2. speakers
  3. 125362-293

Loudspeakers have we really made that much progress since the 1930s?

Since I have a slight grasp on the history or loudspeaker design. And what is possible with modern. I do wonder if we have really made that much progress. I have access to some of the most modern transducers and design equipment. I also have  large collection of vintage.  I tend to spend the most time listening to my 1930 Shearer horns. For they do most things a good bit better than even the most advanced loudspeakers available. And I am not the only one to think so I have had a good num of designers retailers etc give them a listen. Sure weak points of the past are audible. These designs were meant to cover frequency ranges at the time. So adding a tweeter moves them up to modern performance. To me the tweeter has shown the most advancement in transducers but not so much the rest. Sure things are smaller but they really do not sound close to the Shearer.  http://www.audioheritage.org/html/profiles/lmco/shearer.htm
128x128johnk
johnk's avatar
johnk OP
1,975 posts
 
I revive this thread since my findings and feelings on this issue haven't changed and I have noticed a increase in interest in horns more offering horn designs and more media attention. Much of whats offered are re-worked vintage designs some even using old drivers or replicas of such. I see reviewers exploring vintage horns comparing them to modern loudspeaker designs.  So it does seem like we made limited progress and are re exploring the past for design ideas for future horn systems.
salectric
755 posts
 
Yes, this thread is very interesting and well worth reviving.  Since the last posts here, I am now running a 3-way vintage speaker built around a YL Acoustic (Yoshimura Labs) compression driver and horn.  To my ears, it provides a very natural, warm, dynamic sound.

Johnk, I noticed you don't have an AudioGon system page with details of your setup.  Any chance we can twist your arm and get you to post a description and perhaps some photos?
larryi
4,047 posts
 

Sal,

Those are really nice photos of your amazing system.  I find YL drivers and horns to be fantastic sounding--very dynamic, yet totally relaxed and natural sounding.  The drivers with the diaphragms that are duplicates of the WE 555 can, with the right horn, go incredibly low. 

Deja Vu is getting in some G.I.P. drivers that might be interesting.  I am particularly interested in the field coil woofers that are replicas of Jensen/ERPI/WE woofers.  I think they might work well in an open baffle system, although I don't have room for the giant systems I've seen utilizing such drivers in an open baffle.  Perhaps, a G.I.P. 15" field coil woofer with a G.I.P. replica 597 field coil tweeter for a killer 2-way system?

inna
7,296 posts
 
I thought that for the horn to go very low it had to be the size of a house. Was I wrong?
whart's avatar
whart
3,050 posts
 
I looked up the YL and saw that both of you guys were discussing this on the Hoffman forum. Someone else on one of the fora had mentioned Deja Vu recently, in connection with recreating old WE horns. 
I've been using a commercial horn system (Avantgarde Duo) for 11 years and love their strengths- the "bespoke" vintage approach fascinates me- if it could sound coherent between the bass and mids, which has always been the challenge for me. I had also seen anecdotal reports on the GIP but have not heard any of these recreations. It sounds like the YL is actually vintage recreation which is appealing if it isn't as costly as some of the WE or other early stuff.
I just got my Quad based system restored, and as noted above, within their limitations, using restored Quad IIs with real GEC glass, they are breathtaking to listen to. 
I guess on both systems, the horns (with Lamm SETs) and the Quad-Quad system, i live with their shortcomings to revel in their strengths. I wouldn't mind assembling an all out horn system, but for space and cost. 
Sidenote: sorry if I mentioned this before, but the one thing I like about the Avantgarde design is that the mid horn is run directly from the amp with no crossover. It is very transparent, and with an even better driver, this arrangement would make much sense to me-- so much is in the midrange and if you can avoid the crossover there, it would seem to allow optimal performance. The issue then becomes making the bass (and treble) cohere. 

More to discover