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In the Forum: Horn-Loaded Speakers
In the Thread: Why I hate HornResp.
Post Subject: TonePosted by morricab on: 1/10/2008

Hi Romy,
It seems that the idea of tone is not only lost to most speaker designers but to most electronics engineers as well. When you hear the excrement most designers call an amplifier you would swear that they have never not even once heard a real live instrument or they would KNOW that something isn't right.  Now my biggest problem with tone from horns comes from the "cupped hands" horn effect, which is really nothing more than the resonances fromt he horn itself.  In this area I believe I saw that Geddes has made some real progress; however, I don't think this man can hear well or his speakers are in fact poor because he once confessed to me that a $150 pioneer receiver already delivered sufficiently good sound quality for him. 

Audibility of electronics?? Perish the thought!  He simply was of the mind (and I do mean simpleminded) that since the distortions from electronics were sufficiently low (however he determined this) compared to speakers that they could not possbily have audible consequences.  Nevermind the obvious fact that distortions made by loudspeakers and distortions made by electronics are of two completely different mechanisms and types.  Nevermind that most distortions in loudspeakers are either low order harmonic or intermodulation distortions or NON-harmonic distortions (cone noise, cabinet vibration, horn resonance, crossover energy storage etc.) and electronic distortions are high order harmonic and intermodulation, jitter (or the analog equivalent), noise and RFI etc. so in effect one doesn't readily mask the other.  He fails to realize just how unnatural many electronic distortions are and as such the unnerving effect they can have on listening.

I have heard one horn system that I am quite impressed with though Romy, its the Lansche Audio Goa.  It has a horn midrange and a horn loaded plasma ion tweeter.  Very good sound but still not completely free from all horn effects...but close and very dynamic at 100db/watt.

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