Karlson tube HF waveguides - how many have tried them?

freddi · 18th February 2007, 01:18 AM

although limited on LF k-tubes can sound pretty good imo

Transylvania Power's "The Tube" by Walter Zintz
http://img457.imageshack.us/img457/7622/tt6wb.jpg

thinwall 1" tube
http://home.planet.nl/~ulfman/images...Tube1-Thin.jpg

pattern for 1" pvc tube
http://img398.imageshack.us/img398/3497/ktube1aa6tp.jpg

1" diy tube vs an 1.875" ID x 9" long Karlson style tube with a concentric pre-waveguide
http://home.earthlink.net/~buddhaboy2/9v7.jpg

X15 copy tube cloned from ~1966 speaker system
http://home.earthlink.net/~buddhaboy2/X15/X15Tube.jpg

jamikl · 18th February 2007, 03:28 AM

Thanks for those links Freddi, especially the pvc tube one. I have some old 12 inch speakers which I intend to mount in a ripole with a 30 to 34 inch long tube above and an old 8 inch full range firing up this, tube size to suit, with a slot in one side and will try to do a small high tube like in your link tilted down about half way down the slot but inside the first tube, just to see what it all sounds like. There will be a compression chamber behind the mid range as in a horn. Just got to scout aound the plumbers - drainlayers now to if I can find an
offcut of 8 - 9 inch pvc tube for the mid. I do have some old low power 6 inch full rangers as well from some old japanese speakers. Might make finding the pipe easier.
jamikl

freddi · 18th February 2007, 03:46 AM

Hi Jamiki - I put a B&C driver on a Transylvania Tube - sounds pretty good

when you make a half-ellipse tube 1"ID - ~5.3" long is plenty enough and about 1/8" starting gap - it will probalby tilt about 30 degees upwards if the slot is facing down

here's my "TT" - combined with K15 its quite a lot of power on drums in a small room. Zintz's Transylvania tube had a 2 degree downwards sidewall taper.

Freddy

some tubes (maybe Ernst Beck's specimen) had a roller pin about 1/2" from the throat - these didn't

bikehorn · 18th February 2007, 03:53 AM

i tried one, just for fun made out of a few sheets of A4 paper rolled up and with the slot eyeballed. had a second-order butterworth HP at 2k on a Selenium DH200E...i didn't really like the results i got but i don't think i tried very hard...gave up shortly after. I have some PVC pipe laying around which i may try once i get a replacement diaphragm and some time.

the paper K-tube had great HF extension, but didn't seem like it went down to 2khz...it was about 11 inches in length(the length of an A4 sheet...)

I've always wondered, does a K-tube actually "load" a compression driver or simply act as a waveguide? doesn't a compression driver need some kind of loading to work properly? I know very little about the workings of a compression driver.

freddi · 18th February 2007, 04:02 AM

I think 11" for 1" format might (?) restrict its horizontal dispersion - Zintz had it about right with ~5.3" and 1/8" thick cast aluminum structure. Dave Young made 2" x 11" tubes for 2" drivers and 2-12" for PA use.

a snippet of one of Dave's posts from Ulfman's forum:

"----As to the K-couplers use for high frequency propagation, if offers advantages and disadvantages.

When a horn is coupled to a compression driver, there is a noticable increase in midrange volume.

When a K-coupler is attached to the same driver, the
change is not as dramatic. The horn is easier to install in a cabinet with its flat flanges.

The Transylvania Power Company's Tube requires an added bracket(see Ernst Beck's article) In order to work properly it needs to be tilted back as the main axis of radiation is 35 degrees below 0.

The horizontal dispersion is very broad. And if you do mount a Tube with the flange flat to the baffle, it will be constantly getting hit and compromising packing in a car or truck.

The 2" K-coupler was used on top of a front
loaded 2-12" mid box. When the boxes were used outdoors, there were high frequencies present in the area in front of the stage with the cabinets on eighter side of the stage.

This didn't happen when I used horns. The highs projected well into the field.

The sound quality of the coaxials improved when the horn was replaced with the K-coupler.

However, not every coaxial speaker is designed with a coupler in mind.

