price is what I am looking for

[Marvel]

I believe he got his from Vann's as well.

Bruce

[jdm56]

Yup, Marvel is right. I bought mine from Vann's. $1725 each, delivered. No tax and no shipping. Plus, I used my Vann's card to get 12 months same as cash. If you can find more speaker delivered to your curb for that kind of money, I'd like to know what it is! I would highly recommend Vann's and specifically, I would recommend these "non grain-matched" La Scala's. I mean, consider $6k a pair at retail from a dealer, plus tax. $3450 total, delivered for these starts looking pretty reasonable. It's still a lot of money in my world, but I have not been satisfied with anything else I've had since I sold my AK3 klipschorns.

On the other hand, you MIGHT wrangle a discount from a dealer on a primo pair, but I doubt you would get much off on a special order, which is what it would be. And I know some dealers will not discount them at all.

If you want'em, GRAB'EM NOW! You absolutely will not regret it. Mine are the best sounding speakers I've ever had. The k-horns I had went lower, but these IMAGE! Imagine that, big ol' horns that have pinpoint imaging AND reproduce a three-dimensional soundstage! I've not heard every speaker out there, of course, but I can't recall ever hearing anything that sounded better than these, other than MAYBE a pair of k-horns at Flip's Stereo in St. Louis in 1986 --now, that was a life altering experience! And if you get'em, share the joy, please!!

[mbajner]

thanks for the info on Vanns. I know my dealer can not even come close to that price at all. noticed Vans only listed the cherry ones left

[mbajner]

did you take a pic of how they came in the boxes? i guess the tops come separate from the bottoms

[ClaudeJ1]

The k-horns I had went lower, but these IMAGE! Imagine that, big ol' horns that have pinpoint imaging AND reproduce a three-dimensional soundstage!

Well the easy answer for that one is that there is less than a 1 Millisecond time delay between the woofer and midrange horns in the LaScalas........not so with the Khorns, plus the Khorns can't point at you unless you attach false corners to them first, which is a project and a half.

[jdm56]

did you take a pic of how they came in the boxes? i guess the tops come separate from the bottoms

No pics, but you're right: a pair ships in four separate boxes. Mine all arrived on one pallet, top sections (in boxes) stacked on bass bins. All four boxes were shrink-wrapped together on the pallet. Shipping palletized is good, imo. Less chance of damage, I would think.

I was home alone when mine were delivered, but of course I couldn't wait for my big ol' 15 yr-old to get home to help me. I have a hand truck so I just wheeled them into the house one stack at a time. I even sat the top sections on by myself! (That may be why my back's been so sore the last few days!!) So getting them from a pallet in my driveway to set up and ready to rock in my family room wasn't too big of a deal.

[jdm56]

The k-horns I had went lower, but these IMAGE! Imagine that, big ol' horns that have pinpoint imaging AND reproduce a three-dimensional soundstage!

Well the easy answer for that one is that there is less than a 1 Millisecond time delay between the woofer and midrange horns in the LaScalas........not so with the Khorns, plus the Khorns can't point at you unless you attach false corners to them first, which is a project and a half.

I think just the fact you can get the 'scalas out of the corners probably helps, too. Also, the midrange horn see's a whole lot smaller baffle area in the la scala than it does in a k-horn, or even in a cornwall or heresy for that matter. I would think that would enhance the depth. ...If not, we might as well all be listening to in-walls!

[mbajner]

Jdm56

I talked to my dealer about the Vann’s price on the LaScala II’s

He said they must be “B” stock

I know they are not veneer matched as you stated but are there anything flawed in them?

To me the price is in my ballpark that I want to spend ($1725 each)

Otherwise now at $6,000 a pair and with a decent discount plus taxes they will be over $5,000 for sure

At $5,000 a pair ( if I wanted to spend that much) the door is open for a lot of other brand of speakers to look at and audition. Still want to listen to some B&W some time since I heard a lot of good things about them

[jdm56]

From the Vann's web site:

"These Factory Irregular Klipsch La Scala II speakers come from the factory brand new but have a markdown due to a minor cosmetic flaw (non-matching woodgrain). Which simply means the woodgrain patern does not meet their very high standards to how it looks. It is unlikely that you would even notice this upon receipt."

...and this has been my experience with my pair of walnut LSII's. Specifically, the grain on the top sections does not exactly match the grain on the bottom sections. On my particular pair, it definitely is noticable though, but not obvious. You pretty much have to be looking for it. And from a typical listening distance, especially considering toe-in, you will not ever see it. The left and right speakers do match, otherwise. You might say the mismatches match. (ha) Other than the grain issue, I see and hear absolutely no problems at all with these speakers. I don't think you can do better for the money.

Funny you mentioned B&W. They make some fine speakers, for sure, but for app. $3500 bucks, you're looking at 703's or 804's. I owned 703's and while they are very nice, they are not even in the same class with La Scala II's in terms of low distortion, dynamics and clarity. I like that midrange driver they have, and they are a well-balanced speaker in a room-friendly size. But I assure you they will not put a big goofy smile on your face like klipsch can!

All that aside, you may have to wait awhile to get a pair of the discounted LSII's from Vann's. I had to wait awhile untill they had more than one each ofthe available finishes. But it's worth the wait!

[mbajner]

thanks for the reply. I am getting my dealers final price on a pair but I am sure it will be high. He mentioned that he could look into "B" stock and see what his price would be. i doubt that he could beat Vann's price and if he matched it there is always tax. Here in Chicago area it is not 10% (ouch)

[jdm56]

Another option: I noticed a pair of original la scala's on ebay a few days ago, just north of Chicago (in Wadsworth, IL) . They looked very sharp. I don't remember the price, though. I think there is a couple of days left on the auction.

[SWL]

I am getting my dealers final price on a pair but I am sure it will be high.

mbajner.........What dealer in Chicago?

Have you talked to Simply Stereo? (Hoffman Estates).........good guys over there. [Y]

[Ctiger2]

Yea, I sold my La Scalas a while back and haven't looked back. What was that bass lady commercial they used to play in the 80's? Oh yea... "Where's the BASS!!??"