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Horn-Loaded Speakers
Topic: Throats

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Posted by Romy the Cat on 05-27-2008

At recent Nord-West trade show Jeffrey Jackson, the guy who runs Experience Music site, demonstrated his new horn Installation. I know little about it and would like to make some comments about what is feel is obvious from the image.

ExperienceMusic@VSAC.jpg

It is 5-ways with LF coming from this box in the middle on the floor. It looks like the wardrobe in the middle is amplifiers and it looks like it is a full-range amp, not DSET as I can see filters on the speakers shelf. As I understand it is the Jeffrey’s own amp:

http://www.experiencemusic.net/Eimac75tl.htm

Considering the Jeffrey’s association with GOTO the drivers might be GOTO, which one and how used is unknown at this point.

From the comments I heard personally from a person who heard the sound of the installation it looks like the result was OK but still not there. The person complained about dried, over-damped sound with a heavy shortage of the necessary amount twinkleness and sparks. It might be so or it might be not – I was not there. Jeffrey’s occasionally posts at this site I hope he would show up and comment on the Sound he was able to get out if this installation.

A few my own comments. First thing first – I do applaud and very enthusiastically support that fact that this is probably the ONLY commercial public installation where the person went into design expense to time-align the channels naturally. Here is where the Experience Music’s attempt is stay well above anything else. Unfortunately, like always with horns he pays for it a lot and here is what the tiny little things kicks in… So, let go from admiration of time-alignment into constrictive criticism.

Midbass horn: it a new meaning on half-space as someone make a joke at AA. It looks like 50Hz horn and most little crossed at 400Hz-500Hz above. I said before and I am saying again – I do not think that 50Hz horn might live under MF channels in horn installation. The price of the having that mouth’s opening in front of MF and tweeter is too high price to pay. In the time-aligned configuration the mouth of 50Hz horn is 6”-8” ahead of tweeter – too, too, too, too, too much. I do give a credit to the elegant shape Jeffrey was trying to make his 50Hz horn but in going this shape he last some sq inches in midbass-horn mouth.  What I see would be much better if this shape midbass-horn would be sitting on the external left and right side of the system, mount to the right and left wall. Perhaps Jeffrey intended to do it but looking at the high of the frame he constricted it does not look so. If the midbass-horn goes on the side walls then the lover MF horn go to floor – it would be way more interesting configuration. In this configuration the midbass-horn might be used much closer to listening spot and the entire installation might work in much more extreme nearfiled – it would help a lot with the reportedly needed sparkles in sound…

Lover MF horn: The profile looks like from the classical GOTO playbook, probably 200Hz-220Hz horn and the channel most likely is crossed at 1kHz -2kHz. In Macondo I call it Fundamentals Channel - I love this channel. It might be a very interesting debate if the Lover MF horn should be faster or slower opening horn. With faster profile (Tratrix, LeCleach) we have more articulate but shallow lower end. With slower opening (exponential, parabolic) we have more LF extension but it is in a way more muddy bass, the slower opening also make gloriously softer bass… So, it is how it was used and there is no truly any golden rule in it… The key is what kind accent the Lover MF horn provides in the system.

MF horn: It looks like a compression driver in 500Hz  LeCleach horn. For me it is too far. The price of putting the midbass horn in front I think is too high… The presentce of the horizontal (!!!) surface above (look like a shelf for crossover) is absolutely prohibitive in my view

HF channel: I feel that tweeter is los in this configuration. The baffles around it too much and there are too much reflections for it to work as well as it can. One of the solutions would be to use a line array tweeter (ribbon) with very narrow (15-25degree) vertical firing diagram. But it will send the Lover MF horn even more up. So, do not put the Midbass horn below the MF… :-)

The Frame: I do not like it at all. Perhaps it is just a temporary solution juts for the show. The front tripod should not be there. The baffle with MF horn shell be stronger and shell hold the Lover MF horn without any front legs. If the Lover MF horn too heavy then use contra-level with added mass to balance out the Lover MF horn’s moment. I think the black-painted frame with the shelf and the front legs will be way more graceful solution, the solution that would visually connect the midbass horn and the Lover MF horn into one visually compiled system.

That is all for now... The caT

Posted by Romy the Cat on 05-27-2008
The 6moons has more images showing up the Jeffrey Jackson’ horn and Ming Su’s Goto drivers with more details (2 pages)

http://www.6moons.com/industryfeatures/vsac20082/vsac.html

The Cat

Posted by serenechaos on 05-30-2008
Having just returned from this show, I have a few comments on your comments...

