OA-116 not sounding like Sonab magic - placement problem?

[dsmudger]

Hi All,

Hope it's ok to post in English, I've been reading on here for some time using Google Translate..

Some back story: My friend has some OA5 typ2, and I fell in love with the sound - it's like the wall behind the speakers isn't there - nothing else like it.

So I read on carlssonplanet.com, and eventually managed to find some damaged OA-116 in the USA. I imported them to the UK and fixed the rotted foam edges.

Since then unfortunately I've never really been 100% happy with them - they never really recreated that 'magic' Sonab sound I was looking for, and they seem weak in the bass (always need the 'loudness' control on, or bass turned up a little).

Maybe this is partly because of some extra damage that happened in transport to the UK: one of the 16ohm tweeters makes no sound at all, and the other is very very weak..

So I was hoping for some Carlsson Illuminati advice, and some help deciding what to do

so,

1: Are there some things I can try before spending money?
- Maybe try different jumper positions for the bass and treble adjustment..
Unfortunately the manual doesn't say what the positions are, only "potentiometer 50dB" - does anybody here know which one is +50, -50, and What is your recommendation for the setting?

- What about placement, is it bad?
Photo below - the right one is close to the corner, which I remember is not recommended in the manual - is it a big problem? I guess distance from the wall makes a difference too..

- Carlssonplanet talks about a Stig Carlsson recommended modification (change in tweeter position I think) - I have requested details.. Is this change recommended?

2: Can anyone comment on listening of the grafpro upgrade kits? (carlssonkult.se) Either the 'better bass' or upgrading to T-22, or both..


Thanks in advance for any help and advice, from an English Sonab fan,
Dan


(normal sitting position is about where the camera is)

[dsmudger]

Small bump for an old post - if it's easier by all means reply in Swedish

Reading some more posts on here, perhaps the problem is that I have not done the '1979 modification'? Also are high ceilings not ideal for Sonabs?

btw since the photo I now have a Deltec DPA pre and power amp - as originally recommended here: http://www.carlssonplanet.com/forum/vie ... f=1&t=3836 finally managed to find those on eBay at a good price..

Also by chance I'm working in Oslo this week - will try to find a spare moment to find a dealer and listen to some Larsens - we don't have those in the UK

[Nattlorden]

Can you (temporarily) try them out on a wider wall with more distance inbetween them. That placement looks very narrow to me.

If you have verified broken tweeters, then I would definitely be looking to fix that.

[denim44demon]

Hi.

I try to give some advice.

1.
I think you probably seen this picture in the manual, but have you tried playing around with the placement of the speakers? Try this and some other placements to see whats best for your room. They seems to stand quite tight at the moment, is it possible to make the placement wider? I cant really see how your room looks like in your picture, maybe you can give us some measurements and many here can probably give you some more tips and ideas.



2.
I havent made any upgrades to carlssonspeakers but from what you told me with the problems with your tweeters i think i would have upgraded to the new tweeters and filter and keep the old bass. Many think the old bass, good renovated is better than the new one.

[LypsylateX]

Too bad there weren't many replies in thread. I've owned the OA-116 in the past, and I really liked them, albeit not enougth to keep them.

Anyhow, I have always thought that OA-116 and OA-5 sound pretty different, so I'm not sure you can get that specific soundstage that you are looking for from the speakers that you have.

The placement seems too narrow, I also figured out that placing them about four feet from a corner destroyed the soundstage, but mostly the bass response. Closer to the corner or longer away was better. In my specific setup/room that is.

Your right speaker seems to be in the danger zone, is the same thing applies to your setup.

[darkg]

Most often I don't allow my considerable lack of expertise to stop me from handing out advice, so here goes!

Maybe right wall could and should be "treated" (absorbing), but then there is the radiator obstructing. Try it out with some rug or whatever is at hand.

Some OA speakers prefer the space between them empty or soft, maybe try wall-mounting your tv set or put it on a makeshift slender stand and put the electronics elsewhere?

Tall roof and narrow placement will probably make it hard for you.

First you'd want to repair your broken speakers, obviously.

[IngOehman]

Hi dsmudger!

First of all - I like your Speaker-wall. A brick wall is a great back wall for a
Sonab.

Secondly, as has been pointed out earlier, one of the speakers is close to a
corner (and the other quite close to the bar disc) and the speakers are placed
very tight together.

Thought this may be destructive regarding sound stage, it typically enhances
the bass, so the lack of bass you're reporting is not caused by this. My guess
is that the speakers lack bass for any of these reasons:

1. You are sitting close to the middle of the room, where very little room gain
is in action?

2. The speakers are Sonabs, well known for their sleek sound (they go quite
deep in the bass, but most people perceive them as being a bit light sound-
ing, which is no mystery since they have a non sloping energy curve).

3. Something is broken?

4. The right and left loudspeaker (at least the bass drivers) are connected out
of phase? (Switch phase on one of the speakers and find out. )

5. The rest of your chain is bright sounding?

Seeing more of the room could give further clues to what may be cause some
of the troubles you experience in your set up.

But before you do anything else - fix what you already know i broken in the
speaker! Judging a non broken register (the bass?) in a speaker where the
tweeters are broken may seem like a feasible task, but so much of what gives
us the impression of a fraction of the range - is determined by the balance to
other parts of the range.

So my recommendation is to fix what is broken before you arrive at any con-
clusion regarding things that are not.

If the Stig Carlsson-modification is not done, you should do it. It gives the
sound more body.

- - -

Before looking for tweeters to the loudspeaker, check whether MT20 or MT24
(better) is the original in your speakers. If you replace the broken tweeters
with original tweeters, using the right type is essential.

If you decide to upgrade with the T22-oa I cant really comment on the driver
itself since I'm the designer of it, but it goes without saying that I like it.

But - should you change to T22 it is essential that you also do the changes
on the tweeter crossover.


Vh, iö