Volti does it again!

One of the most striking things you demonstrated to me was the difference between an of the shelf or typical horn, with a 1 inch or less throat compared to the two inch used in my Razz, was the lifelike and natural sound. Speaking in a normal voice, about 15 feet away, the difference was massive. Greg spoke through both and hands down there was no mistaking why the Volti mids sound just right. 

@doyle3433 +1.  Greg did that demonstration at the first or second Capitol Audio Fest that he exhibited at.  It's a pretty compelling demo.

I have doubts that something like a 2” throat diameter is the secret sauce to superior horn performance.  Horn behavior has been studied for many decades and a dizzying array of designs have been tried.  
i like the Volti speakers and its compression midrange driver and horn are good compared to most modern varieties, but, I prefer a number of vintage horns and compression driver combinations, none of which employ a 2” throat.  I particularly like WesternElectric horns and drivers, replica Western Electric drivers, and other vintage horn/drivers that followed Western Electric principles.  

@larryi  I have a recovered single horn and folded cab that I pulled out of an old theater. It was made and installed by International Projector Corp. The drivers from what I understand were actually made by Jensen. The horn compression driver weighs like 60lbs by itself. The horn array is multi-celled a is quite large, it's coated on the outside by some sort of spray or paint on dampening material. When I cleaned it all up and sanded/sealed the bass cab. (also some fresh wire and a thorough clean of the Altec Xover), the darn thing sounds amazing! Too big for the living room so it lives in my second garage playing anything I want, sometimes at warp factor 12. 

When I listened to the new Lucera at FLAX there was a jump in midrange smoothness and coherence for sure compared to my RAZZ. (Hence my burning desire to bring a pair home). What I understood from Greg on this new model was some mid driver xover work along with a larger woofer. It sure sold me!

IPC made terrific gear.  In particular, I like their IU 1000 compression driver that has a diaphragm just like a Western Electric 555 diaphragm.  This driver was made in the 1930's and 1940's and I would put it up against any midrange driver made today. 

I don't think that Volti, or any other modern builder has access to compression drivers as good as these old drivers.  The modern ones that sound very good are VERY expensive, such as Goto, ALE and Cogent drivers.  I do think that modern manufacturers can make good horns for their drivers--either new designs or replicas of old horns.  I've heard a few such modern horns.  Volti appears to be quite successful with making practical horns that can be fitted into reasonably sized cabinets.  Still, there is something about the "weight" and sense of authority of a larger format horn that makes one dream of owning such systems and the room that can fit those monsters.

I run a smaller vintage horn (KS12025) which is a two-foot wide by 6-inches tall metal sectoral horn.  It is a straight horn which makes it too big to fit into a practical cabinet (it sits on top of the woofer cabinet).  My compression drivers are Western Electric 713b's.  The sound is quite good and is free from excessive horn coloration, but, when this driver is put on large format horns, it is evident that size does matter in horn-based sound.  I don't have the room or the money to even think of an upgrade.  That has left me with upgrading the crossover which I am in the process of doing.