Horn based loudspeakers why the controversy?

Well stated phusis. I agree completely.

johnk,
Good points, and I agree. I would also take issue with kosst's comment about horn speakers having "hyperdynamics." I'm not sure that that is even possible; although it may seem so after listening to many direct radiating or panel speakers. 

mrdecibel,
I agree with that description, in particular, the word "effortlessness." I have tried to understand for years why a horn would display that characteristic, and I can only assume that as some who know a lot more about it than I do have postulated that it is because of the way that a horn couples to the air. I have 2 good direct radiating speakers that I listen to occasionally, and each time I do, there is a something missing in the feeling of openness, that makes me feel that the music is "here" instead of "there."
I understand how personal these perceptions are, and that even if someone else perceived it in the same way as I do, they might not prefer it, but to me, it makes reproduced music sound more authentic in an important and very enjoyable way.

kosst,
I understand that you feel strongly and in a negative way about horns, but it seems to me that if you understood that human perception varies in what makes music sound real to an individual, you would feel less frustrated and (it seems) annoyed at listeners who enjoy horns. 

phusis and johnk,
So true. As in all pursuits in life, there are multiple ways to achieve very good results, although those results may exhibit different strengths and weaknesses that appeal to different tastes.
To stand on a hill and fly a flag for one technology as "the ultimate" while defaming another just shows a lack of global understanding of the way different technologies evolve.

I think that an all-horn system would be ideal, but as a user of a hybrid system myself, I have to say that it can do a very good job as well. Consider that with the one compression driver covering all of the treble and midrange, it already has an advantage in coherence, and the bass provided by the direct radiating drivers in my system seems to blend in very well. I think that there must be many other hybrid systems out there that do a good job as well. 

+1 dev. Especially ine poster claiming that horn speakers are one the decline because Klipsch discontinued the Palladium line. Nonsense.

I have never heard any of the discontinued Palladiums, but I have noted that there have not been a single pair of any of them for sale on the used market in the US for months now...I've been looking. I think that says something about their desirability. 

Some audiophiles would do well to stop talking about horn speakers, and start listening to them. They may be surprised.

exron,
It's really interesting for me to see another listener whose journey has been similar to my own. I've been through many fine speakers; ProAc response 1s, which were known for their precise imaging, and Spendor SP100s which were known for their mid range neutrality, just to name two. There have been many others. My Klipsch Epic CF-4 speakers have stayed with me longer than any of them. Huge though they are, they disappear when playing music (on Sistrun SP 101 stands) and image as well as the little ProAcs, and have a beautiful mid range like the spendors, all the while having far better efficiency and dynamics than either. They're not perfect, but they are overall more satisfying than any speaker I have ever owned. I think part of the secret is that the majority of the music is reproduced by that single 2 inch horn loaded compression driver. I makes for a very coherent presentation.