Sorry Tbg, I was in the wrong mode - thinking of 'finished' speakers when thinking about Goto/Ale vs JBL - so it completely went over my head. Perhaps it was because I hadn't yet had my coffee...:^) Both Goto and Ale Acoustic (I did not know the spelling until you wrote it b/c in Japan it's always written phonetically) have a superlative reputation for horn drivers (and for horns) - Goto being the grandfather of modern-Japanese horn driver-unit technology and Ale trying to surpass.
I have only once heard ALE horns in a smaller 'set-up' of ALES units. It turned me on to the possibility of horns (and out of all the forms of transducer, I would more like to learn about horns than anything else). They were great for jazz, and violin/cello, and I heard an opera aria which was spell-binding. I don't know what the amp was; the source an EMT turntable.
I do not know how they compare with JBL and or Altec drivers because I have never really listened to JBLs in a really well-done horn system - only in some really old systems where it was unclear whether it was the amp, the source, or the speaker which was turning everything into colored mush.
I would have to guess Ale/Goto drivers/horns are ultimately for REALLY serious DIYer horn-lovers and those who can do without the last few octaves of bass in their system (either that or for people who have absolutely no WAF constraints as even mid-bass horns are HUUUUGE). I have seen magazine articles of people who build their retirement houses around "last octave" bass horns, (with the first 4-5 meters of the horn on the outside of the house), either wrapped around or up the side of the house. I have never actually seen one of those in person though.
One can find ALE mid-bass horns and driver units on the used market if one looks in the right place. They are substantially more expensive than Altec or JBL drivers. I do not think I have ever seen a Goto unit for sale (but then again, I do not regularly look in the place where one could find them so they may be there). I'll keep an eye out and follow up on this thread when I do.
P.S. Thanks for reminding me though. It's a different world and one which is probably a lot of fun digging into...
I have only once heard ALE horns in a smaller 'set-up' of ALES units. It turned me on to the possibility of horns (and out of all the forms of transducer, I would more like to learn about horns than anything else). They were great for jazz, and violin/cello, and I heard an opera aria which was spell-binding. I don't know what the amp was; the source an EMT turntable.
I do not know how they compare with JBL and or Altec drivers because I have never really listened to JBLs in a really well-done horn system - only in some really old systems where it was unclear whether it was the amp, the source, or the speaker which was turning everything into colored mush.
I would have to guess Ale/Goto drivers/horns are ultimately for REALLY serious DIYer horn-lovers and those who can do without the last few octaves of bass in their system (either that or for people who have absolutely no WAF constraints as even mid-bass horns are HUUUUGE). I have seen magazine articles of people who build their retirement houses around "last octave" bass horns, (with the first 4-5 meters of the horn on the outside of the house), either wrapped around or up the side of the house. I have never actually seen one of those in person though.
One can find ALE mid-bass horns and driver units on the used market if one looks in the right place. They are substantially more expensive than Altec or JBL drivers. I do not think I have ever seen a Goto unit for sale (but then again, I do not regularly look in the place where one could find them so they may be there). I'll keep an eye out and follow up on this thread when I do.
P.S. Thanks for reminding me though. It's a different world and one which is probably a lot of fun digging into...