klipsh scala speakers

Well if your son likes the traditional horn sound he may like the La Scalas. I have heard a number of horn systems in my life and Klipsch were my least favorite with the most flaws. Some of these flaws can be fixed and if you buy a used pair for a reasonable amount you may be able justify the extra expense, but in stock form I find Klipsch speakers to be wanting. Waytoomuchstuff replies in any unusually balanced fashion for a Klipsch owner and makes some excellent points regarding potential with modification, but the advantages he lists are not unique to Klipsch and are more a description of the advantages of horn speakers in general. Dynamics are excellent with horns, but the low level detail is one of the most attractive advantages for me and is stunning when you compare these designs with dynamic speakers. I have not heard newer Klipsch designs. I dont own horns but I do understand the attraction.

For me stock La Scalas are good...with a few tweaks they can really sing and pound.  They are very loud.  If he is willing to tweak them (dampen, upgrade crossover) this would be a great pair.  In it's natural set-up it can fall short.  

My favorite quote: "It's not the right speaker for most people, they will not bend to your will.  You have to feed them what they want, or they will yell at you."

I have had my La Scala speakers for 35 years and am still finding ways to make them even more enjoyable than stock. (which I liked) Over the years I have built stands to angle them, built crossovers, bought crossovers, tried many different speaker cables and just messed with placement. Mine are matched with Mac gear and every little change was evident in the listening experience. Some would not want to put that kind of effort into their system but I relished it and still try different cables just to see what the effects will be. This might be a consideration for your son. Hopefully he can find as much entertainment in the quest as I have had. All the other comments about low playing levels, details and volume are true in my experience. For 30 of those years I used no sub, now I have 3 svs sb4000s and would never ever ever go back. Subs are essential in my experience but not unique to La Scalas.

A few questions to the OP:
(1) how big is his room? Do you understand how large La Scalas are?
(2) do you really want to spend $12K on speakers for your kid (assuming new)? If so, congratulations on your deep pockets and generosity.
(3) if his primary desire is loudness (assume he is going to listen primarily to rock or club music), steer him toward Klipsch Heresy, JBL L100 or vintage Cerwin Vega speakers.

"way too much stuff" hit it right on the head! you absolutely need good components ahead of any klipsch speaker. i have owned my cornwall 2s since new and would never give them up, BUT YOU NEED good high quality equipment ahead of them. that goes for cables too. with cheap recievers and cd players your ears will bleed.