"Upgrading" OA-14 towards OA-116 !?

Ställ frågor, diskutera och prata om Sonab och deras produkter.
Ask questions, discuss and talk about Sonab and their products.
momus
(515+ posts)
(515+ posts)
Posts: 572
Joined: Wed 15 Oct 2008, 16:53
Location: Anders Gjöres, Enskede

Re: "Upgrading" OA-14 towards OA-116 !?

Post by momus »

I remember an experience I had for 30 years ago.
A friend of of mine said: You must listen to my Stereo!
OK, I said.
We went into a very big room (like a small church). To the left one OA 12. To the right one OA !2. The source was an Lenco 75 with the common Shure pick-up. The amplifier was a Sonab R 4000.

It is not possible these two speakers can "drive" this big room I thought. And not with this kind of source.

It sounded wonderful.
User avatar
jldelta
(15+ posts)
(15+ posts)
Posts: 16
Joined: Thu 27 Jul 2017, 09:26

Re: "Upgrading" OA-14 towards OA-116 !?

Post by jldelta »

That's a great story, momus :)
User avatar
jldelta
(15+ posts)
(15+ posts)
Posts: 16
Joined: Thu 27 Jul 2017, 09:26

Re: "Upgrading" OA-14 towards OA-116 !?

Post by jldelta »

Here they are (not connected or positioned yet : it's going to take a while to get around to it)... but I have a question about long or short side against the wall (in the photo, I'd say the OA-12s have long side against the wall) : as far as I can see, the speakers were designed to have the short side to the wall, with the mid/bass unit nearest to the wall. With the OA-12s, I notice the sound is slightly different depending on orientation, but I have yet to say one way is better than the other.

Does anyone have a clear opinion on this, please ?
IMG_2944.JPG
PS. I have located a second, identical JBL sub, although with a faulty amplifier module, and will collect today.
User avatar
STDI!
(515+ posts)
(515+ posts)
Posts: 567
Joined: Tue 21 Jul 2009, 22:09

Re: "Upgrading" OA-14 towards OA-116 !?

Post by STDI! »

OA12, OA14, OA116 and OA2212 are all supposed to have the short side against the wall. But you are allowed to do what ever you find the best.

I also think the big fire place between the speakers will have a (negative?) influence on the sound.
OD-11(T22+B65OAII), 3xOA12(T22+B65OAII), OA52.N, 3xL8, SC6, SC6.2
User avatar
jldelta
(15+ posts)
(15+ posts)
Posts: 16
Joined: Thu 27 Jul 2017, 09:26

Re: "Upgrading" OA-14 towards OA-116 !?

Post by jldelta »

STDI! wrote:I also think the big fire place between the speakers will have a (negative?) influence on the sound.
It does indeed and conventional speakers need to be pulled out so that the imaging is not affected. I will experiment with the OA-14... I tried the OA-12 quite close to the fireplace with the Left and Right units swapped around, such that the main drivers were firing towards the side walls. Not a "correct" sound and weird stereo image, but quite pleasing nonetheless... although I did revert to a more conventional layout.

I am thinking how to integrate the two subs & first I will try driving them from my main stereo amp (either a Luxman L-210 or Yamaha CA-800 II at the moment), via "Speakers 2". I will also try running just a single set of speakers cables to each OA-14, then onwards to the subs, which will be at the end of each sofa firing towards the OA-14. The end of sofa location reduces the sub output considerably - desirable in my experience in this particular room.

Connecting in this way, I will also be running both subs and OA-14 full range, as I will be bypassing the sub crossovers. This appeals to me in theory - whether it works in practice remains to be seen (I can reduce the sub output further by restricting their ports).
momus
(515+ posts)
(515+ posts)
Posts: 572
Joined: Wed 15 Oct 2008, 16:53
Location: Anders Gjöres, Enskede

Re: "Upgrading" OA-14 towards OA-116 !?

Post by momus »

You can go wherever you want! I’ve tried different ways, but always come back to the original set-up (the short side to the wall). Different rooms will make this speaker sound different. For instance I´ve had my OD 11:s stuck in a shelf (bottom to the wall), once on a small stand, but they always came back on to the floor. You will get very different ”kamfiltereffects” with these speakers depending where (and how) they stand In a room. Don´t forget the ceiling. The higher, the more distance between them is a must. That´s my experience. I let my OA 50 stand more than three meters apart. My OA 12:s is 2,5 m apart. The ceiling is about 2,5 m (OA 50) and 3,8 (OA 12). I have no fireplace as big as yours. Personal preferences are of course important (I like Lars Erstrands vibraphone high up in the air on the ”Jazz at the pawnshop”- record).
I think your room is rather special. For me it looks like a nightmare.
The subs? Well, do as you want. It looks like the bass will bounce all around and I am not surprised that you must use a sofa to reduce the output. I think the OA 14´s will sound strange in your room (but that´s me). All depends on what you listen to and what your personal preferences are.
User avatar
jldelta
(15+ posts)
(15+ posts)
Posts: 16
Joined: Thu 27 Jul 2017, 09:26

Re: "Upgrading" OA-14 towards OA-116 !?

