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In the Forum: Horn-Loaded Speakers
In the Thread: Midbass Horns and Real Estate.
Post Subject: To Do It Right?Posted by Paul S on: 7/27/2009
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The best hi-fi LF I have heard came from modified "pro" units (multi-15s) that had a LOT of power thrown at them; and furthermore, the system was "managed" by an... equalizer (albeit, done in real time...).  This is not to speak of its FR performance, BTW, but just to share about the bass.  But this was in a very large room, FWIW, one of the few big hi-fi rooms I've been in that was not a total disaster.

The worst LF (that really was LF...) I have heard has come from big DIY horns that just swamped the room (or the area...), much to the builders' delight; equally bad in large and medium-sized rooms.

I wonder how many people distinguish real LF from "bass", and I wonder how many people understand that implementation of LF might be parallel-but-different than "bass".

Ancient Stereophile founder JG Holt, who has spent a long lifetime recording orchestras, once likened the LF generated by a large orchestra's bass section alone to the sound and power of a semi pulling away from a curb.  It is, in fact, a crapload of energy, and I am guessing it would take a lot of power and a lot of headroom to pull this off, even with a horn, if this were the sort of LF one were looking for.  I am not sure that "horn gain" alone, without the power, would have the right effect for the "power band" of LF.

As a builder, I have noticed that many "lofts" I have been in have not been acoustically inert or "private" -  at all -  but the sound of parties and night time project building carried far and wide, throughout the buildings.  I am not familiar with the old, east coast high-end masonary "apartments" that are reputed to be quiet between units.  Old masonary buildings I have checked out in LA, San Diego and San Francisco have all transferred plenty of noise through floors and ceilings, AC systems, one way or another.  I would recommend a +/- soildly constructed, free-standing structure on a large lot, for single-tenant occupancy.  Still, any room that effectively "contains" all the sound is a real pisser to tailor.


Best regards,
Paul S

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