Coaxial vs Unity horn

[RobL]

I had never heard of a “unity horn” speaker before but was recently looking at some Yorkville U215’s. Haven’t heard them but how do such horns compare to something like a coaxial driver? Are they just built for high output pro audio stuff? Can they give similar performance to coaxial speakers?

 

[Jim Matthews]

The Danley Unity horn sums output from multiple drivers, and multiple pass bands from a single source point. Coaxial drivers have a narrowing "focus" as frequency rises where the Unity horn is (essentially) uniform.

You'll need significant distance from the Yorkville to get the best effect, and a large enough room to appreciate bass response.

The inventor, Tom Danley, is a frequent contributor here and has recently announced his Hyperion speaker with modern materials and a home user in mind. While the U15 is a bargain secondhand, but it is *not* the newest manifestation of the design.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/evidence-based-speaker-designs.6441/

See post #1, near the bottom.

FWIW - In my normal sized room I tried larger Traditional horns with BMS drivers and bass cabs. They were difficult to balance at close listening distances. The JBL 708p above a DIY Bill Fitz Maurice Tuba HT fits my Floorplan, blends well at the listening position and sounds musical.

 

[somebodyelse]

normal sized room

There's a term with significant regional variations! What's the Texachusetts interpretation?

 

[q3cpma]

Coaxial drivers have a narrowing "focus" as frequency rises where the Unity horn is (essentially) uniform.

I'm pretty sure the best coaxials with a sizeable enough waveguide can solve this problem, as seen in Genelec's 8351B review. I'm quite impressed with the concept of the unity/synergy horn, but I wonder about those HOM problems that Geddes talked about, when compared to coaxials with gentler waveguides.

 

[Jim Matthews]

There's a term with significant regional variations! What's the Texachusetts interpretation?

Big enough you need not leave to change your mind?
Not so large as to require a map to the exit.

(I meant to imply the listeners sit outside the nearfield, more than 1 meter away. Furthermore, the rear boundary of the room should be a similar distance from the listener.)