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
My room is 12X12 with listening locations out of the typical sweet spot.

This has swayed me away from considering corner horns (Klipschorns mainly) in that room in that speaker locations cannot be tweaked and you generally want to listen from the sweet spot?

Although tucking a pair of big horns into the corners out of the way is the only way big horns would ever make it into my wifes room and even that might be a stretch.
Thanks for the advice.

I'll see what happens this weekend when the auction ends. I can pick up locally and not worry about shipping damage and if the price stays where I think it will, I will be tempted to test the waters perhaps. I'm sure I can find something to do with them. Its fun to experiment and play! I'm lucky I have several rooms wired for sound that I can work with as needed in order to get a good feel for a new pair of speakers.
Mapman - If you have the corners, K-horns would very possibly be welcomed by you wife because they will be out of the way with no wires running across the floor, they look like furniture with lots of wood and little grill, and they have a large flat space on top of each for knickknacks, etc. Learn how they work in the corners and shop for a deal. Sometimes a decent pair can be found for $2K or less and they will not depreciate if you maintain them properly.

If you see promise in them, there are many simple, cost effective mods available.
Because they are extremely efficient, the amplification options are many and small power amplifiers can be had for less money. If tubes aren't your thing, there are many interesting Class A SS amps to consider. I have a Rawson Aleph J Mini clone that sounds great with my horns. It cost me $275 from a guy at Audio Circle, as an example.

I too would choose Altec first but they are not so available as K-horns, and might not please your wife or resell as well. So, for your specific circumstances, I think the K-horns are a cool idea.
Mapman, without saying anything bad about the Heresey, getting a pair to get a taste of what horns are all about will leave you with a very wrong impression of what horns like Macro's, JohnK's, and other cutting edge designs are currently capable of. There is simply no comparison so don't draw any conclusions about horns from the Heresey.

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I've heard some very good sounding horn systems and think I have a good idea of what to expect.

Klipschorns would require a complete re-arranging of my wifes sunroom, but the end result could work, so I have not discounted that.

Cornerhorns are likely the only pure horns that I will ever fit into my home anywhere. Should I be concerned with the 12X12 room dimensions with cornerhorns? That is another concern.

I'm always scanning the market for a local reasonably priced pair of Klipschorns.

WE'll see.....