A Closer Look at Another Klipsch Heritage Speaker: La Scala AL5

Do you love the sound of live music? Do you like your music raw, unfiltered, and uncolored? Do you like to feel the music, with all its perfections and imperfections?

If so, you might be the right candidate for Klipsch Heritage speakers. No one ever called Klipsch speakers laid back, analytical, or unemotional. For an analogy in cars (because everyone seems to love them), it’s like comparing a Shelby GT500 to a Porsche 911. Both are fast, fun, and highly capable machines. But the current Porsche is a very refined car, and the Shelby GT500 is like an untamed beast only mildly suitable for street use. Klipsch Heritage speakers have all the in-your-face sonic bravura of the Shelby GT500, letting you feel the emotion in the music. Yet you will also discover that they are refined like the Porsche 911, so you can live with them day in and day out – something you may not want to do with the Shelby.

Keep reading to learn more about the La Scala AL5 to see if it’s right for your Duluth, GA, listening room. And if it’s not, there are four other Klipsch Heritage hi-fi speakers to check out too!

SEE ALSO: Introducing the Newest Klipsch Heritage Speaker: The Forte IV

Fully Loaded, Horn-Wise

Klipsch is renowned in audio for its use of horn-loaded drivers. Klipsch has refined the use of horn designs for decades. Horns have advantages in four key areas that the company emphasizes: High efficiency with low distortion, controlled directivity, wide dynamic range, and flat frequency response.

Let’s start with efficiency. Most hi-fi speakers are not particularly efficient. Most high-end speaker 3- and 4-way designs require complex crossovers and relatively high power to get the most out of the speaker. Klipsch horns are very efficient, and they need far less amplifier power for the speakers to shine. Horns also excel in dynamic range, which is the ability for a speaker to transition quickly from soft passages to powerful crescendos without missing a beat. Just about all professional reviewers of Klipsch Heritage speak of their dynamic range; it’s part of what brings the excitement to the music.

The La Scala AL5 is the latest incarnation of a speaker that debuted in 1963. It is designed to be a smaller version of the Klipschorn, Klipsch’s flagship speaker that has been in continuous production since the company’s inception 75 years ago. Like the Klipschorn, it is a fully horn-loaded 3-way design. It can be driven with remarkably low power and can produce incredibly high and undistorted sound levels – 106db with only 1 watt!

Unique Design

The La Scala looks like no other speaker. Unlike others with visible woofers, the 15-inch horn-loaded bass driver hides behind a “V” in the lower part of the speaker. It is the same design as in the Klipschorn but has two folds versus three in the larger model. In the latest AL5, all the drivers have been refined, using an updated tweeter with Tractrix horns and lightweight diaphragm, updated midrange compression driver, and premium AudioQuest internal wiring.

Like all Klipsch Heritage speakers, the La Scala is hand-built at Klipsch's original location in Hope, Arkansas, by skilled craftsmen. The book-matched wood veneers are used throughout each speaker's manufacture to allow for a seamless grain across the sides and top of the speaker cabinets. Elegant metal-weave magnetic grills complete the modern yet retro look. The furniture-grade cabinets house speakers that last for generations, so a Klipsch La Scala pair might be the last speakers you ever need to buy. With a 10-year warranty, the company backs up the quality within.

Want the visceral feeling from your music? Audition Klipsch Heritage speakers at our Marietta showroom, contact us here or click the chatbox below to quickly connect with one of our home audio experts. We look forward to working with you!