Are Horn Speakers good or bad or simply a complete joke?

Tbg,

Convention hall or jam packed hotel floors/rooms have to be the antithesis of proper listening conditions. The rooms are horrendous, sonically. AC Power is probably sludge. Ambient noise levels have got to be sky-high compared to home or actual audio shops. Structural/floor vibration levels have also got to be phenominal. Not many components are designed to perform well under those conditions.

Let alone the scarce amount of time exhibitors have to set up. Most truly great sounding home or shop audition rooms take months to fine tune into their best performance. Exhibitors have 2 days or les with all the other handicaps listed above and more.

I'm not saying that Edgarhorns are the best transducers on Earth, just that a properly setup system is truly impressive and unique in it's presentation.

As I mentioned, I use Dr E's system (and Eso's) as my own personal reference standard for sheer dynamics, ease of presentation, and the recreation of brass/horns. Nothing does horns like horns.

But, for tonality, coherence, and rich texture(along with size), I prefer well-done single-drivers right now. Something about it just seems "right" for me, personally.

Although, check with me in a year and I could have a whole different story/system.(finances permitting)

Sean, you seem to have a lot of knowledge about speakers but when I e-mail you with links to a bunch of different drivers you never respond. What gives?

I agree 99% with johnk, although I go to shows TO mainly listen to horn speakers. Since I crossed over circa 1993 to horns they are the only speakers that I will let occupy one end of my room. The realism (IMHO) that horns can produce is just not there for my ears in conventional speakers, that is not say all a enclosed speakers are bad, Its just they are not for me. I am smitten with my Oris 150's. And as stated earlier they are upgradeable without the possible need to get on both knees in front of the bank manager.

Moderator, please let this go through.

I have heard several of Johnks speakers at his place and he is correct. Some of his horns were Duos and Phy etc. Many others at his place were his own designs.

I guess it matters which horns you hear!

I love horns.I own Edgarhorns and built back loaded horns.

They have a scale,richness and dynamic ease that is very musical.

Where they fail though is phase coherency. Compared to point source,planar or a really well designed dynamic speakers they can sound a bit diffuse and softly focussed.This seems to especially apply to large midrange horns where phase relationships due the physical placement of drivers relative to each other[a long way apart] is difficult to align.So you get a bit of a phasey sound.Things like voices can wander around a bit in the soundstage.
Of course placing a point source driver in a back and front loaded horn as Tannoy does overcomes this and still gives the horn magic.