Stephens Trusonic Speakers

[Doug Weiss]

A while back I posted a Karlson K-15 with a Stephens 206ax coax. Great sounding speaker, but just one. More recently I came across a Stephens 52D cabinet with a P52LX woofer and P15 horn and driver. Again, just one. I heard there was a forum somewhere for orphan speakers looking for a pair....perhaps some of you know where that might be. These two Stephens actually sound good together, but the K-15 dispersion is much narrower than the 52D. Appreciate any thoughts from the group.

 

[Nyjblbob]

Its truly the only way to buy rare special items, Speakers and amps at a fairly decent price.
hopefully to be paired up some day.

 

[setup1]

Very nice!

If I were as lucky, I'd build a mono-hifi set up on either one as they were originally intended for. But that's just me.

 

[Doug Weiss]

Very nice!

If I were as lucky, I'd build a mono-hifi set up on either one as they were originally intended for. But that's just me.

That was my original thought, but I really don't have another room or space to utilize that way. I do have a few unpaired monoblocks/integrated amps that would serve nicely. It's just a space thing. Have run the pair as is in stereo and aside from the narrow sweet spot of the K-15, the two speakers sound remarkably similar, imaging is excellent, etc. Would probably be fine if I just pulled the 206 out of the K-15 and made a copy of the other cabinet so the horn could disperse better.

 

[Leben]

Here’s a link to the orphan speaker thread. That speaker is pretty rare but they do show up from time to time. Your odds of finding one improve substantially if you are near Southern California. Wishing you the best of luck trying to find one.


https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/orphan-speaker-bingo.914694/

Have run the pair as is in stereo and aside from the narrow sweet spot of the K-15, the two speakers sound remarkably similar, imaging is excellent, etc. Would probably be fine if I just pulled the 206 out of the K-15 and made a copy of the other cabinet so the horn could disperse better.

It makes sense to me that your speakers sound similar. I have a system with 206s and another with Stephens horns and woofers, their sound signature is very similar. FWIW, The P15 horn driver uses the same diaphragm as the horn section of your 206ax which is probably a big part of the reason they sound so much alike.

I agree that putting the 206 in a different cabinet will help with dispersion. Mine were originally in Karlsons as well but are now in Altec 612 cabinets, the soundstage is bigger in the 612s. They did sound good in the Karlsons though.

Very cool find! Stephens cabinets are quite rare, I love the early ones like yours.

 

[ETLS]

That thread is in the subscriber's section. One must be a subscriber to access that area, and for only $25 @ year, a value worth every penny.

 

[Doug Weiss]

That thread is in the subscriber's section. One must be a subscriber to access that area, and for only $25 @ year, a value worth every penny.

Thanks - that explains the error message.

 

[Doug Weiss]

Here’s a link to the orphan speaker thread. That speaker is pretty rare but they do show up from time to time. Your odds of finding one improve substantially if you are near Southern California. Wishing you the best of luck trying to find one.


https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/orphan-speaker-bingo.914694/




It makes sense to me that your speakers sound similar. I have a system with 206s and another with Stephens horns and woofers, their sound signature is very similar. FWIW, The P15 horn driver uses the same diaphragm as the horn section of your 206ax which is probably a big part of the reason they sound so much alike.

I agree that putting the 206 in a different cabinet will help with dispersion. Mine were originally in Karlsons as well but are now in Altec 612 cabinets, the soundstage is bigger in the 612s. They did sound good in the Karlsons though.

Very cool find! Stephens cabinets are quite rare, I love the early ones like yours.

Many thanks for the comments! Since your 206 came in K cabinets, did yours have the tilted horn?

 

[Leben]

Many thanks for the comments! Since your 206 came in K cabinets, did yours have the tilted horn?

Yes, the drivers were tilted back due to the design of the Karlsons. They sounded the best when I was seated far enough back for the tilted driver to be aimed at my ears.

 

[Doug Weiss]

Yes, the drivers were tilted back due to the design of the Karlsons. They sounded the best when I was seated far enough back for the tilted driver to be aimed at my ears.

