Lowthers - Please educate a village idiot...

I was interested in the Lowther's and did some research. During my travels, I found this site:http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/lowther/menu.html
It may be of interest to those following this thread.

best wishes in your project Joe!

Paul

It's an interesting question Tom, and I'm not sure what the right answer is. Of course the Lowthers, as a crossover-less single-radiator point-source and usefully wideband design, must be phase-coherent or very nearly so. However, when it comes to the type of 'surround-stage' phase manipulation that produces these wild and frankly enjoyable (at least on certain programs) effects, I'm not so sure it's as simple as saying that the result of the effect depends on the phase accuracy of the speaker system. My hunch, based on expereinces with boomboxes and TV's having built-in 'surround' settings, is that that the speaker positioning and playback environment has a lot to do with exactly how the program will come across. I suspect the psycho-acoustic result, for things such sounds appearing to come from way outside the speaker boundaries or even another part of the room, is largely dictated by chance anomalies in the entire system's (including the room) response. My assumption is that TV's and boomboxes will display many phase and response variations that will help affect how the program is perceived in space, but that these variations do not destroy or degrade the 'surround' effect - indeed, it's often greater than I find through a mostly phase-correct system (and my Thiels are this - however, it's also hard to be sure about preceeding characterization, as lots of TV's and BB's *are* single-driver per channel deigns, albeit with irregular cabinet and baffle loading and one would think polar- and time-response). In other words, I'm not sold on the concept that one can really draw any conclusions about a speaker's phase purity based on auditioning material designed to deliberately distort phase relationships for the 'surround-stage' effect. I tend to think a better measure is the degree of natural-sounding image solidity, focus, and stability displayed when replaying phase-correct program material (...which I'm sure you'd be quick to add the Lowthers will do very well :-)

I first discovered Lowthers 30 years ago. The pipe-organ was being refurbished in the cathedral-like school chapel. I found an old Acousta, put in an ordinary 8 inch unit and it sounded rather amazing. So I bought are real PM6 and WOW! We put the speaker behind the altar facing upwards into the apse, drove it with a 2 Watt gramophone with Jeremiah Clarke's Trumpet voluntary and . . . I've never looked back.

Years ago I used to accompany fireworks outside with the 1812 Overture, the Handel Fireworks Music and then Led Zep Stairway to Heaven . . . I used two Acoustas on each side and drove them at around 30 watts each. Very exciting sound.

Last year we had a live concert outdoors with a string quartet. The sound would have been lost entirely so I provided sound reinforcement, this time with a bank of three Acoustas on each side, each angled slightly differently to conteract directivity. The result was astounding - open - clear - transparent - one simply heard the quartet and was not at all conscious of amplification or speakers.

This year we had an opera singer singing in our Italian garden, about the size of a tennis court, to pre-recorded orchestral accompaniment. Had to make sure the amp did not exceed 10 watts or it would have been too loud. The sound was glorious outside - one felt "really there".

Recently I found a nice respectable pair of Tannoy bass-reflex design bookshelf speakers in a rubbish bin. Wired them up - super smooth silky sound. But the woofers are plastic and dull when tapped. One tweeter had gone so before buying a new tweeter I put in a Lowther PM6 and bypassed the crossover. The difference - WOW! Suddenly, rather than being merely smooth and silky - suddenly the musical performance and performers appeared in front of ones very ears.

I abhor speakers with crossovers and going for a full-range speaker is a good choice. Go for the efficiency of a Lowther and when you want to you'll be able to recreate a soundstage on a large scale.

Best wishes

David Pinnegar

An update on the Lowther situation...

I have not yet visited Mike, and heard his Beauhorns, but we have been in contact,
and I need to take the blame. School at night and on the weekends has made studying,
along with a lot of home remodeling work supercede my abilities to make the journey.
I would still love the opportunity to give them a listen.

In recent months, I have done a lot of research into this type of loudspeaker. Of course,
the information pointed me to a back loaded horn. Not being a woodworker, I was a bit
off put by the prospect of building a horn. But, eventually, I found plans for a cabinet
that seemed both attractive and elegant to me, visually and sonically. However, due to
very favorable comments I have heard, via Stereophile and people I have corresponded with,
of the Moth Cicada, I began to wonder if a bass reflex cabinet would be a better
move for me at this juncture. Still, the allure of the horn was something I wanted to
explore. Later, based on the opinions of the Lowther in America, not Lowther - America
site, as to the superiority of the ported box to a horn, I decided I would pursue this.

