Round Conical vs. Triangular Conical "HornGuide"?

[peteleoni]

"HornGuide" > Coining new term for obvious reasons.

But straight to questions: (After wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!).

Assuming that the driver throat to horn shape transition is properly made, and for the moment taking all of the throat transition issues out if the equation, would the dispersion pattern of a triangular conical "hornguide" be about, or nearly the same as a round conical horn of the same angle?

I ask this because I have always assumed the wave front at the mouth of the driver to be sort of spherical. I have been reading about everything I can get my hands on and I have to say I am confused. If it is not inherently spherical and if by using a round horn we are in fact sort of reshaping ( nessecarily distorting) it, then would not a triangular conical horn be better or at least equal to a round conical horn?

I am also wondering (if in fact this turns out to be the case) could not the triangular/tetrahedral cone shape yield the same advantages over a square (pyramidal) cone shape that a round conical horn does, (no 90 degree etc.) but without the construction headaches of a round conical "horn guide"?) I don't mean to open either a can of worms or a can of stupid here but it hadn't escaped me that if these questions are to be asked, this is the place to ask them!

[badman]

There's a lot of complexity there. Consider the challenge of transitioning from a round mouth to a triangle, while retaining the same pathlength and a smooth profile- More sides makes it easier, a triangle is the worst case scenario in that regard.

[sreten]

Hi,

I don't get this fascination with triangular conical horns,
they seem utterly awful which is why I've never seen one.

rgds, sreten.

[djn]

I don't know the math or theory but I do know that all the round horns I've ever owned or listened to had a very narrow sweet spot. All the rectangular horns I've owned or listened to had a wide sweet spot.

Since I listen to music in only one position, I stuck with the round horns.

[head_unit]

Earl Geddes would say (much more eloquently) that a round mouth is preserving the wave shape from the round compression driver. He would also say that the dispersion is quite important and he uses oblate spheroidal geometry.

I think about soap bubbles: have you seen a square one? A triangular one? It's not natural, and not a natural way for a wave to spread from a round source. Round is the most natural, followed by elliptical.

The rectangular geometries are all about wave pattern control-like dispersion and sweet spot. And for consumer stuff, marketing appearance.

As an acoustic engineer, I cannot imagine what a triangle shape would be good for in this case. But thanks for raising the question-it's an interesting idea. Maybe someone will come up with a good use for it.

[POOH]

Triangular conical horns will serve the purpose if you desire that pattern, question is why?

[bear]

He was thinking of putting it in a place in the room where that worked, iirc...

[POOH]

Originally Posted by bear

He was thinking of putting it in a place in the room where that worked, iirc...

Like what laying on the floor listening to art bell?

[djn]

Wouldn't the two side walls and ceiling intersection be a triangle conical?

[whgeiger]

Originally Posted by head_unit

>snip<
As an acoustic engineer, I cannot imagine what a triangle shape would be good for in this case. But thanks for raising the question-it's an interesting idea. Maybe someone will come up with a good use for it.

... formed by an adjoining floor (or ceiling) and two walls

a wave emanating from there will 'see' a triangular boundary. The mouth of a low frequency horn may be designed to fit this boundary condition.

Regards,

WHG