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In the Forum: Horn-Loaded Speakers
In the Thread: Macondo's Axioms: Horn-loaded acoustic systems
Post Subject: No doubtsPosted by noviygera on: 10/7/2021
I have no doubts that the disassembly of Macondo was NOT due to simplification of life or getting old or becoming tired reasons. It is very possible that something better came along. I know this because I am in the exact same situation. I took apart my active 4 way horn stack one year ago because I wanted to test out a different sound system. Ever since that day, the horns are apart, sitting in the same room on the floor and I am to this day "testing" the temporary sound system. In other words, it has become my source of sound that I subconsciously embraced. I don't know what to do and how this happened. In my mind I am planning to put the horns back together but really, there is no reason until I can describe to myself how I ended up here. But it is what it is and one must admit the evident. This black box powered PA system sounds better most of the time and the challenge for me is to understand how this is possible. As a way to verify my switch I even set up a second !!!! temporary system, at the same time and it consists of passive Tannoy 12" speakers and Lavardin solid state amp.
It has been over a year, maybe more and I have been trying to formulate what the hell has actually happened. So here is what I think: drinkability
I began to understand that, every time I am listening to the new system my brain is working less to hear and feel the music. Before, listening to my 4way horns demanded more of my already lacking brain processing power. It took an effort on a level that I cannot control, to piece together the sound into the acceptable form for my brain. This was not obvious and only became so now, when I removed myself from the fairytale world that I created. I wanted to understand how and why. By "drinkability" I mean easily digestible and continuously consuming. Like water, as opposed to coffee. The consumption of sound became like water when I put my previous efforts to the side.
Actually, my 4 way horns sounded good to me. They produced good sound and in it's singularity each horn channel was sounding good as well. But the intake part of the listening experience, it is clear now, was not as easy as drinking water.
To come to this realization was a difficult. I have gone through stages of reflection and acceptance. In the beginning it was disturbing, then I was sad and confused and then I realized that it is a good challenge, it was an opportunity. Now I can even say that I am excited to face the challenge. This is the path I took but the most interesting part is to understand what I learned along this path and what to do with this now.
My theory is that drinkability was brought to me by a combination of sound perception factors: point source, phase accuracy and maybe some agreeable distortion profile, in that order of importance. The first two factors, I have a feeling, have become critical to my acceptance of sound. This has been proven by various tests and experiences I had since I took the big horns down.
I still miss certain things that the big horns did for me. Now I am thinking how to combine the good from the old and the new.
Romy, I would probably try combining the two upper channels of Macondo into a single channel and listening to that before the permanent vacation
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