DIY: Klipsch LaScala plans

[MarkWComer]

Has anyone done a Klipsch DIY project here in PhoenixLand?

Found some cabinet plans: https://community.klipsch.com/forums/storage/3/979211/1977 LaScala Plans HDBR.pdf

The cabinets don't look to be beyond my ability to build, but they say nothing about the woofers, squawkers, tweeters or crossovers. I've been looking at Klipsch speakers for a while and really floored at how much they're going for- but what kind of bucks are the electronic parts alone going for, and where do I get them? Basically speaking, they don't give any part/model numbers or manufacturers.

 

[Lazarus Short]

I'm thinking you might do better buying a used pair, refinish if needed, and do the Crites mods. Sometimes you get lucky - I scored a pair of Heresys back in New Mexico for $100.

 

[MarkWComer]

A pair of Heresys for $100 is the deal of the century- I doubt that I'd find LaScalas for that. The low end of what I've found is $900. EACH!

I found the compression drivers and the woofers in a few scattered places, found the (balance networks) xovers as well, looking at the plans to figure out how many pieces of wood I need to buy. This would be a bit-by-bit project, not as if I'd buy all the stuff and have it done in a (month?) anyway.

I'll tally everything up to see what kind of expense I'm looking at. My nephew has a table saw and router, so I don't need to buy tools.

Besides that, nothing would be as satisfying as the knowledge that I built those suckers myself!

 

[laatsch55]

Mark, I built my own K's, and there is a lot of satisfaction in that as well as saving about 80%...

 

[laatsch55]

Have you been to the Crites and Alkeng websites?

 

[mudshark]

How ambitious are you .... this would be a GOOD one. And probably worth the effort if a person can get the rest of the plans.

 

[laatsch55]

Jubilees???

 

[mudshark]

YEA ... Would be the cats ass wouldnt it .... I'd like to hear em

 

[laatsch55]

Yep, 2 12's instead of a 15 and no corners needed....I'v seen on AK folks who have built there own Jube clones.....didn't enquire tat close but I think there are some plans out there. 18,000.00 new from Klipsch...

 

[mudshark]

And judging from what I've seen of the Jubilees also what I've learned in the past week from Volti, a set of Volti horns on top of the Jubilee bass bin might be quite a combination .... at least worth thinking about

 

[laatsch55]

Yep.....

 

[mudshark]

The difference between Volti and Fastlane, money wise is about 40.00 ... I would like to hear both offers, they dont look to much different. Excepting the Eliptrac

 

[laatsch55]

Form follows function and physics won't allow much variation in that particular game...

 

[laatsch55]

Any sound difference will be in the drivers mainly...

 

[mudshark]

And that's kinda what I've been thinking, the only real diff that I saw was a bracing difference, Volti looked to be maybe a bit more solid, I'm not sure but it may make a different resonance quality .... that's why I would like to hear both.

 

[laatsch55]

True dat...

 

[MarkWComer]

Have you been to the Crites and Alkeng websites?

You continue to taunt me, don't you! Candy stores for the hypoglycemic, these are! (Use Yoda's voice while reading that last line...) Teasing me with the information on the backplane upgrade for the PL amps was bad enough!

None of the prices look all that bad- surprise! I texted my nephew last night about using his table saw and router, so was obliged to tell him what I had in mind- and it looks like I may possibly be making two sets. The LaScala II directly from Klipsch are $3500 each, and given the options from Crites and Alkeng, as well as the bass-reflex cabinet mod, looks like the DIY version may surpass the original Klipsch design in terms of performance- at a hefty discount

Figuring out the wood is my first task. Will use cabinet grade birch plywood, I may veneer with cherry or walnut. I'm pretty good with Adobe Illustrator to copy the dimensions of the parts and wood panel sizes to get the most parts out of each sheet of ply. The only problem I see immediately is that the plans call for a cabinet depth of 24 1/2", and the stock ply sheets are a half-inch short. I may need to get four (or eight, depending on my nephew) larger sheets from a different source. Further thinking: I'd like to have the HF section covered with Tolex on the front to mimic the appearance of the original Klipsch, so I may have to alter the plans slightly to accommodate the thickness of the material.

So, given the efficiency of the Klipsch systems, I should be able to set a sofa on fire at 10' if I crank up a Yoko Ono album with only 5 watts output. The noise floor of the amp/preamp will need to be LOW. Another thing: Klipsch says 100w max for the LaScala II! My A|D|S systems are rated at 200w. The PL 400 suddenly becomes overkill!

 

[laatsch55]

I run a WOPL 1000 on my K's and it's not overkill.......cause it doesn't miss any transients that way....noise floor on a 400 WOPL is in the basement....varies from 180 MICRO volts to 400 MICROVOLTS....even with my super efficient BMS-4592's in the K's with my head stuffed in the horns , can't hear a thing.


Check out Baltic Birch.....BAD ASS building material.More plies and NO voids , way superior plywood. Built a set of Soniphase S6's out of it and I was wayyyy more than impressed....

 

[laatsch55]

My K's are only rated at 100 watts continous, but after the driver upgrade I don't know if that's valid anymore cause i put wayyyyy more than that to them at times...

 

[laatsch55]

There was a lot of talk on AK about a ported LaScala , search that in the Klipsch speaker section. Lot of good info there.....