I owned, a very long time ago, a pair of Thiel 3.5s, along with, what I thought was a great combo / matchup with the Thiels, a Krell KSA 50, upgraded to a MK II, and then a KSA 100 MKII. I owned Lascalas at the time ( and another roomful of others, ). Ultimately, the Thiels went, as many speakers have. Not for me. I appreciate what they do, and, can understand why people keep them ( or any Thiel, or Focal, or anything ). As an audio professional for many years, I never " pushed " horns on anybody, although, I let them know my preference for them, and helped them achieve the sound that best suited them, whether horns, or otherwise. Folks who went the horn route, I helped with modifications, upgrades and tweaks, to maximize the design. Admittedly, many stock horn loudspeakers had resonances ( not just the horns, but the cabinets as well, from many companies, such as Klipsch, Altec, JBL, etc. ), and mediocre crossover components, and failed, the listening test by many. I really understand this, because, a stock pair of Klipsch Lascala ( my favorite Heritage, or any stock product ), can be improved upon. These weaknesses were the result of a selling price point. So, I understand the negative reaction many people have to horns. I admit that the room, setup, associated gear, and listener distance, all play an important part of the equation. But, this pertains to any large, full range loudspeaker, ime. Why do the horn trolls act up ? Besides what I said earlier in another post, they are clueless to what a well designed horn " system " can do.