Again the horizontal dispersion improved. One was installed into a small monitor and

you could stand 10'away at 80 degrees off axis and still hear highs. "

18th February 2007, 01:18 AM	#1
freddi diyAudio Member Join Date: Aug 2005	Karlson tube HF waveguides - how many have tried them? although limited on LF k-tubes can sound pretty good imo Transylvania Power's "The Tube" by Walter Zintz http://img457.imageshack.us/img457/7622/tt6wb.jpg thinwall 1" tube http://home.planet.nl/~ulfman/images...Tube1-Thin.jpg pattern for 1" pvc tube http://img398.imageshack.us/img398/3497/ktube1aa6tp.jpg 1" diy tube vs an 1.875" ID x 9" long Karlson style tube with a concentric pre-waveguide http://home.earthlink.net/~buddhaboy2/9v7.jpg X15 copy tube cloned from ~1966 speaker system http://home.earthlink.net/~buddhaboy2/X15/X15Tube.jpg

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18th February 2007, 03:28 AM	#2
jamikl diyAudio Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Melbourne	Thanks for those links Freddi, especially the pvc tube one. I have some old 12 inch speakers which I intend to mount in a ripole with a 30 to 34 inch long tube above and an old 8 inch full range firing up this, tube size to suit, with a slot in one side and will try to do a small high tube like in your link tilted down about half way down the slot but inside the first tube, just to see what it all sounds like. There will be a compression chamber behind the mid range as in a horn. Just got to scout aound the plumbers - drainlayers now to if I can find an offcut of 8 - 9 inch pvc tube for the mid. I do have some old low power 6 inch full rangers as well from some old japanese speakers. Might make finding the pipe easier. jamikl

18th February 2007, 03:46 AM	#3
freddi diyAudio Member Join Date: Aug 2005	Hi Jamiki - I put a B&C driver on a Transylvania Tube - sounds pretty good when you make a half-ellipse tube 1"ID - ~5.3" long is plenty enough and about 1/8" starting gap - it will probalby tilt about 30 degees upwards if the slot is facing down here's my "TT" - combined with K15 its quite a lot of power on drums in a small room. Zintz's Transylvania tube had a 2 degree downwards sidewall taper. Freddy some tubes (maybe Ernst Beck's specimen) had a roller pin about 1/2" from the throat - these didn't

18th February 2007, 03:53 AM	#4
bikehorn diyAudio Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: toronto	i tried one, just for fun made out of a few sheets of A4 paper rolled up and with the slot eyeballed. had a second-order butterworth HP at 2k on a Selenium DH200E...i didn't really like the results i got but i don't think i tried very hard...gave up shortly after. I have some PVC pipe laying around which i may try once i get a replacement diaphragm and some time. the paper K-tube had great HF extension, but didn't seem like it went down to 2khz...it was about 11 inches in length(the length of an A4 sheet...) I've always wondered, does a K-tube actually "load" a compression driver or simply act as a waveguide? doesn't a compression driver need some kind of loading to work properly? I know very little about the workings of a compression driver.

18th February 2007, 04:02 AM	#5
freddi diyAudio Member Join Date: Aug 2005	I think 11" for 1" format might (?) restrict its horizontal dispersion - Zintz had it about right with ~5.3" and 1/8" thick cast aluminum structure. Dave Young made 2" x 11" tubes for 2" drivers and 2-12" for PA use. a snippet of one of Dave's posts from Ulfman's forum: "----As to the K-couplers use for high frequency propagation, if offers advantages and disadvantages. When a horn is coupled to a compression driver, there is a noticable increase in midrange volume. When a K-coupler is attached to the same driver, the change is not as dramatic. The horn is easier to install in a cabinet with its flat flanges. The Transylvania Power Company's Tube requires an added bracket(see Ernst Beck's article) In order to work properly it needs to be tilted back as the main axis of radiation is 35 degrees below 0. The horizontal dispersion is very broad. And if you do mount a Tube with the flange flat to the baffle, it will be constantly getting hit and compromising packing in a car or truck. The 2" K-coupler was used on top of a front loaded 2-12" mid box. When the boxes were used outdoors, there were high frequencies present in the area in front of the stage with the cabinets on eighter side of the stage. This didn't happen when I used horns. The highs projected well into the field. The sound quality of the coaxials improved when the horn was replaced with the K-coupler. However, not every coaxial speaker is designed with a coupler in mind. Again the horizontal dispersion improved. One was installed into a small monitor and you could stand 10'away at 80 degrees off axis and still hear highs. "

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