Marmota, sums up Bill and his approach. It's been a real bonus to link up with him and listen to his passionate approach and experience the near final product. It does some things I genuinely haven't ever heard in any other spkr. Indeed, what it does well is unique in my experience and absolutely adds to the illusion of reality.
Visit to Audiophile Bill to hear his horns project
- Thread starter spiritofmusic
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Hi Marmota,
Thank you so much for your kind comments of support - I really appreciate it more than ever today!
Best wishes.
Get your order in now before everyone wants a pair!
Bill, those horns that you have turned just look amazing. Love the craft and the scale that you are working in. I’d definitely plus one on the inspirational comment from Marmota.
With a diverse range of designs seeming imminent it’s likely going to be a fantastic time ahead as we see people taking their experience and putting hearts and minds into making beautiful and artisanal horns... it’s such a great and exciting exploration.
With a diverse range of designs seeming imminent it’s likely going to be a fantastic time ahead as we see people taking their experience and putting hearts and minds into making beautiful and artisanal horns... it’s such a great and exciting exploration.
Thanks for the kind comments, Graham. Really appreciate it! Really looking forward to seeing how your Quintet+Trio project unfolds too. Going to be hugely interesting from my end to see if all unfolding. As I said on your thread, enjoy the journey as it will be fun and rewarding
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That is beautiful work - soooo looking forward to seeing more pictures as you progress this build - thank you for sharing.
Hi Everyone,
I stumbled upon this new article about 13 Audio, the business of Tim Gurney.
resistormag.com
I found the article really enjoyable for many reasons. Especially the your sound <> my sound discussion - I find this attitude particularly refreshing and grown up in the world of absolutist system statements.
Tim’s craftsmanship, passion and dedication to the authentic WE builds that he produces are very inspirational. Use of period tooling and sourcing the exact timber is remarkable tbh.
Anyway, based on prior discussion on this thread about horn substrates, I found this comment from the Korean owner of Silbatone to Tim Gurney very interesting especially from someone with most probably the largest (vintage) horn collection in the world:
“I then met the owner of Silbatone who has an incredible collection located in Korea. We didn’t know each other that much, but we were certainly on the same wavelength when it came to trying to get these systems to work. He’s a wonderful person who I’ve learned much from. Over a beer in Munich he told me that I'm only at the beginning, but I'm on the first step of a staircase that goes to places I cannot imagine....
He explained that I was listening to the cheaper and inferior sounding systems from WE. He knew that I played around with a 16a in steel and 15a in plywood. He told me I will never experience these horns until I hear them made from solid wood. He was referring to the 12a and the 13a horn at that time....
Little did I imagine at the time how the crafting of these horns would influence me, nor was I ready for the sound of these solid wood monsters. He was right, the plywood and sheet steel are truly inferior horns.”
I stumbled upon this new article about 13 Audio, the business of Tim Gurney.
Western Electric Horn Systems: Time Travel with Tim Gurney
Timothy Gurney has taken it upon himself to singlehandedly recreate Western Electric horn designs from scratch. Working from his dedicated studio in France, Gurney utilizes turn-of-the-20th-century materials and period custom-fabricated tools to deliver the most authentic Western Electric...
resistormag.com
I found the article really enjoyable for many reasons. Especially the your sound <> my sound discussion - I find this attitude particularly refreshing and grown up in the world of absolutist system statements.
Tim’s craftsmanship, passion and dedication to the authentic WE builds that he produces are very inspirational. Use of period tooling and sourcing the exact timber is remarkable tbh.
Anyway, based on prior discussion on this thread about horn substrates, I found this comment from the Korean owner of Silbatone to Tim Gurney very interesting especially from someone with most probably the largest (vintage) horn collection in the world:
“I then met the owner of Silbatone who has an incredible collection located in Korea. We didn’t know each other that much, but we were certainly on the same wavelength when it came to trying to get these systems to work. He’s a wonderful person who I’ve learned much from. Over a beer in Munich he told me that I'm only at the beginning, but I'm on the first step of a staircase that goes to places I cannot imagine....
He explained that I was listening to the cheaper and inferior sounding systems from WE. He knew that I played around with a 16a in steel and 15a in plywood. He told me I will never experience these horns until I hear them made from solid wood. He was referring to the 12a and the 13a horn at that time....