1) Yes, it was the amp you posted the link to. 
2) Yes, the tweeter and two MF channel drivers were GOTO
3) Your estimates on flare rates aren't too far off (don't know if Jeffery want's them posted, but he was quite free with that, and all kinds of information at the show). 

4) The main thing I wanted to comment on though was "person complained about dried, over-damped sound with a heavy shortage of the necessary amount twinkleness and sparks." 
I was in and out of that room quite a few times, both days, and sometimes CDs were played, sometimes vinyl, sometimes really good tapes.  Sometimes the turntable was well adjusted, sometimes, well... not.. 
When it was right, it was hard to fault. 
Everything was integrated, and "locked in" and the front row of chairs was only ~8' from the Midbass horns. 
Everything from symphonys to solos--
Easily the best I've ever heard; i'm glad he brought it across the country to a show. 
Now I'm trying to decide what do do the same, and what to do different. 
I've wondered about that frame/front tripod. 
Would it diffract soundwaves from the high MF horn and tweeter? 

Posted by Romy the Cat on 05-30-2008

 serenechaos wrote:
Having just returned from this show, I have a few comments on your comments...

1) Yes, it was the amp you posted the link to. 
2) Yes, the tweeter and two MF channel drivers were GOTO
3) Your estimates on flare rates aren't too far off (don't know if Jeffery want's them posted, but he was quite free with that, and all kinds of information at the show). 

4) The main thing I wanted to comment on though was "person complained about dried, over-damped sound with a heavy shortage of the necessary amount twinkleness and sparks." 
I was in and out of that room quite a few times, both days, and sometimes CDs were played, sometimes vinyl, sometimes really good tapes.  Sometimes the turntable was well adjusted, sometimes, well... not.. 
When it was right, it was hard to fault. 
Everything was integrated, and "locked in" and the front row of chairs was only ~8' from the Midbass horns. 
Everything from symphonys to solos--
Easily the best I've ever heard; i'm glad he brought it across the country to a show. 
Now I'm trying to decide what do do the same, and what to do different. 
I've wondered about that frame/front tripod. 
Would it diffract soundwaves from the high MF horn and tweeter? 

Thanks, serenechaos

I do not invest a lot of credit in comment of my west coast friend, nether in your comment nor even in my own comment if I were in the room. The sound we get out of playbacks is something that serves our own sonic interests and audio adjectives. If I was at the show I would be interested in some specifics that would hardly wound be possible to furnish or to observe at show condition. Still, your comment that the Jeffery’s installation did throw some moments of excellence is nice to hear.

In the long run the actual result that Jeffery was able to obtain from that installation is not important. The most important is what and how he was trying to accomplish and that does have a great educational value.

Again, the Jeffery installation is the only commercials attempt that I have seen to time align channels by the way I do it – naturally. I said before and I will say again: horns-centric miss-align systems are crap and Jeffery’s intend is, in my view in very positive direction. It is hard to say anything further. Jeffery used Su’s GOTO drivers. GOTO are Morons and they advocated 4th orders crossovers. I hate those Linkwita-Riley fantasies about constant voltage – the people who use it juts have no ears. Still, I have no idea of GOTO might be used with slow crossovers, and I have no idea how Jeffery used them.

It is hard to judge what worth to imitate and what to do different – it would be nice to know what and how was done. In case GOTO drivers it would be hard for me for instance to predict anything with a degree of certainty and I did not play with GOTO drivers. From another side I was told that Jeffery sells the installation for $40K. It is not so huge price. Even if you obtain the drivers in Japan then they still will be around $10K-$15K that lives ~$25K for whole system.  The MF horn cost around $1K and the lower MF horn around $2K. That lives $1K-$2K for a frame (obviously it shell be better quality and design) and leaves ~$15K for big horn.  I think it is somewhere very reasonable numbers not to met ion that the drivers most like are being sold, even in wholesale, not as it might be sold in Japan.

So, considering that Jeffery demonstrates his ability for more of less sane horn construction considering that he is open for custom commissioning:

http://www.experiencemusic.net/philosophy.htm

, considering his reasonable prices I think that people who would look forward to build something similar might consider to recruit Jeffery for a custom project. The system need to be designed, estimated and tailored for the specific need - in my mind this is how any more or less serious installation shell be done. I think it is a good direction and if we have 5-6 builders in US with knowledge, taste and skills (not the Fitzmaurice-level fucking idiots that infested market nowadays) then in 5-10 years horn-loaded installations might be very far then they are now. In fact, if Jeffery (who is a young guy) will be in business then public has from him 2-5years when it would be possible to make his to do anything worthy and later the industry’s brain disease will forces him to make the same crap as any other audio company do in their plunge in reference points, descent of audio objectives and profit maximization.