I have purchased two pairs of Lowther drivers, the PM6C with ceramic magnet and the PM6A using the alnico magnet. Both are the older design without the redesigned whizzer cone, implemented to correct the "Lowther shout".

The drivers arrived last week, and although I don't have cabinets yet built, needed to give
them a listen. As most people know, listening to a driver out of a box, can often be an
unwise move. There will never be any bass, and the tonal characteristics of the driver are
often far from what they would be otherwise. You could get awfully disappointed and make
the wrong decision, but hey, I won't have much free time until at least March, and the urge
was far too great, so I relented.

I decided to try the cheaper, lower on the totem pole, PM6C first. With a cold tube amp, the
sound was thin and sterile. Of course, there was no bass. I was not disappointed, as I
didn't expect much at all. However, within maybe 15 minutes, something interesting was
happening. The sound was improving dramatically, which I realized was the warmup of the amp.

After a while, the driver was making music, and I began to play around. Hooking my Coincident Troubass subwoofer into the equation added the foundation of the music as well as some warmth. I then decided to try the PM6A. As soon as hooking this driver up to my amplifier, with no signal whatsoever, there was A LOT of noise. I am uncertain as to whether this is characteristic of the driver, or just a problem with mine specifically. The other PM6A exhibited the same behavior. Is it because of the fact that the voice coil is magnetic? I am told the sensitivity
of the driver is the reason, but do not really believe it as the PM6Cs do not share this noise, and I have been around very sensitive louspeakers who also have never exhibited this.

With music, and the left channel driving a PM6C and the right channel driving the PM6A, the sound was engaging and lively. After a while, I again added the Troubass subs. My reason for using the different drivers was to get a handle on their differences. The PM6A is a bit more sensitive and forward. It is also more clear, and gives more separation of voices and instruments, in terms of jumping out when they take center stage.

In short, I will say that it is true what they say about Lowthers, they sound like NOTHING else out there.

I can see why the world falls into those that love them and those that hate them.

The sound is incredibly clear, fast, and immediate. That is good and bad. If you are a fan of the type of sound that Vandersteens produce, you will hate them. If you like forwardness and detail, you will love them.

Where do I fall? Well, I think I fall into the group that loves them. With my subs going, and Louis Prima blaring, I can honestly say that I don't remember having so much fun listening to music in a long time. I have often said to myself that my AtmaSpheres give me the sense that I
am listening to the master tape itself. The Lowthers transcended that, and gave me more of an impression that I was listening to live music than perhaps I have ever had. I can see where many people find them agressive. However, to my ears(and we are ALL different), they were
uncommonly forward, lively, fast, and fun, but never crossed the line into harshness, brightness, or irritation.

On another note, I had the volume control set much higher than I expected with these drivers, so they can definitely take some power and rock out. Specs for them in a bass reflex cabinet state that they will make at least 102 db for one watt, but I was juicing them pretty good. They are not just for low powered SET amps, although that combination is obviously the way most people go.

Switching back to my Coincident Digital Masters gave me the impression that wet blankets had just been thrown on my speakers, and believe me, the Coincidents NEVER sound like that. They are pretty lively and detailed. In time, my ears adjusted back to the sound, and I was having a great time. But, it was just another thing that crystallized in my mind how very different the Lowthers actually sound from everything else.

I have no idea whether I will still hear the same things or feel the same way once I mount them in a box or after I live with them, but my initial impression is overwhelmingly positive.

Very nice comments, Trelja. I was unwilling to buy Lowthers given my experience with them in many different boxes. A friend strongly recommended the Beauhorns. After resisting for a time, I bit. I have had them for two years now and continue to be awed by the sound I get. I did decide that my old big, isobarik subwoofers had to be used. But it is not characteristic of me to keep equipment this long, so for some time I have been looking at other horns, such as the Exemplars, JBL K2s, TAD Model Ones, and even the Big Horn Carfraes, but I just cannot get up the enthusiasm to buy something else.

Recently I discovered the Murata super tweeters and await mine to come in. Experiencing these was bazaar. The demonstration showed they added enormously, but when you listened only to them all you hear is snaps, buzzes, pops, and nothing that sounds like music. I cannot wait to see what they do to my already outstanding sound.

I have had many speakers systems, probably 20, ranging from horns, electrostats, ribbons, dynamic multiple driver boxes, and even partial plasmas. They all had their strengths and weaknesses, but none got as close to music as the Lowthers in the Beauhorn Virtuosos.