Klipsch La Scala with Adcom, harsh highs

[friva345]

ok, so i set up my la scalas with an adcom gfa585 power amp and the gtp 400 pre amp and at high volume the highs are horrible, it sounds better with an audiosource pre amp. I'm waiting on an adcom gpa 555II pre amp to see if i get better sound. Is there something about adcom pre amps paired with Klipsch that i should know about?

 

[Joe Schmoe]

It has nothing to do with the Adcom. Klipsch speakers are inherently bright and harsh. That is why I will never own any again and would never recommend them.

 

[trnqk7]

A more helpful suggestion might run like this...

Does your preamp have tone controls? If so, try knocking the treble down a bit and see if that helps.

Room treatments may also help if you don't already have some.

This should tend to be more helpful than "Klipsch are inherently bright and I will never own them again or recommend them..."

 

[Joe Schmoe]

A more helpful suggestion might run like this...

Does your preamp have tone controls? If so, try knocking the treble down a bit and see if that helps.

Room treatments may also help if you don't already have some.

This should tend to be more helpful than "Klipsch are inherently bright and I will never own them again or recommend them..."

When I made the mistake of trying Klipsch speakers, turning the treble control all the way down did not tame the brightness.

 

[trnqk7]

Without background info such as this, your post is still unhelpful.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

Without background info such as this, your post is still unhelpful.

If learning from my mistake helps others avoid the same mistake (by not buying Klipsch), then it is very useful.

 

[friva345]

I have owned klipsch for 20 years and are happy with them. i'm just switching pre amps and are not very happy with it. When i had rotel power and pre it seemed much better. Treble is all the way down. Turning on the sub helps but at times it's just too much (sub is a Klipsch KPT-684 with 2 18" powered by two adcom gfa 555ii at 600watts rms each). Thanks for the feedback.

 

[itschris]

I kinda have to agree that Klipsch speakers tend to be somewhat harsh. Some folks love that sound, but I've found it to be kinda fatiguing. I've never owned them myself, but had a good friend who owned the refrence series with the anodized looking drivers from a few years back. They were just hard to listen too. Maybe pairing that up with the Adcom, which I also think is a bit on the "in your face" side could be a bit much. I still have my Adcom amps and love them, but they do have a very clinical straightforward sound I think.

It is preference, but I'm not sure how you go about changing the characteristic sound of a speaker like Klipsch.

 

[trnqk7]

If learning from my mistake helps others avoid the same mistake (by not buying Klipsch), then it is very useful.

It's not helpful when you don't back it up with reason. Just saying "I don't like x" is not helpful. Saying "I don't like x because..." is much more helpful and lets an individual form a more informed opinion. You answered back with a bit of a reason-good enough. That was much more helpful, when combined with your original post, and the original post was in the first place.

You have every right to not like Klipsch-I don't either. I think they sound quite harsh as well and have a "muddy" midrange in the line that I heard. But that wasn't the point-someone was asking a question and instead of offering reasoning, you just said it was bad without any regard to as why you thought this.

There was no consideration given to room treatments, listening positions, tone controls, etc.

 

[mtrycrafts]

ok, so i set up my la scalas with an adcom gfa585 power amp and the gtp 400 pre amp and at high volume the highs are horrible, it sounds better with an audiosource pre amp. I'm waiting on an adcom gpa 555II pre amp to see if i get better sound. Is there something about adcom pre amps paired with Klipsch that i should know about?

Hope you found one of the above posts helpful
Yes, by all means try the tone controls if you have them. Speakers, room acoustics is what account for the vast majority of the sound you hear, not preamps and other components.
When you said loud, how loud was it? Are you able to measure the SPL level?
What is your room like? Bare floors, walls, windows?

 

[gus6464]

I got to hear a pair of vintage Klipschorns a while back hooked up to some Carver tube monoblocks and it was just pure bliss. If I had a huge listening room they would definitely be on my short list.

I would say try out the LaScala's with tube amps and see if the sound warms up. Most Klipsch speakers like the LaScala, Cornwall, and Klipschorn are usually mated with tube amps.

 

[Haoleb]

I got to hear a pair of vintage Klipschorns a while back hooked up to some Carver tube monoblocks and it was just pure bliss. If I had a huge listening room they would definitely be on my short list.

I would say try out the LaScala's with tube amps and see if the sound warms up. Most Klipsch speakers like the LaScala, Cornwall, and Klipschorn are usually mated with tube amps.

