Are Horn Speakers good or bad or simply a complete joke?

Early on in my audio quest, I had Klipschorns, but I had a hole in the center. I bought Infnity ServoStatics which only gave me two windows to the recording studio. After trying every form of drivers, I heard the movie, the Last of the Mohicans on Altec VOTs. The amps were tube PP amps, but I was once again hooked by the horns' ability to have the pace and impact of sound, not just music.

Like others I think horns in general have two problems: needing many drivers to cover the full range, resulting in poorly integrated sound and honky or ringing horns. When I bought the Beauhorns, I got neither. The single driver was well integrated over the range that it could cover, and the box was deliberately resonant. The only problem was the bass was deficient as was the top end. The top end was easily dealt with using the Muratas, but there are no decent subwoofers to mate with horn drivers. Also the Lowthers are not compression drivers, which I find to be quicker.

I now have the Acapella LaCampanellas which are well integrated and almost as quick as the Beauhorns. They lack the plasma tweeter, but it always has stood out for me as better than the rest of the system. I once considered buying a full blown Goto compression driver system with 5 horns, but not only the expense but the question of integrating 5 horns deterred me.

In short I have a compromise speaker system and think I have no alternative.

Coouugar, are you speaking of the LaCampanellas? If so, can you tell me more? Directly if you wish.

Darkmoebius and Skushino, I certainly agree about the benefits of horns, but I have yet to hear Edgarhorns that I would buy. I find them not true to live music, but then again perhaps listening to them at shows is not the best enviornment.

Listener614, I still remember my first hearing of horn in the early '70s. A used pair of Klipschorns were sitting in the back room of a Tallahassee dealers hooked to a Dyna Stereo 70. The first piece was a snare drum which was so fast and loud that I almost fell off the high work seat I was sitting on. I bought them.

When it comes to speed and efficiency, there is nothing better. I am quite happy with my Tidals, but they are not a fast