mark heija

Hello veloceleste, Thanks for the lead, I'll be checking them out. -Mark I'll post some updates as things progress

Hello KAC Folks, My first speaker purchase in the 70's was the AR-11, not long after I discovered the LaScala. I've loved both pairs ever since. Recently I've embarked on my first crossover rebuild... I have a bit of soldering experience and used a meter to test speakers when I rebuilt four salvaged LaScalas. (loved the pre-fab crossovers from Bob Crites, RIP) I'm more of a woodworker and have the cabinets already looking like new. I was told I would probably need to replace some (or all) of the capacitors and these are the assumed current component ratings (I see five capacitors so I'm not sure about this list - a later AR-11 version? -some in parallel?): One 10uF One 40uF One 50uF One 72uF I do see these numbers on a schematic I found online. I'm hoping to get some advice on how to check the status of these parts and how to proceed. Photo attached. Also, included a photo of the plugs I cut to fill the screw holes... had 'em up on steel brackets with some added fastener security... living here in earthquake country! Thanks for any help, Mark

Thanks tigerwoodKhorns, I hope the Ebay fellow "vintage-ar" who is sending me the foam surrounds has a handle on the original density (I guess for aesthetic purposes now).

Hello Mustang_flht, Thank you for the link to the DIY foam surround. I have some concern about the density of the foam to use (not having anything to compare with except the mush on the tweeters now). I went ahead and ordered a pair on Ebay to start. I also would like to know how best to remove the residual adhesive from the tweeter.

Hello Bacek, The walnut veneer on the LaScalas was treated with Rubio Monocoat Pure (a truly wonderful product both in terms of ease of use and in being environmental friendly) and lightly buffed with Rubio Maintenance Oil (adding a slight sheen). A white "Scotch" pad cut in a circle works well with an orbital sander to buff the Maintenance Oil.

Thanks, but unfortunately, while I photographed the steps I was always too occupied with my program to get the time to post... I was busy with weekly instruction in these areas: Ceramics, Jewelry, Etching, Screen Printing, Woodworking, Laser Cutting, 3D Printing, Photo Lighting, Darkroom Process, Computer Graphics, and Bike Repair (and homework help!). The walnut veneer on the LaScalas was treated with Rubio Monocoat Pure (a truly wonderful product both in terms of ease of use and in being environmental friendly) and lightly buffed with Rubio Maintenance Oil (adding a slight sheen). Sorry, Floor Plan didn't take to the lower Rez to attach...

Thanks, We sold this pair for $2000 which covered all materials & parts for the four. The second pair was finished in a more kid-proof fashion and produces some fine audio for the big screen TV in the rec room. Now I'm looking forward to seeing how the old AR-11s turn out.

I got in touch with the fellow on AK, GD70, and while he didn't give me the specs of the material he is going to fabricate (and send pics) when ready to ship. (pay with PayPal) I like getting back to as close as original as possible. I may continue looking into the felt option and have spares when this foam breaks down (probable after me;-)

Thanks Randy, I've left a post with GD70 over at AK and will let you know how things go.

I would like to know the specs of the foam, but even determining the thickness of this gooey material is questionable. I will try to see if this information is available somewhere. Thanks

Hello Folks, so after 43 years of working with the kids at the Boys & Girls Clubs in San Francisco I've retired. Some of you may recall the LaScalas the kids & I refurbished thanks to the wonderful guidance from the Klipsch community (see attached). So now I've brought home from the Club my old stereo (from my teen years) a 70's, a near mint Sansui 9090 and a pair of AR-11 speakers. I'm in the process of refinishing the AR cabinets and while removing the drivers had the foam on the tweeters basically disintegrate in my hands. I haven't been able to find an exact replacement and was told I could use 1/8" felt instead. I don't have any knowledge about the function of the foam so I'm not sure if I should try the felt. I would really appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance, Mark

Can 5G transmissions be picked up by unshielded speaker cable? Thought I'd start with changing to shielded cables. Speakers have new crossovers from Bob Crites.. Recently had an overhaul of the Sansui. My tech says he replaced the usual time-sensitive components and the rest checked out fine. Because the random nature of the issue (some days perfect some days not)... He believes it may be a leaky transistor and asked me to pull the U connector in back when hearing the static to help with his assessment of location. I will give the current cables the swap also. Thanks!

I'm considering upgrading my speaker wires (from plain copper in clear plastic old Monster) to something shielded... I've recently started getting an odd, occasional static and/or whine. G5?? Starting to trouble shoot... distortion only in one speaker and even when volume is at zero. Any thoughts? I have a pair of '76 La Scalas where one is close to my Sansui 9090DB and the other is on the other side of the room 12' away. Will having one cable shorter than the other have any adverse effect? I've been told they should be the same length but with the price of cables these days not sure I want to waste the money.

Any thoughts on driving the efficient LaScalas with lower wattage having any benefits?

Kind of what I was thinking, and the 909DB does even better on the vintage market. There is the .1%THD of the 9090DB vs. .2%THD on the 9090? Saw this post... "I'd suggest that likely the higher distortion is due to the quasi-complimentary output stage (all NPN devices) design of the 9090, versus the full complimentary design (NPN and PNP outputs) of the 9090db. The positive NPN's on the 9090 provide a nice low impedence signal path to the load, but the negative side of course has to drive the load from the collector, which is a high impedence source. I've never been crazy about this scheme, but sometimes the result is pretty damn good." Of course, I don't know what this means but perhaps the higher distortion shouldn't be a concern if I keep the 9090... as would it having 15 fewer watts driving the LaScalas?