Where are you located, as I will buy, for the right price, your Lascalas. I guess from your other thread, you are not interested in doing the midhorn damping ? Too Bad, as it is very significant in how this cleans things up. Maybe try a smaller, high quality ss amp, or a tube amp. Anything else in speakers you go to, will be quite extreme in differences, a complete 180. Enjoy ! MrD.
What speakers would be an upgrade from my klipsch la scallas and my Klipsch Chorus
Im looking to upgrade from my klipsch la scallas and chorus speakers. I’m running them on two emotiva 2 gen 2 amps
i like clean tight sound with clear highs.
They have to sound good low and loud.
my budget is around 4000 that’s what I will sell my klipsch for plus a little cash.
any help would be great.
i like clean tight sound with clear highs.
They have to sound good low and loud.
my budget is around 4000 that’s what I will sell my klipsch for plus a little cash.
any help would be great.
48 responses Add your response
Klipsch Heresy IIIs (since you seem to like Klipsch) and a couple of subs (RELs)...I recently started using this setup and it’s sounding astonishingly good, and it’s all within your 4 grand budget. You’d have money left over to get that Dennis Had 10 watt per side KT150 triode amp on Ebay (although it may be gone by the time you see this). |
Very familiar with the model 19s. The lack of coherence ( between the woofer and horn ) is something I cannot live with. As far as the B&Ws, never have I heard a pair that can reproduce the trumpet playing of Miles as accurately as my Lascalas ( as well as some other " good " horns ). To each his own, right. To the OP : I am aware that you are new to the Gon, and we welcome you, but I feel you are very confused, and not sure of what you want, so you should start listening to other things before you make a switch of any kind. We are all here to help you, given the fact, however, that each of us have our own priorities of what sounds best to each of us. Enjoy ! MrD. |
Great tube amps aren't "euphonic" or muddy or anything other than musically accurate, more linear, and hipper...unless you have one of those new Pass amps, which in itself is pretty hip even with zero tubes. Otherwise I get that many don't feel like chasing after the lure of "better," older, more rare, less rare but great and you don't know it, expensive or not, finger burning, well regarded, pure crap, U.S.A. sourced, Chinese, Russian, beautifully glowing, exploding, gold pin, rusty pin, SS (although replacing a tube with a SS device seems like heresy), or otherwise always burning out eventually, tubes. I get it. |
Op, I have the Bell's I'm happy with. Now IF o were to get a second pair I've heard a LOT of good things about the Forte III. If you can find a dealer nearby do so. I know what you mean about horns and some vocals. I was just listening to Kate Melua song titled Piece by piece and there's a freedom that her voice is given on horns. Unbelievable. While my Yamaha NS-200M are have a better sparkle up top nothing comes close to reproducing jazz like horns. Good luck in your search. |
I dunno why you would want to upgrade. Colleen "Cosmo"Murphy uses only La Scallas for her Classic Album Sundays: http://classicalbumsundays.com/about/ |
Update I just opened my definitive Technology bp 9080x speakers.listened to them on songs that are new sounds good on my chorus & LaScalas and I’m not shyer if they were an upgrade. The def tecs have more lowend and I here this word a lot transparent highs, but I miss the part that I didn’t like about the chorus is the loudness of the horns. Nothing sounds like the horns . The only thing I didn’t like about them is when you turn the up around 100+decibels. I will give the def techs. A while to burn in and move them around before I make the call to send them back. |
If the def techs don't work out look at the Legacy Audio speakers. A little over 2 years ago I bought a pair of Klips RF-7II. I kept these speakers in my family room system for about 5 months, speakers were way to bright for any long time listening and would cause fatigue, so I packed them up and put them in my storeroom at work. I went out and bought a pair of Legacy Audio Focus SE's and problem solved. The AMT Twitter reproduces a smooth and detailed Higgs. I know the Focus SE (new) are outside your price range, but sometimes a used pair pops up that comes close to your budget. |
I own and listen to many speakers to include Wilson Cubs, Wilson Watt Puppies, Sophia s, Several Pro-Ac, Altec A-7, Klipsch K-horns and modified LaScalas.....The speakers I use the most are the K-horns and my LaScalas (modified) The LaScala cabinets have been cut in half, to leave only the Bass cabinets, A very large Altec horn on top with a JBL 2445H driver and a modified Klipsch "AA" crossover with the tweeter section removed.......If you had this tube driven system you would through everything else out.....Thats my story, try it WILL |
I have newish Heresy IIIs and they're great. I have the "stick on" damping stuff but I’m too lazy to stick it on the mid horns...so far...I took a horn out and the ribbed plastic just made me put it back in and save the operation for a rainy day. Has anybody around here damped the horns on a new version Heresy? |
