Worst measuring loudspeaker?

[Purité Audio]

Not sure , Paul Miller used to run a site where you could look at the entire measurement suite , one had to register it was quite interesting .
Might be worth searching for that, other magazines do use his measurement gear/protocols I believe.
Keith

 

[mwmkravchenko]

And that is driven by a TAD TD-2002, last I checked. How do you take what is arguably the best 1" driver made, and make such a sonic mess?

It's not the driver, it's the horn. I see so many expensive horn systems with Conical horns. Simply the worst. Internal reflections, all kinds of rubbish. There are great tools for designing horns available. Hornresp will design you anything that you can imagine! literally. I cannot think up a loudspeaker system that you cannot design with that program. And it is free! Continuously updated too!

Mark

 

[fpitas]

It's not the driver, it's the horn. I see so many expensive horn systems with Conical horns. Simply the worst. Internal reflections, all kinds of rubbish. There are great tools for designing horns available. Hornresp will design you anything that you can imagine! literally. I cannot think up a loudspeaker system that you cannot design with that program. And it is free! Continuously updated too!

Mark

For some reason audiophiles think conical horns are the best. Like you, I have no idea why. Then there are the old-tymey trumpet horns, with the response hole in the middle and beaming. I doubt many high-end designers worry about these details.

 

[Purité Audio]

But but those ‘Pinocchio’ ( and the Vitavox cab below) horns are considered by the cognoscenti to be amongst the finest loudspeakers available at any price.
Keith

 

[fpitas]

But but those ‘Pinocchio’ ( and the Vitavox cab below) horns are considered by the cognoscenti to be amongst the finest loudspeakers available at any price.
Keith

A triumph of looks over performance. Welcome to the world of high-end audio.

 

[Purité Audio]

FP you know I would never disagree with you but I am not sure these are ‘a triumph of looks’

Keith

 

[fpitas]

FP you know I would never disagree with you but I am not sure these are ‘a triumph of looks’
View attachment 332815

Keith

Well, the midrange horn looks salvageable. But I'll agree, the word "awkward" applies here

 

[MattHooper]

FP you know I would never disagree with you but I am not sure these are ‘a triumph of looks’
View attachment 332815

Keith

I understand someone being put off by those, but I love the way those look! I find it a fun combination of quirky, retro...harking back to early sound reproduction...and I love the luxurious use of materials. Reminds me of the care and craftsmanship you can see in some super old items made in the early 20th century.

 

[fpitas]

I understand someone being put off by those, but I love the way those look! I find it a fun combination of quirky, retro...harking back to early sound reproduction...and I love the luxurious use of materials. Reminds me of the care and craftsmanship you can see in some super old items made in the early 20th century.

View attachment 332862

Yeah, but a radial horn? Who uses those anymore?

 

[Purité Audio]

Hideous.
Keith

 

[fpitas]

Hideous.
Keith

It does look like it should bounce around and make odd honking noises. Which is admittedly sort of unique, but I'm not sure I'd want it in the house.

 

[Bjorn]

Listened to Living Voice Vox Olympian several times at audio shows. They have sounded terrible each time, which isn't surprising seing the design.

Here from Munich with IMO a very ugly veneer color.

 

[MAB]

I understand someone being put off by those, but I love the way those look! I find it a fun combination of quirky, retro...harking back to early sound reproduction...and I love the luxurious use of materials. Reminds me of the care and craftsmanship you can see in some super old items made in the early 20th century.

View attachment 332862

A variant of this was in City of Lost Children:

 

[fpitas]

A variant of this was in City of Lost Children:
View attachment 332869

Audio bliss!

 

[Purité Audio]

It’s the whole ethos of them, absolutely nothing to do with sound everything about selling to those with money and no taste.
Keith

 

[fpitas]

It’s the whole ethos of them, absolutely nothing to do with sound everything about selling to those with money and no taste.
Keith

That kind of encapsulates high-end audio.

 

[Robin L]

That kind of encapsulates high-end audio.

And those who would belittle the likes of a Topping L 30.

 

[fpitas]

And those who would belittle the likes of a Topping L 30.

Anything reasonably priced, really. Just look at Stereophile's lists. Not many bargains there, or value for money.

 

[MAB]

Audio bliss!

It does disservice to the movie to compare them.
The horns in the movie allow a brain in a vat named Irvin to communicate to humans on a submarine. They seem to do a good job, and are beautiful.
The Living Voice Vox Olympian speakers on the other hand seem to be hideously designed to mate with an unusually large mosquito species, hopefully never encountered. Not sure how that will work out, but they are horrible looking.

 

[fpitas]

The Living Voice Vox Olympian speakers on the other hand seem to be hideously designed to mate with an unusually large mosquito species with more money than brains

Fixed that for you.