Little did I imagine at the time how the crafting of these horns would influence me, nor was I ready for the sound of these solid wood monsters. He was right, the plywood and sheet steel are truly inferior horns.”
I've been really looking forwards to updating this thread, but a certain pandemic has done it's best to prevent me thus far.
Well, today I finally made it back to visit Bill and his amazing horns, dragging Barry/Blue58 with me.
Firstly, it's just good to meet and share. It's been such a rotten 15 months, so it's good to see us all having survived. And of course, it's the hobby...and what audiophile with a pulse doesn't want to hear amazing analog, in the form of a rare but superb sounding vinyl spinner (Horning Sati tt/The Peak 12" arm/DaVa cart w bespoke field coil psu/NVO phono), replacing previous Bergmann Sindre and Red Sparrow, and a big treat for us, a Studer A812 Mk2 tape machine. The Mayer 10Y and 46 monos as before.
And the stars of the show, his amazing and pretty unique artisanal all-hand crafted horns.
Bill has not stood still here, his brain is more active when he's asleep then when I'm struggling with the Sudoku in front of me Lol.
This has included investigating and maybe sourcing custom field coil full range drivers as an alternative to his current favoured BD drivers, finally pulling off the hand fabrication of both larger mahogany horns to allow a lower crossover point of c.100Hz (as opposed to 170Hz of his standard size horns) and outsized rear chamber for this larger horn.
His narrative on the multifaceted construction of this larger horn left me and Barry pretty speechless and full of admiration.
I know there are many DIY horns builds we never hear about, but as far as I can see, Bill's construction efforts here remain above and beyond any normal call of duty...inspired and persistent are the least descriptions I can come up with.
His dedication here is beyond anything I've seen, and Barry concurred fully.
After a pint of draught lager, 2°C perfecto, and the boys getting acquainted for the first time, we thought some music was in order...
Well, today I finally made it back to visit Bill and his amazing horns, dragging Barry/Blue58 with me.
Firstly, it's just good to meet and share. It's been such a rotten 15 months, so it's good to see us all having survived. And of course, it's the hobby...and what audiophile with a pulse doesn't want to hear amazing analog, in the form of a rare but superb sounding vinyl spinner (Horning Sati tt/The Peak 12" arm/DaVa cart w bespoke field coil psu/NVO phono), replacing previous Bergmann Sindre and Red Sparrow, and a big treat for us, a Studer A812 Mk2 tape machine. The Mayer 10Y and 46 monos as before.
And the stars of the show, his amazing and pretty unique artisanal all-hand crafted horns.
Bill has not stood still here, his brain is more active when he's asleep then when I'm struggling with the Sudoku in front of me Lol.
This has included investigating and maybe sourcing custom field coil full range drivers as an alternative to his current favoured BD drivers, finally pulling off the hand fabrication of both larger mahogany horns to allow a lower crossover point of c.100Hz (as opposed to 170Hz of his standard size horns) and outsized rear chamber for this larger horn.
His narrative on the multifaceted construction of this larger horn left me and Barry pretty speechless and full of admiration.
I know there are many DIY horns builds we never hear about, but as far as I can see, Bill's construction efforts here remain above and beyond any normal call of duty...inspired and persistent are the least descriptions I can come up with.
His dedication here is beyond anything I've seen, and Barry concurred fully.
After a pint of draught lager, 2°C perfecto, and the boys getting acquainted for the first time, we thought some music was in order...
Well, a perfect pint of beer at a perfect 2°C was a very good start. Barry and I were really looking fwds to hearing tape properly for the fast time, I was hoping to hear more of the magic from my first two visits, and Bill and I were curious to see digiphile Barry's reaction to superlative analog. And as a long term SETs/horns user, how could Barry resist hearing another such system.
Well, Barry can comment himself later on.
I'll pick out four tracks that best summed up my feelings.
Yes/Relayer...song Sound Chaser was rendered so spectacularly well, moreso in relation to how poor it often sounds elsewhere. It's tendency to stridency just tortures elsewhere, it's taken forever to get my own system to tame it. The sheer gusto and energy heard at with Bill's sound just liberated the song from it's usual straitjacket, combining earthy density of tone and real fire in the stabbing guitar solo. This was a real masterclass in tone and dynamics.
