HORNS THE ULTIMATE HIFI SPEAKERS ?
- Thread starter GT
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iansr
pfm Member
It’s only in the last couple of years that I’ve come to have some real understanding of the technical advantages that horns have over traditional speakers. All that most audiophiles know about them is that they tend to be big and are much more efficient / sensitive than normal speakers. Anyone who wants to gain a proper understanding of what makes them special should check out the blog posts of Bjorn Kolbrek. If you are really adventurous you could read his book.
And if you are one of those people that thinks all horns have the “cupped hands” sound, then that just means you’ve never heard a properly designed horn.
I believe the Trio’s in the opening post cost c. £100k. For a fraction of the price you can get some outstanding horns from Joseph Crowe. Check out his YouTube videos and Instagram.
And if you are one of those people that thinks all horns have the “cupped hands” sound, then that just means you’ve never heard a properly designed horn.
I believe the Trio’s in the opening post cost c. £100k. For a fraction of the price you can get some outstanding horns from Joseph Crowe. Check out his YouTube videos and Instagram.
Although quoted as horns Acapella speakers are not very efficient (91dB to 94dB) which IMO somewhat negates the advantage of the horn implementation. Like everything in audio, you have to match and choose the right components including the cabling for a system to work correctly, or to get the very best sound from it. If a horn system is done correctly there is no other speaker technology that will sound as lifelike, or like live music.
Also check out the Klipsch range as these also offer very good value for money.
iansr
pfm Member
Agree 100%.
iansr
pfm Member
There is no doubt that some horns do introduce colourations into the sound. Designing a horn is extremely tricky and many get it wrong. But horns should not all be tarred by the same brush!
oldius
Manchester City, dogs, family and food.
Agreed. I am used to studio monitor-type speakers - multi-drivers in sealed cabinets. The horns I have had just don't work for me and ended up being sold quickly.
No they are not the ultimate hi-fi speakers. Well designed ones can provide clean SPL at standard listening levels unlike many small inefficient speakers and, again if well designed, can provide an even narrow directivity which can work well in acoustically poor rooms particularly with studio music which tends to benefit less from spectrally well balanced reflections. If used for the low frequencies below the Schroeder frequency they can bring benefits with respect to room integration but the cost in terms size, expense (and visuals for some us!) makes them irrelevant for many.
When I lived in Germany there was more of them around compared to here but a fair few of the expensive blingy audiophile ones, often in bright colours like red, yellow, orange,..., were not well designed. If you have the space and money I would suggest making sure you heard well designed examples before deciding they are not for you. They can work well particularly if designed to integrate smoothly into the corners of the room to remove all early reflections and then crossed in front of you to help image stability.
When I lived in Germany there was more of them around compared to here but a fair few of the expensive blingy audiophile ones, often in bright colours like red, yellow, orange,..., were not well designed. If you have the space and money I would suggest making sure you heard well designed examples before deciding they are not for you. They can work well particularly if designed to integrate smoothly into the corners of the room to remove all early reflections and then crossed in front of you to help image stability.
Beobloke
pfm Member
I agree. I always understood that the point of hi-fi was to make it sound like the band is in the room with you, whereas most horn loudspeakers I've heard make it sound like a bad tribute band playing in a bathroom down the corridor.
As to the Silbatone room at Munich, I always visit it as they have some truly bonkers stuff in there that I'm glad exists, but I've never heard it sound anything other than utterly dreadful!
Still, as you say, horses for courses...
ff1d1l
pfm Member
The baboon-butt horn on my JBL 4430's is very low colouration - I don't think, blindfold, you would know you were listening to a horn handling the treble.
John Phillips
pfm Member
This is an issue that fascinates me - understanding more about what constitutes good (enough) engineering for horn loudspeaker technology. For the record I have not spent much time listening to music over horn loudspeakers and I have no specific view on them.
It's certainly true IME that the audiophile world is full of over-generalizations - which is quite understandable since people naturally seek simple explanations for what they hear. And one specific thing that happens often is that people compare badly engineered technology X with well-engineered technology Y and conclude that the differences are due to the technology when they are rather more to do with the engineering. I have seen this finger-pointing in my (light) reading from both the horn-enthusiast and direct-radiator-enthusiast sides.
ISTM that practical horn loudspeakers are actually subject to essential compromises, just as with direct radiator loudspeakers - but in different ways. What interests me is to discover a more balanced view of what good (enough) engineering means in the context of horn loudspeakers. Perhaps it is time I bought some good reference book on the subject if I can find one that is still in print.
Joe P
Memory Alpha incarnate | mod; Shatner number = 2
I've had horny speakers since 2008. By conventional standards they are huge — 300-litre backloaded horns — but within the realm of horn-loaded speakers they are smallish, probably the Kan of horns if you're looking for an analogy that barely makes sense.
Are they perfect? Yes! Do they have any compromises? None. Do I wish to change to something else? Most certainly not.
OK, two out of three of the above are not true.
Joe
Are they perfect? Yes! Do they have any compromises? None. Do I wish to change to something else? Most certainly not.
OK, two out of three of the above are not true.
Joe
Chris81
pfm Member
What does ISTM mean?
oldius
Manchester City, dogs, family and food.
I love those speakers - I was talking about full-range horns.