DIY La Scala Clone - Conclusion 

Thanks for the comments.. There was more than one moment when I wondered what I had gotten myself into! There’s definitely a reason a new pair costs so much - not easy to build. However, to your point, once you have jigs made for the cuts and assembly, it would be much easier and quicker. I figure I could do another set in about half the time, and at significantly lower cost, but it would still be time consuming and pricey in general. Thanks for watching!

Thank… I truly appreciate the feedback! I know it’s not always exciting stuff, but hopefully interesting and helpful to any other hobbyists out there!

Thanks for the feedback. It’s a fun project.. not easy, but worth the hard work in the end!

Congratulations and great work!

Thanks for the comment! Much appreciated and thanks for watching

Thanks Dave… really appreciate the comments! The mods that you’ve done should be an improvement for sure. The AA crossover is the best of the original designs, in my opinion and the tweeter upgrades should be a good match for them. Glad the parts sources were helpful. All the best with your project!

I was originally going to get the one that you used in your speakers, but then decided to go for the extreme slope. I didn’t realize how big they would be until I received them…. They weigh about 30 lbs I would guess! I am really pleased with sound quality, I have to say. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comments!

@@hollowheadsrestorations Thank you very much for even knowing what I used. I appreciate that. You're on another level though, I don't have the patience or the skill.

Thanks for the comments… hope it helps if you choose to take the plunge!

Thanks for the comments and thanks for watching!

Well worth the effort. You’ll definitely want to, at a minimum, upgrade the capacitors in the existing crossovers. Crites Speakers has upgrade kits and it’s not a difficult DIY job. Or you can splurge on the ALK Engineering options. Again, pricey, but worth it! Have fun!

@@hollowheadsrestorations saw AL looks like he's isn't doing much these days. little water damage on one of the cabinets, just need to figure out how to refinish. Thanks for responding.

Thanks for the comments and thanks for watching! I will probably do some additional video in the near future. The speakers really turned out fantastic and I have changed my setup a bit, but I have no regrets so far. Also, I’m currently working on setting up my workshop properly for future projects!

Thanks for the comments.. much appreciated! And I believe you may be right about Al. I might have gotten some of the last crossovers from him. They really are a difference maker to an already great speaker.

@@hollowheadsrestorations i haven’t looked at your other videos yet. Did you mention the tube amp you’re using? I’m using a Decware amp I waited for 15 months to receive this past Sept. It is awesome! I no longer use a preamp as I’m running the DAC and phono-pre directly to the amp. Have you considered applying Dynamat on your squawker or tweeter? Apparently that is supposed to eliminate some of the resonance Klipsch are known for. I’m lazy so that’s why I’m asking

@@Steveh817 the amp is a Reisong Boyuurange A-20. It’s a great little tube amp and plays well with the LaScalas. My Squawker horns are the resin version, not metal, so much less prone to ringing. No dynamat used, and I haven’t noticed anything negative at all.

Thanks.. much appreciated!

Best of luck with it.. hope my info is helpful. It’s a a fun project for sure!

Thanks for the comment! Much appreciated!

Thanks very much for the comment and thanks for watching…. It was a labor of love and I am beyond pleased with how it turned out!

To borrow a phrase used by PKW - BULLSHIT! They are distinguishable from the REAL KLIPSCH of that period because they do not have any of the original drivers or crossovers. They are clones, period.

@@jimmcclung9067 I was mostly speaking of the build itself. However, everything can be improved on. That's why I'm a Bob Crites fan as well. Paul Klipsch even improved his own products.

Thanks for the comment.. and thanks for watching!

Not going to win any Academy awards but hope it’s helpful! Thanks for the comments!

Great build

Lol! Hardly, but thanks for the comment! Glad you enjoyed it… thanks for watching!

Thanks for the comments.. too funny! Getting worse every day!

Thanks for the comments.. yeah, I was ultimately very happy with how it looks (thank God!…lol). Per your comment, it isn’t possible to narrow the rear section as this would change the horn flare dimensions and impact the frequency response etc. even adding the strip would have a small impact, though nothing audible to my ear.

There is a good reference and design calculator for an Edgar Horn option on the ALK engineering site with a free program download trachorn.exe. (www.alkeng.com/). I considered building my own horn, but then elected to stick with the Klipsch design. Who knows, maybe I’ll tack this approach at a later time.

Thanks for the comment! Yes I had all the components in advance. I then used them as templates as you suggest. Good luck with the build!