Auto spec so you don’t really like the LaScalas the way they were supposed to sound. I don’t understand why people still call them LaScalas when they change every speaker in the cabinet and when that’s not enough they cut up the cabinets. And then call them modified LaScalas. i replaced my old crossover and caps and tweeters because on was blown. I think they sound amazing. |
I do like the LaScala in it stock form....I don't like the look of it...I like that big horn look, so I have worked on it from that view point....If I could find a pair of Belle's that would also work.......The best thing about the "Heritage" Klipsch speaker is the front loaded horn for bass......I also have a pair of Klipsch horns which are stock....... |
Wolf, the series II horns are the same way, with all of the ridges. Unlike Roxy, I feel it does need to be near perfect. Each piece needs to be cut identically ( per pair ) and adhered to each horn in the same area of the horn. This is why I say it " is " labor intensive. Customers pay me to do it, because I am a perfectionist, and it does matter how exact. I am sorry, but 40 plus years doing this damping ( on metal horns as well ), gives me the right to suggest otherwise. However, as Roxy does say, it will pay off big time. Enjoy ! MrD. |
Wolf, Roxy, and everyone......Listen, all I am trying to do is to help folks maximize their investment with their horns. Why Klipsch ( and other manufacturers ) do not add damping material is understandable, because, they are " still " built to a price point; they always have been. Besides various thicknesses of Dynamat, there is a product you can buy at your local Lowes / HD, that does an excellent job of damping horns. It is a roofing repair tape, UPC number : 099713034013 , at the HD. It is easier to work with on the smaller horns than Dynamat. I tried posting pictures here on several horns I have done, but with no success. The adhesive side is sticky, and you need to use your thumbs to press down firmly onto the horns. Do a piece on 1 horn, than the other horn, as exactly as you can. Mirror image them. You can cut larger or smaller pieces, and the pieces can overlap. Make sure each pair of horns are matched, because it does make a difference. I generally do the horn tweeters as well as the woofer frames, if I have the entire speaker in my possession. In the early days, I used Mortite to do all of this damping ( mortite was great for the underside of ringing turntable platters as well, as I am now dating myself ). And my math was incorrect, as it has been 50 years I have been damping speakers. I dampen everything, actually. Anyway, I apologize if I came on too strong, but this is what I do, all for the greater enjoyment of music listening...………...Enjoy ! MrD. |
Wolf, Awesome ! I know how you feel about your H111s, but you will appreciate the design more, and of course, the music. Ozzy, I have never used modelling clay, although I don’t see why not. You do need something that will not peel or loosen off, change it’s shape, or be vulnerable to differences of hot and cold, in which it’s damping properties might change. Good luck, and take your time, as you will be rewarded for your work. Enjoy ! MrD. |
So my take on trying to upgrade to another speaker brand in my price range is there isn’t an upgrade, so you improve what you have to suit your personal tastes. ps. Mr.d can I mount my midrange horn on the outside of the box instead from the inside by simply loading it in from the front and moving the rear support? Sorry I didn’t mention the speakers I’m referring to are my LaScalas 🤪 |
devaultcarl1 The Lascala, Khorn and Belle all use the rear horn support, as it is a larger and heavier horn than say the Cornwall, Heresy, Chorus and Forte, so I knew you were talking about the Lascala. I am guessing you have the metal horns, and they too need damping. As far as an upgrade, I do not think so at the price, but I am very partial. A pair of fast subwoofers will do nicely, and it can take awhile dialing them in to where they are coherent with the Lascalas. What are you trying to achieve with your sound system ? Enjoy ! MrD. |
Well everybody I tried the definitive technology 9080x speakers for about three weeks and I’m not happy with them I was on the fence until the atmos speakers blew and started popping. They are getting boxed up and sent back. I already hooked up my Klipsch Chorus and LaScala. And rediscovered how good they sound. Lesson learned 🤪 |
So I carefully Dynamated (as opposed to dynamited, which would be too explosive) my midrange horns in the Heresy IIIs and it’s a nice but subtle improvement, although they were fine before the Dynamat operation and I did both at the same time so I didn’t A/B them. However, as with many tweaks, the fact that I know the horns are damped makes me feel better about them, and that's what matters...me...it's all about me... |
I spent a lot of time recently, post damping, listening to familiar stuff, and it does sound better...although I'm not particularly "tuned to the differences," it is an improvement seemingly to the clarity and mid range tonal coherence, and my skills cutting up rubbery stuff. I wish I'd put the first damped horn back in to A/B it with the non damped horn but I already had them both out of the boxes so...meh...in any case a cheap and interesting useful tweak. By the way, the 2 12" squares of Dynamat is pretty much exactly enough for both mid horns in a Heresy III. |