Rgs, The Cat

Posted by serenechaos on 05-30-2008

I ask Jeffery about crossovers... 
Yes, the GOTO sub comes with a steep slope. 
The crossovers Jeffery built (all the horns) are 1st order, and cross-over points fine tuned by ear. 

The “what to do different or the same” question was just what was bouncing around in my head at the moment I was writing. 

I plan on building something with similar horns, but giving the mid-bass a rounder mouth, and mounted to the ceiling –
which will necessitate a different style mounting framework for the other horns. 

I wanted to use something which could easily adjust distance/angle until the right spot was found.  

Still in the planning stages. 
Robert

Posted by NBC on 05-30-2008
What I seek to know is: how did the midbass woofer Thiele-Small parameters change by cutting them in half to fit into the half-moon throats..?

I'm Horrified nobody has brought this up yet!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzJ7Km1tXKI&feature=related

Posted by Romy the Cat on 05-31-2008
Neil, it is a big secret but the Thiele-Small parameters not really applicable for horn loading. The mass and velocity centric operation of direct radiators spins around the T/S, however the pressure-centric horn loading much less depends from Thiele-Small.

Posted by NBC on 05-31-2008
Well on the upside, I suppose midbass woofer cost is reduced by Half..

Seriously though, I'm curious what shape throat and woofer (or driver) Jeffrey used in the ~50Hz bass/midbass horns.

Neil

Posted by serenechaos on 05-31-2008
Neil,
I hadn't thought of it that way-- it would save money, only have to run one wire to each midbass too! 
You're too funny! 

The link Romy posted earlier:
http://www.6moons.com/industryfeatures/vsac20082/vsac.html 
shows the throat. 

Perhaps write Jeffery for details on drivers used and other details.  
I don't know how many details the man wants to be made public? 
(They're not 50Hz, etc, but he was very free with information at the show). 
Really one of the nicest guys you could hope to meet. 

Posted by NBC on 05-31-2008
Hi  s e r e n e c h a o s,

Ok, now I see from the 6moons VSAC photos how the woofer was loaded...

I was 'worried' Jeffrey sliced his woofer into two equal halves and then placed a 'dividing board' straight through the woofer (as in midbass horns 'floor' and the situation of the Risen-from-Death Youtube woman)  

Neil

Posted by hagtech on 05-31-2008
I was not there!  But I like the idea of the halved horn.  Does that work?  Seems to me it creates a huge wavefront discontinuity.  Clever in terms of usability, anyway.  Also, the pillows.  They have to be messing with the rate of expansion.  I dunno.  Just doesn't seem right.

jh

Posted by NBC on 05-31-2008

Hello Jeffrey,

BUILDING UPON the inherent/latent Lloyd Wright-esque and Frank Gehry-esque aesthetic potentiality of your midbass horn design, and visually integrating the total horn package as a system within these aesthetic schools (or derivatives thereof) may become a personally rewarding endeavor for you, and a publicly well-received direction to take your future loudspeaker designs!


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Bowl

http://www.hollywoodbowl.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_lloyd_wright

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Wright

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_gehry


While the connection between 'good music' and the Hollywood Bowl aesthetic is obvious, indeed the marriage between the historical origins of horn loudspeaker technology and the Hollywood Bowl has historical precedent. I have before me copies of original 1933-1937 articles kindly given to me by Steve Schell describing the development at Bell Telephone Laboratories and installation by Western Electric's marketing subsidiary Electrical Research Products, Inc. of Dr. Harvey Fletcher's visionary horn loudspeaker sound reinforcement systems into the Hollywood Bowl. If executed well, the marriage between postmodern ultra-fidelity derivatives of original horn loudspeaker technologies with the aesthetic schools refenced above could grow to become an organic and, yes, even genetic synergy for both the Senses and the Psyche.


Regards,
Neil



Posted by Romy the Cat on 08-06-2009
fiogf49gjkf0d
If you look that Jeffrey Jackson’s midbass horn then you can see two pillows stuck into the horns belly.  Let presume that the pillows were placed there in purpose. So, here is homework for people who would like to flux their horny mussels: what is the purpose of those pillows?

JeffreyPilow.jpg

There is no reason to refer to the fact that you were at VSAC and heard or not the Jackson’s installation. Rather I would like to hear your take what you feel such a pillow out to do in such a horn. Jeffrey use a subwoofer in addition to this horn, let presume that the subwoofer was not used and the midbass is the lowers channel.  Also, if you feel it applicable: what characteristic of the given horns design might be changed that might produce the similar sonic effect as the insertion of the pillows but that would eliminate the needs of pillows.

