Calling all Horn lovers

I have a pair of the JBL 4676a theatre speaker system rated @ 106 db, in storage.
(I am temporarily in a small apartment) They are two-way based and on the JBL bottom 4550 cabinet and have an attached external metal boxed crossover that is 6 or 7 way adjustable with metal bars for the cut-off between hi and low.
I did use them with a 40 watt SS B&O 5000 system (of all things) years ago for a few months, which is what I had at that time. These were purchased to eventually build my dream system around, however that is to be done.
I currently choose between Wavelength 300B & 45 amplifiers of which I am VERY happy with. Given a needed larger room, I am contemplating bi-amping with an active crossover like Marchand, Heathkit XO-1 (?) etc. Any thoughts are welcome, constructive, humorous, the whole gamut.

Close listening requires really coherent speakers. The greater distances are forgiving of not so well matched drivers, for obvious geometrical reasons. I remember hearing VMPS, a giant box of differing drivers, sound pretty coherent from over 50 feet. 12 feet? Forget it.

Very close listening requires me to change toe in a bit, that's all. It's not just my ears, most listeners in my room are forced to go way up close, and all are equally surprised how great it works. It's like being in front of the stage, the singer 4 feet away, and very, very immediate, yet natural sound.

A low distortion set of components and very coherent speakers are the only requisites. I've done it equally well in small rooms, in some ways it is easier to get good sound in small rooms, the room reflections enter the picture less.

Many studio monitors are capable of this, even tough audiophiles often look down at the monitors, falsely thinking these guys don't know good sound because they don't see the big audiophile names, and assuming that the audiophile brands are the best speakers in the world. In reality, many studio guys laugh at audiophile equipment. The good studio guys hear much more live music than the vast majority of audiophiles, they tend to be very confident in their monitor choices, and very often for good reason.

"I remember hearing VMPS, a giant box of differing drivers, sound pretty coherent from over 50 feet. 12 feet? Forget it."

Any speaker that has to be listened to from 50 ft. away is pointless.

Shakey

Larryi, just a FWIW, Classic Audio found that there was an error in the throat design of the TAD horn, which is why the TAD horns tend to sound a little edgier and why the Classic Audio horn, which looks nearly identical, is nice and smooth.

Near field listening eliminates the reflections often associated by room interaction. It is the ideal way to listen, but most of us live in a "living" environment, and might not be practical. Yes, the speaker plays a large part as well, as some do better than others. The best recording studios I have experience with are quite "dead" in the reflective category, and when you are making the recording, this is ideal. However, some of the best rooms I have designed have a balance between direct and reflective sound (Bose 901s,lol). It is all about achieving, as much as possible, the "live" recreation of the recordings, in our rooms. Again, to my ears, "good" horns do it best. Kiddman, I think we can both agree on this. Yippie ! MrD