Horn based loudspeakers why the controversy?

The bass was AWOL at 40Hz; a fact I couldn’t live with.

Bass may have been AWOL below 40Hz, but are your Focals really better in this regard, or is it just their exaggerated upper bass you’re mistaking for bass depth?

The Focals are about 5db down at 40Hz, and a very steep roll off below 50Hz:
https://www.stereophile.com/content/focal-aria-936-loudspeaker-measurements

Exaggerated bass is very common among modern tower speakers - becoming something of the norm. Many, even "pro" reviewers, mistake this for bass depth because they’re not in tune with what the two lowest octaves really sound/feel like. A lot of music has very little if any content below 40Hz. I bet those LaScalas were barely putting out anything useful below 50Hz.

Except music with a 5 string bass at 31hz for the low B, percussion overtones, pianos, the ambient sound around live orchestras, life...etc....

Not to mention the 16Hz tone of the lowest pipe organ pedal! Some of the other lower pedals also create sub-40Hz tones, as does, as wolf said, the far left end of the grand piano keyboard. Recordings made in large venues (cathedrals, churches, large theaters) often contain sub-40Hz room sound.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/614272918584739/   Doing more designing collecting modifying and restorations not manufactering product anymore so on FB and social media. I owned 2 pairs of AG horns built about a doz bass systems for trio owners. AG are OK horns but integration with bass is a issue but its also a issue for many horns since midbass on down is usually compromised in size or not  horn loaded. If mid bass and bass are proper horns they yield some of the best mid bass and bass availble but as I mentioned above its were product gets compromised  DIY types are free to build proper sized but they are not easily availble maybe this is part of the issue hardly anyone has heard or owned full range all horn loaded systems and they take knowledge and  sometimes real physical work to set up. And face it most just want to easily buy just open box and plug in. But with many things in life sometimes whats easy and convenient is not whats best.