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Hi, I purchased a cheap couple of Klipsch La Scala, my second love after JBL. I’d like to use the La Scala in a second room with NAD 916 (multi channel amplifier because in the future It will be an audio video system) that is on sale in a Italian shop for interesting price. The NAD 916 is a 30w power amp, 6 channels with regulation of output, enough for La Scala, but is It a good product?
What do you think?
Giuseppe
The Klipsch LaScala was designed using tube amps and will perform best with a tube amp. Avoid the NAD.
So was every speaker designed before the early 1960s. Why does that mean avoid the NAD?
Quote:
Originally Posted by 10 Watt Street
The LaScala woofer and horn loaded cabinet were designed for the low damping factor of a tube amp. The bass will be wrong with the NAD solid state amp. Also, the compression driver midrange and tweeter need an amp with an output transformer.
Those speakers with a solid state amp sound disjointed and unblended. Like three random drivers in a box.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Riley Casey
I agree that using an amplifier with a lack of woofer control will help fatten up the anemic bottom end of the LaScalas, but you lose me with your comment about requiring an autoformer to better integrate the high frequency drivers.Quote:
Originally Posted by 10 Watt Street
I agree that an amp like the McIntosh MC240 is a great match for these speakers, but there are likely plenty of modern amps that will work equally well.
Like “1963”, I too like vintage Klipsch and have owned LaScalas in the past. For me no amp will fill in the bottom end enough though. I would definitely pair them with a sub.
Widget
Well that goes a long way toward explaining why I never thought much of the La Scalas in the demo room at the hifi store I worked at in the late 70s. You've lost me on the output transformer for the mid and highs though. The La Scalas I was familiar with had fairly generic thread on voice horn drivers, University or Atlas sort of things and the tweeters appeared to be stock EV T35. Nothing great about those motors and the networks appeared to be pretty generic 2nd order affairs with iron core chokes and oil can caps. What about those required an output transformer as I was never aware of any instructions from Klipsch to drive the speakers with only tube amps?
Quote:
Originally Posted by 10 Watt Street
A series 0.47 ohm 10w non-inductive resistor in the speaker + lead will do wonders at emulaiting a low damping factor amp.
As mentioned earlier the vintage la Scala's love output iron.. but if you've got a low output impeance solid state amp then the resistor hack might be what you're seeking.
Why not use the base tone control or put the enclosure in the corner
2022 has started badly for me, I have been in bed sick for days and, since I have nothing to do (I hope to recover as soon as possible), I take back this tread that I had forgotten. This year I will move house and have a bigger one. I intend to use two rooms (one bedroom and the living room) with two separate HI FI systems. In one of these rooms I want to put a couple of Klipsch La Scala that I have kept in a box for years, I just don't know which amp to use. As a preamp I have an old Mark Levinson 38. Reading on American sites (I am Italian, more precisely from Veneto) I see many endings named that do not exist in Italy or are difficult to find. I've always been fascinated by La Scala and Klipschorn (a friend of mine would like to swap them for my La Scala ...), I just don't know which amp (I don't want integrated) to buy, that's why I opened this tread. I look for it used and from what I read it doesn't have to be with many watts. Someone pointed me to the various T.amp s75 / 100/150 which are cheap and easy to find on the Thomann site, but I don't know what they are, do you know them? I have a small budget of 2/300 euros, I know it's not much; could you kindly tell me 2/3/4 models of power amplifiers that I can find in Italy? Thanks for your help
Giuseppe
I think you should feel perfectly free to connect the LaScalas to your NAD amp and enjoy some music, with or without the in-line resistor hack suggested by Cyclotronguy. A significant improvement will probably not be easy to find in the price range you specify. Then when you have the funds to put down for an amp you really feel will be more satisfactory begin studying the market and learning about amps. There is a forum devoted to Klispch; it should be easy to find, and there are Klipsch people at audiokarma as well. In those places you likely will find people who've experimented with numbers of amps driving those speakers.
+1Quote:
Originally Posted by speakerdave
Excellent advice. Looking for something new is always fun, but sometimes it makes sense to wait.
When you do get ready to replace the amp, I would suggest trying amps in your room with your speakers first. You may need to put down a deposit or even buy them, but you should be able to arrange an audition or have return privileges if you are not thrilled with the results.
Here is a link to the Klipsch Forum: https://community.klipsch.com
Widget