What does an Oris horn do?

[Rick J. B.]

I mean besides looking cool as heck.

Obviously they do something that a box or baffle doesn't do. I've never read anything negative about them. The only comment I've heard that even approaches a negative one has been their cost. And considering what some speaker systems cost their not really expensive.

Any of you guys had the opportunity to listen to the Oris horns?

So what is the science behind them?

Rick

[Scottmoose]

They're a front loaded horn. See Martin's site for some design theory: http://www.quarter-wave.com/Horns/Front_Horn.pdf

[chrisb]

Rick - the front horn part of the Oris system is only for the mids on up - you'll still need a pair of woofers of some description.

so a potential "negative" factor would be the size and cost of additional drivers / cabinets / active XO and power amps for same.

Neither do they integrate an image particularly well in small rooms, such as the 200sqft or so hotel rooms in which I've heard them at audio shows.

[Rick J. B.]

After reading Martin's paper on horns of this type, which Scott so kindly linked to, it seems that a horn like an Oris couldn't be added to the front of a BIB. To bad, that would look pretty sharp, though I'm sure my wife would disagree.

Rick

[Ken L]

But basically, a horn is an "acoustic" amplifier.

If you look back at the original hand cranked record players, they had a "megaphone" looking device that is a type of horn.

Horns also have different dispersion charactistics than "box" speakers.

Horns are often found today in Pro sound use, because their characteristics and benefits are directly applicable to their usage in that field.

Shape, type of flare, rate of flare, etc all play into this.

An Oris horn is a short throw horn, designed to be used with an 8 Inch driver that has a cutoff somewhere around 200 hz or so - which is a slightly awkward point to cross over since the subs have to go somewhat higher in order to get good integration.

To get a lower cutoff point, you have to go to a larger horn.

I am using Azurahorns, which have a LeCleac'h flare and a lower cut-off, but are pretty large for home use - 32" diameter.

Search the form for Azurahorn and there's a pic I posted of mine.

To me, horns seem to "uncompress" the music and make it more "lifelike" and "magical"

Caveat: I am triamping a three way horn system and am prejudiced.

PS, I think they're cool looking too _grin_

[Ken L]

Originally posted by Rick J. B.
After reading Martin's paper on horns of this type,

the Oris is marketed as a "modified" tractix, not an exponential - I didn't read the 25 page pdf, and am not sure how much of that applies to the Oris, but I don't believe it all does. I'm sure Martin didn't mean for that paper to be a "complete" paper on all horns. There is a lot more to horns than could be contained in 25 pages.

An Oris could probably could put one on the front of a BIB, but will change the numbers and require quite a bit of effort and knowledge to do so correctly -

I have seen serious discussions of such round "front horn" /back horn combinations but at the moment cannot remember someone doing such a combination successfully.

Sadly, I don't believe there is a US distributor for Oris since Ron Welborne quit carrying them.

More horn enthusiasts seem to inhabit High Efficiency at AA than other places, although I do see GM and some of the others here. There are some posts about front horns in the loudspeaker/loudspeaker section here, but not that often.

When I say horn, _I_ usually mean "front" horn, instead of back horn - and simply add "back" to distinguish a "back horn" which is a similar but different animal.

Back when they split the Loudspeaker forum here at DIYAUDIO into the current categories of "full range", Subs, planar, etc. I suggested a seperate category for Horns but it didn't make the cut. Sadly, again _sad smile_

Horns _are_ different than other types of loudspeakers.

They're more "magical" sounding, IMHO.

CAVEAT - I am prejudiced _grin_

[Scottmoose]

No, it's just his introduction to FLHs using 1/4 wave resonant theory. I fyou look on his website you'll find that's just one chapter in his expanding series on horn theory and design documents, with particular referecne to his MathCad worksheets.

[marekst]

“the front horn part of the Oris system is only for mids on up”
Not even for mids on up. Oris and the look alikes do not load at high frequency. Oris only blows up mids exaggerating humpy response of full range driver like Lowther. You need a 3 way system to make it work but to make it work well you need a 3 way all horn system. Some people prefer the sound of 3 way Oris system to distorted sound of back loaded horns because almost all back loaded horns are fundamentally screwed up contraptions folded into wooden coffins. The labyrinth called a horn works more as a series of boxes. No amount of BS modeling and propaganda will unfold folded horn.
I prefer simple single driver system with true back loaded horns. I haven’t heard an Oris.

http://gallery.audioasylum.com/cgi/v...erImages=21150

Marek

[Scottmoose]

Yes. Well. Unfortunately, not all of us are in the same enviable position as yourself Marek. That's a heck of a setup.

On the subject of BLHs, personally, providing it's done well, I couldn't care tuppence if it's folded or not. Problem is, very few are done well. I'd rather have a hybrid one using some QW action to help the LF than not have one at all.

[Dumbass]

The expansion of a horn converts a high energy, low amplitude pressure wave into a low energy, high amplitude pressure wave.