First trials of active horn speaker
- Thread starter morricab
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Yes looks like it's more directional (narrower pattern) in the horizontal plane than in the vertical, but so are most rectangular horns.
Pure speculation on my part: The way the mouth curves back aggressively at either side increases the distance from horn mouth to ear (in those areas), and therefore the arrival of the mouth reflection is correspondingly spread out in time that much more. So rather than the mouth reflection being coherent enough to be a significant event at some frequencies, perhaps it is smeared in time so much that it has no significant effect.
But that's just a guess.
It's losing some volume as the sides have the air moving faster, going straight out. That I assume would make it more narrow going forward. Who knows, maybe it's just for looks?
I don't think the speed actually changes but I see what you mean. Good point.
Also, it's effectively a longer horn to the front than to the sides, so my guess is "how low it goes" is approximately predicted by the average effective length. Not sure what the radiation pattern would look like.
I still think what's happening to the mouth reflection might be a big deal. A reflection at the mouth can be a significant source of coloration and is virtually inevitable unless the radius of the lip is a large fraction of a wavelength, OR unless that reflection is spread out in time so much that it becomes negligible. By way of analogy, the vertical row of three woofers on the Magico M3 spreads out the floor-bounce notch so much that it becomes negligible.
Well... if I had a man-crush on Mick Jagger, THAT would be my speaker.
JBL/Klipsch horns that are bigger not in the corners are to make an equal distance. This looks like the opposite to me.
I found this, which includes a horizontal polar map; it's clearly not a constant-directivity horn, which I suppose shouldn't be surprising:
http://horns-diy.pl/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IWATA-6001.pdf
And on another page, this commentary:
"The Iwata curve minimizes axial mouth diffraction and allows for a much lower crossover point. This horns posses an excellent clarity whatever the size of the room it is used in."
I think "axial mouth diffraction" is more or less what I was trying to say.
http://horns-diy.pl/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IWATA-6001.pdf
And on another page, this commentary:
"The Iwata curve minimizes axial mouth diffraction and allows for a much lower crossover point. This horns posses an excellent clarity whatever the size of the room it is used in."
I think "axial mouth diffraction" is more or less what I was trying to say.
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Yes, that is the exact one I bought. It is more directional like a classic Tractrix or other exponential horn. The Horns Iwata is actually not a pure Iwata as it is kind of a hybrid Iwata/JMLC concept (this is why it has the strong curl at the end of the mouth). This concept minimizes resonances in the horn.
The other horn, XT1464 from 18 sound, is an elliptical constant directivity design and goes a bit lower.
sonically, they are both pretty compelling at this point. Despite the low price of the XT1464 it is a very advanced horn design...the Iwatas were quite a bit more dear...but also an advanced design.
This is the same one that was used by Silvercore.
We nicknamed it vulva
http://zero-distortion.org/silvercorewesternelectricshornssets/
We nicknamed it vulva
http://zero-distortion.org/silvercorewesternelectricshornssets/
Yep the same but I think mine are in between the big ones there and the small ones. Seems to have no coloration...that said these ones from 18 sound are really good too and had quite a good reputation on DIY forums.
I will probably make some comparison videos but don't want to post them on YouTube in order to link them here. I can send them privately to those who are interested.
Not only Tascam videos but also cellphone videos. You can whatsapp video directly or YouTube it
"Minimizes resonances in the horn" makes sense! The length of the horn is "fuzzy" so it does not support internal standing waves which can develop between the throat and the mouth and be a source of "horn honk". I bet the Iwata doesn't have any "honk".
That big 18Sound XT1464 may be the best off-the-shelf 1.4" throat horn out there today. For what I want (which includes constant directivity) it is the best I have found, and I'm using it in a prosound project I'm working on.
Yes, it also has little to no “honk”. The constant directivity honestly doesn’t seem to matter much. Imaging is equally as good with both horns.
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