Post by jldelta »

The OA-14 are now installed and singing... with the help of a sub (sub #2 requiring amplifier repair before introduction) :
IMG_3015.JPG
In some ways better than the OA-12, but in others slightly less so.... and my guess is that this is because I am dealing with two very old ladies (the loudspeakers, not my ex-wives...). However, I LOVE the way they look : their size fits the room perfectly (having grown up in an architectural family, aesthetic considerations are important).

So, where to go from here : fully refurbish the OA-14... rather an expensive route, it seems, if one goes the Full Monty with all new drive units and crossover updates... or start the search for already refurbished OA-14 or, even better, OA-116 !? I'm imagining the OA-116 do not require the assistance of a sub : has anyone actually heard them in comparison with OA-14, I wonder ?

I see restored OA-116 are both rare and very costly... and hard to find outside Sweden, adding extra cost in shipping. But it seems that although expensive - relatively - restored Sonab may cost less than unrestored + the cost of all the parts. There is also the issue that I am looking for a speaker to end my speaker search, even though it may require going into used Shahinian Arc territory in terms of cost (Arcs are very highly regarded in British audiophile circles, despite their high cost : older Mark 1 versions now sell from about GBP 1200 upwards). I'm guessing they are probably better than the OA-116 (this is a rather ridiculous guess, as I have heard neither), but the Arcs look like garbage bins, whereas the Sonabs are Scandinavian cult deisgn icons 8-).

For now I shall wait & see : I have lots of old audio gear to sell off between now and Christmas, to build my ultimate Sonab speaker-buying war chest !
User avatar
jldelta
(15+ posts)
(15+ posts)
Posts: 16
Joined: Thu 27 Jul 2017, 09:26

Re: "Upgrading" OA-14 towards OA-116 !?

Post by jldelta »

Did a lot of listening last night & my OA-12 are better - at least in mid-range and treble performance - than the OA-14. I attribute this to the state of the drivers.

As I examine the OA-14 cabinets, I wonder if a restoration based on the principles that were valid in the 1970s is truly appropriate, so my next question is simply "Instead of replacing the SC165 and 4 x tweeters and upgrading the crossover, why not run a modern full range driver instead ?"

I will ask some opinions over at the loudspeaker section of the excellent & very knowledgeable http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/full-range/ site.

Btw, the top panels of my OA-14 have been removed at some point - perhaps when the SC165 were refurbished (they are original Mk 1 with "Sonab" stamped on the cones) - the sealing is not 100% around the edges, which must account for quite some performance degradation.
User avatar
jldelta
(15+ posts)
(15+ posts)
Posts: 16
Joined: Thu 27 Jul 2017, 09:26

Re: "Upgrading" OA-14 towards OA-116 !?

Post by jldelta »

Good evening.

Is this the so-called Y-configuration http://privat.bahnhof.se/wb472183/Bilde ... ierung.JPG and is there a general consensus that it is indeed an improvement (assuming new OA-T22-II tweeters) ... OR, might it be better to configure "OA-12 style" with just two new tweeters per box ?

At present, I feel I may take the "leap into hyperspace" and buy 2 x Satori drivers (presently on summer sale at Falcon Acoustics in the UK, which combined with the low value of the GB pound, is a steal...). I will see if I can find a local electronics guy to make up some Satori crossovers : they do seem very expensive from HiFi Kit. Then I will keep my exisiting Mark 1 SC165 for the bass project in Phase 2 of my proposed restoration (Phase 2 may never happen if I can get the two JBL subs well-integrated).

I have never made so much use of Google Translate, but there is a lot of great information here, which I am really appreciating !
User avatar
jldelta
(15+ posts)
(15+ posts)
Posts: 16
Joined: Thu 27 Jul 2017, 09:26

Re: "Upgrading" OA-14 towards OA-116 !?

Post by jldelta »

jldelta wrote:Good evening.

Is this the so-called Y-configuration http://privat.bahnhof.se/wb472183/Bilde ... ierung.JPG and is there a general consensus that it is indeed an improvement (assuming new OA-T22-II tweeters) ?
"Is there anybody out there !?"
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 59 guests