What are the pros & cons of high-efficiency horns?

There are people with the opinion that the plastic/polymer domes are better damped than an equivalent metal dome. The drivers I use have either Magnesium, Aluminum or Beryllium with a dampening coating that is sprayed on. I have compared titanium with and without and there is a difference with the dampening. You can also measure the difference in time looking at a CSD measurement. I have no first hand experience using a driver with a polymer dome. I know the M2 compression driver also uses dual polymer rings.

Rob :)

You know, its rather funny because there is a lot of chat on the forums about Ti not being as good as other metals and perhaps for a lot of other drivers its true. All I can say is that this particular driver sounds very pure and clean and it becomes very easy to distinguish subtle differences in percussion instrument types and woodwind types etc. because those harmonics and overtones are being well preserved. My ears tell me it is doing better than a lot of what I have heard from other speakers...horn or otherwise. Another one that sounds particularly pure to my ears is the one used by Living Voice, the Viatvox S2...exquisite driver, which I believe uses an Al diaphragm.

One interesting thing about the CP350Ti is that the distortion data provided on the datasheet by Beyma shows that it has very low 2nd and 3rd harmonic distortion and the FR plot shows essentially no breakup of the Ti diaphragm. The replacement driver, CP380m, has essentially the same motor (basically same Bl and magnet dimensions and strength) but with a mylar diaphragm...I could actually change the 350Ti to a mylar diaphragm if I wanted to do so! It also measures low, but not as low as the earlier model. IMO, from what I have heard from speakers that have the CP380m, the CP350Ti sounds more pure...but this could also be down to implementation to some degree.

The CP755Ti that I have also measures low, but again not as low as the CP350Ti. However, it sounds very clean as well. It is one of these newer generation diaphragms that has a plastic surround with a metal dome...Radian also does this with their Al diaphragms. I will eventually see which driver works better for my desgin...and I might throw a couple of Radians in the mix for the heck of it :).
 
yes, the Cessaro gamma II, like my system, adds a tweeter on top. In this case a TAD et703.

@Duke LeJeune
I also have found out by listening that I preferred Radians over TAD's for 2". Radian delivered as much and sounded more relaxed.
I also used beryllium radian 475 like you do but when I tried TAD 2001, they were close but TAD sounded a little better on its own. I use radian 850 for my 2", I decided go for the Radian 475be for the 1" as I thought they integrated better. The bandwidth I use the 1" is also very limited so it is not enough for the TAD to shine and make a difference. It could also be my a priori thinking leading me to believe same brands work better together.
I do not plan to change but first to try the jmlc 270 with 4003 and jmlc 1400 with 2002. If they better what I have now audibly and measurably then I will change them.

I will probably try the 475 and a 1.4 inch throated Radian at some point to see how they compare to the Beymas. Interestingly, there is a German company called Live Act Audio that is using Radian Coaxial drivers in their speakers and these things sound REALLY good! The name they have given the company seems not to be hyperbole. With a good live recording I have to say they sounded quite realistic in tone, dynamics and creating a sound stage/imaging.
 
I was really blown away when I heard it. I would put it in the middle of an Avantgarde Duo Omega and a classic Tannoy 15". You get the top level resolution of the Avantgarde but the great bass of the Tannoy. The speaker bests every speaker I've heard except for the Tannoy Autograph Professionals. Full Jadis system but I don't remember the actual model of amps.

Although I love my current speakers, now that I have more room I would buy a pair in a heartbeat if they came up.

Interestingly, at the time of the Eurythmie II (late 90s), there were a few makers here in Europe that were using the Beyma CP350Ti for a upper mid/tweeter, Audax cones for midrange or lower midrange horns and Audax or Focal for bass. Jadis did it, Odeon did it and so did Dynavox (now Dynamikks). Odeon still to this day uses an Audax aerogel cone (5 inch I believe) in a big wooden horn to get down to around 300 hz to cross to a 12 or 15 inch woofer. The tweeter Odeon uses now is the successor of the CP350Ti, the CP380m...same one as in Avantgarde Duo XD, Mezzo XD and Trio XD, which is highly regarded here.
 
It was one the speakers I considered for the Lamm ML3. Although rare we can get them in Europe
around 20 ~30 Keuros. What is the general opinion about it? It got a very positive review in Stereophile in the 90's, https://www.stereophile.com/content/jadis-eurythmie-ii-loudspeaker the hifi press did not ignore horn speakers!

Thank you, Francisco for pointing out to the Review.

Does anyone have first Hand experience with those very Jules Verne looking Horns?
 
where do you hipass ET-703?
Dear Leif. You are asking a question to a guy who only pays for his sound ;). I have no clue DIY anything. It is the know who I am good at not know how...hehe.

Tang
 
I absolutely love the industrial design of those speakers!
For me it is everything but industrial design.
More like steampunk.
Reminds me a lot of Jules Verne 20'000 miles below the sea in the Nautilus style
 
Audax...perhaps aerogel...I used to know the model number...I was seriously thinking about a pair then made the mistake of showing them to my wife :eek:
You were thinking about buying the Jadis Horn?
When was that? I didn't realise...
 
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Thank you, Francisco for pointing out to the Review.

Does anyone have first Hand experience with those very Jules Verne looking Horns?
Here is a system of a brother of my old time friend who is into vintage in Bangkok.

 
Audax...perhaps aerogel...I used to know the model number...I was seriously thinking about a pair then made the mistake of showing them to my wife :eek:

What diameter is it?
 
Here is a system of a brother of my old time friend who is into vintage in Bangkok.


Amazing looking room - wow. Could do with a few bass traps in there lol.
 
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Audax...perhaps aerogel...I used to know the model number...I was seriously thinking about a pair then made the mistake of showing them to my wife :eek:
They may be Davis Acoustics16TK drivers with different cone material and a dome added, ie. built to AG spec.
 
Thank you, Francisco for pointing out to the Review.

Does anyone have first Hand experience with those very Jules Verne looking Horns?
Was completely Jules Vernesque (if that’s a word) for me... first thing that came to my mind when they came out. The new art nouveau and steam punk design stuff of the 90’s was a bit too super postmodern. I prefer the simpler modernist functionalism of earlier horns like the Bionors.
 
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Here is a system of a brother of my old time friend who is into vintage in Bangkok.

They’d look good with a pair of French Bulldogs in the room.
 
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