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In the Forum: Horn-Loaded Speakers
In the Thread: Bye-Bye, Fane
Post Subject: Must be a glass window. I can't see it.Posted by oxric on: 4/21/2011
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 Romy the Cat wrote:

Anyhow, it is interesting how the new 25 users that get those Studio 8M will use them. I wish something “new” would derive from all of it…



Speaking only for myself, I am planning to use the Fane 8M in a pair of 115Hz tractrix horns to cover 100Hz to 1/1.2KHz, with a pair of Vitavox S2s covering 1/1.2KHz-9Khz. I have harboured serious doubts about the usefulness of the tractrix profile when it leads to a mouth diameter of 94cm, a good 15-20cm more than I would have liked the overall height of this channel to be. I however never felt comfortable with the mixture of an exponential rectangular mouth and spherical ones above from an aesthetic point of view. So what to do? Use a pair of 140-160hz horns? The problem is that then you end up relying solely on the midbass/lower bass channel for the critical 100-200 Hz with all the localisation problems that this entails.

Can I use an exponential or tractrix flare but in an ellipsoidal horn? I imagine I could have opted for that and that might have matched better with the midrange horn(s) visually. There are however two problems with this solution. With horncalc's, or volvotreter's  tractrix formula spreadsheets, there is no problem calculating the tractrix profile for a circular horn. If I had access to CNC equipment, the making of these horns would be as effortless as getting a tan in Nice in August. With the ellipsoidal horns, I would have to rewrite the horn formula, not a problem in itself. But what about constructing an oval horn out of MDF sheets? That's seriously complex, I do not think anyone I have asked would be happy with that task. Secondly, what about the transition from a circular throat to an ellipsoidal flare? I would not know how to go about this. 

So, yes, in an ideal world, I would have seriously considered doing something different, and with the right equipment, I might have done. As things stand at the moment, you are right to fear than in my case absolutely nothing 'new' is likely to derive from my intended use of the Fane 8Ms in my projected horns. Like you, I hope someone else has the guts, the resoucefulness and the skills to do something different we might all learn from though. If I were you, i would not hold my breath.


 Romy the Cat wrote:

What would be interesting if those who get the Fane this round would not use it as is but try to do something abnormal with it. The 3” throat on Studio 8M would give slightly larger compression, more output and more EQ from horn. It would be interesting to hear what Fane would do in 3” throat configuration.



Why would that be interesting? I thought that the general rule of thumb is to try and use a ratio of approximately 65% which makes the throat of 4" the one to go for. Whilst the novice that I am means that I should stay quiet and keep my thoughts to myself, I would hasard a guess that merely extending a horn from 6" to 4" or 3," is not really kosher, so it is important that one decides on the throat size before running the tractrix calculations, not after. Now who can afford to try horns in all respects identical but with 3" and 4" throats and then compare? The potential gains from 'larger compression' are somewhat lost on me, as I feel that with the efficiency of around 109db we are dealing with and the rooms where these horns are likely to be used, that output is not really an issue. 


 Romy the Cat wrote:

I do not mind a lot of new people get the new Studio 8M but unfortunately it will close the window of opportunities for people to find another good driver suitable for 100Hz horn.



First of all, this is nonsensical. People have tried Faital, B&M and others and in some respects these have been preferred to the Fane 8Ms. Why would people suddenly stop experimenting with other drivers because there are a few more Fane 8Ms users? The Fane 8Ms are not going to get any easier to find after the minimum order has been placed and those which might come up for sale are not going to get any younger. The original reconing kits are only available in limited quantities and they are not exactly cheap at £120 a pair.

Secondly, for a window of opportunities to close there must be one which is open in the first place. How many viable alternatives are there at the moment to use from say 80/100Hz to 500/1Khz in an exponential or tractrix horn? On the other hand, if the sale of these new Fane 8Ms leads to a few more such horns users, we may find that in fact the temptation is to try and compare other drivers, compressions or otherwise, in these horns to the existing Fane 8Ms. I imagine once I am comfortable with the performance of the Fane 8Ms in a couple of years' time, I may well do this then. Someone with more experience like Jorge may well try other drivers sooner rather than later. I see these new drivers as creating a window of opportunities, not closing a non-existent one.

 Romy the Cat wrote:
  

Now I would not have room size restriction and I if I do Macondo from scratch then I might go might go for 3” throat hyperbolic horn. 



Now you are talking! If this exercise only managed to get you to think and talk more about the critical upper bass channel horn and drivers, then that in itself and nothing more would, in my books, have served a sufficiently laudable end.

Best regards
Rakesh

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