Klipsch La Scala’s
- Thread starter Mrvintage
- Start date
Lo-Fidelity
Super Member
There are a number of upgrades available but haven’t felt the need to do any to mine.
I think mine were abused club speakers and I did have to re-glue the woofer spider. All good since then.
I think mine were abused club speakers and I did have to re-glue the woofer spider. All good since then.
thevinoman
Nothin' but the Blues...
Highly dependent on condition and finish. Anywhere between 700 to 1500 USD. Certainly should update the crossovers if original. Check the functionality of the tweeters to make sure they are still good.
Price depends on condition. Great speakers but lacking the lower bass. Not a big deal, at least not for me for over 20 years before I built a subwoofer. Appearance would be my main consideration. None of the drivers are that expensive to replace. Age is also a factor to consider for a price. If relatively new you can expect to pay anywhere between $2000 to $3000 for a pair. Those made in the 80's & 90's generally go for $1500 or less. Condition, condition, condition.
ducati_EL34
Addicted Member
I recapped my crossovers and removed the diode protection, since my amps are all vacuum valve powered.
I also had to replace the voice coils for the tweeters. Mine are 1976 vintage and I got them for $250.
KlipschFan61
Smooth Jazzer
Love them Mine are '78 vintage I did the full Bob Crites uptop upgrade. I like the A/4500 networks more laid back sound. With a KT88 single ended Chi-fi Gemtune, I can punch out the best bass from the old 90's CD's or enjoy the delicate sounds of Acoustic Alchemy. Anyone that thinks the original La Scala is somehow flawed in its presentation needs to come on down and listen.
Blasty
Solder Ninja
For what it's worth,
I paid $895 for my pair of 1978 LS-BLs. I saw the backs of them in the window of an audio shop that came and went briefly near my house, while driving by, and had to stop in to check them out... They were well taken care of, all original and just a few very tiny chips in the edges that one must be up close to see. They were definitely never abused.
They sounded great as-is, but new capacitors in the crossovers improved the high end noticeably. If ordering from Crites, you may as well grab a set of midrange horn gaskets at the same time. They are dirt cheap and could use refreshing if you get speakers as old as mine.
I did hear light voice coil rubbing from one speaker's woofer a few weeks after taking posession of them. This can happen due to the effect of gravity after almost 40 years. At this point, I opened up the bottom panel of both speakers and rotated the woofers 180 degrees to correct the issue. Three years later they are still problem-free.
Some people find the La Scala to be "bright," and they can be, not that it is necessarily a bad thing. There is an easily reversable modification to the crossover, where the autotransformer (T2A) tap is moved down one position and a 16-ohm resistor added across the midrange. This drops the midrange by 3dB so that it is less bright, and as a result can give the illusion of a little more bass response. I swapped back and forth with mine and decided that I liked this. I would imagine that in a larger room more suited to speakers of this size, it may not be necessary. Up to you to find out
.
I paid $895 for my pair of 1978 LS-BLs. I saw the backs of them in the window of an audio shop that came and went briefly near my house, while driving by, and had to stop in to check them out... They were well taken care of, all original and just a few very tiny chips in the edges that one must be up close to see. They were definitely never abused.
They sounded great as-is, but new capacitors in the crossovers improved the high end noticeably. If ordering from Crites, you may as well grab a set of midrange horn gaskets at the same time. They are dirt cheap and could use refreshing if you get speakers as old as mine.
I did hear light voice coil rubbing from one speaker's woofer a few weeks after taking posession of them. This can happen due to the effect of gravity after almost 40 years. At this point, I opened up the bottom panel of both speakers and rotated the woofers 180 degrees to correct the issue. Three years later they are still problem-free.
Some people find the La Scala to be "bright," and they can be, not that it is necessarily a bad thing. There is an easily reversable modification to the crossover, where the autotransformer (T2A) tap is moved down one position and a 16-ohm resistor added across the midrange. This drops the midrange by 3dB so that it is less bright, and as a result can give the illusion of a little more bass response. I swapped back and forth with mine and decided that I liked this. I would imagine that in a larger room more suited to speakers of this size, it may not be necessary. Up to you to find out
.
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pioneerhip
Active Member
Some people find the La Scala to be "bright," and they can be, not that it is necessarily a bad thing. There is an easily reversable modification to the crossover, where the autotransformer (T2A) tap is moved down one position and a 16-ohm resistor added across the midrange. This drops the midrange by 3dB so that it is less bright, and as a result can give the illusion of a little more bass response. I swapped back and forth with mine and decided that I liked this. I would imagine that in a larger room more suited to speakers of this size, it may not be necessary. Up to you to find out
Do you have a picture of the tap being moved?
