History of Klipsch La Scala

Paul W. Klipsch was an American inventor with a passion for music. Dissatisfied with the audio systems of his day, he launched the Klipsch company in 1946 to build loudspeakers that could reproduce orchestral music in all its glory with the low-powered amplifiers of the day. To accomplish this, Klipsch used high-efficiency horn speaker technology, beginning with the Klipschorn, the first speaker the company released. The La Scala speaker later became one of Klipsch's most popular products.

Development

Klipsch created the La Scala in 1963. He originally developed it for Arkansas gubernatorial candidate Winthrop Rockefeller to use as a public address speaker. Despite its rather pedestrian appearance, the lighter weight La Scala was quickly embraced as an alternative to the heavier and bulkier Klipschorn. The La Scala used much of the same technology as the Klipschorn, including the same horn-loaded drivers.

Specs

The La Scala had somewhat limited frequency reproduction in the bass frequencies, only going to 53Hz, and didn't have the upper end frequency reproduction of some other speakers, only going to 17kHz. However, at an efficiency of 104dB at 1 watt/1 meter, the La Scala was more than capable or reproducing orchestral music at concert volumes, a goal Klipsch pursued throughout his lifetime. The La Scala was capable of outputting up to 121dB. The La Scala could handle up to 100 watts continuously, with peaks of 400 watts, and had an 8 ohm impedance.

Construction

The La Scala was a three-way horn speaker, with crossover points to the high frequency tweeter at 4500Hz and the mid frequency horn at 400Hz. The speaker, as noted, was pedestrian in appearance. The cabinet for the speaker was made of birch plywood and was available in three finishes: unfinished, birch lacquer and black lacquer. The speaker weighed 123 lbs. and was 35.5 inches high, 23.75 inches wide and 24.5 inches deep.

Production

The La Scala, after its introduction in 1963, quickly became one of Klipsch's more popular designs. It was part of the company's Heritage series, and remained in production until 2005.

New Model

After production of the La Scala ceased in 2005, Klipsch, now run by Paul Klipsch's brother Fred, introduced the La Scala II, an updated version of the original. As with all Heritage series speakers, it is handmade to order in the company's original location of Hope, Arkansas. It is a fully horn-loaded, three-way system with a folded-horn 15-inch woofer, 2-inch midrange and 1-inch tweeter compression driver. The company updated the finishes, offering it in cherry, walnut or black ash. The new version also includes a grille to cover the midrange driver and tweeter, and the bass cabinet is made of MDF instead of plywood. The specs are almost identical, though the efficiency is increased to 105dB at 1 watt/1 meter. It is also heavier, at 175 lbs. each, and a little bigger at 38.5 inches high, 24.25 inches wide and 25.25 inches deep.

Popularity and Manufacturing Time

"Stereophile" magazine, which serves the high-end audio community, published a rave review of the La Scala II in 2006, praising its dynamics, soundstage and sound. Because the speakers are built to order, it usually takes four weeks for a customer to receive the speakers.