Duke Ellington/Blues In Orbit, on tape.
Wow, what an amazing evocation of space and swing as the recording ambient was fully realised and the swell of the band was rendered super realistically...in this song alone, I "got" the magic of tape fully.
Eric Truffaz mix of processed (I think?) funk had the most amazing control of rhythmic timing and full air around instruments. So often highly rhythmic driving beats lose ambience, but not here.
Lastly, and likely most memorably, Terry Callier/Cotton Eyed Joe on tape. This is not really my go-to music, but I was mesmerised. I don't think I've ever experienced such a rendition of apparent reality as the whole emotional effect of Terry's voice was directly conveyed, over the simple evocative underlying theme. Sheer magic, and 100% realistic, if that's not a contradiction Lol. If there was a back slap moment to acknowledge what Bill has achieved, it was this piece.
Well, Barry can comment himself later on.
I'll pick out four tracks that best summed up my feelings.
Yes/Relayer...song Sound Chaser was rendered so spectacularly well, moreso in relation to how poor it often sounds elsewhere. It's tendency to stridency just tortures elsewhere, it's taken forever to get my own system to tame it. The sheer gusto and energy heard at with Bill's sound just liberated the song from it's usual straitjacket, combining earthy density of tone and real fire in the stabbing guitar solo. This was a real masterclass in tone and dynamics.
Duke Ellington/Blues In Orbit, on tape.
Wow, what an amazing evocation of space and swing as the recording ambient was fully realised and the swell of the band was rendered super realistically...in this song alone, I "got" the magic of tape fully.
Eric Truffaz mix of processed (I think?) funk had the most amazing control of rhythmic timing and full air around instruments. So often highly rhythmic driving beats lose ambience, but not here.
Lastly, and likely most memorably, Terry Callier/Cotton Eyed Joe on tape. This is not really my go-to music, but I was mesmerised. I don't think I've ever experienced such a rendition of apparent reality as the whole emotional effect of Terry's voice was directly conveyed, over the simple evocative underlying theme. Sheer magic, and 100% realistic, if that's not a contradiction Lol. If there was a back slap moment to acknowledge what Bill has achieved, it was this piece.
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Well, what to say? First, I think I love the DaVa, it reminds me a lot of the Lyra Parnassus I owned 15 years ago, LP felt a little more saturated tonally, and my guess is the previous Red Sparrow fell a tad short.
Two, tape is AMAZING! There is more than a hint of what I hear from Barry's Extreme in the Studer...but with gobs more density, palpability, dynamics off the scale and zero fatigue. It's just whole layers closer to the heart of things.
Finally, Bill's horns. For the first time I picked up a bit more on how fantastic they perform in the bass, truly admirable.
Then the sheer seamlessness of the horn full range driver into the bass, if there is anything audibly discontinuous, I'm not hearing it. Bill has really achieved magic in nailing a real holistic continuousness, and the range of music we played would have challenged any weakness here.
And what remains such a positive in Bill's sound, what I believe is class leading in the ability for music to fully detach from the horns themselves and effectively betray no hint of artifice. Only the most panned of music seems to come from the horns, and then only marginally. For music to literally "hang" mid air is as close as domestic hifi gets to magic as far as I'm concerned.
Two, tape is AMAZING! There is more than a hint of what I hear from Barry's Extreme in the Studer...but with gobs more density, palpability, dynamics off the scale and zero fatigue. It's just whole layers closer to the heart of things.
Finally, Bill's horns. For the first time I picked up a bit more on how fantastic they perform in the bass, truly admirable.
Then the sheer seamlessness of the horn full range driver into the bass, if there is anything audibly discontinuous, I'm not hearing it. Bill has really achieved magic in nailing a real holistic continuousness, and the range of music we played would have challenged any weakness here.
And what remains such a positive in Bill's sound, what I believe is class leading in the ability for music to fully detach from the horns themselves and effectively betray no hint of artifice. Only the most panned of music seems to come from the horns, and then only marginally. For music to literally "hang" mid air is as close as domestic hifi gets to magic as far as I'm concerned.
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I bet that is a big step up ... I think ripole bass can get a bit murky as it gets higher , so I would assume it is now clean as....
I am looking forward to the full reveal one day!
Phil
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