Change to Horns or stay Dynamic

Two horn speakers with your stated requirements of wide dynamic range with low distortion at high output levels are the Summa by Dr. Geddes and the Jazz Modules by Duke Lejune of Audiokinesis. I have heard neither of the these speakers but the general consensus in the various forums is that for both loudspeakers these are the main characteristics where they excel.

It may not be coincidence that the design philosophies are similar in both cases. Both Loudspeakers use high quality pro drivers and waveguides for the compression drivers and are constant directivity designs. Dr. Geddes has done extensive research in distortion perception and dynamic compression issues in loudspeakers, has put forth the Waveguide Theory (as opposed to Horn Theory) and holds a number of patents related to loudspeaker design.

I Have no relation nor have I ever met Dr. Geddes but I have been impressed with the depth of his knowledge in his postings. For a crash course and to deepen your knowledge and understanding of horns and waveguides do a search on diyaudio.com under the author "gedlee". Oh, and by the way both of the aforementioned choices will leave a chunk of mullah in your wallet compared to the high-end darlings of today!

Cheers,
George

All I can find about Geddes' Summa is talk and theory, but no real reviews. Their web site absolutely sucks. Anyone got a picture of one of these???

Dave

Dave,

Here's a few links to reviews and impressions on the Summas:

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=1507485#post1507485

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=1527971#post1527971

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=1532393#post1532393

To see what the speakers look like go to:

www.ai-audio.com/factory.html

Hope this helps

Dave,

On the above links you will just gonna have to scroll down a bit to get to the posts that I am referring to. I agree that the site needs work if he is going to promote the product but Dr. Geddes is a scientist and an author and places more emphasis on the theoretical aspect of speaker design. He has said that he 'd rather license the technology than produce speakers himself.

AI Audio is/was his attempt to branch out into the pro audio arena and teamed up with a sound engineer/producer partner. The company is based in Thailand and it's not clear if production is ongoing and if any product is imported into the US. The Summas that have been sold in this country were made by the man himself in his own garage.

well live music is horrifically over amplified, so i am not surprised you would feel fatigue. Some speakers do "sing" a little more at higher volumes, but most good speakers will sound pretty good at both low and high volume within reason.

I am not up on all these new horn designs, but i worry about the usual horn issues of getting proper bass and placement. The planar camp deals with these issues too.