[Afterimage]

I have never done a review or anything, but I thought I would post my thoughts on this speaker and with a comparison to my other speakers in my listening room.    I will try and be objective.    I have owned the La Scala's for a few weeks and have a couple of hundred hours on them.  Before I attempt to describe their sound I will give some background information.  I have owned several speakers and these include the Paradigm 11MKSE (I think, but it was a long time ago so I can't really remember the model), Newform Research R645s(ribbons), Green Mountain Audio Callistos, Mark and Daniel Ruby, Amphion Xenons, Dali Euphonia MS4s, and the Monitor Audio GS 60s.   Each of them had their strengths and were enjoyable in their own way.
   The main speakers in my system before putting the La Scala's in was the Monitor Audio GS60s.   I let the La Scalas burn in for a couple of weeks and in the last couple of days I put the Monitor Audio GS60s back in for some comparisons.  For whatever reason, the GS60s seem to be a big hit with the home theater crowd but do not get much mention or attention from the "audiophile" people.  At least that has been my observation from viewing the boards.  With that said, the MA's embarrass a lot of speakers that are considered audiophile speakers IMO.  They have very good clarity, detail, treble extension, and a tight tight bass.  They also image and focus very well too.  Plus, they are darn handsome, again just my opinion.
    The La Scala's have a big, expansive, spacious, smooth, natural or organic sound.   When I do a head to head comparison, initially it was tough to decide which sound signature I liked better.  Putting the La Scalas in right after the MAs and my first thought is wow, these sound expansive and lively, but darn where is the clarity and frequency extensions?  Of course they are there in spades, keep in mind I am talking relative to the GS60s, the La Scalas just are not quite at their level.  But here is the kicker, after an hour the GS60s can start to get tiring, especially on some recordings.  Meanwhile, the La Scalas can be played for long periods and the thought of doing something else or changing to a more ear friendly recording never enters the mind.  If I could get a speaker that combine the strengths of both of these, that would end the search for me.  I suspect the speakers higher up the scale in the WLM lineup can do this. 
  To conclude the La Scalas are just a very enjoyable, seductive speaker that kind sucks you into the music with their presentation.  That is not to mean they are polite, no way.  As I said above, and I really want to emphasize this, they are a lively speaker and can really rock.  They also can be turned up loud with out any hint of distortion or compression.  Kind of fun to do for a song or two.  Another peculiar aspect about the La Scala for me is sometimes I will have various music channels on the tv and I find myself listening to genres or music I don't care for generally.  Why would I do that?  Because it sounds good.  That is why. 

[donreitz]

I thought I'd take advantage of Afterimage's post to throw in my two cents' worth on the La Scalas as well.

Late last year I took a flyer and purchased a pair of La Scala floorstanders sight unseen and sound unheard. It took an effort on Vinnie's part as I'd never purchased audio equipment over the internet and I wasn't about to part with $5,400 without some serious hand holding.

Well, between Vinnie, a positive review by Ralph Werner, and a favorable disposition toward WLM products at 6moons, I did, in fact, part with the money. So how's it working out? While I'm certainly in no position to write knowledgably about loudspeakers, there are a few observations I can make.

Presence
By far the most impressive characteristic of the La Scalas is something I can only define as "presence." It's a quality where the source of the sound appears to be in the room itself rather than coming from a box in the room. No other speaker I'm familiar with so removes itself from the music. I assume this quality is mostly due to the La Scalas' midrange competency since it's most obvious with pianos, horns, and voices, but it's striking at the upper and lower registers as well. It's quite a revelation to listen to music rather than to loudspeakers making music.

