Horn Speakers - Is it me or.......

[q3cpma]

3 Orbit 4s per side should be plenty loud.

The Orbit 4 is a cleverly designed coaxial 3-way that weighs only 16 kg.
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View attachment 151384

But how's the directivity like?

 

[kipman725]

Tight, 40 degree so the total array is around 120degree. However arraying speakers isn't a totally exact thing, a range of angles will work fine hence the change in tilt on the outer orbits. https://soundgear.co.uk/orbit4.html the above posted response is with processing btw. There great speaker but I wouldn't recommend them for home use.

 

[JeanKazamer]

Damn that's some long ass thread in mate ... not going to read it all unfortunately

So in the first few pages, i've read quite a few times something like " colored " or " canned " sound

Could someone please explain how a Horn is supposed to be " coloring " the sound ?

Are there any measurements that proves this stuff ? Although i am very very limited in knowledge/experience here,
my logic red light goes on when i read that horns alther the timbre/colour or sounds like an old radio/grammophone.

Without measurements to correlate, how can one know it wasn't just off in some critical parts ?

Then, beaming "pencil " size at high frequencies, shouldn't that be an error of design and thus not a limitation of horns ?

thanks for the opportunity to learn mates

 

[watchnerd]

Damn that's some long ass thread in mate ... not going to read it all unfortunately

So in the first few pages, i've read quite a few times something like " colored " or " canned " sound

Could someone please explain how a Horn is supposed to be " coloring " the sound ?

Are there any measurements that proves this stuff ? Although i am very very limited in knowledge/experience here,
my logic red light goes on when i read that horns alther the timbre/colour or sounds like an old radio/grammophone.

Without measurements to correlate, how can one know it wasn't just off in some critical parts ?

Then, beaming "pencil " size at high frequencies, shouldn't that be an error of design and thus not a limitation of horns ?

thanks for the opportunity to learn mates

Klipschorn AK6 measured by Stereophile:

Klipsch Klipschorn AK6 loudspeaker Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements Because of the Klipschorn AK6's bulkeach weighs 220 lbI drove my test gear the 177 miles to Art's place and measured the speaker sitting on a furniture dolly in his driveway. I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the Klipschorn's...

www.stereophile.com

 

[JeanKazamer]

watchnerd : what should i be making of that ?​

 

[watchnerd]

watchnerd : what should i be making of that ?​

The Klipschorn is arguably the longest-lived, most-iterated, most continuously improved horn speaker design in history by a company with a half century of horn speaker design experience.

The AK6, with all the irregularities and colorations, is as good as Klipsch can make it, without invoking DSP fixes, like the JBL M2.

 

[JeanKazamer]

The red line is the woofer ?? and that's what you get for 50 years of tuning ?

 

[Holmz]

The red line is the woofer ?? and that's what you get for 50 years of tuning ?

I see the kitty ears in the graph showing up at 100 and 200 Hz.

The rising response with frequency seems odd compared to a slightly downward slope that many prefer.

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

Compression drivers frequently have uneven efficiency humps which need to be equalized down to achieve flat response. When this is not done they can exhibit the classic horn sound in the pejorative sense. Klipsch speakers tend to hold on to a lot of this typical horn sound and they sound bright and typically "horny" because of it.

It is totally possible to make compression driver horns sound as refined as any other driver but it takes a lot of work. But in the end it's worth it.

 

[Sal1950]

The rising response with frequency seems odd compared to a slightly downward slope that many prefer.

Very true, hence the large displeasure with their sound by many in audio.
Another reason most horn users have tube amps.

 

[Holmz]

Very true, hence the large displeasure with their sound by many in audio.
Another reason most horn users have tube amps.

I might also be the reverse… where people with low powered tube amps look for speakers with 100 dB sensitivity ratings to get sound out the speakers… and naturally fall into horns.

Certainly in the 60s it was common to find Fischer powering Altec Lansing boxes.

 

[JeanKazamer]

It is totally possible to make compression driver horns sound as refined as any other driver but it takes a lot of work. But in the end it's worth it.

This is what logic would tell me . Thanks for the reply.

So the fact that the frequency response is not often tuned properly could be one of the causes then.

almost 2022, if uneven frequency response in a driver is a limitation....

From reading through reviews of some recent active loudpseakers, i mean ...quite obvious what is the path forward to me.

Even in early 2000 when i was more active in trying to understand audio, as soon as i read about digital crossovers and equalization,
it was obvious that it would be the way forward in the near future.

 

[Holmz]

…
Even in early 2000 when i was more active in trying to understand audio, as soon as i read about digital crossovers and equalization,
it was obvious that it would be the way forward in the near future.

There is a lot of resistance to going active, and also in DSP, by the hardcore audiophiles.
(It has been 20 years since 2000 if not longer.)

 

[JeanKazamer]

AH yeah that's a given. but Resistance is Futile to quote a friend

 

[watchnerd]

There is a lot of resistance to going active, and also in DSP, by the hardcore audiophiles.
(It has been 20 years since 2000 if not longer.)

Yeah, not compatible with SETs on any practical level.

 

[Holmz]

AH yeah that's a given. but Resistance is Futile to quote a friend

This fellow?

 

[watchnerd]

AH yeah that's a given. but Resistance is Futile to quote a friend

There is nothing to resist.

Horn + SET lovers like things as they are.

 

[JeanKazamer]

This fellow?

I'm not sure anymore ...is it really him ?

 

[JeanKazamer]

Horn + SET lovers like things as they are.

What is/are " SET " ? please

 

[watchnerd]

What is/are " SET " ? please

Single Ended Triode