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Picking up my LaScala's next week, what next?!
By JAGX
March 26, 2022 in General Klipsch Info
JAGX
18 hours ago, Shakeydeal said:
I would never use a receiver as a preamp. But that's me.
So when you are casting from your phone, this is Bluetooth no? If so, another bottleneck for you to overcome.
I will get plenty of flack for this, but you need to decide which is more important to you, movies or music. Pick one, design your system around that choice and let the chips fall where they may for the other one. Because there are compromises to be made when you attempt both in the same system.
I knew deep down this would be the answer 😭
How about we say music is the focus, and hopefully find a set up that doesn't involve a parallel system or a system requiring manual switching things/connections around to simply use these same 2.1s for movies, is that reasonable? If dialogue ends up just decent, I will be no worse off than I am now with my Kilpsch Fives.
The more research I do, the more I realize I don't know. For music (where I don't use physical media such as vinyl or CDs) what are the optimal choices available to use as sources? I was reading that I could use some type of high-end dedicated streaming device, or build a no vibration PC and put my music on there, then connect that to the speakers.
19 hours ago, RandyH said:
I also confirmed it only comes with a 90-day store warranty since it is a trade-in 🤷‍♂️
Heritage Members
Location: Rossville, GA just South of Chattanooga TN
Welcome to the nuthouse... 😉
Do what you can afford right now. Don't stress over it. I've listened to LaScalas through expensive and inexpensive equipment, and there were differences, but I still had LaScalas. I'm sure you wil enjoy them.
Shakeydeal
Location: Off Leash
1 hour ago, JAGX said:
I would keep PCs away from the music system. A dedicated streamer can be a Bluesound Node or even cheaper, a Raspberry Pi if you are an ambitious sort who loves that sort of geekdom.
Schu
15 minutes ago, Shakeydeal said:
I would keep PCs away from the music system....
Pro logic II music or Neo 6 can sound absolutely incredible with some stereo music , particularly with a nice heritage setup, I rarely play my Khorns by themselves anymore,( but I can if I want to )I prefer the huge sound stage that my multi channel theater system offers . Theres nothing wrong with a system that can do it all .
Theres nothing wrong with a system that can do it all .
There's nothing wrong with it, but as I said before, you accept the compromises that come with such a system. Since I don't give two sh&ts about home theater, mine is set up exclusively to play music. But there was a time many years ago when I had them combined. I set it up first and foremost to play music and just accepted what I got for movies.
2 minutes ago, Shakeydeal said:
Ok so you don't care about home theater, but the OP was interested in using his new Lascala's for double duty, music and home theater , lots of people have very nice sound systems that are extremely capable of double duty , including my own . I don't view my setup as having many compromises , although every setup has them. In my world ,being a stereophile has evolved into music and theater , and I want to be able use my equipment to do both.
BadChile
Stealing from something I once read - there is a reason music sounds best with the lights dimmed late at night - without the distraction of sight, our sense of hearing gets to focus on the music, not the inputs in the room. It's the same reason why PowerPoint presentations are horrible ways to convey information - the presence of words on a slide causes the viewer to read the slide (visual) instead of listening to the presenter (audio).
Because of this - I agree with others - focus on the music aspect and let the movies fall where they may because when there is a movie on, you're going to be focusing on the visual. When you're just listening to music, you'll truly focus on the audio.
16 minutes ago, BadChile said:
Right ,that's why I don't do power point presentations when I listen to music.🤓
Location: Empire State
7 hours ago, JAGX said:
you'll have enough time to test the speakers out ,
18 hours ago, BadChile said:
Stealing from something I once read - there is a reason music sounds best with the lights dimmed late at night - without the distraction of sight, our sense of hearing gets to focus on the music, not the inputs in the room.
Agree here^... lights off
On 3/28/2022 at 3:40 PM, Tom05 said:
I feel like I am getting a better sense of what the setup may look like. I am trying to map out the two and see where they connect.
Streamer > DAC/pre-amp > Amp > Speakers
Streamer > DAC/pre-amp > powered sub (for now just using the one I have until I could upgrade)
Blue ray, cable box, etc, via HDMI > HDTV via optical? > DAC/pre-amp > amp > Speakers?
DAC/pre-amp > powered sub
Hypothetically this kind of Soncoz SGD1 DAC might support this set up, although I suppose a DAC with and HDMI 2.1 eARC may be ideal.
The powered Sub should have line input, and I can use a DAC which has balanced and line outputs (RCA) in order to feed the amp with balanced and the sub with line output, unless I am confused..
Edited March 30, 2022 by JAGX
Location: Vancouver Island, BC, Canada
When you get your new TV, will you have the shop do the setup as well as the delivery? It can cost as much as $150, but then you'll have an experienced tech doing the job in possibly under 30 minutes, with no head scratching on his part or yours. Certainly, you may need to tweak a few details later to get the system dialled right in to your preferences, but getting everything plugged into the right spots gets you more than 90% of the way to listening pleasure and satisfaction, on the day of delivery.
