Consider a tapered transmission line with its closed end having the same cross-section area as a backloaded horn, its mouth at the same position and area, expansion rate and driver the same. What I am describing to you are two identical boxes, one called a transmission line and the other called a backhorn. Without more specificity, you can't necessarily say there's a difference.

Another example is to compare a 2ft3 transmission line or backloaded horn with a 4" or 6" 90dB 20 watt driver to a 10ft3 reflex box with a 95dB 600 watt flux-stabilized 18" woofer. It's not really a fair comparison, because the scale doesn't match. The reflex box will beat the TL/BLH in terms of efficiency, maximum output, distortion and extension. It won't work as a full range driver, but my point is that without more specificity, the conversation has no reference point and therefore no meaning.

• Pipes, tapered pipes and Helmholtz resonators

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