2. speakers
  3. 132484-293

Horn based loudspeakers why the controversy?

As just another way to build a loudspeaker system why such disputes in forums when horns are mentioned?    They can solve many issues that plague standard designs but with all things have there own.  So why such hate?  As a loudspeaker designer I work with and can appreciate all transducer and loudspeaker types and I understand that we all have different needs budgets experiences tastes biases.  But if you dare suggest horns so many have a problem with that suggestion..why?
128x128johnk
dev's avatar
dev
832 posts
 

I have enjoyed owning numerous different designed speakers over the past 20+ years including MBL's for a long time which I really like.

I have found with some horn designs there are areas which they offer more similarities than differences sonic wise as mentioned above by a few in the last posts. Another area I like about my current speakers is being 107 dB so this opens up a new window of so many options of pairing up with lower powered amplification where this wasn't so with my MBL's to produce the sonic characteristics I was after.

So far I have tried a couple of low powered including SET amplification but to date prefer ARC Ref 75SE & REF6 pre combo as a whole package - so far hasn't left me missing anything where as others did. Are they the end all? no! but besides the sonic offerings neither pce produces much if any heat - nice looking to me - tubes provide lots of listening life. I just enjoy listening which in the end it's all about.

analogluvr
859 posts
 
Boy unsound really  doesn't have a clue, does he? 
prof
3,474 posts
 
@dev

Holy cow!  Did you move on from your MBLs?  You were like my MBL-go-to-guy when researching those speakers.  You had them with the reference VAC amps, didn't you?

I have MBL 121 monitors, me chance for a helping of the MBL sound.  Though I mainly use Thiel speaker at the moment.  I know I'll never sell the MBLs as they are too unique (and I'd never get them for anything near the same price).

Did you sell your MBLs or do you still have them?  Which speakers are you using now?  Sounds like horns?
johnk's avatar
johnk OP
1,975 posts
 
Why I use a massive community leviathan with 4 altec 515b and massive multicell with tad in my office system is how wonderful horns can sound at low levels as well as high with very low listener fatigue I use them all day long. A big horn sounds full and real even at low levels I have not found any dynamic that is even close and I get to use some of the best with the most modern transducers. With conventional dynamics I have to play louder to get a full sound and after a hour or so fatigue sets in.
wolf_garcia
6,711 posts
 
Just got a pair of Heresy III "Capitol Special Edition" speakers…unboxed last night actually (late…traveling and they'd been left on my porch…thanks USPS Sunday delivery!..man…). I any case, I'd ordered the regular black ones but they (Ebay "open box" utter score…seriously) sent the "Special Edition" ebony version instead which is good since I'm clearly special. They're not broken in yet I assume, and I'm using them with my 12 watt per side SEP amp. There must be something wrong with me (yeah, I know…what EVER) as I think they're sort of great sounding. Imaging is astonishing, no horn "beaming" particularly (all speakers unless specifically omni designs have some directionality…they just do), coherant (unlike myself), efficient as advertised, and they fit my current beatnik life style (although I can't get facial hair going to any degree my wife will accept, I listen to jazz almost exclusively, own a Triumph Bonneville, smoke pot, and wear black a lot). If there's anything wrong with these Heresys I haven't noticed it yet, they meld well with my 2 REL subs, don't have the feared "midrange hump" I've read about, and seem like they'll do fine until I get those cool-man Classic Audio things Atmasphere talks about.  Somehow I think the way speakers sound when music is played through them is important, but others may feel differently…heh heh…highly recommended to anybody who is exactly like me.
More to discover