Lets replace my Klipsch La Scala Speakers


So after 2 years of trying to make them work, they just aren't the speaker for me. Here is some detail so you can help me decide what to move to next.

My room is untreated and 12X13X12
Sources: Vinyl and Dac both tube driven
Preamp and amps are all Tube Driven
Amps are: SET 7 watt and 2 different push pulls 20 watts from one and 60ish from the other
Music : Blues,Classic Rock, Indie, Some modern, some heavier rock ,and just discovering how good Jazz can be

I have tried:
solid state amps,crites crossovers, ALK corn-scal-wall crossovers, svs subs added,horn loaded subs added, Schiit Loki in line, toed in toed out. Corner loaded, pushed together, I even moved my room 90 degres to try and get a better sound out of them. Trust me I have tried it all.

Here is what I liked:
Huge soundstage 
You are there live at times when listening
Love being able to hear the detail they offer
Love the bass when present

Here is what I disliked:
They can get shrill quick 
They are so revealing music can sound just bad (I realize that should be a positive, but it isn't)
Very bass shy
They aren't "warm" at all. There is no real thickness to the mids. Detail, but not thick.

We are going to sell this house eventually so I do not want to invest a bunch on treatments for the room. I have 2 other speakers that can be run. Some older Polk Monitor 7A that are actually pretty impressive, and could have the crossovers updated and a few other things to really make them shine if I wanted to. I realize they aren't a Hi-Fi speaker but they are balanced and warm/musical. The other option is the Decware DM947 speaker system. It's good and fairly new to me so I haven't decided to keep or move them down the road. So far they are laid back with some nice sparkle. They image really well and are very forgiving of the room and the recording I am listening to. 

So let's hear it! What did you replace your Klipsch speakers with, or what are you using that matches what I am after. 


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Showing 3 responses by dtximages

Long term Klipsch lover here and owned the La Scalas and I can agree with your assessment.  I never though I'd be ok with a non-horned speaker but, to my surprise, I bought a pair of KEF R900s and have loved every second of them.  They're so pleasant to listen to compared to the Klipsches which required beer.

I would also look very strongly at the JBL Studio line.  I just got a pair of their bookshelves and I'm absolutely floored by them.  In fact, I unhooked the kefs to listen to the JBLs for the past few weeks.  Constantly impressed.

You'll want to look at the JBL Studio 590s for big floorstandings with solid bass extension. 
They're literally all i want to listen to (my Studio 530s) I mean. Go watch some youtube reviews on this line from JBL.  

It sounds to me like you just don't love the Klipsch Heritage sound anymore.  I dont think you'll like the Hereseys either.  But, I'm just telling you my experience.  As much as I love my KEFs I have never been so surprised by a speaker as the JBL Studio series.  They're very hard to find now and people are paying over original MSRP in my circumstances for a reason.