Jump to content

My observations on horn damping (or lack thereof)


Randy Bey

Recommended Posts

[:)] I'm thinking about trying this on my khorns. Any reason why I "shouldn't"? My Cornwalls came damped with clay. I know I can't compare as they have different horns, but they sound so comfortable & never piercing. Is there any negative this will render to the sound?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

'Any reason why I "shouldn't"?" Not that I know of.

I tried damping the midrange horns and tweeters on my Klipschorns. I noticed an improvement in the midrange right away, although I don't think I'll ever be convinced that simply tightening the screws that held on the horns didn't have something to do with it. Later on, I took off the calking from the tweeters and couldn't tell any difference.

I also put caulking on the midrange horns of some Heresies I have. They were of a later vintage than the Klipschorns, and their midrange horns were somewhat thinner--about 1/8" versus the older Klipschorn midrange horns of about 1/4" thickness. Damping the thinner midrange horns made them sound a little constricted and closed in, so I took it off.

Some people like the difference the caulking makes, some don't, and some can't tell a difference. Try caulking one of the midranges and see what it sounds like. If you like it, so much the better.

I wouldn't bother caulking the tweeters.

Good luck with it, and tell us what you think.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the last few nights it has been definitively proven and posted that the tweeter horns do not ring. This was demonstrated by squeezing them in different ways while playing tones. Their resonant frequency seems to be well below that of any signals. This implies that damping of tweeters is unnecessay. This also implies that they should not sound different when damped vs. undamped.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

hoy cow, old-timers day here at the forum! WB Randy, nice to see you.

Interesting commments about dampening...I tried rope caulking my mid horn a few years back and ended up removing it, not because I thought it sounded better one way or the other but simply because I could detect no difference whatsoever between cualked and uncaulked.

I tend to not keep a tweak if I cannot hear a difference because as I layer them on it gets more difficult to detect what is doing (or not doing) what, ya'know? and I need to keep it simple...

Warm regards,

Tony

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...