John Warren

djk- questions about CLS M200. what is approx. price new. what are the recommended horns for Klipschorn. thanks, jw

The "Orthothonic Reproducer" (1919)

Patent for the bass-reflex enclosure.

Didn't know they had a website. http://www.martinsoundpro.com/ Catalog is here http://www.martinsoundpro.com/pdf.html This message has been edited by John Warren on 02-13-2002 at 07:33 PM

I was guessing at sensitivity values for the CW, I'd prefer to get them from someone who has actually measured them to an accepted standard. So, it was easier to frame the post in the form of a question (sort of like Jeopardy). Your 98 dB/W/m value ascribed to the CW is likely at or near frequencies above the CO point for the mid-range horn. For SET amp, you should be interested in LF sensitivity since Watts (with a capital W) are hard to come by in SET offerings AND the CW is a direct radiator with a marginally efficient woofer below 600Hz(or so). The old post still reads well, even after all these months.

What is the sensitivity of a CW in the 40-100Hz range? I have no data. This message has been edited by John Warren on 02-13-2002 at 08:01 AM

I'm with Tom on this one. This message has been edited by John Warren on 02-12-2002 at 09:04 PM

dennis- an interesting "alternative" explanation! Perhaps that was Waterhouse's true interpretation.

C&S- "Triax" and "Triaxial" are a copyrighted trademarks of Jensen as was the "Duax. University and EV could not use the term to describe their 3-element systems. EV resorted to the term "TRX", University used "3-way Diffaxial". The 315-C, introduced in 1963 is the best version of this type of driver, few were made. Regardless of the dash number, the sound wasn't anything worth writing home to grandma about. IMO, the best full range speaker system made by University was the Model 312 Series 200 12" driver, cast basket, co-axially mounted Sphericon tweeter and a "whizzer" diffusicone. Spooky realism. You cannot get a better loudspeaker for low level, critical listening. I have a pair of these the bedroom, mounted in Onken style enclosures. The wife loves them. This message has been edited by John Warren on 02-12-2002 at 08:33 PM

If it is the driver I am thinking of it has a gold screen covering the concentrically mounted tweeter horn. It is not a triaxial driver, but a coaxial with a diffuser ring attached to the near apex of the woofer cone. They have limited value, replacement cones are not available. University Loudspeakers was originally located in White Plains, NY later being purchased (along with Altec) by the parent of EV. The production equipment was then moved to Oklahoma.

HiFi-GREAT JOB! Need any contributions? If so, please feel free to ask. If I don't have it I have friends that will.

