Comparing a quality horn speaker with the PA horns mounted on the
poles around a sports field isn't really apples with apples me thinks.Yes, some horns distort and some box speakers sound like, well, boxes.There's no mystery. Good designers whether it be horns, boxs, planars, or electrostatics, design to manage their strengths and weaknesses.
I think modern horn speakers are getting pretty good at getting rid of the honk and beaming which have long been the criticisms thrown at them. But the market perhaps hasn't given them the chance yet to prove the point.
I've tried a lot of traditional speakers and really liked all of them at the time I had them. Each was an upgrade and evolution of my system. I now have Avantgarde Duo horn hybrids and I'd never go back. But that's me.
I think modern horn speakers are getting pretty good at getting rid of the honk and beaming which have long been the criticisms thrown at them. But the market perhaps hasn't given them the chance yet to prove the point.
I've tried a lot of traditional speakers and really liked all of them at the time I had them. Each was an upgrade and evolution of my system. I now have Avantgarde Duo horn hybrids and I'd never go back. But that's me.