Calling all Horn lovers

Kiddman,

I have heard a LOT of different horn-based speakers. NONE were entirely free of some unnatural tonal coloration. But, that is the case with ALL other forms of speakers I've heard. I live with a horn-based system because, balancing all strengths and weaknesses, I prize what good horn systems can do. My horn-based midrange is very good, in terms of tonal quality and a lack of midrange peak or "shout" when played at lower volume, but, it does develop that quality to some extent when pushed a bit loud. Again, not perfect, but, on balance VERY good.

Perhaps you can enlighten us on what are some of the better designed drivers/horn combinations?

By the way, it is not only horn-based systems that can deliver amazing dynamics and presence that creates an almost "live" performance. I have heard that with both modern and antique fieldcoil drivers in non-horn systems too.

Playing music through very high efficiency horns is the musical equivalent of looking through a microscope. Every minute detail will be more apparent, be it the music, noise, whatever. So lots of tweaks both large and small in scope may be needed to get things just right. I have heard a few horn based systems get it mostly right, and they are quite impressive! But not for those who just want to put something in place easily and be done with it in order to just spend time listening.

Expectations for horns these days with "high end" home audio users are much different than when they were first conceived out of necessity many years ago in the early days of "home" audio.

Due to their efficiency, horns are still a necessity for many commercial audio applications in larger venues. However higher efficiency and higher quality Class D amps impact even that these days. My gym uses commercial horn loaded speakers and newer commercial Class D amps for their group exercise programs. The horns are overkill IMHO for this application even in that the highly efficient and compact Class D amps do not require or even benefit from horn loaded speakers as did their earlier larger and less efficient Class A/B predecessors.


So horns are not for the faint of heart, but personally I still love them and would love to own a good pair someday.

Kiddman, I agree that if there is a problem in the design you will have anomalies, just like you do with any other speaker.

If the horn design is correct however, it can be one of the lowest distortion loudspeaker applications out there. So with this understanding, my comments above were concerning operation with properly designed and built systems.

"And flawed design is not why horns are often very dynamic. That comes from very low excursion, resultant great linearity, and the fact that the horn is an acoustic transformer, matching the impedance of the driver and the air."

Kiddman is correct. The pecieved dynamics of horn speakers is not an illusion caused by frequency peaks in the midrange.

That said, there are cone speakers with great dynamics, and Charles1dad, you have one of them. I remember hearing the Total Eclipses at a show years ago, and they have amazing dynamics. I should have bought them then, but I got sidetracked and stupidly bought a speaker I had never heard based on reviews. Anyway, you have a great speaker.

Also note that good full range hi efficiency horn systems will tend to be large and often quite expensive. But if you have the room to set them up well and the patience needed to get things integrated and set up just right, they are one of the ultimate and most unique statements, FWIW, that can be made in High end audio IMHO.