Why not horns?


I've owned a lot of speakers over the years but I have never experienced anything like the midrange reproduction from my horns. With a frequency response of 300 Hz. up to 14 Khz. from a single distortionless driver, it seems like a no-brainer that everyone would want this performance. Why don't you use horns?
macrojack
If you don't have the right room. That translates to one with volume. As all know, horns are very directional. So, unless you can sit in the exact 'sweet spot', you lose the total effect. My first experience with horns was with a single K-Horn, yes mono days. Blew me away. Of course it was a Marantz/McIntosh/Vinyl chain. Took me twenty years but I build a room for a pair and till this day I have not found anything better.
Hi Tom, I agree with you whole heartilly. A good horn system can recreate the original live performance better then most other designs. If set up properly a good horn system will never be "in your face". What you will get is the dynamics and depth and realism you find when listening live. I have had many different speaker systems over the years and my present horn system is closer to the real thing then anything else I have ever listened to in my home.
I have owned Klipsch La Scallas 20 years AGO. I am not implying they are outdated but....... Jadis and a few others with tube equipment can sound heavenly. Let your ears be the judge
Macrojack, part of the reason you're getting some negativity about this post is because there's an inherent arrogance in your question. You may not have intended that to be the case, but it's there. In form your question is no different than, "I've found salvation in Jesus, why haven't you?" There are two obvious responses to this type of question. "I'm happy for you", or "go shove it!" True believers are boring.

Also clouding the discussion is the fact that you haven't listed your system. What exactly are we talking about? It's coming out in dribs and drabs. It's confusing the issue.

Several people have commented that the horn detractors haven't heard properly set up horns. That's very presumptive upon their part. Again it goes back to that whiff of arrogance. Additionally, in my experiences it raises suspicions when a product is so critical to "proper setup". It could be that the sound is simply an acquired taste.

I recently heard a marvelous demonstration of a horn system. It was all the positives described in this posting. If at some point in the future I feel the need to put two refrigerator sized objects in my listening room, horns would definitely be on my list.
If you want violins to sound like trumpets, get horns.
On the other hand for, Dixieland Jazz, a horn speaker is ideal.