GoodSoundClub - Romy the Cat's Audio Site

In the Forum: Horn-Loaded Speakers
In the Thread: Macondo’s Midbass Project – the grown up time.

Post Subject: Semantics and other storiesPosted by rickmcinnis on: 11/9/2010

Romy,

I know you know there is no such thing as perfection.

My favorite quote is from S. Dali who warned, "never fear perfection, you won't achieve it". But in that statement are, at least, two messages.

Nothing wrong in striving for perfection. Being disappointed when you do not achieve it is insane. OK, you know perfection is not possible. Am I supposed to be surprised at that? Of course not.

Compromise is going to be what you deal with when there are seven filters in a system to my way of thinking. If no compromise was required neither would seven filters be needed.

I am the last person who would attempt to lecture you on how to use horns. I would think my only place would be in reminding you of things you may have misplaced in your memory.

I know where your system is is far away from what I heard, not to say what I heard was mediocre. That has nothing to do with my comments. Let me assure you my ear/brain is not quick enough to be able to hear strangeness in a system I am unfamiliar with in an hour's audition. Being lucky enough to have heard what I heard has nothing to do with my comments. I would greatly enjoy getting to hear the system evolve bu that is not possible for me.

Ever since I started my horn adventure I have heard and read many times that one has to be careful with crossover slopes because of how they can interact with the slopes imposed by the horns themselves. You certainly know more about filters than I, I assume. So you know that they can interact. Just look at the formulas for the various "shapes" and how they place the frequencies (duh). Of course, you have gone for a shape beyond the gentle BESSEL. But, are you considering what the horn's themselves are adding to the mix. The horn imposes a third order filter (I hope I am getting that right) at its cut-off. How this is synthesized with your filters sprinkled through the chain is open to speculation.

I know you are careful in the design of your horns and you use them well within their design limits. This should preclude the concerns I am expressing BUT who knows? Maybe the horn's own filters could still "beat" back into their specific duty range?

I have no genuine advice to give other than my instinct that you might have too much filter. I believe in using the ears but maybe with this level of complexity it might be useful to measure it with one of those fourier analyzers just to see if there is something going on.

My speaking of compromise meant that, simply, you might have to settle for something that isn't exactly as you want it to be. It could be that what you want the system to do is not possible? It can happen.

If you can find the proper dosage for each of those filters I will be the first to congratulate you. Do I doubt you have the tenacity to do it? NO.

My main point was that maybe you have too many filters. I guess I should have just said that but you can see I can be verbose!

Cordially,

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