The Cat
 

Posted by cv on 08-08-2009
fiogf49gjkf0d
Hey Romy,
Did I ever mention my sulphur hexafluoride idea to you? You fill a horn with this gas, sealing the front with some loose fitting heavy grade mylar or whatever. The horn can then be 44% of the size you'd otherwise need.

That said, this approach might need even more pillows...

cheers
cv

PS
I was going to email Jeffrey and ask about them - kind of like the scene at the movies in Annie Hall where the director is in the queue at the movie... But I'm pretty sure they all needed a place to crash after the beers were cracked open...



Posted by Romy the Cat on 08-08-2009
fiogf49gjkf0d
 cv wrote:
Did I ever mention my sulphur hexafluoride idea to you? You fill a horn with this gas, sealing the front with some loose fitting heavy grade mylar or whatever. The horn can then be 44% of the size you'd otherwise need.

Hm, you would be very surprise how close you hit. I is not about the gas-filled horn: I personally would like to have a riverside scenario – an ling as slow horn to let the sucker to build up the “umf” and slowly release the pressure. Where you were very close is in the idea of “solid horn”. The “solid horn” or a “hard horn” (both of them are bad transition from Russian) is concept invited by one guy in Russia. I met him at one of their audio forums and he very strongly advocated his invention. His horns have high exertion drivers at throat and a light suspended Mylar-like diaphragms hermetically covering mouth. The ratio: mouth to throat work across the confine air as gain magnifiers. I remember I argued with him proving to him many weak point of this idea. He did not badge and believed that it was a “way to go”. I need to mention that he is in low0key pro-audio world and build his speakers for young rock–roll bands. Anyhow, also I very much do not endorse the idea of the “hard horn” but it was done and tested.
 cv wrote:
I was going to email Jeffrey and ask about them - kind of like the scene at the movies in Annie Hall where the director is in the queue at the movie... But I'm pretty sure they all needed a place to crash after the beers were cracked open...

The fan part is that disagree with Jeffrey in his use of those Pillows. I did not talk to him but I have the site visitor who did spoke with Jeffrey about it sent me email about it. So, I feel that Jeffrey used the Pillows wrongly. However, my question was not ONLY about the Jeffrey’s motivations (OK, I thought that he would be kinkier :-) but rather what the pillows like this would do in a horn like this. I think it is a very good horn-thinking exercise. Do not use the HornResp to model it… :-)

The caT

Posted by cv on 08-08-2009
fiogf49gjkf0d
Well, I was thinking that there might be something of a "shock wave" created if they run too low, and the pillows might soften that up, almost as though one were trying to get the horn to behave more like a direct radiator at LF, where there is not enough space for the full horn flare?

That's just a guess -  I have very little experience of horns in that range - I've only heard folded back-loaded devices (utterly underwhelming).

That said, I do have is a single 160Hz/1.5" finally up and running on a compression driver, and it's a different world - stunning. Actually the results are exactly as JJ described. Need to get everything setup properly, which I will do later in the year as time permits.

Speaking of time permitting, I will edge down the frequency band in decades to come, I'm sure... I have some AK150s on the shelf, waiting....

cheers
cv






Posted by Romy the Cat on 08-09-2009
fiogf49gjkf0d
 cv wrote:
That said, I do have is a single 160Hz/1.5" finally up and running on a compression driver, and it's a different world - stunning. Actually the results are exactly as JJ described.
The JJ, is it Jeffrey Jackson? I have no idea what he described. The 160Hz and 1.5” throat? Is it 500Hz crossed and all the way up? A “different world – stunning”? What driver is it, what the horn profile, where is and how it crossed, what drives it and the most important what make your channel to sound as “different world”? I mean: what is the difference between your sound and the default good sound of JBL 2440? I very much not informed what audio visitors of this site are running home.

The Cat

Posted by cv on 08-09-2009
fiogf49gjkf0d
Ah yes, sorry - that wasn't remotely clear. The drivers I have played with briefly are S2 and field coil RCAs, both have the same 1.5" throat. I was referring to my initial impressions of the sound on Martin Seddon's 160Hz horn (T=0.8 JMLC). Previously I had not been impressed with the RCAs, but on the big horn they are a completely different animal. Very vivid, "energetic" presentation - as though the air is charged with static electricity (but in a good way, not crackly!). They seem to bring some of the S2 quality to the lower mids, but only when playing on a big horn. I've heard the term "snap" used in some circles but never really got it until now.