Since you had the tilted horns, which way did you align them in the 612 cabinets?

 

[Leben]

Since you had the tilted horns, which way did you align them in the 612 cabinets?

I guess I misunderstood. My horns aren’t tilted with comparison to the woofer, the drivers were tilted in the Karlsons because of the design of the Karlsons. Could you post a picture of your 206’s horn?

Here is how mine are oriented in the 612s:

 

[maxhifi]

What year is the 52D from? It looks amazing.

 

[Leben]

@Doug Weiss, I remembered that we had PM’d when you were first going through your 206, I remember seeing a picture of your horn. If you ever decide to remove your horn for inspection or adjustment, there are 2 screws attaching it to the driver.

It’s hard to get a decent picture but here are a couple showing where the screws are.



Here is a clearer picture of how the horn is mounted. This is a 214 tweeter that uses the same horn. It's a lot easier to get to than on a 206.

 

[Doug Weiss]

What year is the 52D from? It looks amazing.

I'm thinking late 40s. The catalog listing is Allied Radio from 1949. I couldn't find it in later catalogs.

 

[Doug Weiss]

I guess I misunderstood. My horns aren’t tilted with comparison to the woofer, the drivers were tilted in the Karlsons because of the design of the Karlsons. Could you post a picture of your 206’s horn?

Here is how mine are oriented in the 612s:
View attachment 2208928

Thanks for the clarification, as well at the detail on horn removal. I also have a single 214 that would make a fine top end for the P52LX/P15, although the P15 goes pretty high.....seems like it faded mid teens. Sounds like you did see the tilted horn on my earlier photos, but just in case, here it is again. It's just enough bend to make the flare perpendicular to the face of the cabinet.

 

[Leben]

I'm thinking late 40s. The catalog listing is Allied Radio from 1949. I couldn't find it in later catalogs.

If it’s not too much trouble, could you check the driver nameplates for the place of manufacture? Your speaker may have been made right around the transition period when Bob Stephens moved the company from National Blvd, Los Angeles to Warner Dr in Culver City. I see casting marks on your woofer frame that will tell where it was made but it should say on the nameplate as well. Thanks.

 

[Doug Weiss]

If it’s not too much trouble, could you check the driver nameplates for the place of manufacture? Your speaker may have been made right around the transition period when Bob Stephens moved the company from National Blvd, Los Angeles to Warner Dr in Culver City. I see casting marks on your woofer frame that will tell where it was made but it should say on the nameplate as well. Thanks.

I will do that in the next few or perhaps several days. I wasn't particularly happy with the damping insulation in the cabinet and need to do a bit of work as such. Perfect time to get close up pics of the badges. Stay tuned.

 

[Doug Weiss]

Finally got a moment to open the box. The drivers were made in Culver City. Hope to find another set of either single to make stereo.

 

[Leben]

Finally got a moment to open the box. The drivers were made in Culver City. Hope to find another set of either singleView attachment 2216174 View attachment 2216175 View attachment 2216176 to make stereo.

Awesome. Your speaker was likely made right after the company was moved to Culver City 1948/49 ish up to possibly 1950 when they were starting to transition to slightly different drivers/cabinets. (This is just from my research, not stating as fact) Every example and picture of Stephens drivers from this period helps in stitching together some of the company’s history, thanks!

 

[Sam Lysinger]

I remembered that we had PM’d when you were first going through your 206, I remember seeing a picture of your horn. If you ever decide to remove your horn for inspection or adjustment, there are 2 screws attaching it to the driver.

Greetings, about a year ago, I was able to acquire a 206 AXA in a Karlson cabinet. I finally got it out of the cabinet due to the deterioration of the cork gasket to a point that all 8 screws were loose and inducing an extra vibration below 500hz that made things sound funky. To my dismay, it does not have the tilted horn that Doug's speaker has in this thread. Was there a completely different horn made for these cabinets, or was there an adapter sandwiched between the horn and the driver? thanks!