Horn vs direct bass, how is it different?

[ClaudeJ1]

My point is that if you use more drivers instead of a horn, that you also end up with less power dissipated per driver.

There's also the benefit of a smaller solution that avoids the compromises of an undersized horn, and a direct radiator system also benefits more from corner loading and room gain than a horn will (because the horn is already providing the DI).

Bingo. Thanks for summarizing you point. Looks like Don Keele's CBT does just what you speak of with it's 36 woofers and 144 tweeters!

[DrWho]

My point is that if you use more drivers instead of a horn, that you also end up with less power dissipated per driver.

There's also the benefit of a smaller solution that avoids the compromises of an undersized horn, and a direct radiator system also benefits more from corner loading and room gain than a horn will (because the horn is already providing the DI).

Bingo. Thanks for summarizing you point. Looks like Don Keele's CBT does just what you speak of with it's 36 woofers and 144 tweeters!

Actually, the cbt doesn't get the same power benefits due to the amplitude shading required. In other words, your power gains are limited to the driver bank with no attenuation. All the other drivers in the array are better thought of as fixing the polars - not increasing on-axis power. That's why that demo wouldn't go very loud, and why the distortion was so high - we were basically hearing the six drivers on the floor only....

[ClaudeJ1]

Yes, about the CBT, I thought the same thing, since the top -12 db from the bottom. I asked Don Keele is I could use bigger drivers and he said yes. I may design one with 5 1/4" woofers, but only after I build my "short corner MWM" bass horns. Looks like I'll be hanging on to my all-horn stack for quite a while since it sounds so darn good!

But I am fascinated with the CBT, it does do some amazing things...............for a Direct Radiator.............LOL.