Are The Klipsch Heritage Series Really Worthy?

There are lots of mods you can do to bring the LaScala up to a steller performer. On mine, I've rewired them with all silver wire, replaced the tweeters, replaced the Xovers with ALK crossovers, added adhesive damping sheets to the midrange horn - all of these made a tremendous difference, and I would imagine that it beats the La Scala II. That is - you can do better for less money!

With all due respect, I strongly disagree with the three gents who posted, above. I have owned and enjoy many speakers of many types, and I have come to appreciate the qualities of horn speakers in general. I like the Klipsch Heritage line; especially the La Scalas and Belles. In fact, I prefer these two speakers to the vaunted Khorn for most rooms.

Is the La Scala the best speaker in the world? No, but what is? Klipsch speakers represent a great design, but manufactured at a modest price point with the best of 1950s technology. The fact these speakers are in demand today and still offered at a (relatively) modest price point is a testament to PWK and his knowledge of speaker acoustics. I find that La Scalas (and Belles) excel for jazz, instrumental and acoustic music, and vocals. They would not be my first choice for heavy metal, and they can sound a bit congested for large symphonic music (this can be fixed, see below).

So, why do I like the La Scala, and what does it do right? The La Scala, like the similar but different Altec Lansing 14s and 19s, provide great texture and timbre to music. A lot of guys will post and boast about how smooth their speakers sound. That's great, but I want to hear the sharp glare of the brass horn, the drag of the rosined bow across the strings, and the reed in the oboe. Many speakers will do this and are described as detailed; sometimes as fatiguing. A great horn speaker can provide texture without mind-numbing hyper detail. I can't explain it any better than that.

So, what's wrong with the La Scala? Not much, in my opinion. They are big. They are made with pedestrian materials, and do not look as pretty as some of the audio furniture that we lust after as audiophiles. And they can sound a bit thick and congested, especially if you acquire an older pair with the dreaded AB crossovers. If you are handy with a soldering iron and have an hour, Bob Crites will sell you an upgrade kit for $100. Don't want to do it yourself? Crites and others sell new crossovers for $185-$400 or so. The AKs in particular are quite remarkable, and will take the speakers to new heights. Installation might take 20 minutes if you are all thumbs.

IMHO, Audiogon is really not the best venue for information on vintage speakers. If audiophile speakers were described here as trophy wives, owning a set of Klipsch speakers is like marrying your 18-year old second cousin from Kentucky - it's not illegal, but is considered unseemly and undignified. There is more and better information available on AA and the Klipsch forum.

The mods I have made to my Lascalas are those to elimimate horn/box vibration and resonance. I find the stock crossover and drivers to be excellent. I made 50 lb bases/risers for them. I own them for a very long time and am extremely pleased. They are very musically involving, with all types of music. They sound great with smaller amplifiers and allow me to hear every upgrade prior in the chain. I do use a pair of powered subs. I have a room to accommodate their set up and my listening position. IMO at the price point(used)it is hard to find a more realistic sounding set of speakers. I use the term realistic, in comparison to live, unamplified music. I have been doing this for over 40 years, have had much equipment come my way, and I am quite happy. They do so much "right" and little "wrong". They soundstage and image wonderfully, but this would not be important if they were not harmonically right to the sound of instruments and voices, as well as that "most important" aspect of live music, that being prat and dynamics, which I have found lesser is systems so many more times up there in dollars(speakers and matching amps). So do I think they are a contender at the price point. You bet ! Br3098. I am completely with you. Keep enjoying !

yep they are worthy.

Awesome speakers with the right electronics. They have the dynamics of real music that very few speakers can match. There is a reason they've been popular for long. And when Klipsch discontinued the Corn Wall's, La Scala's and K Horn's for a period of time there was such an out cry that they brought them back as the heritage line and they continue to be some of the top selling speakers.