Hi Romy…and fellow audio nutters.
 
I’ve bitten the bullet, and shifted from BLH to front-loaded. Yes, I was an idiot, a moron for not doing this sooner.
 
My project is ‘humble’ by Romy’s standard…but I feel it meets the following objectives I have set: 
  
1) A 4 or 5 way horn system, with all speakers being front loaded
2) Costs contained as best as possible
3) Cabinets that enable me to have some DIY input
4) Use of compression driver for the 500-5,000 range
5) Retain the use of my valve amp (2A3 Push Pull) where possible, but may go active down the track
 
System layout:
 
Sub is Bill Fitzmaurice Tuba (Low Profile) running up to 90-100Hz. I have the O-Audio 300 watt BASH amp for this. Quite a big sound.
 
Mid bass is DIY based on a John Inlow drawing, features B&C 12-inch driver (PE32), 101dB, low qts of 0.18. I will run this up to 500/550Hz. See pics of the early stages of this build.
 
Mid tractrix horn is Stereolabs stone composite 250Hz, using Selenium D405 driver. These have been ordered from Germany….mid blue in colour. (Are you cringing because of these drivers? Well, it's a start. Would I like S2's, ALE, GOTO, TAD...? For sure.)
 
HF is Sterolabs tractrix 1,000Hz horn, using Selenium D220TI, running from 5,000Hz.
 
Having recently built a two-way ‘Klipsch’ “Cornscala”  (Bob Crites design, using Faital Pro 1.4 inch driver and Eminence 15-inch woofer), I decided to use Bob to build some custom xovers.
 
My amp is a new Weston Acoustics 2A3 push-pull (similar here), with approx. 9-10 watts RMS/side (x2 2A3’s per channel). I love the amp…so I wish to retain this for driving the horns (except sub).
 
Source is no frills CD/DVD player with DIYEDEN DAC. Simple but quality silver cables throughout…including all silver speaker wiring, but silver over copper for interconnects.
 
Music choice is blues, jazz, funk…not a lot of classical.
 
Kind regards 
Andrew

Hi, Andrew

Yes, the move from BLH to front-loaded is a large move but besides everything it is a very drastic way to review HOW the channels are positioned relative to each other and relative to the room. With front-loading the subject of phasing become critical. With BLH the phasing is so fucked up that there is no real needs to think about it as you are in absolute mess. It is like a symphonic orchestra with musicians sit all over the concert hall, 100s feet from each other and in random locations – there is no such a thing in this condition as to “play together”. If you however, arrange the musicians in proper section and position section in proper location then the subject of “timing” or the subject “when to start playing” because important.

It looks like you did not figure out how to use the posting interface as your text is corrupted (I might fix it) and your images did not go through. It is hard to recognize what you are trying to do without the pictures. Anyhow, a few comments regarding to what you have exposed.

Your LF section, the Tuba by Bill Fitzmaurice. I do not know what it is. I hate Bill Fitzmaurice and consider him being an idiot and I truly do not pay attention to any brain defecation that come under him. So, I can’t not judge or care what Tuba. The O-Audio 300 BASH amp that you use to drive your LF section is a controversial subject but there is a lot more to it then juts the amp.

The John Inlow’s paper horn are great. I do not use them and from the purist position I do not endorse them but I do admit that the paper mache horn that John Inlow advocate is wonderful idea. I have a few friends who built the paper horn years back and I very much like the concept. The key in it is to find some kind of prime according to which the mass and the resonance of the horn would be somehow “talk” with the horn rate and the driver’s primary resonance. If to tune it in the way how musical instruments are being tuned then it is possible to built an ultra-light, self-damping horn where the lightness of the horn will not be negative factor, or to be even a positive factor. I do not see anybody talk or look into it and the folks who experiment with paper horns feel that they make “poor man horns” but I do feel that with proper level of seriousness the direction is very perspective.

atilsley169 wrote:

But, there must be something 'fun' I can do to fill that void...and get a smooth response from 25Hz to 100...?

atilsley169 wrote:

What about two tapped horns...on top of each other with horn openings oposing...?

atilsley169 wrote:

Alternatively, a single(?) LF channel comprising, say, 8 x 12 or 15 inch woofers in a sealed panel/cabinet...?