Klipsch La Scala (1963–Present)

Name: Klipsch La Scala
Brand: Klipsch

At 123 pounds and 105 dB sensitivity, these are acoustic artillery built to fill any room, from campaign rallies to living rooms.

Overview

The Klipsch La Scala is one of only two fully horn-loaded designs in the Klipsch Heritage series that doesn't demand corner placement. The Klipschorn and Belle Klipsch are the other high-efficiency designs in the line. Klipsch introduced the La Scala in 1963 as a professional loudspeaker. It was built for brute output and reliability in political rallies, theaters and public address systems. The Klipschorn relies on room corners to complete its bass horn. The La Scala has a fully enclosed folded horn inside its cabinet, so it can go anywhere. It keeps the core traits of horn loading: extreme efficiency, low distortion and explosive dynamics. At 104-105 dB sensitivity, it reaches concert-level volume on just a few watts, which is why tube amplifier enthusiasts and purists who value unamplified realism like it. High-Fidelity (February 1979, p.97) noted that these speakers perform with far less distortion than most others, and could fill large venues like Radio City Music Hall or an opera house with clarity and power.

Key Features

15" Folded Horn-Loaded Woofer with Fiber-Composite Cone

At the low end, the La Scala uses a K-33 or K-33-E 15" fiber-composite cone woofer. It fires rearward into a folded exponential horn path that wraps through the cabinet and exits at the front. The self-contained horn gives up some deep bass extension, typically reaching 45-51 Hz compared to the Klipschorn's 33 Hz. What you get is tight, articulate bass with minimal distortion. Horn loading reduces cone excursion, so the driver can handle up to 100 watts continuous (400 watts peak) without strain and keep its pitch definition at high sound pressure levels.

2" Phenolic Diaphragm Midrange on K-700 Exponential Horn

The midrange comes from a K-55-V, K-55-X, or K-55-M 2" phenolic diaphragm compression driver mounted on a K-700 exponential horn. It has high output and low coloration through the vocal and instrumental range, with a crossover point around 400 Hz. The horn's controlled dispersion gives a coherent midrange presence, and it comes straight from Klipsch's professional audio lineage.

1" Compression Driver with Phenolic or Titanium Diaphragm

High frequencies come from a K-77-series 1" compression driver feeding a dedicated horn. The diaphragm is either phenolic or titanium, depending on generation. The tweeter crosses over at approximately 4500 Hz and runs out to 17 kHz (±4 dB), with later models like the AL5 reportedly reaching 20 kHz. Combined with the horn's fast transient response, this renders sibilance, string harmonics and brass attacks very clearly.

8 Ω Nominal Impedance and High Power Handling

Nominal impedance is 8 ohms, so the La Scala is a stable load for both tube and solid-state amplifiers. Power handling is 100 watts continuous (400 watts peak), which made sense for its origins in commercial sound reinforcement. High sensitivity and high power tolerance mean it can be driven by low-wattage amplifiers and still scale up with high-powered setups.

Heritage Active Crossover in AL6 Generation

The La Scala AL6 adds an optional Heritage Active Crossover. It needs three separate amplifiers and uses DSP for filtering and driver signal delay. The active system bypasses passive crossover components entirely and controls the woofer, midrange and tweeter individually, which improves time alignment and reduces intermodulation distortion.

Historical Context

Klipsch conceived the La Scala for professional use where the Klipschorn's corner-loading requirement was impractical. Its first major deployment came during Nelson Rockefeller's campaign for Governor of New York in the 1960s. Its ability to fill large spaces with clear, undistorted sound impressed the candidate enough that he put them on his campaign train. Over the following decades the speaker became a staple in small theaters, dance halls and commercial installations across the U.S. Audiophiles quickly noticed its sound despite the utilitarian roots, and adopted it for high-fidelity home systems. In 2006, Klipsch formally inducted the La Scala II into the Heritage series, moving it from commercial workhorse to collectible with furniture-grade finishes and domestic refinement.

Collectibility & Value

Original vintage pairs have listed for as much as $2,625, with asking prices around $2,100 for well-maintained examples. The eBay market varies widely, with completed sales ranging from $19 to $5,000. Median values hover near $214, likely reflecting incomplete or non-functional units. Current models cost far more: AL5 pairs appear at $15,400, while AL6 pairs reach $15,400 or more. The original MSRP for a vintage pair was reportedly $1,400, though that figure comes from a single seller and lacks broader confirmation. Owners report midrange and tweeter driver issues, occasional buzzing in late-seventies Industrial variants, and aging crossover capacitors. The capacitor problem is common enough that recapping is a routine service. Replacement parts such as the K-55-PH midrange driver (P/N 1007181) remain available, and service manuals like the "KLIPSCH LA SCALA SPEAKER SYSTEM SCH" are online.

Market Value

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ KLIPSCH LA SCALA                                                Aug 2026 │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ High      $6,299                                  Latest          $2,500 │
│ Median    $370                                    Trend             ▲ Up │
│ Low       $27                                     Volume           ~5/mo │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ $7,000 ┤                                                                 │
│        │                               .                                 │
│        │       ..                                                        │
│ $4,000 ┤                            .      .                   .         │
│        │               .  .                      .                .      │
│        │                                               .                .│
│        │   .         .   .                                               │
│     $0 ┤.    . .  . .  .    . . . ...      .. .       .       .          │
│        ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│
│    vol │█  ▄ █ █▄ ▄ ▄▄ █ ▄▄ ▄ ▄ █ ▄▄█  ▄   ██ ▄  ▄    ▄▄      ▄▄  ▄     ▄│
│        └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│
│         2026-01                      2026-04                      2026-08│
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