Klipsch Lascalas or belle horns

I have been using and LOVING the 950/770 combo now for two years and am considering buying either the Klipsch Lascalas or Belle horns off E-Bay for two reasons. My B&W 630I's are shot and I remember these speakers from 20 years ago. They were the best I ever heard. Can someone tell me if these old style ( way cooler ) speakers are up to the output of this powerfull amplifier, or am I just old and think these powerful speakers are a thing of the past. I suppose I can look into getting more up to date ( B&W's 640's ) that can handle all this power but what is everybody's opinion?

I think my La Scala's sound great with the 950/770. I don't currently have them mated but the Klipsch's can handle the 200 watts...but...I can't ever imagine needing it. Also either of those speakers need a sub for anything below about 50Hz with any authority

I had a pair of LaScalas.They are the size of a washing machine.I was driving them with 200 watts per channel and I would blow out the diaphram on the tweeter constantly.Lucky the speaker repair shop down the block would replace the diaphram for $50 a shot.They are nice speakers but would be best suited for a very large space.

after getting the tweeters repaired 5 or more times i decided to sell.The guy that bought them drives them with a 40wpc tube McIntosh and never had the same problem.

The efficiency of the Klipsch offer loud playback if desired but only require a small amount of power to do so. There are several members of the Klipsch forum that use Outlaw gear and are VERY happy with the combination of Klipsch and Outlaw. Actually, it's from the Klipsch site that I got word of Outlaw products. I will be using Outlaw with my Reference Klipsch 5.1 system as soon as I can rustle up the funds!

Horn speakers are definitely very efficient. However, I can never seem to get past the relative shrillness compared quality conventional speakers or planar speakers like my maggies.

What you drive horns with from source to finish(speaker)is what makes or breaks em'.I can make em' sound congested/shrill or wonderful with the same $3K.I put the bp7001's msrp $3500 beside my 7's and with their "powerful" subs and all,no contest,I promptly returned them after two days,very disappointing.We all like what we like,nobody has a lock on great sound except in their own mind,which is all that matters.

I love the Klipsch speakers I use (see signature) but agree if they are crossed over too high they can sound shrill. Don't cross them over above 80Hz to avoid this. Other speakers I have heard don't seem to have the crispness of the Klipsch. As I would have to spend about $3000 or better to truly upgrade my speakers, I have been very satified with the Klipsch and the mate quite well with the Outlaw 755/990 I use. I will upgrade my projector next and doubt I will get to speakers for some time and am in no hurry.

Horn speakers are definitely an acquired taste. If they're working for you, that's great.

Cheers,

Have you thought about just replacing the drivers of your B&W 6301's?

Driving my 950-7100s into Heresys...no problems here...Heresy mains, Academy center (maybe another Heresy someday) and KSF-S5 rear surrounds (mayby Heresys there too someday for an all Heresy HT)...I think they are great...1st floor I have McIntosh SS and K'Horns...no shrillness from my speakers...
Bill

I also had a pair of Klipsch Heresy speakers years ago and their low frequency response didn't go very low. I (unfortunately) had to use an equalizer to remedy that. And yes, Klipsch are meant to be used with LOWER POWERED amplification sources. You simply to not need a 200wpc amp or receiver with these speakers. You will find they will sound much sweeter with something along the lines of 30 to 45wpc. The way I handled it was changing the amperage of the fuse in the amplifier (I had a Hafler DH-500 at the time). The Hafler allowed you to change the amount of power output based on the amperage of the fuse. For use with the Klipsch speakers, I placed a low amperage fuse in the amplifier, which gave me about 35wpc average/continuous. I still had to use an equalizer for the bass problem but the speakers really sang with lower power. I have long since sold the Heresy's and my Hafler amp. I am now a Boston Acoustics devotee (I am also still very much a two-channel devotee) and still have an (ancient?) Carver M4.0t amp with my Musical Fidelity E20 preamp hooked up to my Boston CR-9's, along with my VPI turntable, AudioQuest arm, and Sumiko Talisman-S mc cartridge, and a generic mass-produced cd/dvd player (which I intend to replace with a Cambridge Audio cd/dvd player).

I am, however, looking forward to purchasing the new Outlaw receiver after a very positive review in Stereophile. It's a beautiful retro-looking receiver.

I've heard nothing but good things about the RR2150, Steve. Welcome to the forum, and I hope you are doing and those around you are doing well in the aftermath of Katrina.

Gonk, thank you so much for your kind words. I'm happy to say I was very fortunate with regard to Katrina. I still have a roof over my head (no wind damage and no flooding -- I'm in a higher elevation area of Metairie, LA), I still have a car that runs perfectly (I drove it to evacuate to Lafayette, LA), and when I came back home, I still had a job and a paycheck. Obviously some higher plane of cosmic consciousness was watching over me. Actually, I just went on line and ordered the new RR2150 receiver. With the excellent review in Stereophile, there is a backlog and it will be about 2-3 weeks before they ship, which is perfect okay...I have plenty of toys to play with while I'm waiting! Thanks again so much for your reply.

That's excellent news! (Both the roof over your head and the two to three weeks before RR2150's return...)