What do I expect in a horn speaker system?

Price range $1,000 to $250,000 US

A relatively low powered amp will do. How low depends on the efficiency of the speaker but 3 watts or more will usually suffice.

What to expect? Not perfection but if properly set up and fed with the right electronics (big ifs and easy to get wrong) they provide a realism that other speakers can only hint at.

Also: controlled dispersion, very "dynamic" sound (or "aggressive" in bad set-up), very high dynamic range (horns are very sensitive), large size !!, hi level of details is easily perceptible in mid-upper mid range, very hi spl are attainable.

Choose the right driver to put in your horn.

Suggestion:With the New Fertin 20Ex in a horn set up

will give you alivelyness- speed (very dynamic sound)-

lot of details and accuracy that will be remarkable.

Also bass will be quite good (35hz) and no tweeter

neede or crossover. Horn + set + wine= nice evening.

Several years ago I had a set of Klipsch LaScala's driven by an older McIntosh SS amp. Midrange and highs were very good on good recordings. If your musical tastes run to strings, small quartets etc., you will be happy. But for me they did not work out. Hardly any bass unless played very loud and for me most of the bottom end of most recordings were just not there. Newer equipment might be better. YMMV.

listen to several horn designs at length before taking this plunge. i have owned klipsch, odeon, and listened extensively to everything from avante garde, lowther and fostex based custom designs, and more, and they all have their charms...but always returned to drivers in boxes, not so much because of the sounds that were there, but because of the sounds that were not there.