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In the Forum: Horn-Loaded Speakers
In the Thread: Macondo copying: Horns troubleshooting
Post Subject: Horns and SS A/B amps – no, no, no…Posted by Romy the Cat on: 2/8/2007
 Ronnie wrote: |
I put together a hot tube amp channel, and gone is the sound of shattered glass.
All three of my receivers were distorting equally horribly.
Beware of never-been-serviced vintage solid state, I guess!
Anyone know if it is common for old SS gear to develop clipping-like distortion regardless of power level? |
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Ronnie, I very much relieved that you resoled your problem. I kind of felt responsible that someone why read my site, was seduced with my path, invested time and efforts to near replicate the “accused positive results” and then end up with a failure.
Frankly speaking when I was pulling out of my ass the VERY MINUTE reasons why your horn might not sound well I was implying that those reason my affect no more then 2%-3% of total horn performance. Still you reported a catastrophic failure… I was blaming a defective driver (that I did not believed) but I even in my sickest imagination was not able to foresee what you drive the thing with faulty amp. In fact with 109dB sensitively I was under impression that you drive your upper bass channel with the same amp as your MF channel…
Still, even if I knew that you use very poor amps I would hardly anticipate that it should be as bad as you descried.
I did not use with my horns any receivers but I used a number of different good and bad SS amplifiers. Generally I deduced that SS amplification must not be use with alnico drivers but with ceramic drivers very selective group of SS amplifiers did work near acceptable (Lamm M1.1 for instance). I do not know what happen in your case. You say that you used vintage solid state receivers. They are notoriously bad generally. In additions they made to work “economically” and made to switch right into class “B” after developing a few fraction of watt. A horn must not be driven by class “B” - very bas for sound. With horn you need ONLY class “A” and only “A1”. With other speakers the problems outside “A1” might be masked out by the dullness of the speakers, not with horn. With a very good driver and a properly designed horn (and it is what you have) all sonic problems of class “B” are right in your face. BTW, a fraction of watt it is exactly how much you take out of amps with 109dB sensitivity. At this level your amps most likely are switching to class “B” and that switching moment is the most disgusting in amplifier. Still, “that” sound should be AS BAD as you described but it is another story…
Anyhow, regardless of the reasons you should be absolutely crazy to try the driver the level of Fane 8M with a cheap SS receiver. Try to drive your upperbass horn with your MF amp…
Rgs,
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