Coytee
Super Member
Not knowing your budget but, if you really want to catapult them to stunning sounding.... convert them to a 2-way speaker and slap a K402 on top.
Keep in mind the K402 is (if you put it on its side) taller and wider than the entire LaScala speaker!
Attachments
KlipschFan61
Smooth Jazzer
That K402 looks like a time tunnel entrance!
The pre-requisite is that you're a single guy living alone in your own home.
No wife I know would let this near their house...
Coytee
Super Member
Well then.... you just need to get to know more wives!
There are a handful (not many I have to admit) however, there are other locations where it's even worse.... they have a Jubilee under it or the MWM system.
Not all wives are against large, ugly "teenager speakers" in their house.... (though I must admit, mine is but since I had them when she met me.... she endures!)
(pics are NOT of my house, but someone elses who's wife happens to approve)
Coytee
Super Member
Not really related to this thread....but just wanted to say...
I get a kick out of people (usually us guys) that keep searching for the sound we want.... we keep looking & looking & looking.... and we insist that the speaker must meet certain visual constraints. "It MUST be room approved if it's going in "my" living room"
That's nice & dandy....but I don't hear with my eyes. I don't insist that a hammer must have an electrical cord attached to it.... if I did, I might not end up with the best hammer for my use.
Maybe I'm lucky.....maybe I'm stupid.... I flat don't care how pretty or ugly a speaker is. My only care is how does is sound.
my poor wife however, is a very artistic visual oriented person and absolutely detests "big ugly teenager speakers" (direct quote).
However, keep in mind that she would ALSO hate a set of small bose cubes. The only saving grace with those is she could hide them behind a book (which she would do).
So having horns in her room is a visual affront to her artistic creativity......but in the same breath, she'll tell you that she's never heard anything sound better.
(I love putting her in that quandery
)
KlipschFan61
Smooth Jazzer
That's funny. I remember going to Quement Electronics as a 'teen' and building my share of Frankendrivers...
Big ugly teenager speakers indeed..But they sounded so good
Big ugly teenager speakers indeed..But they sounded so good
chip18sw
Well-Known Member
I don't think ... I've ever herd them?? But they are the "speakers I want!" I luv the look myself! And even unheard I'm pretty sure I'll luv the?? The first Klipsch, I ever were the "Hersey." I luv'd those guys but could not afford them at the time ... early eighties?? I wound up ordering a pair of KG 4's, from Audio Classics Limited ... more than 10 years ago ... unheard and I luv them, still. ... and they are still here!Not really related to this thread....but just wanted to say...
I get a kick out of people (usually us guys) that keep searching for the sound we want.... we keep looking & looking & looking.... and we insist that the speaker must meet certain visual constraints. "It MUST be room approved if it's going in "my" living room"
That's nice & dandy....but I don't hear with my eyes. I don't insist that a hammer must have an electrical cord attached to it.... if I did, I might not end up with the best hammer for my use.
Maybe I'm lucky.....maybe I'm stupid.... I flat don't care how pretty or ugly a speaker is. My only care is how does is sound.
my poor wife however, is a very artistic visual oriented person and absolutely detests "big ugly teenager speakers" (direct quote).
However, keep in mind that she would ALSO hate a set of small bose cubes. The only saving grace with those is she could hide them behind a book (which she would do).
So having horns in her room is a visual affront to her artistic creativity......but in the same breath, she'll tell you that she's never heard anything sound better.
(I love putting her in that quandery
The La Scala's would be a pretty tough fit in our home?? But if I can find a pair at a price I can afford ... I'll make it happen! And then we have the "WAF" factor?? My KG' 4' look pretty much, just like another Walnut Box?? Well, that is what speakers look like?? But she also ... luv's the "look" of my Mach One's! Say what you will about them ... but they look "cool!" Your not get them confused with something else??? Ok, maybe Altec VOTT ...but for me ... that's not gonna happen??
So you know I suppose I'm kinda of a "shallow" audiophile?? How a speaker "looks" is important to me ... "also." If one is not "Blind" they are "gonna see a speaker?? So it does not matter if they are "playing??" I have seen,heard some very excellent speakers that I could never afford! But a lot of them are so freaking "Ugly" that I just don't care, what they sound like??
But hey I'm a "Horn guy" anyway ... so what do I know.
