Does anyone know of a good beginner's horn article?

[akirk]

I was wondering if anyone had a link to a good beginner's horn theory article? It doesn't need to be too heavy into the physics end of it, but a good overview of horn types, operation, and uses would be great.

[Colin]

Bruce Edgar at Enjoythemusic: The first problem is electronics. Weiner talked about listening to some Klipschorns with high power solid state amps. The amps were one source of the bad sound. Horn systems typically have sensitivities of 100 to 108 dB SPL with one watt input. Even at the loudest sound that you would realistically audition any speaker system (95-100dB), the amplifier is only delivering a watt or so to the horn system at peaks.

Most of the time the amp is idling at 100's of milliwatts; yes, I said milliwatts. At this level many high power solid state amps have real problems with crossover distortion. For this reason, I tell people who buy my horn systems to try different amps with them along with their existing amp. The low power requirement of horns means that single ended tube (SET) amps can easily fill a room with sound. However, not all single ended tube amps are created equal. Some SET designs have relatively high levels of distortion that can be easily heard on the horn system. And of course, the horn gets the blame for the distorted sound.

A second problem with horn loudspeakers is that they are easily prone to resonant peaks in their response. I have heard some horn tweeters that made me think that I was being drilled between the eyes. Many horn midranges have a honky megaphone sound that comes from resonant peaks. I have measured many old horn midranges with high resolution spectrum analyzers and have found them loaded with high Q spikes that give each horn speaker its own characteristic coloration.

Small horns: An RB5 is ok but is only horn loaded above 2Khz. A Heresy is horn loaded down to 700hz.The midrange is where its at. A used pair of Heresy can be had for 40% less than a new pair of RB5. I can build a better speaker from scatch but they are going to cost more than a used pair of Heresy. For ~$100 the Altec 290/292 is an incredible bargain on the used market. They are usable from 300hz ~6.3khz and have a 1.4" throat. With four times the throat area and four times the diaphragm area of a Heresy midrange driver they have much less distortion. The $25 MCM 54-330 midrange horn works well for home use on this driver. With a $100 Eminence cast frame 12" crossed at 800hz and a tweeter I will not mention crossed at 6.3Khz I measured 200Hz~20Khz +/- 1.5dB, below 200hz is box size and room dependent. I built seven of these recently, five for a home theater rig, and a pair for myself. DIY is not for everyone but it is for me.

. A human being orally produces sound without the aid of a cone or dome, but more like that of a horn.

2. All musical instruments in the high bass and low midranges and above produce their sounds without the aid of a cone or dome....some use horns, some use resonance chambers to magnify the sounds and send them out through an opening, some use valves...but none use a cone or dome, INSTEAD their reproduction and radiation are more like that produced by a horn.

3. Even concert halls specifically designed for orchestras use a horn-like hemi-elliptical shape over the musicians to radiate the sound forward.

4. The ancient Greeks and Romans used a round to elliptical shape, resembling an upward-facing horn for their stadiums so that the human voice, without the aid of amplification, could reach those listeners at the very highest seats.

Sooooooooo...Why use anything other than a horn to REPRODUCE these sounds accurately and efficiently?

Why Horns by Dr. Bruce Edgar, Edgarhorns.

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/manufacture/whyhorns.htm

Horn Loudspeaker Design - Theory And Practice by Randy Bankert of O. S. Services, Inc. and North American Distributor Of Zingali Loudspeakers

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/archives/

[TBrennan]

Go here--http://melhuish.org/audio/horn.htm

www.chicagohornspeakerclub.org

[akirk]

Thanks, guys, for the great links!

[pgh]

Actually, Paul Klipsch(Is there anyone who has/had a better understanding of horn workings?)wrote several articles, some of which were published in mags such as Stereo Review.

You could possibly find archives at the library, or online.

Good luck.

[pgh]

Below are some listed articles by the Colonel (Paul W. Klipsch)

"A Low Frequency Horn of Small Dimensions"

Paul W. Klipsch, 8 pp.

(JASA, Vol. 13 October 1941)

comment:

The first paper on the classical Klipschorn (corner bass horn). Some

curves and a lot of enthusiastic talk about how good the horns sound.

"Improved Low-Frequency Horn"

Paul W. Klipsch, 4 pp.

(JASA, Vol. 14 January 1943)

comment:

Followup to previous article, better measurements and some improvements

in the design of the horn.

"A High Quality Loudspeaker of Small Dimensions"

Paul W. Klipsch, 6 pp.

(JASA, Vol. 17 No.3 January 1946)

comment:

Complete system using the corner bass horn and HF horn using WE 555W

driver is described, along with evaluations. If you own a KHorn, all these

articles should be useful.

"Loudspeaker Performance"

Paul W. Klipsch, 3 pp.

(Wireless World, February 1970)

comment:

Enthusiastic horn propaganda from Klipsch himself. If there's any doubt,

this article tells you why horns are it! Fun to read. Makes most modern

speakers seem crude and awkward. Interesting and important comparison

of distortion in horn vs. direct radiator speaker.

[pgh]

Below is a PDF of an article based on PWK's paper titled "A Full Range Horn of Small Dimensions."

www.decware.com/DCHorn_whites.pdf