X/O was about 350Hz - 400Hz first order.

JJ (indeed, Jeffrey) mentioned to me a while back what delights might be had from a large tractrix / JMLC horn paired with a capable compression driver in the 300Hz+ range - without recalling his exact words, I do recall thinking that I finally understood what he described. That's all...

In any case, this is merely a preliminary play - many many things to sort out, and no time for the next couple months, but I will report back...


Best,
cv


Posted by Romy the Cat on 08-09-2009
fiogf49gjkf0d
Which RCA driver you use? RCA had a few drivers the pre and after war. I am familiar with a few after war drivers that I tried in my 330Hz horn and I was not impressed. Reportedly the pre-war MI-1428B shall be the one to play with; I did not have this one. I think the 1428B is the one that Cogent replicated. I am not a big fun of Cogent’s results but I heard it long time ago when they in my view used it absolutely improperly, I have no idea what they do nowadays and I never had my own Cogent drivers.  The MI-1428B is the one I think that Jonathan Weiss used when I visited him a couple years back. It is very difficult to say anything about the sound of that MI-1428B. It looks like has some interning moments but all interesting moment in the sound were completely shattered by very incompetent and very senseless organization of that playback. I did have an intention when I was going in there to ask Jonathan to play for me the individual drivers of his installation to figure out how the whole sound is shaped but observing what Jonathan had absolutely no interest or even a capacity to express interests about Sound I did not abused him.  I spent in there a day and believe of not we did not even talk about sound or about what his installation does. Jonathan was for whatever reason very self-intimidate and kept lot of efforts for damage control – it was in a way a pity to see, so I did not push his buttons as he felt extremely vulnerable and very insecure.  His installation looks like used RCA driver for all channels the whole trip was in my view absolutely not educational as it did not demonstrate the capacity of RCA sound but rather demonstrated the outcome of a typically deranged audio efforts.

It looks like there is a community of RCA uses around the Oswald's Mill but I have a very a very uneasy feeling about the atmosphere that rules among those people. Knowing personally many of them I did not see in them honest and adulterated interest about sound or about audio (I do not even talking about music – 30 seconds conversation with Jonathan about music will make you deaf) but rather they exhibit a very strange cult-fraternity attitude. I was very distressed a few years back (I think it was 2004-5) when they had their annual meeting and each of them made a lot of effort to publicize the “beautify of the sound” they got at the Mill but the very same people in private conversation with me not only admitted that the sound was horrible but they invested a lot of efforts to dump dirt to each other.  I was not there and I do not know how accurate their assessments about sound were but I know that in this environment there is no reasonable audio criticism is possible and frankly there is no my respect or interest are possible. Those “RCA enthusiasts” had their annual meeting last month right here in Boston near me but I did not spend efforts to be invited. I know very well what kind sound they had in there and what height of audio interest was dominating in there. It is not really my level….

I tell you this story to indicate the general level of awareness that I observe around the RCA-biased people so far. In fact, your few comments are a very first attempt to talk about RCA sound I heard. I did not know that Jeffrey Jackson used RCA. I know that he one of those idiots who deal with Jonathan Weiss (who fancies himself a “designer” recently but I feel that Jonathan and the celebrated “angeloitacare” are the same person), so Jeffrey might pick some RCA idea from there. I was under impression that Jeffrey uses GOTO drivers, from what he expressed at this site he sounded perfectly sane and I hoped he would be able to make GOTO to sound at least demonstrable. I did not know that he went for RCA drivers. Frankly, the whole atmosphere among those that I observed around RCA very much turned me my interest of from RCA drivers. It might be pity as RCA did in past some interesting things… I wish the RCA audio efforts from past were not wrecks by the idiocy of some current RCA ”enthusiasts”  that I know….

The Cat

Posted by cv on 08-09-2009
fiogf49gjkf0d

Without wishing to open a can of worms....

Mine are the 1443 - same as the 1428B save for the field coil voltage. I've finally got round to ins talling some of Cogent's replacement diaphragms to restore them properly. I can't say enough good things about Steve and Rich and how helpful they have been. I wonder if their bigger driver, with its 4" throat might fit your requirements for midbass when you sort out your new abode?

Regarding Jeffrey's comments to me - they were more regarding what to expect of the horns, more so than the driver they were used with. He is indeed using GOTO, he has the RCAs and many others, but I should end this hearsay! Let's just say that he is one of a very small handful of people who I trust on these matters and leave it at that!

cheers


     


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