Horn speakers , high efficiency but not “shouty”

newtoncr,

I like your approach of narrowing candidates to a few that you can realistically audition.  As it is turning out, you are looking at single driver or single driver used as wideband driver in a multi-way system, rather than traditional "horn" systems (compression midrange driver).  Personally, I've not heard many single driver systems that I would consider completely successful (Charney and Voxativ being the exception).  I really do like systems where a driver intended to be used as a single driver is used as a wide band driver in multi-way systems.  I've heard drivers that I thought were very rough and peaky sounding become remarkably well behaved when used in two and three way systems.

I have heard a couple of different Horning systems and I do like their implementation of single drivers in multi-way systems.  Their speakers are very lively and vivid sounding.  I find them a touch bright, and a bit ragged and sibilant, but, this is a matter of taste, and overall, I do like them.  I cannot recall the electronics used in the demonstration, but, it may have been Tron one time and Thoress another time.   A friend has Tron electronics that I think are quite nice sounding. 

I personally like immediacy, dynamics, clear, effortless sound.  Set up properly, horns are quite smooth and relaxing to listen to.  Are people saying shouty meaning forward?

Also, Volti had a low impedance dip so will a small watt amp play them properly?

Vintage Klipsch Cornwalls.  I picked up a pair from the 1980 and the imaging and rich sound quality and depth of stage I find second to none!

I've owned 19 other pair of speakers, detailed in another thread, some very good, and none can compare to my Klipsch Epic CF-4 Version 1. A work of a great mind, Roy Delgado. I owned Khorns from 1976-1983, and I imagine that the new Heritage line must be really great as well.

@daledeee1 --

I personally like immediacy, dynamics, clear, effortless sound. Set up properly, horns are quite smooth and relaxing to listen to.

Indeed, completely agree. Good horn-loaded speakers are both uninhibitedly present and relaxed sounding. There’s this effortless, liquid flow to the music, even.

Are people saying shouty meaning forward?

In my book "shouty" would/should be a way to address the sonic outcome of horn modes that obtrusively sticks out in a particular frequency band, typically perhaps in the upper midrange for the, at least to some ears, worst effect. There are quite a few horns though that avoid these modes in most of their band, so I can only assume the more or less consistent impression of horns sounding "shouty," to whom this may concern, is being at odds with the characteristics of a horn qua horn, which is to say a sound with a higher ratio of direct vs. reflected sound compared to, perhaps paradoxically by name, direct radiating speakers. Horn speakers as acoustic transformers with their narrower and more controlled dispersion effectively aims the sound at the listener more prominently, and thus the more direct, vivid, present and visceral sonic imprinting this usually leads to, no doubt aided by the use of highly efficient compression drivers, may strike some as a shouty character.