05-26-13: Kiddman
...
I myself have been chastised for using horns, from other manufacturers and customers. So why no negative talk here?
...
It seems horn speakers in general or (yet) as specialty items are having a more widespread renaissance these latest years or even decade or two, which has brought forth many arguments and clashes with the non-horn "camps." Perhaps as an integral part in the evolution of this clashing-process may have come a new "strategy" from the horn haters, if we will, where silence is the new weapon to, well, mute the horn-loving threads into death, or perhaps even a "let them have their day"-approach reflecting a resignation of sorts to the existence of horn speakers and their growing appeal. The difference may also be rooted in the intertia and, dare I say it, herd behavior where the history of (more or less unreflected) bashing is now slowly dissolving, at least partially, in the face of more people actually hearing a wider range of horn speakers and/or because of said history becoming more overt. There's also the fact that this thread is simply called "Everest dd 66000 speakers" where largely one horn speaker model/type is addressed and not horn speakers in general(see the war-like flaming that has gone on in the "Why not horns?" thread...), which could have a "milding" effect on the reception or lack thereof here. And so on..
That said I'm also very pleased to see one post after the other in this thread with no (as of yet) vicious "horns suck"-remarks following their appearance. I don't own JBL horn speakers myself, but a decade or so ago a series of their (partial-)horn models - in particular the K2 S9800SE, but also S4800 and Array 1400 - caught my interest at hifi shows here in Denmark, where I felt they provided a visceral, effortless and very convincing timbre/tone that went contrary to the dull, too polished and yet strained character, and ultimately unnatural sound that came from most other non-horn alternatives at the shows, as well as outside of the shows. It didn't create an interest in me for JBL speakers in particular, but more on the general field of compressiondriver-driven speakers with larger bass/mid cones. Also I had, and still has(especially with the advent of digitally projected films with lossless 24-bit soundtracks) quite a few, very good audible experiences seeing films at the cinemas, where most if not all larger screens use CD-drivers and larger mid/bass units. I know, these are not speakers made for home use, but still here to be found is an effortless quality with very fine coherency and dynamics that are essential qualities in my ears. Sorry for this last example, hope it didn't throw the credibility of my post all over the wayside...
As is my current speakers use compressiondrivers and 12" bass/mid units, and I wouldn't presume their qualities to be in the same league as the Everest(or K2 S9800/9900's for that matter), but they offer up a sound that gets me past the "sleepy speakers," even very expensive ones, that populate so much of the "hifi" arena. I can neither afford nor house the Everest's, but I'm glad to see their sonic worth being spread on a hifi-forum, and that with a pleasing tone.
