if the Karlson isn't suited for PA work then its good for home - (they work in pa systems - I don't like the idea of the cone catching rain)
http://twogoodears.blogspot.com/2010/04/well-spent-day-making-of-karlson-bass.html
A well-spent day: the making of a Karlson bass enclosure pair
Today, after some delays, I finally got a full working day with my friend and hired "good hand" Vale and his wood-working workshop.
It's a BIG emotion and a deep pleasure to see something "coming out" from a drawing on paper...
The Karlson bass enclosures sure are among the very best, most natural, still human-sized bass speaker-box ever conceived for home music-systems: their bass with a good, N.O.S. Altec 416-8B pair, is quick, musical, neutral, unboomy, extremely pleasing and truly magically blending with horns and room... the best quality you can afford, the best results, would say Monsieur de Lapalisse (Jacques II de Chabannes de La Palice;-)))
http://twogoodears.blogspot.com/2010/04/well-spent-day-making-of-karlson-bass.html
A well-spent day: the making of a Karlson bass enclosure pair
Today, after some delays, I finally got a full working day with my friend and hired "good hand" Vale and his wood-working workshop.
It's a BIG emotion and a deep pleasure to see something "coming out" from a drawing on paper...
The Karlson bass enclosures sure are among the very best, most natural, still human-sized bass speaker-box ever conceived for home music-systems: their bass with a good, N.O.S. Altec 416-8B pair, is quick, musical, neutral, unboomy, extremely pleasing and truly magically blending with horns and room... the best quality you can afford, the best results, would say Monsieur de Lapalisse (Jacques II de Chabannes de La Palice;-)))
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It's a done deal. A used Bose system was found on Craig's list, still pricey but not $12K. On the plus side the arrays were mounted behind the platform so individual monitors aren't needed. On the negative side , a loss of highs (I think the arrays are low passed) and of course less bass.
The JBLs replaced were SR4732/SR4719 x2.
The JBLs replaced were SR4732/SR4719 x2.
nothing about the above sounds good? it seems that someone just had some $ and wanted to spend it?
horst 303, I think the sla or sla pro might work better than tlah for that application. check them out. about who in there right mind would obstruct a speaker with a couple of pieces of wood? maybe the same type of person that knows the benefit of taking midrange speakers and shooting sound through little scallop holes tapped onto the side of of a horn an innovator that comes around every other generation or so. don't knock karlsons until you try them. I don't think baraneks law[ I know that's spelled wrong] is all that.
"this" would be better than a horn and direct radiator for sound quality - the K-tube can be made with 1" pvc or abs pipe and a piece of thin plywood for the plate to mount to a compression driver
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
that's well understood - so when one buys or builds a speaker from someone else, they often are getting someone else's idea of good sound, sometimes tailored to their taste. I've owned Edgarhorn, Klipsch, Magneplanar, Quad, Acoustat, EV, JBL, Audio Concepts, etc. and the original K15 Karlson from 1951 overall with a good and appropriate diriver is a worthy competitor to any of them. The K-tube in the range where its comfortable* is good replacement for a horn or CD waveguide - its very smooth, open, and can be listened to quite far off axis. My next speaker project will be a little pair of Karlson couplers to mate at ~80-100Hz to a modest sub as bedroom system. They may employ K-tube tweeters if I don't use coaxial.
(* with a slotted pipe, I would not run the compression driver lower than 1K2 even with BMS 4550)
TWQT 12" sub - ~110lb Baltic birch
Greg B's "Karlsonator" is a useful variant of the original Karlson and popular due to the efforts of XRK971
(* with a slotted pipe, I would not run the compression driver lower than 1K2 even with BMS 4550)
TWQT 12" sub - ~110lb Baltic birch
Greg B's "Karlsonator" is a useful variant of the original Karlson and popular due to the efforts of XRK971
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Back in the day of Ma Bell some of the Bell Labs (Whippany, NJ) staff used to conduct lunch time subjective tests. Students who were there for classes on missile guidance systems would eat lunch in a room where various sound systems were sampled. One in paricular involved hi-fi amps and unbenownst to the audience they listened to the mighty McIntosh with its chrome plated tar filled transformers and 5881s vs the economical Qual-Kit with naked transformers and 6V6s. With the same speakers the audience could tell no difference.
Several people I knew spent so much money on the amp that they used budget speakers where they might have done well to go the other way. I resisted the move to stereo for a time and had a Knight Kit 20W amp and a K15 with a 12" full range speaker (maybe a Phillips). Subjectively I and all comers were impressed with the performance. In retrospect a K-tube compression driver would have made a nice addition. The engineer I got the K15 plan from had a pair of K15s with a sand filled rear panel added and a JBL horn on top. I never saw or heard his system.
Several people I knew spent so much money on the amp that they used budget speakers where they might have done well to go the other way. I resisted the move to stereo for a time and had a Knight Kit 20W amp and a K15 with a 12" full range speaker (maybe a Phillips). Subjectively I and all comers were impressed with the performance. In retrospect a K-tube compression driver would have made a nice addition. The engineer I got the K15 plan from had a pair of K15s with a sand filled rear panel added and a JBL horn on top. I never saw or heard his system.
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