Rerurn to Romy the Cat's Site

Horn-Loaded Speakers
Topic: Actually it might be conceptually a very interesting idea…

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Posted by decoud on 03-16-2008

I wish to construct a single horn speaker that might be used to explore Romy's amplifier design now, while not being useless within a 4-way system in the future (to be housed in a 5x5x3.6m room).

I plan to construct it by pouring in a mixture of resin and fine black volcanic sand inside a laser-cut styrofoam mould. Virtually any useful dimension is therefore easily and cheaply practicable.

Romy, may I ask what single driver horn size/shape combination you think would be most illustrative of the advantages of your design?

I realize that may be a bit like asking what part of a face makes it beautiful, or what word in an utterance makes it elegant, but one has to start somewhere...

Regards,

d
Posted by Romy the Cat on 03-16-2008

Decoud,

I would prefer to discourage you but it is certainly up to you what to do. My motivations are following:

1)      If you wish to explore Milq then you do need over 100dB sensitively but it is not a good idea to build an unknown to you acoustic system of a new for you topology in context of which you would learn what an amp might do.

2)      If your new acoustic system be a horn, and if you are new to horns then I would defiantly shell to stay with amplification the you know already and that you feel comfortable with, unless your current amps can’t driver horns.

3)      There is no acoustic system requirements know to me that is needed to be used with Milq. You need high sensitively and you need an acoustic system that more or less truthfully handles harmonic content of Sound as Milq has tendency to demonstrate it’s might in context of proper Sound.

4)      The idea of single horn speaker is fundamentally contradict, in my view, the concept of horn-loading. There are some people out there who use horns with 6”-15” throat with those horns so-called full-range drivers. You might consult with http://fullrangedriver.com and many others who take this direction. I do like it and I do not call it “true” horns but rather “the drivers with leaves”

Sorry, I am not helpful in your project, but others might provide more “desirable” response.

Rgs, Romy the Cat
Posted by decoud on 03-16-2008
Many thanks for your comments, Romy.

What I had in mind was not a full range horn but the first horn of a future 4-way system, as a (crude) testbed for the rather idiosyncratic method of building horns I am suggesting, and for trying out your amplifier designs. So it will only deal with a narrow frequency band: the question is which to go for.

(My current speakers are probably too insensitive, and the simple 845-based SET monoblocs driving them would be too coarse, I suspect).

Regards,

d
Posted by Romy the Cat on 03-16-2008

Decoud,

There is a lot of information on the subject of architectural horn design on this site. I would advise you to read older posts, use search. You might start from this one:

http://www.goodsoundclub.com/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=6816

I do not see anything crude in what you are trying to do. If you want to test the building method then I personally would go for smaller horns perhaps…

What I am against in what you say that you associate your projects of horns installation buildings with amplifier design, would it be mine or any other. I would advise to you if you wish to build a 4-ways horn system then do so.  Use your 845-based SET to drive them and get good sound from your new acoustic systems. Then assess what specifically you feel is wrong or insufficient in the Sound that you get. If you conclude that the specific problems that you will identify were on the responsibility of amplification then you might try other SET, including my Melquiades. 

http://www.goodsoundclub.com/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=432

This, from my point of view, is the right way to approach the subject. I would not use an amp as a tool to cure the potential problems of experimental acoustic system.

Rgs, Romy the Cat
Posted by el`Ol on 03-17-2008
The frequency range of telephones is 300-3000 Hz and this could give you an impression on how good your amp is in the midrange. But that determines your further plans. Would be OK if you plan to use a 6.5" cone driver in your system anyway.
Posted by Romy the Cat on 03-17-2008
I am taking about a “Default Evaluation Loudspeaker”. Let pretend that all people who do SET appointed one single full-range driver: like some kind of Fostex of Feastrex… and all agree that the driver is placed dead center of 100cm by 100cm open baffle, low passed at 100Hz and used at a location that has no db gain. It would be very interesting to talk about the difference in SET in context of that unified common denominator-loudspeaker that has agreed by all type of sound. If I was in the audio business I would insist in some kind of unification of standards for judgment.

The caT
Posted by decoud on 03-17-2008
One thing is certain: without standards there can be no progress (or at least no progress that can be differentiated from mere change), which presumably explains the state of audio.

Why not build a suitably monumental looking horn, and advertise a prize for the amplifier that drives it best: the idea has a pleasingly classical flavour to it....

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