What's best in highly sensitive/efficient speakers.

[morricab]

I am somewhere in the middle. I think that there actually can be a lot of agreement in audio, subjective though much of it is.

Keith asks, essentially, “if horns/SET is so great why don’t more people make it and more people use it?”

I believe strongly that musical genre preference substantially drives loudspeaker preference. If we narrow the musical genre preference to jazz I actually think that a lot of individual subjective preferences would coalesce around a plurality view that horns/SET is the most convincing way to reproduce jazz music.

I personally believe that there is something about the way horn loudspeakers reproduce the sounds of brass instruments which is consonant with the way brass instruments themselves produce their sounds. If people who have experience listening to a lot of different types of loudspeakers hear jazz reproduced by horns/SET I think there would be statistically significant agreement.

If someone’s musical genre preference were mainly rock, or if someone’s musical genre preferences were equally divided among the main genres of music, I would not select for that person a horn/SET system.

An interesting hypothesis, Ron and May well be true for some true full horns (although I would put the divide more with all acoustic music on one side that has less processing and highly processed music on the other), which simply expose heavily manipulated/compressed recordings for what they are. Keep in mind a lot of great pop/rock was produced on hybrid horn type speakers from JBL, Altec and Tannoy and likely those speakers will do justice to a good rock recording.
I would put planars, especially electrostats on the acoustic /less manipulated side.

 

[Folsom]

I find good tone can really make somewhat compressed recordings still pleasurable to listen to. Without that they’re intolerable if it’s just flatness in your face.

 

[bonzo75]

I am somewhere in the middle. I think that there actually can be a lot of agreement in audio, subjective though much of it is.

Keith asks, essentially, “if horns/SET is so great why don’t more people make it and more people use it?”

I believe strongly that musical genre preference substantially drives loudspeaker preference. If we narrow the musical genre preference to jazz I actually think that a lot of individual subjective preferences would coalesce around a plurality view that horns/SET is the most convincing way to reproduce jazz music.

I personally believe that there is something about the way horn loudspeakers reproduce the sounds of brass instruments which is consonant with the way brass instruments themselves produce their sounds. If people who have experience listening to a lot of different types of loudspeakers hear jazz reproduced by horns/SET I think there would be statistically significant agreement.

If someone’s musical genre preference were mainly rock, or if someone’s musical genre preferences were equally divided among the main genres of music, I would not select for that person a horn/SET system.

While I haven't liked rock on most horns the best rock I heard along with Mike's was also on a horn. It was a dual woofer (two 15 inches) front loaded horn running on three watts.

The next would be a 15 inch tannoy gold. Once you hear led zep, black Sabbath, and such music coming out of a 15 incher it is tough to go back down to multiple small drivers.

You can also try big W bins to place in a garden to listen to rock outdoors, or Shearer horns

 

[ddk]

I am somewhere in the middle. I think that there actually can be a lot of agreement in audio, subjective though much of it is.

Keith asks, essentially, “if horns/SET is so great why don’t more people make it and more people use it?”

I believe strongly that musical genre preference substantially drives loudspeaker preference. If we narrow the musical genre preference to jazz I actually think that a lot of individual subjective preferences would coalesce around a plurality view that horns/SET is the most convincing way to reproduce jazz music.

I personally believe that there is something about the way horn loudspeakers reproduce the sounds of brass instruments which is consonant with the way brass instruments themselves produce their sounds. If people who have experience listening to a lot of different types of loudspeakers hear jazz reproduced by horns/SET I think there would be statistically significant agreement.

If someone’s musical genre preference were mainly rock, or if someone’s musical genre preferences were equally divided among the main genres of music, I would not select for that person a horn/SET system.

It’s probably not the Horn that’s the problem but the SET, personally I prefer listening to rock with solid state electronics over tube ones; as long as it’s Lamm solid state of course !

david

 

[bonzo75]

Some SS can hold back horn drivers quite a lot, over damping. Sometimes the excursion is the issue depending on the type of bass implementation

 

[gian60]

Imai,Endo and Yamamura told me in Japan with horns mainly use SS amp because no noise

 

[ddk]

Some SS can hold back horn drivers quite a lot, over damping. Sometimes the excursion is the issue depending on the type of bass implementation

My comment wasn't restricted to horns I feel that way with any type of speaker but you're right I can't play ss with some of my vintage horns without feeling that I have to run out of the room.

