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August 25, 2011 - 10:15am
#1
Horns !!
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I guess you're a horn lover?
I was cone-in-box for about 13 years, then heard a horn at RMAF '07 and have been hooked ever since. Tellig's review of the LaScalla helped as well. I never thought I would like horns - but they really are doing things that conventional systems don't.
It sounds like there's (still) a stereotype concerning horns. Many audiophiles think that they're retro-honky things of the past. Anyone with good ears and reads speaker reviews know better.
JA's comments on the Acapella should have elevated it to Loudspeaker of the Year. It didn't happen - but JA's comments still stand.......
The only horns I've heard that I like are the Avant Garde Duo and Trio. All the rest including Klipshorns don't do it for me. Of course I listen with an open mind. Who knows what I may hear. Maybe one day I'll hear some horns that will win me away from esl's.
I love good horns -in the right room, that is. In fact, the best sound I've ever heard from a pair of loudspeakers was from a pair of klipschorns in a big, high-ceilinged, lively-sounding audio showroom. But I've also heard horns sound awful; closed in and lifeless, in rooms that were too small and/or too acoustically dead. Which is why I don't use horns in my house. My man-cave just isn't horn-friendly.
Too bad - a little research will show that the Klipsch LaScalla is about 2 feet deep and not very tall. But horns can be placed (fairly) close to the rear wall - as room boundries help the bass with wave-launch. The Klipsch Cornwall is not too far from the LaScalla in performance.
I wish there were more horns under 10k/pair - but there isn't. We have "waveguide" loudspeakers - which are essentially horns - but only from 1200Hz and up. These are still good choices - Emerald Physics and Amphion are two examples.