Horn based loudspeakers why the controversy?

I’ll agree with most of the above, and most of that is exactly why I dislike horns. I’ve never attended an acoustic performance that sounded anything like what I’ve heard through a horn system.

I don’t know the horns you’re referring to here, but like any speaker (principle) a given iteration could be less representative of live, acoustic sound, just like another could, conversely, be more favorable. What’s more surprising to me is reading this:

A quartet doesn’t sound room filling or enveloping. It doesn’t have startling dynamics. It doesn’t sound huge.

My first inclination is thinking you’re willfully obstinate here, because it goes quite contrary to my own impressions. No "to each their own" here, but more like: really?

The scale and imaging I find in the live performances I’ve heard is much more like the dynamic speakers I’ve heard than any horn.

Why I’d have to reiterate my prior question about which horn speakers you’ve heard, or which live concerts forms the basis for your statement.
On second thought I’m wondering whether you’re mostly referring to the spatial aspect of the sound, and that this may be where your preference lies with speakers that aren’t horns, if it’s even a valid distinction between them. People may have different "filters" in regards to what they’re listening for at a live, acoustic concert (or any auditioning event for that matter), that could lead to a variety of different descriptions about the sonic culprits each individual is hearing.

I’m sure I’ll be jumped on because I’ve never experienced a live acoustic performance that’s sounded anything like what horns do. I’ve never heard any violin, clarinet, or kettle drum really sound huge or enveloping in any venue.

I’m more confounded than aggravated by your stance, and the part regarding "huge sound" needs some explanation: big horn speakers sounding "big" to me is about having proper scale and emulating a realistic sonic size, rather than sounding "huge" per se. Good horn sound is also about proper, uninhibited presence.

Once at a classical concert I attended (can’t remember which, but it was rather large scale, symphonic), I was thinking more elaborately about the problem of remembering how a live concert sounds, and how to recall that in front of the stereo at home for comparisons sake. It then occurred to me, at the classical concert, to close my eyes and in a way turn things on its head; I vividly imagined I was sitting in front of my stereo in that very moment, as a simple mind trick, and that turned out to be quite revelatory to me being that I suddenly realized what a live classical concert sounded like - in front of the stereo, no less! To me at least "bringing the home stereo environment to the live concert" is much more effective than taking a live sonic memory with you home. That said not with the intention of being lecturing, but simply a mere anecdote on how I’m trying to cope with live, acoustic sound as an ideal in a sense for what to strive for in reproduced form.

I have NOT attended a chamber music concert that sounded small in scale or lacked startling dynamics.  But, I suppose that might be the case if one were sitting well back in a large hall (not they usual way I hear chamber works).

I believe " effortlessness " and " startling dynamics " are some of the qualities that live unamplified music brings to the listener, and ime, these qualities are captured, most honestly, by a good set of properly set up horns. Anyone not liking these qualities will not like horns. I completely disagree with kosst’s assessment, and agree with phusis that it is not " to each his own ". All live unamplified music, including kettle drums, have effortless dynamics, given one has the ability to sit close to the musicians. Enjoy ! MrD.

mrdecibel,
I agree with that description, in particular, the word "effortlessness." I have tried to understand for years why a horn would display that characteristic, and I can only assume that as some who know a lot more about it than I do have postulated that it is because of the way that a horn couples to the air. I have 2 good direct radiating speakers that I listen to occasionally, and each time I do, there is a something missing in the feeling of openness, that makes me feel that the music is "here" instead of "there."
I understand how personal these perceptions are, and that even if someone else perceived it in the same way as I do, they might not prefer it, but to me, it makes reproduced music sound more authentic in an important and very enjoyable way.

kosst,
I understand that you feel strongly and in a negative way about horns, but it seems to me that if you understood that human perception varies in what makes music sound real to an individual, you would feel less frustrated and (it seems) annoyed at listeners who enjoy horns.