Horns with good timbre and tonality?

JBL

Avantgarde Acoustics

@phusis wrote:

"What about, and maybe when is the diffraction part most troublesome here; what’s inherent to - as a distinct sonic imprinting/coloration - the narrow slot section leading up to the horn widening at every volume level (i.e.: at lower levels as well), or more predominantly at higher, and perhaps only very high SPL’s? My understanding is it’s more the latter than the former, which urges the more pragmatic question of relevance in a given, domestic setting when, or rather if the issue seems to arise only at, say, +120dB levels."

Agreed, diffraction introduces a type of distortion to which the ear has a non-linear response; that is, the sonically detrimental effects of diffraction become more audible and objectionable as the SPL increases. If you’ve ever heard a PA system that sounded increasingly harsh as the volume level went up your instinct may have been that the system was distorting, but it was probably diffraction. Especially if the PA system could do this repeatedly without being destroyed, as power levels that drive speakers or amps into audible distortion can and does cause permanent damage to the speakers.

Fortunately in a home audio setting the SPL demands are not as high, and large diffraction horns that have found favor in home audio tend to be relatively "gentle" diffraction horns. Some of the bigger ones are imo quite benign even at loud home audio listening levels.

@phusis also wrote:

"I find horn size to be a factor as well, certainly with a lower crossover point and trying to maintain a fairly uniform dispersion pattern at the crossover with directivity control all the way down to the crossover. My finding here is that, generally, the larger the horn the less it sounds like a horn, and by that I mean a more relaxed, properly (i.e.: realistically) sized, dense and visceral sphere of sound. What are your thoughts on sheer horn size here?"

Yes!! There are definitely advantages to pushing the crossover point down fairly low, and there are advantages to the fairly narrow and exceptionally uniform radiation pattern of good big horns. And big horns tend to use large-format compression drivers, which ime impart a sense of ease to the music and sense of palpability (for lack of a better term) to the sound images that make it hard to go back to lesser compression drivers, let alone cones ’n’ domes.

Today, I heard an exceptionally good midrange horn.  For comparison purposes, one channel of a stereo pair was equipped with a wooden horn with a mouth opening around 16” wide and around 13” tall.  The other channel had a wooden replica of a Western Electric 22A horn (around 28” wide by 28” high).  The bigger horn was astonishingly more lively and clear sounding.  This horn was better than the 22A horns I’ve heard before. 

Anyone heard of Heretic speakers? Saw on instigram the place in Mass now selling them. Look like old Altec but w/Tannoy type concentric drivers. Cool as all hell but wonder if they can be anyway near the big Tannoys I heard there a few weeks back. Be interested in your impressions whoever's heard them. 

There is a German omni which is horn based: Duevel. Bella Luna and Sirius are world class transducers with superior timbre and aoundstaging. Not well known but very worthwhile exploring for the absebce of shout and pase integration issues of traditional horn designs.

Worth mentioning is the fact that my Heresy IIIs have a sophisticated mid horn with the currently (in the IVs) abandoned titanium drivers. With good gear in front they're very coherent, possibly due to the fact that unlike some other horn speakers the drivers are very close together. From the tweeter to the top of the 12" woofer is only 6 or so inches. This is clearly worth mentioning since I've mentioned it here maybe 436 times. 

@larryi  Very cool. Are you in a position to share more? 

Today, I heard an exceptionally good midrange horn.  For comparison purposes, one channel of a stereo pair was equipped with a wooden horn with a mouth opening around 16” wide and around 13” tall.  The other channel had a wooden replica of a Western Electric 22A horn (around 28” wide by 28” high).  The bigger horn was astonishingly more lively and clear sounding.  This horn was better than the 22A horns I’ve heard before.

A generic question. Mostly we have horn hybrids discussed here. Not true horns. Should we be differentiating? Thanks.

Most pure horn designs require dimensions patently impractical for residential use.

The builder Deja Vu Audio is rushing to build and show a system at Capital Audiofest with twin 18’ woofers and a large square horn sitting on top with a straight horn that is 38” long (hence, the horn cannot be built into the cabinet).  The big wooden 22A replica horn I mentioned above  came from Japan and cost $12,000 plus $4,100 for shipping.  
All of these Deja Vu horn systems are NOT at all like Klipsch or Altec or EV systems—they are not nasal or peaky or rough sounding.  They are closer, tonally speaking, to Edgarhorns, but they are more alive and engaging.  I like JBL Everest, but these custom systems are warmer, and to me, more natural sounding.

There are non-horn, high efficiency systems which should be in the same discussion because they have similar attributes.  As I have mentioned before Songer Audio and Charney Audio systems using fullrange single drivers or two-ways using such full range drivers are also in the same game.  Another system I really like is the Cube Audio Basis Nenuphar (widerange driver plus a powered woofer).