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It seems that I do agree with you about the sound of compression driver midbass.. at least from what I have heard in my own room.. I have heard the big ALE drivers you mention on a bent steel horn similar to what ALE builds, but of the owner's design.. it sounded great with acoustic bass that was from a recording I was unfamiliar with, but when I listened to a recording I was familiar with, the entire bass range was shelved down and it gave the impression of speed that we have all heard from lightweight bass... I left with more questions than answers..

anyway, here's what I built:



These were a quick and easy build.. but they have been in the system for a few years now.. I guess that is a testament... but I also know that I can do better in the lower midrange... I think that there are two approaches to basshorns: one, that you use a cone driver that has an Fs lower than resonance and use a horn that is just to the quarter wavelength minimum length (this is more in line with what you seem to prefer, Romy,) and two, use a light, stiff coned/diapragmed driver with a very powerful motor and don't worry about what Fs is as you will load it into a horn that is closer to half wavength.. the horn loading will swamp the driver Fs... I think that if the latter is done in a horn that is airtight and very stiff, it will result in incredible bass.. I like big dynamics, I will admit my bias.. I love the whisper passages whipping into full fury storms... and I don't like compression.. I hear it everytime now on petite speakers.. back to the horns: with the former, you have a chance at time coherence, but with the latter, no chance at all..

another shot (not up to date, but...)



I've tried them on their sides, together, aimed differently, etc, but with the very strange and small room, this is the only position that gets the bass right.. imaging suffers compared to when they were on their sides with the midhorns above, but the imaging is outstanding until tones drift below the mids - which is not until 210 Hz... so I am quite happy these days.. round horns are what I am working on now.. already spun a few, but I'm working on some larger ones.. :^)

I do need to add one last note.. I hope that there are enough true music listeners out there that have deep pockets and rooms for Steve and Rich's horns.. I actually am working on something outlandishly large and likely expensive.. I'd rather not compromise as much as what is on the market and see of people "get it" when they hear it... I suspect (and hope) that some will... if not, then I will have a nice set of horns for myself... I try to be an optomist even when I encounter morons at an alarming rate..

Peace (yeah, right)
Me

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