In this review, we will be comparing Jubilee and La Scala AL5, two Passive Floor-standing speakers by Klipsch.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Klipsch Heritage Jubilee and Klipsch La Scala AL5 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Klipsch Heritage Jubilee | Klipsch La Scala AL5 |
|---|
| Brand | Klipsch
United States · founded 1946 | Klipsch
United States · founded 1946 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 7" Compression Horn | 1" horn-loaded |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 2" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 12" Fibre composite | 15" fiber-composite cone with folded horn |
|---|
| Frequency response | 18-20k Hz | 51-20k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 107 dB | 105 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 300-1200 watts | up to 100 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 185.00kg / 407lbs | 91.36kg / 201lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 69" x 50" x 30-1/4"
1753.0 x 1270.0 x 768.0mm | 40" x 24-1/4" x 25-5/16"
1016.0 x 616.0 x 643.0mm |
|---|
Jubilee and La Scala AL5 are members of Klipsch's Heritage series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Klipsch Heritage Series
History
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Jubilee is a 2-way design whereas the La Scala AL5 is a 3-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
Klipsch Heritage JubileeKlipsch La Scala AL5
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Klipsch Heritage Jubilee |
Klipsch La Scala AL5 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
7-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 2-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 12-inch
|
1 x 15-inch
|
Jubilee features a 7" Titanium diaphragm Compression Horn Tweeter and 2 x 12" Fibre composite Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 340Hz. On the other hand, the La Scala AL5 features a 1" polyimide diaphragm compression horn-loaded Tweeter, a 2" Midrange and 1 x 15" fiber-composite cone with folded horn Woofer.
Frequency Response
Jubilee has a frequency range of 18-20k Hz whereas La Scala AL5 has a frequency range of 51-20k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 18Hz, the Jubilee can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the La Scala AL5's min frequency of 51Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Impedance and Sensitivity
Jubilee and La Scala AL5 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Jubilee sensitivity is rated at 107 dB and the La Scala AL5's is at 105 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the Klipsch Heritage Jubilee a more sensitive speaker compared to Klipsch La Scala AL5, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
Jubilee can handle a max power of 1200 watts RMS, whereas La Scala AL5 has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS, 1100 watts less than the Jubilee.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Jubilee and La Scala AL5 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Klipsch Heritage Jubilee's and Klipsch La Scala AL5's external dimensions. Klipsch Heritage Jubilee has external dimensions of 1753.0 x 1270.0 x 768.0mm (69 x 50 x 30-1/4inch) whereas Klipsch La Scala AL5 has external dimensions of 1016.0 x 616.0 x 643.0mm (40 x 24-1/4 x 25-5/16inch).
Klipsch Heritage Jubilee is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 654mm wider, 737mm taller and 125mm deeper than Klipsch La Scala AL5.
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
Klipsch Heritage Jubilee needs about 146% more floor or shelf area. Klipsch Heritage Jubilee is 125mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Klipsch Heritage Jubilee is 737mm taller.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Klipsch Heritage Jubilee is approximately 9753.6cm2 / 1,511.8inch2 and base area of the Klipsch La Scala AL5 is approximately 3960.9cm2 / 613.9inch2. The Jubilee requires 146% more surface area than the La Scala AL5 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The Klipsch Heritage Jubilee weighs 185.00kg / 407lbs and the Klipsch La Scala AL5 weighs 91.36kg / 201lbs. This makes the Jubilee 102% heavier than the La Scala AL5.
Here is a comparison of how Jubilee and La Scala AL5's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
What's in the Box of Klipsch La Scala AL5?
Here are the items that come with the La Scala AL5:
- 2 Loudspeaker cabinets
- 2 Subwoofer cabinets
- 2 Grilles
- 4 Jumper-straps (pre-installed)
- Owners Manual
- Congratulations letter
- Klipsch brochure
 Max Input Power |
1200 watts
vs
100 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
107 dB
vs
105 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Number of Woofers |
2
vs
1
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
18 Hz
vs
51 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
|
Woofer Size |
15 inches
vs
12 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 Height |
1016mm
vs
1753mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
3960cm2
vs
9753cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
12998USD
vs
35000USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Klipsch Heritage Jubilee |
Klipsch Heritage La Scala AL5 |
| Brand |
Klipsch |
Klipsch |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
300-1200 watts |
up to 100 watts |
| Sensitivity |
107 dB |
105 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
3.5 ohms |
n/a |
| Frequency Response |
18-20k Hz |
51-20k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
1 |
| Woofer Size |
12" |
15" |
| Woofer Composition |
Fibre composite |
fiber-composite cone with folded horn |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
7" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Compression Horn |
horn-loaded |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
2" |
| Crossover Frequency |
340Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
front |
n/a |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1753.0mm (69") |
1016.0mm (40") |
| Width |
1270.0mm (50") |
616.0mm (24.3") |
| Depth |
768.0mm (30.2") |
643.0mm (25.3") |
| Weight |
185.00kg (407lbs) |
91.36kg (201lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Horn Loaded |
Acoustic Suspension |
| Finish |
n/a |
MDF/Woof veneer |
| Available Colors |
n/a |
American Walnut, Black Ash, Natural Cherry |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
10 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
10 Years |
Siblings in Klipsch's Heritage series, so they share a family sound. It comes down to size, output and price.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | A | Klipsch Heritage Jubilee digs deeper - 18Hz against 51Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | A | Klipsch Heritage Jubilee is more sensitive (107dB vs 105dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Headroom | A | Klipsch Heritage Jubilee takes more power (1200W vs 100W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Klipsch La Scala AL5 is easier to place; Klipsch Heritage Jubilee is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Cabinet | depends | Ported vs Sealed. Sealed is tighter and happier near a wall; ported digs lower but wants space behind it. |
| Expandability | depends | Klipsch Heritage Jubilee: bi-amping; Klipsch La Scala AL5: bi-amping. |
| Price | B | Klipsch La Scala AL5 is cheaper - $12,998 against $35,000, about 63% less; arguably a different class. |
A Klipsch Heritage Jubilee B Klipsch La Scala AL5
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
The usual trade-off: Klipsch Heritage Jubilee measures better, Klipsch La Scala AL5 costs about about 2.7x the price% less. Whether that gap is worth the money is the call only you can make - and in a normal room it is often smaller than the numbers suggest. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 51Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper Klipsch La Scala AL5 much easier to justify. In a large or open-plan room, Klipsch Heritage Jubilee has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, Klipsch La Scala AL5 is the easier speaker to get right.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.