Lowther driven horns anyone?

[DizRotus]

Has anyone on this BB auditioned a single Lowther driver horn loaded speaker, or something similar? Two examples can be seen at the following sites:

http://www.carfrae.com/

http://www.beauhorn.com/

The concept of eliminating the X-over is interesting. IMHO the cost of the Carfrae and Beahorn versions is exhorbitant no matter how good they might sound.

[TBrennan]

I have a couple of pals who use Lowthers, one guy uses them in Hedlund rear horns and the other guy uses Medallion rear horns. Both types use the driver as a direct-radiator and horn load the rear wave for better bass. Lowther drivers aren't THAT expensive and if you build your own enclosure the sound quality you can get is a bargain, very few speakers sound as good IMO. Most Lowtherites are DIY types. There are many Lowther enclosure plans available including the Medallion and Hedlund. Do an online search and you'll find some. The Medallion enclosure is available as a knock-down kit. There are many Lowther websites with lots of info.

Lowthers sound very good; very good clarity and dynamics. Bass is somewhat weak even with the horn loading, LaScala-like. Midrange is very good and highs are good too. But IMO Lowthers do not sound as robust as a full-blown, big-woofered-compression driver horn system like Khorns, Cornwalls or VOTs. They are the next best thing though. Be aware though; some people HATE Lowthers. The response is far from flat and they are rather delicate devices with limited power handling. But to those that like them they are very good at getting across the emotion and power of the music.

Both guys I know who use Lowthers use low-powered SET amps; one guy uses the Korneff 45 amp and the other uses a homemade amp using 45 tubes.

Some people use Lowthers with a large front-loading horn called the Oris. Many report this is an excellent system. Oris horns must be used with seperate woofers however as they respond down to about 200hz. One of the guys in the club uses Oris horns loaded with French Supravox fullrange drivers using JBL 4648s as woofs. I haven't heard this yet but Kurt says it sounds great. Picture of that rig on my our site.

www.chicagohornspeakerclub.org

[mobile homeless]

Good summary, Tom.

Let me add the AER full range drivers to the list. From what I have heard, the AER driver is a more natural sounding device and less aggressive than many of the Lowther series. I finally heard the AER Mk 1 in the Lamhorns last month powered by some Custom Parafeed 300B SET Monoblocks. The rear loaded, single driver Lamhorns were amazingly open and dynamic sounding with the AER while still sounding very musical. There is also a tremendous sense of quickness and speed and a coherency that is rare via any speaker. The bass in these rear loaded systems does seem to drop after 50hz but it is VERY natural with good pitch and articulation. Some might wish for a bit more low end, however.

The AER drivers are NOT cheap however (nor are the better Lowther models). Neither is the Lamhorn. But the natural, openness of the sound is quite impressive as there is no crossover induced distortions or smearing. I found the Lamhorns to be an excellent speaker and the AER drivers look to be first rate, again, many preferring them to Lowthers.

For a GREAT site on DIY Single Driver HORNS with tons of info and designs, you must take a look at

The Single Driver Website

http://melhuish.org/audio/index.htm

Another great forum and site for the Oris and other info, see: http://www.bd-design.nl/main.php

For a look at a multitude of ORIS horn systems with good pics and comments, see:

http://www.bd-design.nl/wwwpages/serial.html

kh

Phono Linn Sondek LP-12 Valhalla / Linn Basic Plus / Sumiko Blue Point

CD Player Rega Planet

Preamp Cary Audio SLP-70 w/Phono Modified

Amplifier Welborne Labs 2A3 Moondog Monoblocks

Cable DIYCable Superlative / Twisted Cross Connect

Speaker 1977 Klipsch Cornwall I w/Alnico & Type B Crossover

Links system one online / alternate components / Asylum Listing f>s>

This message has been edited by mobile homeless on 09-16-2002 at 06:33 AM

[Mike82]

I used to carry the Lamhorn in my shop. I found it superior to the (at the time) similarly priced Beauhorn (now the Beauhorn is priced $3K more than the Lamhorn = rip-off). Mine had the AER MkI driver which doesn't have the characteristic mid-range shout of the Lowther line. Hence no need for a phase plug. I preferred using an Art Audio PX25 to drive it, but other SETs (2A3, 45) would be more than adequate to drive them.

