Horn Speaker Recommendations


I am looking for your feedback on what Horn speakers I should consider in the $15k-$40k price range.  Please describe the rationale for your recommendations.  
willgolf
As a true pure horn setup you would have to go along way to beat the Klipsch Jubilee with the monster 402 horn lens on top of it. Dynamic bass which only a true horn can give and not at all thirsty for wattage. Any genre of music sounds good with it and I believe they are under $10,000.

Klipsch Cinema has some fabulous gear and it might not be as pretty as some would like but if sound is paramount it is the best I have heard. Had a set of three way MCM 1900's and while they might be made for a 600 seat theater played at lower volumes they are eminently suitable for home use. The dynamic presence and articulation is stunning and the sweet spot extremely wide. None of this don't move your head more than a foot or you lose it junk. Remember if you meant what you said about pure horns size is the only way to get that super crisp clean thumping bass. A direct radiator bass bin can't give you the "right there" thump a horn will. You want a kettle drum or Star Wars explosion to rattle your cage go with a horn.
  Go to the klipsch site and check out the bigger all horn Cinema systems. To make them really sing you will have to bi or tri amp and set them up with DSP to but when you do the Wison etal megabuck dudes you invite over will leave quite distraught. There is nothing to rival a pure horn Klipsch Cinema system. Don't believe me go hear one. Before you buy anything. 
Reading a lot here about Fortes and Chorus and other "Heritage" speakers. Now the Belle and La Scala and KHorn are all horn speakers. The rest of the Heritage line still has direct radiator woofers so they are not pure horn speakers. Those new Jubilees by the way are cheaper then KHorns and sound far better and the KHorns sound better than La Scalas so there is your audio food chain.OP asked about pure horn speakers.
riaa_award_collectors_on_facebook,
I don't always agree with your opinions, but I think your review of the Forte III really hit the mark and accurately described their raison d'etre. When you consider what Klipsch delivers in total, they are really quite a good value.
Thanks, John

 I found the review refreshing because over 95% of the reviews I read on equipment rarely ever cite music that I listen to. Its almost always Classical, Jazz, female vocals etc and that's not up my alley. This reviewers song selections I know quite well (other than SADE) so I can relate...finally.

I just sold some Audio Note AN-E SPX Al-Nico's this week (too polite for Rock) so will probably go bottom fishing this week and pick up a pair of Forte III's to experiment with. At 1/10th the price of the Audio Notes Im not risking much. Don't have room for the larger Klipsch Horns. Will probably pair with my low wattage amps (Audio Note Jinro/Pass XA25/Valvet E2 SE/First Watt Sit-3 Mono's).


I understand, and completely validate, how wonderful the Jubilee is. However, as I pointed out, they fall into a category of similarity to the monstrous horn speakers johnk was talking about. The projection, presentation, and pressurization ( the 3 Ps ) of these, would be too much in a typically sized room. My Lascalas, at their size and capability, can fill an auditorium. These large horns, such as the Jubillee, in a typical room, would make a piano sound larger than life, and I am not talking about dynamics here. As much as I love their sound, they would simply overwhelm the listening experience, for me, in my current room. I can easily pinpoint, currently, the musicians, on a stage, in a realistic, and proper perspective, from my listening chair. This is, of course, my opinion, given my listening for so many years. I have stated elsewhere, that imaging and sound staging, are not the top priority for me when listening to a sound system. But I do not want to listen to a 60 foot wide piano, as it is simply not realistic for me. If I had a movie theater as a listening room, that would be another matter. With all this being said, if anyone would like to give me a pair of Klipsch Jubilees, or sell me a pair very reasonably, I believe I can modify and tweak them, have fun with them, and make them work in my room, living with the musicians, as  being giants, lol. Enjoy ! MrD.