Why not horns?

Macro, sounds like you've got a heck of a system there!!!
I'm considering swapping my f166's for something more.... esoteric.. alnico?
field coils?
Who knows.
Onward and upward!

Hxt1 - Thanks for noticing.

If you are considering a change and would like suggestions about a move to horns, this thread would be an excellent place to seek advice and/or suggestions.

You can also learn a lot by joining this forum:

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/

and asking questions.

Ultimately, I got enormous help and advice from Bill Woods. He has owned, worked with, tested and built just about everything available in speakers in his professional past. When he reached retirement age, he left the corporate world and started designing and building horn systems. Today he calls himself The Acoustic Horn Company and operates out of a small shop behind his house in Hastings, Ontario. He doesn't sell a lot of his own product directly to the public but his AH!300 horn is used in several of the finest loudspeakers available today. With it you would have the basis for a world class system. Check out his website: http://www.acoustichorn.com/

You can find pictures of many systems, including mine, in the Testimonials section.

On Audio Circle you can find extensive info about Earl Geddes and his speakers. He is very popular with the DIY crowd there.

And post your room and your system here. Perhaps there is a strategy you haven't considered concerning upgrade sequence. It is also possible that some of us might have spare parts we can offer you.

Pete Seeger said that a camel is a horse designed by a committee so I guess you want to keep that in mind as the advice pours in, but you never know what good might come of this gambit. Stick your neck out.

We watched True Grit at my house last night. No cone or planar will ever deliver gun shots like my horns did. We checked each other for blood.

You know, if people would purchase a horn speaker I am willing to bet a substantial sum that they wouldn't be seeking to constantly try another, and another speaker system. I wish people would learn about the basics of why a horn integrates into a room so well as opposed to repeatedly trying to use cone drivers directly coupled into a room. Then, by doing that and hearing them they would disabuse themselves of the itch to constantly try another cone system.

I have a horn system - AV Trios- after having had many rather expensive dynamic and planar speakers. Here are some things I have noted. These comments are only specific to the Trios but conceivably they could apply to other similiar horn designs.
1. They work splendidly with relatively inexpensive electronics. I drive the Trios with a four watt integrated amplifier made by Sophia Electric. The sound field generated with this combination is large and densely textured. I love this amplifier.
2. Cabling is not nearly as critical as it is with less efficient speakers and the higher power amps required to drive them. I loathe paying a grand (or two) for 1 meter ICs. I am not saying that cabling is not important, the Trios are exquisitely revealing but just that the lesser grade cables still sound reasonably good.
3. Room interactions seem much less critical with my horns. In fact I have pushed the horn array (3 horns) right up against the back wall and it does not seem to affect the wave launch density or imaging structure. This does not apply to the side walls or to the bass drivers however. Some adjustment is required as expected.
4.Wave launch characteristics are similiar to planar drivers in that sound field is very big. I have had friends criticize the Trios for making images larger than life. This is probably a fair criticism and is admittedly a departure from the live experience but I like the effect even if it is artificial. It makes it easier to "see" into the music.
5.Overall cost of ownership is lower due to more favorable resale value and less expensive associated electronics and cables.
6. Lastly the micro and macro dynamics of horns are generally better. This becomes more noticeable when you go back to conventional dynamic speakers after having lived with a good horn system. Some folks say they "shout" but I have only noticed that when they are overdriven or played too loud. LL