[jdandy]

Jon.......The last pair of Klipsch speakers I heard were the LaScalla's. They belong to a friend in California who has them set up in a 15' x 22' room with a 9' ceiling. The LaScalla's are on the long wall about 5' in from the side walls and about a foot off the rear wall. The listening couch is about two feet off the opposite wall in the sweet spot with just over 12' to the speakers. There is no real acoustic treatment in the room but there are some large tapestry's hanging on the wall behind the speakers and behind the couch. The system is powered with vintage tube McIntosh gear, a restored C22 preamp and MC275. His only source at that time was a Linn LP12 turntable with a Signet TK9eA moving magnet cartridge. I remember the cartridge because I also had the TK9eA on my Micro Seiki turntable. Two years ago he upgraded the cartridge to the Ortofon 2M Black on the LP12 and also bought a restored Otari reel to reel tape recorder but I haven't heard the system with the new additions.

The last time I visited was 10 years ago but as memory serves me the sound of the Klipsch LaScalla speakers with the vintage McIntosh gear and the analog source was very good. I recall the bottom was rich and full with plenty of punch. I had no sense the system needed a subwoofer. The midrange was clean with a crisp presentation not uncommon to horns and compression drivers, very similar to a live performance. I remember the Klipsch LaScalla's impressed me. The room came alive with a nice presentation.

You need to have a fairly large room to accommodate the LaScalla's. They are not monitor size speakers by any stretch of the imagination. After all these years my friend still has this same system with the addition of the 2M Black cartridge and a Otari tape machine. He doesn't do digital but he has one heck of a vinyl collection. I'd sure love to hear that Otari on the Klipsch LaScalla speakers.

Like all sound systems it is important to have synergy between electronics, sources, speakers, and the room. Setup is equally important and often overlooked, or at least not given the care and attention to get the best from speakers in a given room. I know my friend is very happy with his system and has owned the same basic setup for as long as I have known him. That says a lot about of his satisfaction with his gear and his speakers.