Bass Performance
In his review, Ralph Werner mentioned the outstanding bass performance of the speakers. It took me awhile to get it, but now I understand what he was saying. My own taste in bass developed through listening mostly to a pair of JBL L200s from the 1970s. These made big sound and the monster 15 inchers could dig oh so deep. What I got used to was a meaty, dark, wet bass. Needless to say, with an 8 inch mid/bass driver, the La Scala's bass performance isn't going to be the same. At first this bothered me, but after playing with spike heights and port donuts, I am no longer disappointed. The La Scalas definitely put out a different kind of bass than the big JBLs. Compared to the JBLs, La Scala bass is tighter, dryer, and more detailed. The 8 inchers deliver less punch but you can hear deeper into the bass (for example, you can hear bass strings clearly being plucked and the woodiness of a cello comes through). What you lose in absolute bass thump you gain in detail. It's a fair trade and no less satisfying.

Treble Performance
I'm kind of a back-to-basics guy so an old-fashioned paper cone tweeter appeals to me. I run a tube amp and preamp and had some concern that perhaps these in combination with a low tech tweeter would result in muddy sound. That's not the case. While the La Scalas don't knock you over with treble that can shatter glass (at least with my system), they do provide treble that is realistic and satisfying. I don't notice anything missing from the top end, but my preference is for a warmer rather than a hyper-detailed treble anyway. If you're a detail junky you might want to power the La Scalas with a transistor amp (or at least boost the speakers' treble output via the rear-mounted control--a very handy device). Given this situation, it's surprising to me that the La Scalas are quite revealing when it comes to CD sizzle or graininess. Clearly the tweeter, old tech paper cone notwithstanding, is a capable device.

Placement
Finding the best placement of the La Scalas was straightforward. I followed WLM's suggestion in the users' manual for distance from side and rear walls, and took Vinnie's suggestion to toe the speakers in so as to aim them about three feet behind my listening position. The distance between my listening position and the plane of the speakers is equal to the distance between the speakers themselves. No amount of adjusting improved the sound. I did experiment with George Cardas's "Golden Cuboid" method of speaker location but it didn't work for me. It just put the speakers too far out into the room and turned the bass boomy.

Build Quality/Aesthetics
To my way of thinking La Scalas exhibit the quintessential qualities of German engineering and design (actually Austrian, but close enough). You might think of them as the Audis of the speaker world: rock-solid build quality, high-performance for the money, and attractive not in a sexy Ferrari sense, but in an uncomplicated, visually pleasing, purpose-built sense. La Scalas aren't cheap, but you very much get your money's worth.

Don

[Vinnie R.]

Hi Afterimage and Don,

Thank you for offering your feedback on the WLM La Scalas.  I enjoyed reading both of your posts and your feedback is excellent and much appreciated! 

I agree - there is indeed something very special about the sound of the La Scalas (and La Scala Monitors, which I am currently using in a smaller room with great success!).  They keep you wanting to listen to more and more music.  I believe this is mainly due to their very organic midrange presentation, sweet and airy top-end, tight n' punchy bass, and their overall tonal balance that is very pleasing (musical).  For me, they are a lot of fun to listen to and do so many things right.  I also agree about the build quality and aesthetics - rock-solid, attractive, but does not shout out "hey, look at me, look at me!"  They just "do their thing" and I continue to enjoy them a lot! 

I'm glad you guys are enjoying them, too!

Thanks again for your posts,

Vinnie

[Afterimage]

Nice job Don.  Maybe you should have posted first, that way I could have just followed up with "yeah, they sound good".      

Okay, a few more things to add.  I have tried these speakers with 3 different amps.  The 70.2s, the Sim Audio W3 ( a solid state amp), and a Cayin tube amp with mainly Tungsol 6550s.  The La Scalas sound great with all 3 types.  So based on what I have tried so far, they do not seem to be picky about amps.  Also, I forgot to mention the La Scalas are sensational with vocals.  I also think their aesthetics is very nice, much better in the room than in pictures.   Yet another plus, they are fairly light to move around.  Most speakers in this price range are heavy.  I got quite a workout moving the Monitor Audio GS60s in and out of the system the last few days doing my comparisons.