February 5, 2002 Henry Kloss, 72, Innovator in Audio and Video, Dies By JOHN SCHWARTZ (NY TIMES) enry Kloss, an inventor of innovative audio and video components who became a hero to audiophiles, died on Thursday in Cambridge, Mass. He was 72. The cause was a subdural hematoma, said his son, David Kloss. Throughout his career, Mr. Kloss (pronounced close) was guided as much by his senses as by his intellect. Loudspeaker manufacturers tend to stress the technical specifications of their products, which is like describing a wine by its levels of alcohol and tannin or a chocolate cake by its caloric content alone. As an M.I.T.-educated engineer, Mr. Kloss developed formidable technical prowess but avoided marketing by the numbers. Instead, he strove to design equipment for the ear and not the spec sheet, and his products delivered a broad, smooth, clean sound that came to be called the "Boston sound." Mr. Kloss, who was born in Altoona, Pa., and raised nearby, was rewarded by an almost cultlike devotion from those who bought his equipment and who followed his career through many companies and twists of fortune. He began to build his reputation in 1952, while working at Acoustic Research with Edgar Vilchur, an engineer. Mr. Kloss invented a small revolution in listening, the AR-1. It was the first speaker that was small enough to fit on a bookshelf but could produce rich, deep bass tones. Low sounds are usually emitted by objects large enough to generate the long wavelengths of those notes. Mr. Kloss provided extra power to the low end of the sound spectrum and designed the speakers to accommodate the extra punch without overpowering the rest of the tonal range. It was only the beginning of a career of firsts. In the 1960's, at KLH, a company Mr. Kloss helped found (the K was for his last name, L and H were his colleagues Malcolm Lowe and J. Anton Hoffman), Mr. Kloss made the Model 8 FM radio. It could pull in stations from a crowded dial a feature that came to be known as high selectivity. He also created some of the first successful audio devices to use transistors. He moved on to found Advent, where he created the first cassette tape deck to use the Dolby B noise reduction system. Then he set his sights on video and designed pioneering projection TV equipment. Mr. Kloss said that he had never watched television until he decided to build one. When Mr. Kloss decided to serve as the eyes instead of the ears, however, he foundered. Although his systems earned an Emmy for technological achievement, he lost control of Advent and then of a company he formed to sell the TV's, the Kloss Video Corporation, as consumers chose less expensive, simpler Japanese models. Mr. Kloss returned to audio in 1988 with a company he named Cambridge Soundworks; the $250,000 in start-up capital was provided by a friend, Henry Morgan, a venture capitalist, with a handshake as security. In the venture, Mr. Kloss turned to a surprising sales method: mail order. His reputation for providing high-quality sound at reasonable prices was so well established, he reasoned, that customers would be willing to buy loudspeakers sound unheard, on the basis of his reputation and strong reviews for products like multispeaker home theater systems. The strategy was successful, in part because the company was able to keep costs down by avoiding the expense of maintaining a network of stores. Mr. Kloss left Cambridge Soundworks after selling it in 1997 to another company, Creative Labs. He was not ready to retire, however. In 2000, Mr. Kloss unveiled an elegant tabletop radio, the Model One, from yet another company, Tivoli Audio. Once again, the Kloss faithful marveled at the rich sound from the small wooden cabinet, which was designed with just three knobs: a large, smooth-gliding tuning dial, another to adjust the volume and the third for turning the radio on and off. The deceptively simple device concealed sophisticated circuitry used in cellular phones to lock onto a radio signal; a result was a $99 radio that sounded as good as models costing many times more. At every stage of his career, Mr. Kloss remained a tinkerer at heart, his executive offices cluttered with equipment and circuit boards and his gray hair pulled back in a ponytail. Audiophiles idolized Mr. Kloss at times, to a degree that made the family uncomfortable, David Kloss said. Strangers "would drop by the house because they bought a Model 21 25 years ago," he said. "He'd always humor them," his son recalled. Buffs would call out of the blue saying, "I need a knob for my Model 7," decades after the last one had been manufactured, David Kloss said. "It would be, `Hang on!' and he'd go down to the basement and bang around. He'd come back up and say, `I've got one from a Model 21, it's a little different but would that be O.K.?' " Besides David Kloss of Andover, Mass., he is survived by two daughters, Margot Rothmann of Avon, Conn., and Jennifer Hummel of Dedham, Mass.; and seven grandchildren. His wife, Jacqueline Sweeney Kloss, died last year. In an interview before he brought out the Model One, Mr. Kloss said the quality of radio receivers had declined over the years because buyers did not appreciate quality. "People are not asking for good radios," he told an interviewer, "Today, people don't think in terms of buying something that 20 years later they'll be glad they bought and will still be using." The disposable lifestyle was hurting quality, he said, adding that customers believe that "things are so cheap that I'll buy it, and if I like it, then O.K; if I don't like it, I can always get another one." David Kloss said that even at the height of success: "His real big thing was not to make money, ever. It was to pay the bills, and get great stereos for the masses."

HornEd-Thank you, I'm glad to know that I'm not the only admirer of these old designs. If you would like a copy of the plans and step-by-step directions for building the Patrician IV send me a private email with a mailing address. Even if you do not intend to build them, it makes for great reading. It would be my pleasure to send them to you. Mike S- The painting is by John Waterhouse and is entitled "The Lady of Shalott" from the Tenneyson Poem by the same name. Painting is very famous. Your also quite perceptive, she is very sad but not because her blanket (really the "tapestry of her life") is wet, but because she's cursed, she dies in the boat. This message has been edited by John Warren on 02-10-2002 at 08:09 PM

You don't necessarily get one shot at it. After sanding, rub the surfaces with a clean rag soaked in turpentine OR mineral spirits. Cleans the surface but more also gives an idea what the surface will look like finished. The turp highlights distressed areas that need additional work. When satisifed, two parts boiled linseed oil to one part turpentine is the recipe for "oil finish". Apply warm (stand in sun, sit it on radiator) and slop it on heavy, let it stand for 20 minutes then rub it out with clean muslin or denim.

$4600 on ebay, 1955 EV Patrician IV. I have built decorator cabinets for the Klipschorn using the same method shown here. I just like this picture This message has been edited by John Warren on 02-09-2002 at 08:09 PM

Lead sheet works well too. Has a density about 10X that of plywood. Large mass will inertia limit panel responses. A liberal coat of slow cure Epoxy, the use of pressure plates and many clamps are need to get a good thin bond line necessary. Lead is easy to work but requires gloves to avoid ingestion thru skin and subsequent brain damage. You could end up like MH! (reading those "wild-eyed" posts above leads me to believe he swallowed one of the lead radiation bricks advertised at the bottom of the page). Lead lined enclosures put strains on glue joints. Joints must be reinforced with rub blocks. This message has been edited by John Warren on 02-06-2002 at 06:35 AM

