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In the Forum: Horn-Loaded Speakers
In the Thread: New superlative horn build - ESD acoustic
Post Subject: Some afterthoughts about the ESD Acoustic horn speakers.Posted by Romy the Cat on: 5/18/2018
Well, I do not like the ESD debut. It was not well though and not well executed. The sound that they demonstrated is kind of less relevant. Sound look like was nothing interesting to say the last, sorry it is too obvious at the video clip above in comparing to the sound of other installations. My apologies with Josh that I did not share his enthusiasm. 
 
I feel I need to say something about the overall ESD debut. For a person well oriented in horn universe there is a lot to remark.
There are 3 very positive aspects in the ESD debut. 
 
1) A progressively altering the horn’s slope with respect to the channel frequency. I very welcome to this idea and feel that it is how it should be.


2) A new line of compression drivers. It looks like a lot of work wen to it and it would be very interesting to hear more about it.


3) A commercial 5ch multi-amping application. It is not perfect and it come with active not passive crossover and presumably bad quality but it is to the best of my knowledge first in recent commercial hi-fi. 
 
Of because there are many unfortunate aspects in ESD debut. 
 
1) Horns pricing. The set of the carbon-fiber horns cost over $370,000 according to Herb Reichert. It is not expensive, it is monumentally stupid, regardless of the horns design. The mold hors are cheap to make if you have already tooling and regardless of the “kinky” cavities that ESD filed with Taaffeite the cost of the horn should be $3-$4K. What Avantgard was first introduced 18 years back they sell the horn $500-$800 each. And you know what? They sold zillion of the speaker around the world. I do want to see a fool who would pay $370K for the horns. I can easy proof that those hoe cost 100 time less and I can official challenge the ESD. Of you take the playback the was presented in Munich and substitute the carbon-fiber horns with paper-mache analog then I assure you that the overall sound of the system will not be changing. So, it would be a legitimate question: what $370K is for?  
 
2) The exponential-centric profile. I understand that it is faster opening but here is what I disagree with Bruce. I have so many arguments for my opposition and I think that in private conversation Bruce would agree with my arguments. Why he went for exponential-centric profile is beyond my understanding. I think he wanted to provide the Chinese folks with more bottom octave EQ but he well knows the consequences of it. Anyhow, I am a bit puzzled with it.  
 
3) A price of compression drivers. The $265K a set. Well, it is kind of stiff, cindering that electromagnets should be less expensive then perm magnets drivers. Price-vise the ESD put itself above GOTO, ALE, GIP, Wolf von Langa, Cogent and the rest of them. Kind of unfortunate and not very smart in my view.
 
4) Big close-bottom horn must not be the last LF devise in a playback. I wrote about it sirloin times. Asking the money as they ask and offering a servilely compromised by topology system is not intelligent in my view.
 
5) The electromagnets do not work out with horns and if they do then the drivers need to be closed much more conservative then perm magnets. The electromagnets tend to give much more honk then they should and in case of ESD the combination of electromagnets, exponential profile and overdriving the horns with LF is pure recipe for disaster. From what is heard at the video above is the evidence that the disaster was filly harvested.
   
I do think that ESD need to work on the playback quite more. I disagree with Mr. Reichert that “a hornspeaker of this dimension needs the listener to be at least four or five meters from the mouth of the largest horn” Macondo is the same dimension, probably larger and it does very fine from 3 meters or even 2.5 meters from the mouth of the largest horn. I like when the audio professionals express a “reference” opinion without having any familiarity on the subject. The ESD need to change the frame and to bring themselves to Macondo topology, to time-align the drivers, to implement sensible fixed crossovers and introduce a complimentary LF channel. Then they need to have a demo room in Europe or US with permanent properly calibrate and well performing installation, while dropping the price dramatically. If cost has any equivalent to sound quality then looking at the engineering investment ESD made in the design of this playback I value the cost of the whole ESD room not more then $40K. At the today world the Avantgard Trio with their plastic horns, cheap ceramic ferrofluid -damped compression drivers, passive filtration and price tag of I believe $70K is much more mature acoustic system, unfortunately. 
 
Does ESD has a prospective?  Unquestionably. Let see where they will navigate themselves.

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