MrD. - It is my plan to have the words "never set foot in Florida" included in any eulogy I may inspire. Thanks for the invite nonetheless.
Concerning PWK, just stay happy. Those who have delved deeply into horns and their behavior feel that Klipsch was something of a pioneer but has long since been eclipsed by the efforts of others.
I think you'll find that Tom Danley is the most esteemed horn designer today. My own guru, Bill Woods, has many admirers and Earl Geddes is developing a strong following on Audio Circle and with the DIY gang.
Classic Audio Reproductions and Audiokinesis have great reputations and Volti looks like he deserves similar recognition.
Horn loudspeakers are thriving and should be seen as a growth area within hi-end audio. As hobbyists mature and develop the realization that there is more to be had than "Recommended Components", the field broadens and the excavation becomes deeper and more thorough.
I remember laughing at the Asians back in the 1980s for wanting all our big, ugly old theater junk when there were Vandersteens and B&Ws to be had. What a bunch of suckers!!
Then, about 20 years later, I started to learn that they weren't so foolish after all. Single ended tube amps and horn speakers, even in their early stages were superior to the products that elicited Harry's Hosannas in TAS. Now I know full well that there is nothing superior to the best horn designs when driven by well crafted, small output single-ended amplification.
Perhaps modified Klipsch can qualify as a player today (I have no experience with them) but the PWK Heritage stuff in stock form does not compete with a good many of the designs that followed. In fact, I'm afraid that many of the time worn objections to horns may have been born of Cerwin Vega or Klipsch horns being driven by Adcom or Crown back in the day.
Concerning PWK, just stay happy. Those who have delved deeply into horns and their behavior feel that Klipsch was something of a pioneer but has long since been eclipsed by the efforts of others.
I think you'll find that Tom Danley is the most esteemed horn designer today. My own guru, Bill Woods, has many admirers and Earl Geddes is developing a strong following on Audio Circle and with the DIY gang.
Classic Audio Reproductions and Audiokinesis have great reputations and Volti looks like he deserves similar recognition.
Horn loudspeakers are thriving and should be seen as a growth area within hi-end audio. As hobbyists mature and develop the realization that there is more to be had than "Recommended Components", the field broadens and the excavation becomes deeper and more thorough.
I remember laughing at the Asians back in the 1980s for wanting all our big, ugly old theater junk when there were Vandersteens and B&Ws to be had. What a bunch of suckers!!
Then, about 20 years later, I started to learn that they weren't so foolish after all. Single ended tube amps and horn speakers, even in their early stages were superior to the products that elicited Harry's Hosannas in TAS. Now I know full well that there is nothing superior to the best horn designs when driven by well crafted, small output single-ended amplification.
Perhaps modified Klipsch can qualify as a player today (I have no experience with them) but the PWK Heritage stuff in stock form does not compete with a good many of the designs that followed. In fact, I'm afraid that many of the time worn objections to horns may have been born of Cerwin Vega or Klipsch horns being driven by Adcom or Crown back in the day.