The Klipschorn, Jensen Imperial in EV Patrician IV in 1958. It is a hi res digital image, zoom in to read text. This message has been edited by John Warren on 02-05-2002 at 08:43 PM

Ben-In 1955 the Jensen G610 was the king at $262, nothing came close. By comparison the 206AX went for $129, University C15W $139 and EV 18WK $169. Klipschorn went for $549 and the EV Patrician went for $739. Your 150CX went for $128 in 1964 McGee catalog.

mdeneen-the Klipschorn w/o EQ derives most of its sonic output below 50Hz from panel and room resonance. the woofer has nothing to work against <50Hz, it just "dry humps" the box its in causing it to resonate. people think its deep bass, but its not.

The 150CX is a 150FR with a 5-Kt tweeter mounted concentrically. I have almost no data, 3" edge wound aluminum VC, Fs 23 Hz, useful frequency response 20-30kHz (yes that's 30 kHz published) 6 lb Alnico magnet in 12 lb Armco iron keeper, power 35 Watts, surround and spider are impregnated cloth. Also, 16 ohm impedance rating, 8 ohm was an option. Should be standard Stephens 4 spoke cast basket with thick bolt flange. FYI-The 15" Tru-sonic 206AX is a real collectors piece and highly sought after by the truely insane. Alnico magnet weighed in at 7lbs, 10oz, with 14 lb keeper. To my knowledge no other US manufacturer put that much Alnico magnet in the motor structure. Cast frame woofer with compression horn tweeter mounted in the center not much different than the Super Sonax in the EV 15 TRX style. The 206AX was mounted in the "Fold-A-Flex" enclosure. A good friend of mine has a torn cone 206AX mounted in a display case in his stores' listening room (along with "MY" pair of never used, still in original box Genalex "factory matched" KT88s with the red seal tape wrapped around the boxes). This message has been edited by John Warren on 02-04-2002 at 08:33 PM

mdeneen- good to see some cross-bracing on those large panels. On your next project, turn the 2x4s 90 degrees (the 1.5" thick side would then be the side that mates with the panel). The stiffness increase is maximum. You have to drive screws into them from the outside. Did you paint both mating surfaces with glue? I prefer Tightbond Liguid Hide glue, slow to set and won't crack with aging. mh- My current setup (the one I listen to most) is a Philips Magnavox AZ1110 CD Radio Cassette Recorder with DBB (Dynamic Bass Boost). It has a built-in handle and a dettachable line cord that I find quite convienient. I'm thinking of swapping out the line cord (18AWG/2C) with a 14AWG/3C.

mdeneen- I noticed your enclosures housing the Altecs. They look fantastic! No substitute for cubic inches. If you have pics of construction in progression please post. "Jelly-fishing" is a term to discribe panel resonance. Think of how a jelly-fish propels itself thru the water---structural panels that are excited by cyclic systems oscillate in the same way. The larger the panel, the larger the amplitude of the oscillation. Jelly-fishing is a parasitic loss mechanism. Work done by the driver, wasted by resonating enclosure panels, adds noise and robs he system of LF performance potential and transient capablility. One fix is to brace, placing the brace at the location on the panel of maximum amplitude, usually the point were the diagonals cross. For the CW the brace can tie the front baffle to the back panel rigidizing both. The secondary benefit of cast woofer baskets is to stiffen the baffle board and resist jelly-fishing. The CW uses a low cost woofer that employs a stamped metal basket. It is silly to be concerned about the sound of speaker wire when the speakers you are listening are driven into spurious resonance associated with panel vibration. The CW is known for being a "boom box" when driven to high SPLs. For SET amps that produce power with a thermal equivalent of a "flea fart" that might not be such a big concern. ps-as is evidenced above and, unlike another on this thread, I've managed to get my ideas across without having to resort to cryptic prose feathered with a dash of "subtle whimsy". This message has been edited by John Warren on 02-03-2002 at 08:49 AM

MH-I don't know what your going for here but you honestly cannot believe that the Cornwall cabinet is of sufficient construction quality to go to the expense of outfitting it with high quality/high output drivers? The last time I checked the rear panel on that boom box I couldn't belive how badly it jelly-fishes. A McCauly or Beyma would cause it to walk across the floor! This message has been edited by John Warren on 02-02-2002 at 02:27 PM

HIFI- Thanks for chiming in here! "Lowboy" and "Highboys" configurations of the Classic were made by the factory. Q- you built the "original". The plans scanned by HIFI is a version widely distributed by University in plan catalogs. Easier to build.

And, here's an AD for the Classic from a 1955 Leonard Electronics Catalog. HiFi at it's best!