I was kindof going to suggest the same thing, only a tube preamp instead. With a tube preamp you still have what tubes can offer with the power and ease of solid state. preamp tubes are much cheaper than power tubes so you can roll them and see which ones you like best for much less coin. I have owned a bottlehead foreplay 2 in the past which was quite good after adding on additional modifications to the original circuitry (this is a DIY preamp in kit form) But from what I understand the current version (3) is much better than the second. Just something to consider. I honestly have my doubts you'll notice much difference with the Adcom preamp you have coming over the one you have now.

 

[mazersteven]

I would tend to agree with others that the Klipsch horn tweeter is not to my liking. But I have never auditioned the La Scala, or Klipschorn speakers. So I can't comment on them. I have always wondered if they have that signature Klipsch sound?

I hope you get your problem solved. Because they are great looking speakers IMO.

 

[TLS Guy]

ok, so i set up my la scalas with an adcom gfa585 power amp and the gtp 400 pre amp and at high volume the highs are horrible, it sounds better with an audiosource pre amp. I'm waiting on an adcom gpa 555II pre amp to see if i get better sound. Is there something about adcom pre amps paired with Klipsch that i should know about?

Using a speaker like the Klipsch LaScala in domestic situation is not sensible. Those speakers need placing in a hall that will hold 500 to 1000 people.

All you will get from then in a small room is a harsh raucous ear full. You can try and tame them with inferior tubes, but putting a speaker like that in a small room is an error.

 

[gus6464]

I was kindof going to suggest the same thing, only a tube preamp instead. With a tube preamp you still have what tubes can offer with the power and ease of solid state. preamp tubes are much cheaper than power tubes so you can roll them and see which ones you like best for much less coin. I have owned a bottlehead foreplay 2 in the past which was quite good after adding on additional modifications to the original circuitry (this is a DIY preamp in kit form) But from what I understand the current version (3) is much better than the second. Just something to consider. I honestly have my doubts you'll notice much difference with the Adcom preamp you have coming over the one you have now.

Also when even 10w of power can drive those speakers to pretty loud levels. Go on audiogon and get yourself a used tube integrated and see how if the sound improves. Anything like a lower end Jolida can do the trick.

 

[fmw]

51Hz-17kHz± 4dB is the published frequency response for the current La Scala. I don't know if it differs from older La Scala models. It is a little bass shy for its size and that might tend to make the average sonic performance a little brighter than speakers with more gusto at the bottom end.

I don't undertand the term "harsh highs" unless we're talking about audible distortion. Generally, I've found the Klipsch products to be pretty accurate. But you must understand that accuracy doesn't appeal to everyone.

 

[TLS Guy]

51Hz-17kHz± 4dB is the published frequency response for the current La Scala. I don't know if it differs from older La Scala models. It is a little bass shy for its size and that might tend to make the average sonic performance a little brighter than speakers with more gusto at the bottom end.

I don't undertand the term "harsh highs" unless we're talking about audible distortion. Generally, I've found the Klipsch products to be pretty accurate. But you must understand that accuracy doesn't appeal to everyone.

The bass cut off of a horn is completely related to the width of the horn mouth.

What you have to do is use a corner to extend and widen the horn. All horn speakers need placing in as deeply into a corner as you can. This extends bass response dramatically. The mid and HF response of those older style sectoral horns looks like the "rocky mountains" . Horns come into their own in big spaces where they rule on high spl with low distortion and the large room covers up the ragged response.

Accurate with an HF horn is still an oxymoron though. Even when designing horns for big spaces, I would only design a bass horn and design a distributed line system with a line of multiple Jordan Watts drivers, 8 or 16 a side, biamped at 500 HZ. Sounded marvelous.

 

[WmAx]

That Klipsche can not ever sound hi-fidelity(by the literal definition). It has technical limitations that contradict the known credible perceptual research in regards to such. You should sell this device(fortunately for you, the speaker is till widely sought out by people who don't care about true hi-fidelity/realisitic reproduction; so selling for a good price should be easy) and replace it with a speaker that is more capable of hi-fidelity sound reproduction.

-Chris

 

[mr-ben]

Wow - this is starting to read like a Bose discussion.

I think fmw's statement is dead-on. My Klipsch speakers sound more accurate to me than any others I have heard (e.g. a recording of a car door closing sounds like a car door closing). They are also brighter sounding than most. A tube amp or preamp will counteract the brightness, and it looks like friva345 has found something that enhances it.

 

[rnatalli]

I have to agree with what others have said. I personally find Klipsch speakers a bit harsh and they aren't for everyone. It won't matter what electronics you use with them.