Imai,Endo and Yamamura told me in Japan with horns mainly use SS amp because no noise

Fortunately I don't have that problem with Lamm, their SETs and matching electronics are dead quiet.

david

 

[bonzo75]

Yamamura SS amps are beautiful. I agree with that approach. the SS ones that I had in mind which didn't work were different

 

[morricab]

My comment wasn't restricted to horns I feel that way with any type of speaker but you're right I can't play ss with some of my vintage horns without feeling that I have to run out of the room.



Fortunately I don't have that problem with Lamm, their SETs and matching electronics are dead quiet.

david

The Aries Cerat electronics are also dead quiet.

 

[marslo]

Yamamura SS amps are beautiful. I agree with that approach. the SS ones that I had in mind which didn't work were different

I auditoned XA combo with my Duo Omega at home - pre plus power amp , it’s a special home design with NO HUME at all but I still prefer my SET which has very little of hume with no signal but during the playback is much more palpable than home AG SS design.
No one SS design convinced me to change my mind, the best in my setup was SIA 025, twice more expensive than my Cross III and still no better.
I will sacrifice the SS control for tone , speed and palpability of a good SET.

 

[bonzo75]

I auditoned XA combo with my Duo Omega at home - pre plus power amp , it’s a special home design with NO HUME at all but I still prefer my SET which has very little of hume with no signal but during the playback is much more palpable than home SS design.
No one SS design convinced me to change my mind, the best in my setup was SIA 025, twice more expensive than my Cross III and still no better.
I will sacrifice the SS control for tone , speed and palpability of a good SET.

Yes but the yamamura does have the best tone I have heard

 

[KeithR]

I personally believe that there is something about the way horn loudspeakers reproduce the sounds of brass instruments which is consonant with the way brass instruments themselves produce their sounds. If people who have experience listening to a lot of different types of loudspeakers hear jazz reproduced by horns/SET I think there would be statistically significant agreement.

If someone’s musical genre preference were mainly rock, or if someone’s musical genre preferences were equally divided among the main genres of music, I would not select for that person a horn/SET system.

funny- i think horns are actually well-suited for rock @asiufy may have a point here that rock is typically more compressed than classical/jazz and so horns "wake it up" dynamically.

i think girl and guitar music sounded entirely wrong on the Tune Audios we heard with Wavac SET.

 

[KeithR]

The next would be a 15 inch tannoy gold. Once you hear led zep, black Sabbath, and such music coming out of a 15 incher it is tough to go back down to multiple small drivers.

hence why Zu often associated with rock music. big, phat tone.

 

[KeithR]

Fortunately I don't have that problem with Lamm, their SETs and matching electronics are dead quiet.

David, outside of Lamm what electronics do you prefer? Say for a medium budget of 25k combined.

 

[ddk]

David, outside of Lamm what electronics do you prefer? Say for a medium budget of 25k combined.

Honestly Keith, nothing and I've tried hard to find a second line but no luck. Aside from sound quality if you compare Lamm to other popular brands you'll see that Lamm is also much better value than most, specially on the used market. With that budget getting used/demo Lamms isn't difficult and given their quality and after sales service not much to worry about.

david

 

[morricab]

funny- i think horns are actually well-suited for rock @asiufy may have a point here that rock is typically more compressed than classical/jazz and so horns "wake it up" dynamically.

i think girl and guitar music sounded entirely wrong on the Tune Audios we heard with Wavac SET.

If it’s well recorded yes...overly compressed no...it just gets highlighted that it has no dynamic range.

 

[BruceD]

Yes but the yamamura does have the best tone I have heard

I've heard a Yamamura SS full system --superbly musical but with regards to an SS with the musicality of a SET?--

I was more impressed with the Audio Consulting setup I auditioned.

Horses for Courses

BruceD

 

[bonzo75]

I've heard a Yamamura SS full system --superbly musical but with regards to an SS with the musicality of a SET?--

I was more impressed with the Audio Consulting setup I auditioned.

Horses for Courses

BruceD

Each yamamura system is different from what I understand. Where was this?

 

[Gregadd]

No box and they work fine with SET amps. Have you seen the Avantgarde in nail polish red/ETs

 

[BruceD]

Each yamamura system is different from what I understand. Where was this?

Early 90s Penta Show Heathrow

BD