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Is it practical converting KHorn to 2 way


richieb

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  • 2 weeks later...

With Tractrix horns, the Khorn tophat could be made smaller. The tophat section could be adjustable , and aimed, to fit any listening area while leaving the bass bins in the corners... I would love to have those Khorns, and I would be selling my LaScala's !

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  • 3 years later...
On 8/3/2015 at 5:26 PM, Chris A said:

 

It's the mouth size of the K-402 that makes that horn sound so good.  The K-510 is much smaller, and it does a great job, but it can't close the gap with a Khorn bass bin, I'm afraid to say.  The K-402 was designed by Roy after he did the K-510 to take advantage of the profile that he pioneered in the K-510: the K-402 was the horn that resulted when he designed a full range horn with that profile  that would go below 500 Hz and hold its polars constant.

 

You've got to hear a pair to understand why they are so sought after.

 

See my profile for a pair of Jubilees integrated into the corners of the room with tapped horn subs behind them, a 3-way center JuBelle, and surround bi-amped Cornwalls.

 

Chris

 

What is the real advantage of K-402 horn compared to FC260 Tractrix horns that people are using in KH modifications? These work down to 400hz quite good.. and I suppose there will be no difference in 6000+ Hz range?

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In my experience, the K-402 has sound quality properties in subjective listening that I've not heard with any other horn.  This is due to its straight-sided walls and tractrix mouth which is larger than most other HF horns. 

 

The FC260 tractrix horn is a Greg Roberts product (Volti Audio) and is completely different than the K-402. The subjective listening difference in terms of room-filling capabilities of these two horns is likely to be quite large, among other differences in listening properties--with the K-402's performance eclipsing what I would consider to be a basically "home brew" Volti produced horn.  The man behind the K-402 design is Roy Delgado with a career in horn loudspeaker design for the most noted company in terms of producing horn-loaded loudspeakers.  I think that the difference in sound starts there with a much greater understanding of the design factors involved and much more extensive R&D of its horns.  I know that the K-402 took some years develop and was a extension of the K-510 horn design. The Volti horn was a copy of a horn style that's been around since at least the 1970s and as such does not have the benefit of horn engineering knowledge that has taken place since the 1970s.

 

I could get more technical in my description of the differences, but I believe that the bottom line is in how it sounds.  If you don't first hear a K-402 before electing to lay money down for a pair of Greg R.-produced horns, I believe that you will eventually come to regret a buying decision once you do hear a pair of K-402s in a well setup room.  I've owned K-402s for almost 11 years now, ten of which with TAD TD-4002 drivers, and I've not heard any other horn that produces this kind of performance.  I recently helped a forum member @Delicious2 dial in his K-402s on top of Khorn bass bins with BMS 4592ND dual-diaphragm 2" drivers.  You can ask him for his listening impressions.

 

Chris

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12 minutes ago, Chris A said:

The FC260 tractrix horn is a Greg Roberts product (Volti Audio) and is completely different than the K-402.

 

To be fair, the two horns were designed to completely different requirements. The K-402 is a huge, no-compromise, clean-sheet-of-paper, constant-directivity design. The Volti horn was designed to offer improved sound quality over the K-400 while fitting within the general dimensions of a KHorn top hat.

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I would agree with your assessment--except for the "huge" part.  I've seen huge and the K-402s aren't anywhere near that.  To me, the K-402s are large...and perform in accordance with that descriptor.  (Greg, I'm assuming that you had a hand in determining the Hornresp parameters for the Volti horn...?)

 

Chris

 

 

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3 minutes ago, Chris A said:

I would agree with your assessment--except for the "huge" part.  I've seen huge and the K-402s aren't anywhere near that.  To me, the K-402s are large...and perform in accordance with that descriptor.  (Greg, I'm assuming that you had a hand in determining the Hornresp parameters for the Volti horn...?)

 

OK, "huge" in a home listening context -- some of the stadium horns that EV made when I was there were almost big enough to hold a picnic inside.

 

My relationship with Greg Roberts ended before any of his commercial horn offerings came to fruition*. I emphasize that I had nothing to do with any of the designs that Volti has offered for sale.

 

*It was a cordial parting-of-ways -- I was simply in a life situation where other things had to take priority.

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A picture of a K-402 next to a La Scala I:

 

La Scala K402 Comparison.jpg

 

Note that the K-402 horn does have capabilities that a 2" compression driver only is not able to use.  See the following for a full-range version of the K-402, one that I presently use for a center loudspeaker between two Jubilees:

 

Chris

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