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.
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.