Thanks for the comments. All my drivers and horns were sourced from Crites Speakers. Web address is in the description on the video, along with links to cut plans etc. The horns are the hardest part to source. You will either have to find a used pair, or Crites has their own version (c-400 or c-401.. can’t remember which number they use), which may be available. The tweeter options are listed on their site. You could also source the OEM drivers, which are fairly easy to find. K-400 or K-401 horns pop up infrequently on eBay and elsewhere, and are typically pricey.

@Jacob J I ordered from Parts Connexion. Item is Furutech FP-209. I got the Rhodium plated ones, but they are available in plain copper as well I believe

All drivers sourced from CritesSpeakers.com. Woofer CW1526, tweeter CT120, midrange driver A-55G. Mid horn is the C401. Thanks for watching!

There is a site called volvotreter that has such a thing if I recall correctly..

Dont want to downscale. Bass horn is already miniaturized and furtherr reduction , you would have a folded lower mid horn.

Crites Speakers has these parts available, I believe.

Thanks for the comments! Yes, I used pre-stain conditioner.. this is a must for birch plywood. Yes, I could have extended the cabinet depth, but that would have meant a lot of wastage as I already had the panels cut. Using the strips solved the problem and I’m happy as it also does a great job of finishing the raw plywood edges. However, if you make the angle adjustment I discussed, I don’t expect you would have this issue anyway. Another way to avoid this would be to make an assembly jig for the “doghouse” portion making sure it is the correct dimension. This is what I would do if I built this again. One other thing, I don’t think ALK Engineering is taking any new orders (don’t take my word for it, but that’s what I hear) so you will need to go with the Crites crossovers or find some originals to refurbish and use. Good luck with the build!

Thanks. Where did you find the plans for the jig? Ive seen a drawing of it online but has no dimensions

@@TKa-sl5ik I didn’t have plans. I just know the angles and made it accordingly from scratch. I didn’t do a perfect job as shown in the video, but made it work.

The whole thing cost me about 5k Canadian. Materials where I live (Newfoundland) are not strictly comparable to elsewhere, so not useful for comparison in other areas. Most of the components came from Crites Speakers, so their website can be referenced for current pricing. I am not sure if ALK engineering is still building crossovers. I think Al may have given up taking orders. If so, crossovers are available through Crites Speakers as well.

@@hollowheadsrestorations Arghh! I just lost my response... Well I'll try to re-post it, what of it I can remember... You are right that Canadian prices do not apply elsewhere, however, they are a good reference, even if of only relative value. The cost is very reasonable considering the ALK extreme slope crossovers cost 2360 USD on their own. That is a very high cost for crossovers which is reasonable if one considers the cost of high quality components used alone but still not justifiable in my mind for a mere set of crossovers. Still, the owner has a business interest to protect and selling them off for, say, a 500 USD a pair would be tantamount to inviting others to copy and clone the design. I just checked and these are no longer made to order - you are correct. They may be available as one-off sales however. That means only a lucky few will be able to get them in the future, if at all. Perhaps a more viable way for this business to continue would be to have them built-to-order in batches by a sub-contractor, having them tested by a sub-contractor or by the owner and then sell them as batches on a first come, first served basis. This might be a way to go forward. In any case we will see but it will be a shame if they are no longer offered. One point worth noting is that ALK eng. is the only high end manufacturer that I have ever seen selling low pass filters to curtail high frequency content for the comfort of pets! This is very commendable! At least that filter might be worth having on offer!

That could be done, for sure. In fact, there is no need to enclose the top portion at all - many horn speakers are done that way. However, I was trying to maintain, and hopefully improve somewhat, on the original aesthetic. Thanks for looking!

@@hollowheadsrestorations You You did a hell of a job... I've rebuilt my media room that was destroyed in a storm.. Finishing electrical in kitchen, dreaming of a audiophile setup with secondary surround system ( which is in place now) for movies and gaming. Looking at Klipch La Scala, Cornwalls. Maybe Maggies and really getting interested in building a open baffle design. ABX really got me enthusiastic about the project. I have a friend who is doing my cabinets and I might design a baffle and have him cut the pieces. I would create channels for the wires so i could hide the routing.

Cost is going to vary wildly depending on how you approach this and will have changed since I built these. The drivers can be priced out by visiting Critesspeakers.com. You will need 3 sheets of 3/4 Birch Plywood, and whatever you are using for finishing. The crossovers I used are no longer available - they were the most expensive part at around 2k Canadian. Critesspeakers has their versions of the Klipsch designs at a much more reasonable cost.

Just outside St. John’s, Newfoundland. Thanks for the comment!

All the info is in the description drop-down. Parts are all on the Crites website. The crossovers were from ALK Engineering, but I believe he may have retired from this work. In that case, crossovers are also available from Crites. They are more like the original designs from Kilpsch

I am familiar with those horns, but have not had an opportunity to hear them. They could be useful in a modified design for something fun and interesting.

