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How important is the Horn ? [message #52776] Sun, 19 October 2008 05:30 Go to next message
Champion is currently offline  Champion
Messages: 40
Registered: May 2009
Baron
Hi, how important is the horn itself on the sound? Is the quality of a horn loaded speaker mainly determined by the compression driver, or is the horn itself equally important. Can a good horn make the speaker sound smoother and warmer etc? Or does it only change imaging effect?

And how does the different horn material (e.g. wood/plastic/metal) affect the sound?

Thanks.

Re: How important is the Horn ? [message #52779 is a reply to message #52776] Mon, 20 October 2008 00:06 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Bill Epstein is currently offline  Bill Epstein
Messages: 1088
Registered: May 2009
Location: Smoky Mts. USA
Illuminati (2nd Degree)

It does both of those.

Just as you would expect, but the shape of the horn influences the sound and soundstage much more than the material itself.




Re: How important is the Horn ? [message #52785 is a reply to message #52779] Mon, 20 October 2008 11:26 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
Messages: 18786
Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)

The horn shape determines everything. The compression driver has its part in the equation too, but the horn is really the dominant factor, setting pretty much everything about the character of the sound, from response shape and quality to coverage angle and uniformity of directivity.


Re: How important is the Horn ? [message #52787 is a reply to message #52785] Mon, 20 October 2008 14:37 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Chris R. is currently offline  Chris R.
Messages: 82
Registered: May 2009
Viscount
Wayne,
If you were to talk about horns in general terms, what are the range of chacteristics that drive the variations of the
available horns on the market? If there was one ideal horn for every application, seems like most horns would look very much the same.
But there is a pretty wide variety of flare shapes available. I can understand the various sizes for different low freq cut-off.
Thx, Chris


Re: How important is the Horn ? [message #52788 is a reply to message #52785] Mon, 20 October 2008 23:52 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Champion is currently offline  Champion
Messages: 40
Registered: May 2009
Baron
Hi Wayne,

In that case, is there any benefit of using wooden horn besides good look? Or we can make a horn just as good with plastic?

Thanks.

Re: How important is the Horn ? [message #52789 is a reply to message #52787] Tue, 21 October 2008 00:16 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
Messages: 18786
Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)

This post from the archives talks about various horn shapes and what they have to offer:

Re: How important is the Horn ? [message #52790 is a reply to message #52788] Tue, 21 October 2008 00:20 Go to previous message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
Messages: 18786
Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)

Well, like all things, quality is not always measured with a ruler, stopwatch or, in this case, acoustic measurement system. The best Rolls will never win any race, but it is a genuinely fine machine.

That said, there is a difference in how different materials ring. The bell modes of a given horn made from different materials will be different. A metal horn might ring sharply, whereas a plastic horn of the same shape will not. A wood horn will probably be even more well damped. It all depends on the material, its hardness and internal stresses, damping, bracing, etc.


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