As for using the same system for music and video, why not? I've got a pretty good sounding 2-channel system that uses a late model near-flagship AVR as the preamp, which then feeds a 24-bit audio processor/crossover (an Electro-Voice Dx38), which then feeds a pair of 2-channel power amps. Prior to bi-amping my La Scala IIs (okay, when 1st-gen Scalas were my main speakers), I had a single high end power amp which was fed from the AVR PREamp Out sockets, which also sounded pretty good.
For 5.1 (and now 6.2) listening, it's just a matter of switching the input knob to the Audio 1 position, which is kept set to Surround Decode, and the other speakers come to life, those meaning the centre Belle Klipsch and the surround La Scalas, plus the centre rear Heresy III. While it's possible that a high end preamp could make for even better sound, I'm pretty impressed with how it sounds right now.
For some live events, like sports or music festivals, sometimes I switch to All-Channel Stereo, which gives a sound that comes closer to the sensation of listening outdoors than the usual Surround Decode setting, in which the front Centre speaker tends to dominate.
A La Scala would be your ideal centre speaker, but also consider a Belle Klipsch, since they're only 18 inches deep, rather than the 24-25 inches of the Scalas. It can be hard to find a single, though. I had to buy a pair of them, so now I have a spare sitting in a rear corner. If you do buy a pair of Belles, it might not be difficult to sell one of them later, since they do make such great Heritage centre speakers and TV stands.
There is one thing, though. Unless you have a complete set of AL5s, meaning either 5, 6, or 7 of them, when you switch to Surround, you will be introducing lower-performing speakers into the set, so for your video listening, the sound will not be as pure and clear as it is when listening in 2-channel to your Scala AL5s. However, as BadChile pointed out above, when you're watching a movie, especially with the lights dimmed, your attention will be focussed on the screen, rather than just the sound, so it won't matter much, especially since the surround speakers are not that important in most video productions, because the primary emphasis is on the front speakers, particularly the centre speaker. The surround setup locates sounds in space, like when a door opens to one side, or behind you, or when rain is falling all around, but those sounds are usually transient, so having matching speakers all the way around is a luxury, not a necessity.
I hope this is helpful, and welcome to the Forum!
JohnA
Location: Chattavegas
On 3/26/2022 at 10:32 AM, JAGX said:
I plan on buying my first OLED TV this year, and hope to use these LaScalas for double duty, music and home theater. This is my first time trying to coordinate all these components and frankly it is starting to get confusing, so please forgive any foolish questions that I may have failed to find answers to researching on my own!
I bought a pair of gently used AL5 trade-ins and am picking them up next week from the store. Any tips on what to look for/ask when inspecting them? This and the TV are the are breaking my bank so the rest of the setup is going to be budgeted as best I can.
I think it makes sense to hook these up to an AV Receiver pre-amp, then hook the AV Receiver with HDMI eARC to the TV's HDMI eARC. I will also connect a 4k Blu-ray player, FiOS cable box, and 4k Apple TV using HDMI to the (Receiver or directly to the TV), not sure which is optimal?
Back to the LaScalas, I will use an amp (~$1,200 budget) to power them because it should be better/worth it to match a stand-alone amp quality/watts the LaScalas versus using the AV receiver powered channels, right?
Will connecting the LaScalas to an AV receiver degrade the experience, or cancel out the benefit of using pre-amps and a stand-alone amp? Basically, am I an idiot for trying to spend big bucks on nice speakers and a matching amp only to hook them into an AV receiver? 🥴
Lastly, in terms of Home Theater, what is most critical to me is adding a subwoofer for bass and also considering a center channel (budget permitting). I have a 10" monolith powered subwoofer I plan to use for now (I know it is probably not worthy of the LaScalas but I am broke now) and also some Klipsch fives I could cannibalize for surrounds perhaps. My main issue is that dialogue these days seems shoddy so I was hoping to add a center and don't know where to start. I read THIS from Paul but my bank account slapped me (and I have no room).
If you are going with a separate power amp, buy a pre/pro and do it all the way.
I'll recommend a high quality AVR. Running Klipsch speakers, you will not push it hard enough to need or justify an outboard power amp. Quality is important and won't be cheap, but just because it is an AVR doesn't make it inferior or unworthy.
https://www.audioadvice.com/home-theater/home-theater-components/home-theater-receivers
I use my system for 2 channel and HT, with all separates. I use my pre/pro to switch video, too. That is convenient and doesn't degrade the picture. It will make integrating all your inputs into a system that is easy enough others can use it. My lady friend can watch TV when I'm away from home without call me for help.
I use a modified Heresy (xover very similar to my La Scalas) as a center. A Heresy IV may be the best center for you.
You should look at 2 or more subs. Having gone from 1 to 2 to 4, I'll keep 4 if at all possible. Four (many), reduces cone excursions making the distortion similar to my La Scalas. Spreading them around the room fills in nulls a single sub will suffer.
On 3/27/2022 at 7:09 PM, Schu said:
Thud!
my noodle against a concrete barrier.
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