I didn’t track exactly, but in the neighbourhood of 6k Canadian. However, I paid probably too much to get my plywood cut, so there are savings to be had there, and shipping costs and duty to get the components sent to Newfoundland were significant. Depending on where you are located, there may be a significant difference in cost. Check the video description for my sources and you can look up current costs. The only part you won’t find is the mid horn. The K-400 to K-401 horn will need to be sourced used, and can be very pricey. Crites Speakers has a version of this horn (not listed, may or may not be available). Also, the crossovers I used are the most expensive version available from ALK engineering and the single most expensive part of the build. There are cheaper options, but I was going for best possible, not economy. Thank for watching!

@@hollowheadsrestorations The mid horn is what I was wondering about I'm in Chicago and thinking of buying a black pair with the crites upgrades already for 2k and veneer them myself in walnut,however I have thought of building the cabs myself but need exact blueprint plans your video explains and shows what's inside because that woofer box was confusing me. Thanks for your information.

@@itemforsale6930 I also have links to the cut plans etc. in the description. If you can buy a used pair of La Scala for a decent price, that is the best way to go, for a number of reasons. Impossible to find in my area, hence why I went with a self-build. I know that my build stacks up very well with factory (and much better in terms of performance with the upgrades) but it’s a lot of labour. I restored a pair of factory La Scalas in the past, and it is also a lot of labour, and comes with its own challenges, but overall it will be easier, and likely cheaper than a full build, if the cost of the used speakers is reasonable. Either way, it’s a great project, and I am beyond pleased with the end result. Good luck!

Cost for me was somewhere between 5-6k Canadian. However, due to where I live, shipping, taxes, and plywood cost more, so this could be done for meaningfully less depending on where you live

Somewhere between 5 and 6 k. The largest single expense was the crossovers. You can see the prices for these on the ALK engineering website for the ES-500 and ES-5800 combo. The drivers are not cheap either, especially with shipping to Canada. And the mid horn is pricey, if you can find one. Building one is an option, and I pointed out to another commenter that there is a good design reference on the ALK engineering site. Otherwise, contact Crites Speakers (product is not listed, but they can get a version of the k400), or keep an eye out on ebay. So overall not cheap. BUT…. Here in Canada, used La Scalas are regularly advertised in the 4K price range. All of those will require cabinet work, crossover work and possibly driver work to bring up to spec. And even then, they won’t come close to these for sound quality, appearance quality etc. (assuming a good quality build). So, short answer - not cheap, but I think good value for what I got. I am confident these would compete and/or exceed the latest model from Klipsch.

Using hobbyist level tools, you would be correct. However, it is entirely possible to get this level of accuracy with the right equipment. That is why I farmed out the cutting for this project. I have since acquired a saw that can absolutely do this level of precision. Alternatively, the option is to sand the angle to fit, or mess about with fillers etc. to close any gaps. As discussed in the videos, the doghouse is the hardest part of this build due to the angle of the cuts, and the precision needed.

There are simpler designs, however there are reasons for this design as it was engineered. See the ALK Engineering website for a full explanation of the crossover network. I have owned La Scalas in the past with different crossover designs (Klipsch AA, AL, and AK) and can attest that there is no comparison to these in terms of performance. Yes, they are very expensive, but worth it in my opinion, based on the improvement in overall sound quality.

@@hollowheadsrestorations I see what you mean, Sir. I prefer to choose a drivers with an appropriate FR and a low order crossover filters. But I'm impressed of how flat a signal phase is after the network. I didn't see such mix of a high order filter (3+) and a flat phase before.

Too much.. lol! The crossovers were a significant cost increase vs other options ( you can get accurate costing from the ALK engineering site), and because I live in. Newfoundland, Canada, shipping and import duties added a fair bit as well. It was overall about 6k Canadian ($4500 US) give or take, but could be done for significantly less. I was going for the best I could do, so I spent a little extra, as pointed out in the videos. Expensive for me, but I feel the final product puts me sonically on par with current La Scala, at a pretty good discount.

@@hollowheadsrestorations I'm in Canada. How much

Inspired by, my build, clearly explained on these videos, not for sale, my choice. Thanks for the feedback

He should badge them “mcClung” homage to the most ridiculous comment ever written….

@@hollowheadsrestorations hi fellow Canucks here great job 👏 👍🏻 I'm collecting parts to do a build and I have a question,how many sheets of plywood did you end up using ?thx for sharing this I'm in mb

@@633wrench link to the cut plans are in the description drop-down. You can download there along with my plans. 3 sheets will do it