my experience is with limited but have a vague idea of things and not much mucking with wing's flare (although that's quite audible)
K15, 1st K12, and K8 ran 30 degree tiltbacks. 2nd K12 ran 25 degree (maybe to squeak a tiny bit more clearance to bottom?), X15 ran 23 degree and KHYBOE (assuming 115BK is a replica) 20 degrees.
K15 and couplers in K15 bulk range have 1/2 or less than excursion of reflex boxes plus more output. Two tone distortion and HD can be pretty clean compared to some horn and reflex.
K12 & X15 ran only about 30 cubic inches rear chamber per sqsuare inch cone area. Both used vent de-Q-ing techniqes and both probably are ~flat outdoors in a middle of a yard to about 80Hz using woofer with 5%-8% efficiency.
with vent coupler, there's a 3rd impedance peak and would occur ~300Hz for k8, 235Hz for K12, 225Hz for X15 & 115BK although RCA-Fan's perpendicular panel x15 size coupler came in around 195Hz. K15's 3rd Z peak is ~155Hz. I'm not sure of the relevance of that peak vs other things.
these couplers add a type of reverb which can be attractive if honk/peak doesn't intrude.
dynamics of K15 and 18K built ~ to K15's bulk imo is very good and exceeds horn of its bulk and reflex. I don't like reflex and think Klipschorns sound more "bandpassy" than Karlson with strong driver.
reflectors and vent systems for very high spl might be something to consider.
K-tube open end waveguides sound very good from ~2Khz up.
any k-builders have ideas of what might be tried for new coupler and variations on the theme? can one keep the hit up real good and retain the bottom of K15?
my 23 degree baffle 8.6 cubic foot 18-K is loaded with lower efficiency 18 but is very clear & taut on odaiko compared to reflex, horn, and 21"+12"on OB. Its probably F8 around 50 outdoors. Shifting to a 103g mms 18 with qts=0.25 should add a few dB to its midrange.
K15 (born by Wayne Green's recollection summer of 1951 and debuted at 1952 Hotel New Yorker Audio Fair ) can exhibit a lot of power on transitent with very little cone excursion. Sometimes I'd like a leaner tonal balance which might be achieved though less tilt and some experimentation with the front chamber and aperture.
Freddy
ps -unlike a horn, there should be upper practical limits & contraints to a Karlson's front chamber and overall bulk although Dave Young took rear chamber volume to ~7 cubic feet for an 18" EV then switched to EV15B. Also Mr. K had a drawing of 12" long klam with 8' of coupler length for 2-15"
snippet of Young's post)
"Twice I've measured the 3rd harmonic of 40hz(120 hz) louder than the fundamental with 100 watts
feeding the speaker.
The Peavey FH-1 and a Yorkville 2-18 with RCF's. When the 1504-4 Black Widow was tested in a 12 cu. ft. Karlson, the 3rd harmonic distortion went from 103% to 8%. I didn't have the Yorkville long enough to switch speakers. "
K15, 1st K12, and K8 ran 30 degree tiltbacks. 2nd K12 ran 25 degree (maybe to squeak a tiny bit more clearance to bottom?), X15 ran 23 degree and KHYBOE (assuming 115BK is a replica) 20 degrees.
K15 and couplers in K15 bulk range have 1/2 or less than excursion of reflex boxes plus more output. Two tone distortion and HD can be pretty clean compared to some horn and reflex.
K12 & X15 ran only about 30 cubic inches rear chamber per sqsuare inch cone area. Both used vent de-Q-ing techniqes and both probably are ~flat outdoors in a middle of a yard to about 80Hz using woofer with 5%-8% efficiency.
with vent coupler, there's a 3rd impedance peak and would occur ~300Hz for k8, 235Hz for K12, 225Hz for X15 & 115BK although RCA-Fan's perpendicular panel x15 size coupler came in around 195Hz. K15's 3rd Z peak is ~155Hz. I'm not sure of the relevance of that peak vs other things.
these couplers add a type of reverb which can be attractive if honk/peak doesn't intrude.
dynamics of K15 and 18K built ~ to K15's bulk imo is very good and exceeds horn of its bulk and reflex. I don't like reflex and think Klipschorns sound more "bandpassy" than Karlson with strong driver.
reflectors and vent systems for very high spl might be something to consider.
K-tube open end waveguides sound very good from ~2Khz up.
any k-builders have ideas of what might be tried for new coupler and variations on the theme? can one keep the hit up real good and retain the bottom of K15?
my 23 degree baffle 8.6 cubic foot 18-K is loaded with lower efficiency 18 but is very clear & taut on odaiko compared to reflex, horn, and 21"+12"on OB. Its probably F8 around 50 outdoors. Shifting to a 103g mms 18 with qts=0.25 should add a few dB to its midrange.
K15 (born by Wayne Green's recollection summer of 1951 and debuted at 1952 Hotel New Yorker Audio Fair ) can exhibit a lot of power on transitent with very little cone excursion. Sometimes I'd like a leaner tonal balance which might be achieved though less tilt and some experimentation with the front chamber and aperture.
Freddy
ps -unlike a horn, there should be upper practical limits & contraints to a Karlson's front chamber and overall bulk although Dave Young took rear chamber volume to ~7 cubic feet for an 18" EV then switched to EV15B. Also Mr. K had a drawing of 12" long klam with 8' of coupler length for 2-15"
snippet of Young's post)
"Twice I've measured the 3rd harmonic of 40hz(120 hz) louder than the fundamental with 100 watts
feeding the speaker.
The Peavey FH-1 and a Yorkville 2-18 with RCF's. When the 1504-4 Black Widow was tested in a 12 cu. ft. Karlson, the 3rd harmonic distortion went from 103% to 8%. I didn't have the Yorkville long enough to switch speakers. "