WTD. Large Horn Speakers Altec or JBL

[Magna Audio]

Used to be vertical in previous house



I'll play the Monty Python theme tune on them next time.

If you are a DIY'er & have the time, you can build it up over time.
Really nice drivers can get expensive though. Amps and DSP to control not too bad.
I mostly stream with Qobuz.

[Lawrence001]

I had to look at tapped horn as, although I've heard of them, I didn't know what they were. It seems it involves delaying the output of the rear wave to be in phase with the front wave at some frequency to supplement the output. This sounds like an transmission line to me, is there a conceptual difference?

(I don't want to hijack the thread but it does seem relevant to the question, so just a simple explanation will suffice please, not a debate about the pros and cons!)

[Magna Audio]

I had to look at tapped horn as, although I've heard of them, I didn't know what they were. It seems it involves delaying the output of the rear wave to be in phase with the front wave at some frequency to supplement the output. This sounds like an transmission line to me, is there a conceptual difference?

(I don't want to hijack the thread but it does seem relevant to the question, so just a simple explanation will suffice please, not a debate about the pros and cons!)

Pretty much spot on description
To my mind they differ to TL designs in that with the tapped horn the front pressure wave (large cone speaker in compression driver application) joins forces in the same physical space as the rear pressure wave.
Once joined, they share the same final horn exit section.
The back sound pressure wave neatly fills in a common dip in dB you find in other back loaded systems and there is no difference in time alignment (front and rear) since they are timed to join forces.

They are good for 20-100'ish Hz flat.
Minne are 105dB/W.
I use them with a LR 6th order X/O at 90Hz.
I did initially have them on 2nd order passives (BIG inductors and capacitors and Zobel required).
Like that at Scalford 2012 (was it?).
Some power amps can do all that though these days.
I used Antimode room correction back then. Helped with room modes you get in normal sized rooms.
Now I use an active DSP solution and time align all channels.

Danley Sound Labs was the inventor/pioneer.
He is truly innovative.

These days I have them on a heavy Cerwin Vega 500wpc into 8 ohms power amp >250 damping factor. Earlier on I was under controlling them!
Although maximum cone excursion is only 1.6mm at 105dB in the tapped horns, you need very fast move and stop, and fast move control.
Choosing the right driver for a tapped horn is key.
It's the type of amp you would never use on Hi-fi mid range or normal speaker frequencies.
On deep bass, no problem.

You can't really talk horns without getting into the knitty gritty and derailing

I'm loosely trying to work out if I could build a Western Electric 12a type, wide frequency mid range horn..
Could range from 80Hz to 8000Hz or more, with the right driver, but they are pretty big! That would only be a 3 way still use the Raal tweeters on top.
Not sure I'd get the grunt of the long exponential mid bass horns with 12"drivers, or e punch of the JBL 2482 large compression drivers on the mids, or the speed and tone of the Vitavox S2's on upper mid though.
Everything is a trade off.

[jamington2004]

I noticed you mentioned you were considering Club Amy. I’m contemplating moving on my much nicer Bastanis Wildhorn originally commissioned by the UK dealer at the time for demo purposes.

They’re DIY but definitely on the professional side. They are now only available prebuilt from Bastanis for £10k and these are the same without the fancy veneer

Scroll down here a little way on this thread, and there’s a nice pic of the actual speaker (with the round tweeter housing) with the dealer DJGROOVYDAWG introducing himself and putting the word out on the range at the time

https://www.hifiwigwam.com/forum/top...egins/page/10/

Here’s the ad where he sold them to the guy I bought from recently. not sure why the pics aren’t all loading https://www.hifi-forsale.co.uk/mobil....php?pid=59925

Would be within your original budget let me know if any interest (am in Portslade Sussex)

Kind regards
Jamie