Positives- Superb timbre, resolution, and imaging. I attribute this not only to the design of the driver and cabinet, but also to the lack of a crossover. For vocal, acoustic guitar, string quartet, small ensemble, they are tough to beat. Not picky to room placement either, unlike the Beauhorns. The Lamhorn, IMO, is the best of that genre (Lamhorn, Beauhorn, Medallion, other TQWP designs). The Carfrae is a different genre- and price!

Negatives- Can't play real loud, No bass below 55 HX. Integrating a sub is not easy. These elements can turn off a lot of listeners.

Bottom line, they aren't cheap so you need to audition these and see if the positives outweigh the negatives.

------------------

2 Channel

Transport: CEC TL-2X

DAC: Audiomat Maestro

Pre-amp: Wyetech Jade

Amps: Jeff Korneff 45

Interconnects/Speaker cable: Analysis Plus Solo Monocrystal

Power cords/line conditioner: CPCC Top Gun, Model 11, Super Power Block

Equip Stand: Grand Prix Audio Monaco

K-horns w/ALK

Second system- My dad's old Fisher 400-refurbished, Heresy II, Vecteur Variation CD player

This message has been edited by Mike82 on 09-16-2002 at 06:34 AM

[mobile homeless]

I agree with Mike here; the Lamhorn is an amazing speaker. I also agree that the lack of low end might bother some, although the pitch and definition and speed of the bass is so good, I dont find it a problem really. The Cornwalls do sound subjectively more powerful in the bottom, however. But there is a magic to horn loaded bass. The Cornwalls need very adept, high quality amplifiers to get the most from their design, especially in the bottom. This is where amps like the 2A3 Moondogs really shine as well compared to other 2A3 designs.

I will add that the Lamhorns can reach VERY surprising volume levels. We listened to some great analog stuff from Art Tatum, Sonny Rollins, Miles etc and the Lamhorms filled the room and more (medium sized room). Sax and trumpet were extremely life-like with great speed.

My buddy has a pair of Tenor amps that he says are the best he has heard with the Lamhorns. Unfortunately, they were in need of service.

I will second and put a highlight on the problem of integrating a sub with these speakers. They are so quick sounding that a sub would really only muck things up in my view. I have not heard a sub yet that would come near to integrating with something like the Lamhorn. Then again, I am not a sub fan anyway, so perhaps you can take that with a grain of salt. The owner has never had luck either however.

kh

[Klipschguy]

About a year ago, I built a pair of back loaded horns: the Buschhorn MKII (I'm currently using the excellent Fostex FF85K driver). I must say, when I thought about a three inch driver producing "high fidelity", I was skeptical to say the least. However, when I hooked them up for a listen, I was amazed at the sound these 3" drivers in a six foot folded horn were capable of producing (my Rat Shack meter is giving me an in room F3 of 50Hz!). Although they won't crank (still pretty loud, though), they fill my 20' x 30' room nicely with a huge sound stage. Placement is in the corners of the short wall (I place them on top of my Cornwalls for a little change of pace).

Jazz and Classical are excellent. The other comments about back loaded horns posted in this thread are right in line with what I'm hearing (back loaders seem to share similar sound characteristics). These speakers, while not perfect, sound like music. Also, high frequency dispersion is the challenge with these speakers, not so much the bass. Small drivers will have an advantage in this area. Bass not real deep, but is adequate enough to get away with not using a sub (sub integration is tricky as previously stated by others in this thread).

They make a great set of "second speakers" (just a little bit too ideosyncratic for primary speakers, or for youngsters). Also, these speakers are not the best choice for rock and roll - not enough boom. Jazz fans will love them (Diana Krall is top notch).

NOTE: BTW, the Buschhorn plans call for a Fostex FE83. If you use an FE83 (what I sarted out with), the chamber will need to be 1/2 filled with loose damping material for critical damping. The FF85K sounds critically damped with no damping material in either the horn or the chamber, IMO. I cannot overstate how important critical damping is with these speakers - it affects the whole voicing of the speaker (I spent HOURS fooling around with the damping). Improperly damped back loaded horns will sound terrible.

Building these Buschhorns increased my interest in Lowther type speakers exponentially - I never knew a single driver speaker could be so capable. These speakers are not for everyone, but they are a lot of fun.

Andy

P.S. Hammered dulcimer is the best I've ever heard with these speakers.

This message has been edited by Klipschguy on 09-16-2002 at 05:41 PM

[DizRotus]

Thank you all for the replies. Lowther-type back loaded horn speakers are interesting. I'll watch for an opportunity to audition them. Perhaps a trip to a meeting of the Chicago Horn Speaker Club is in order.