Who has heard Karlson cabinet type speakers?

[soundbound]

These Karlsons seem to be an interesting design. How do they sound? Is it worth building a pair?

[colterphoto1]

you'll be wanting to find our own JohnyHoliday, the keeper of the sacred scrolls on Karlson

[stan krajewski]

I have heard them twice. Once with Electrovoice 15trxb coaxials. Not bad at all. Then the same person who owns them installed some 15" Tannoys. Things got much nicer. $200 drivers vs.$1500 drivers.

What I do remember about them is how loud you can play them without any distortion or breakup. In that respect they will put to shame 95+ percent of the other speakers out there. Really great for outdoors and a really big sound.

They have their own signature sound which is kind of a cross between horn and bass-reflex speakers.

It has been about 5 years since I heard them. I don't remember them for their sound-stage, clarity, smooth highs and other things that people associate with "high-end".

The guru on this speaker is "FreddyI". I believe he is a member here. The Karlson homepage is still there but not active. There was a dedicated group of "Karlsonites" with a forum and very informative discussions.

My brother built a pair recently but he hasn't fired them up yet.

If you need info on construction, I'm sure one of us can provide it.

Bottom line - it's a controversial speaker design that a few people adore, some people like and most just are just not interested in pursuing. And of couse, as with any other speaker, the right room and perfectly matched amplification might have just raise them to a higher level.

[johnyholiday]

Karlson Army HQ, koooperation,K_folks ,sekret sakred skrolls, http://gainclone.com/Karlson/index.php?board=1.0

[garyrc]

My dad (a master carpenter) built a Karlson enclosure for me in 1957, and a high school friend had someone build one for him. I had a JBL D130 in mine, and my friend had a University 6201 in his. Both sounded fast and had a lot of punch, with a bass peak at about 100 Hz (?) His had a problem because the 6201 was a coaxial, and sound from the little horn tweeter bounced back off the inside of the boards that formed the front curves (I had a separate JBL tweeter mounted on the top of the enclosure). Those twin Karlson curves got a lot of press in those days and there was even a photograph of a viola that used them. The cynic among us said, "That's Karlson blowing his own horn," which I took to be a pun. The enclosure looked like a folded horn with a combination of front and rear loading. All those I ever heard were very clean, especially mine with the precision of the D130. By the time I "went stereo" my dad was dead, and I couldn't find any Karlsons for sale, so I put a JBL C34 (a rear loaded folded corner horn) with a D130 on one side, and the Karlson with its D130 on the right. Here is the difference: The Karlson had more punch, but the C34 sounded a little smoother. Both started rolling off gently at about 80 Hz, and were severely attenuated at 40 Hz, but would take electronic bass boost without mushiness or distortion --- they sounded significantly cleaner and clearer in the bass than acoustic suspension speakers of the day, even though the latter had more extended bass response. The cannon fire in the 1812 Overture sounded especially good on the Karlson.

I must say, though, our Klipschorns do everything better.

[soundbound]

Thank you all. The Karlson Loudspeaker Forum will be a good source for learning. I may build a set someday for the fun of it.