CarlssonPlanet

Hi Holger

Some OA2212 i S.A, sounds to me like pinguins at the North Pole! Are You origin from Sweden and brouhgt them down there?

What does Your frinds say about their sonic ability, and have You restored them in any way?

Best Regards // Göran

rylandes wrote: ....
ColesKing

I think we sold the OA2212 normally for 7000-8000 SEK a pair. A small car would have been something like 35-50000 SEK (??).
I can't remember if it was spring -78 or -79 we sold the last batch. Production would have stopped a month or two before that.

Sten R

I believe that the price of a small car maybe is over-estimated in the above post as the last years production of the VW Beetle 1500 Convertible was sold at SEK 19 500:- about the same price as the just introduced VW Golf in 1975 and an Opel Ascona, the larger model compared to the Kadett, but smaller than the Rekord, was sold for SEK 18 600:- 1973 and I doubt that the car prices more than doubled to the end of the 1970's.

/staffan

Holger is actually South African, like myself.

I have met him via the web - we both have an interest in the OA2212 and I encouraged him to post his serial number here.

Sonabs found their way to South Africa at the end of the 70's - there was a very active "Audiophile" crowd in Johannesburg at the time. This is where I heard my first pair play when I was a student there - they may even be the same pair as his - he has sent me photos of them and they have the same look, but there is no way for me to know whether this is the same pair. I somewhow doubt it.

After having moved to Switzerland I found two more pairs of OA2212 here in Europe and started this thread because I am curious to know how many were ever made.

My two pairs are in excellent condition - I have renewed the edgeing on them all. The second pair are truly virtually "brand new" except the new edges. I have managed to do the re-edging while keeping the original "Sonab" dustcap.

Sonabs were scarce down there - I have actually seen many Penguins there. They are more plentiful than Sonabs down in South Africa!

Hi Coles King

Thank's a lot for Your answer! No, I didn't know that Sonab was well knowned in S.A., so Your telling is very nice interesting to read - if it possible for You to let us see same pictures of all Your OA2212.s and the rest of Your gear?

..I do know that there are pinguins in S.A. so I would have written: "..Sonab speakers in S.A. sounds to me like icebears on Antactica.."

Best Regards // Göran

I do not think Sonabs were "well known" in South Africa - worldwide it is the same - they were a sort of "fringe type" that was not appreciated by many - of course even today this is the case. Anyway, I like this - for me it means I own and appreciate something special.

In my own case, I heard them - the OA2212 at a friends house who had bought them second hand. I asked him, if ever he wanted to sell them please to let me have first option. For me they were the nicest, cleanest, most room-filling sound that I ever heard come from loudspeakers. Also the bass response as well as clear treble - all giving a roominess to the music - exactly like Stig Carlsson wanted. I had also never ever heard of this name SONAB myself - but the music - that was something different. Absolutey superb.

Anyway, I was an engineering student and my friend did offer them to me 6 months later - he himself was never satisfied with HiFi equipment - he worked in a HiFi shop on Saturday mornings and was always trying out the latest and greatest - he was never satisfied. When he offered them to me I had no money to buy - I was a student - I had to "let them go". Years later when I came to Switzerland I started looking for OA2212 again - in the meantime I have bought 2 pairs of OA116, 1 pair of OA14 and 2 pairs of OA2212. My one pair of OA116 I have sent back to South Africa where they play at my father-in-laws house. The other pair is here with me in Switzerland, but I will send this to my brother-in-law at some point, also in South Africa - this pair strangely enough originally comes from Johannesburg in South Africa. My OA14 I use as an extension to my television set. The one pair of OA2212 are currently at friends house here in Switzerland, while I have another pair playing in my lounge downstairs.

I have just bought a digital camera - to be delivered in about three weeks time and maybe I will post some pictures of the OA2212. How does one upload pictures here?

I am a very fond SONAB-addict as you can see.

Looking forward to maybe see some pitcures of Your Carlssons in three weeks then.

What gear drives them?

Beat Regards // Göran

I have the RC-995 and RB-991 pre and power amplifier from Rotel. The music itself comes from a Pioneer PD-M650 CD-player.

This combination of Rotel amplifiers and the OA2212 is a marriage made in heaven. I have tried driving the OA116 with this combination but they tend to be "too bright" which is not good - there are no tone controls on the amplifiers. I have a very good room with some wood panelling on the walls and of course enough furnishing and carpets etc. to supply some damping.

I also have a NAD 3155 integrated amplifier which does a much, much better job of driving the OA116. They currently drive the OA14 serving as an extension to the TV-set.

The basic driver units in these speakers are the same - the OA116 is half of the OA2212 and yet they sound different when driven by the same Rotel amplifiers - the nominal DC load resistance is the same for these two different designs. The only conclusion I can come to is that the OA116 was designed to play with "cheaper" amplifiers while the OA2212 demands much better general "control", as my friend puts it. The internal filters are different, no doubt.

If you know of any OA2212 owners, please ask them to post their serial numbers here. Maybe if I get enough serial numbers I may learn something in my quest to judge how many OA2212 were made. Some idea of the running totals and so on.

Hi Coles King and all other gents (and hopefully ladies) on C.-planet

What I have seen here, there has not been to much response to Your question of OA2212 and their serial numbers for counting "..running totals.." -that means, hopefully, that most of the OA2212 owners don't know about this forum..

One day, I maybe be a lucky OA2212 owner (and also with some OA51.3 and OA52.3!). You can be right when You saying that OA116 can run better with lesser expensive amplifiers than OA2212 -but OA116 runs extremly well with excelent amps too. Have You seen on this forum about my Deltec dpa50s wich I use together with OA116? http://www.carlssonplanet.com/forum/vie ... f=1&t=3836

Best Regards // Göran

I have some pictures, taken by by a "Point and Shoot" - I will have a "proper" camera in about 3 weeks time.

I cannot attach these directly to the post - I need to store on some server I see.

Send me your email adress and I will forward them to you. Maybe you can store them and post them on Carlssonplanet for me.

More or less totaly off topic in this thread but anyway....
Couldnt recist to just say hello to Colesking and say that I am also living in Switzerland since some months.
South Africa and Switzerland.....it seems to be more and more of a international forum