horn loading and multiple speakers

[oublie]

would a horn loaded line array function with an improved or reduced combing effect due to diaphram centre distance? What im thinking is that above the 3khz point or thereabouts on a 4 inch speaker array combing begines so would a horn design counteract this due to reflections withing the horn? also what would be the implications regarding high frequency response?

thanks.

[mwmkravchenko]

You could for instance create a horn with a narrow throat that would push up the available high frequency response limit from the horn itself. This is generally the case with mid to high frequency horns. They use a narrow throat to push up the frequency where the reflections from the horn cancel out the sound reproduced by the driver. But you still get problems with the limited response available from a given horn configuration. As in how large a horn do you want to get into building? Are you willing to trade off ease of build for performance.

The good news.

But in a line array you get stupendous efficiency if you use enough drivers. The choice you gave of a 4" driver is a good one. Your combing effect will indeed start around 4 to 6khz but in general it is not very noticeable. This is due to the fact that you are generally listening at least 6 to 8 feet away and the combing effects lessen as you move away from the baffle of the speaker enclosure.

So short answer. Don't worry be happy!
Your line source with the right drivers and enough of them will do everything you want.

Mark

[GM]

Only until its throat induced beaming, so its compression ratio will limit HF BW without either a phase plug or a suspended HF horn in front of each driver. You can focus the array though and use the horn to control its directivity, but this is no trivial pursuit to get right and tends to be huge for the line length, so DSL appears to be using a combination of old diffuser technologies (JBL's plate diffuser and WE's horn within a horn) for wide BW control of their Synergy GH-60 line array horn system. What was once old is yet new again.

Bottom line, AFAIK there's no way to do a good job without excessive 'coloration' (distortion) going hand-in-hand, so other than as an experiment, not something I'd consider for HIFI, though probably fine for HT.

GM