GoodSoundClub - Romy the Cat's Audio Site

In the Forum: Horn-Loaded Speakers
In the Thread: Another time aligned 5-way horn project

Post Subject: Driver Comfort ZonePosted by Paul S on: 8/15/2015

Murat, that's a lot to ask from one driver. I thought that any time the "un-aided" driver craps out or acts weird, it's time to think about a crossover, and/or some sort of "assistance" for that driver. The great thing about horns is, they can passively boost flagging low end. But this comes at the cost of a lot of rote experimentation to hear how the driver/horn combination "really sounds", versus HornResp or some other "theoretical model". One might say this necessary experimantation gets "inconvenient" as the horn size increases. Another thing to remember is, it's not just a matter of adjusting SPL, since, in many cases, driver distortion goes up as it aproaches and exceeds its "natural" limits. I do like the idea of putting a paper driver in a horn near those frequencies, but all bets are off with regards to how the Line Magnetic or similar paper driver would react to being loaded by a horn; this is no "gimmie". In any case, if you do get useful results with the paper driver, you will have to turn right around and integrate it back into the rest of the system. The big commercial JBL and Altec compression drivers will go down, all right, if you have the patience and the resources to trial-and-error giant horns, not to mention the space to integrate them into your listening room. I think the old commercial horns for these drivers are hard to find, and probably not useful for music in the home. Also, the old commercial drivers will probably need some work for in-home use, if you are in a position to do this, as well. For the well-funded, the dream of the giant Goto and Ale drivers is, they they might be "plug and play" for home use, a blessing it's hard to overrate.

Just to be clear, in a previous post to you I did not mention DSP as an actual, working option for a serious system. Rather, I meant to say that the "need for it" is an indication that one has already strayed too far off the beaten path. IMO, if you really do plan to go this way you might just as well stop working so hard on the system, since DSP will in any case "level" any problems, like "tactical" nuclear weapons.

Best regards,
Paul S

Rerurn to Romy the Cat's Site