Why did you choose a horn based loudspeaker?


Seems horns or waveguides have become more acceptable to modern audiophiles. So I ask horn owners why did you select a horn based system over the other options in loudspeakers? I myself mostly for dynamic range, lack of compression, image size and little to no listener fatigue. Plus I find a horn loudspeakers to be interesting in design and in appearance. I have a large collection of vintage and modern horn systems as well as dynamic loudspeakers.After 30 years of trying designing etc today I mostly prefer fully front loaded horn speakers. I know that horn speakers still are controversial but please try to be civil.
128x128johnk

Showing 3 responses by roxy54

Like most audiophiles, I have owned a number of different speakers large and small, including Khorns. I currently use horns, simply because they are the all around most natural sounding speakers I have ever owned, but then, I am not in the big leagues, and have never owned a speaker worth more than 12k.
I agree with Mapman though that I could also feel perfectly content with other speakers. (yes, including Ohms)
It is true that most horn speakers have wide dynamics, but many dynamic speakers are very dynamic as well. The Coincident Total Eclipse is one that I really liked in that regard, and should have bought. Although I really liked the Spendors that I owned, dynamics were a weak point.
In my current speakers, the treble and midrange is handled by a single horn, which has a 12" driver above and below it.
The one horn covers so much of the audible range, and to my ears, the transition to the lower bass is pretty seamless.
In the end, I would say wider dynamics are a strong point with horns in general, and of course, some are shouty and cause fatigue to some listeners. If mine were, it would annoy me as well.
I had the same question. Do you want more power, or a different Klipsch speaker?
Phusis,
I found your post deeply insightful. and one of the most thought provoking that I have read in a long time. I think it is fascinating to consider not just the good, better best of linearity, imaging, box resonance etc. as we often do, but also the differing effects of waveguides, resonating enclosures, horns etc. and how they shape our perception of the reproduced music and how, over time, we conciously or subconciously form a preference for one of these design philosophies as what sounds "real" to us as individuals.
Thanks for the great input.