NEED to hear some Tapped Horns

[Top Shelf]

Before I delve into the realm of this speaker type, I would love to hear (and measure) the differences between a 12,15 or 18" BR and the equivalent sized Tapped Horn(12,15 or 18) ,hopefully both with the same model driver. Is there any DIY'er around the Toronto/ Barrie area I could come and listen to the differences,. Thanks for any replies!

[bentoronto]

Originally Posted by Top Shelf

Before I delve into the realm of this speaker type, I would love to hear (and measure) the differences between a 12,15 or 18" BR and the equivalent sized Tapped Horn(12,15 or 18) ,hopefully both with the same model driver. Is there any DIY'er around the Toronto/ Barrie area I could come and listen to the differences,. Thanks for any replies!

Me too.

There's a brilliant and talented guy named mwmkravchenko in Perth with THs and real horns, great taste in music, knowledge of where the 32 foot pitch organ notes are recorded, very smart, and I wish we could visit him.

Do you suppose bringing pizza and beer would help? Caviar, smoker sturgeon and cream cheese?

Not saying there aren't other talented people nearer.

My own unjustified theory: TH lets you have loud sound across an octave and half. If that's your goal, TH may be the recipe. You get loud sound for minimum excursion and you can do front-and-back twin drivers in the mouth for additional benefits. But tricky to get all the phases and resonances to line up for that octave and a half without a lot of trial and error.

I was at the Stockey Centre in Parry Sound, your neck of the woods, this week for some chamber music concerts as part of Festival of the Sound - reverb time is like 2 seconds in there. Great hall.

[Top Shelf]

Pizza and beer sound great! I would love to hear different types of music
as well. An octave and a half? From what I've read here there seems to be a
little more bandwidth than that?(Driver dependant)! I have been a big fan of
building 15" and 18" BR's and FLH's for many years but I would like to see
what all the hype's about. Seems everyone that builds one or two has the power
to knock down buildings and make grown men cry.

[Top Shelf]

Just looked up perth!!!! Bit far I'm looking max 2 1/2
Hrs...... Someone chime in with a bit of extra time to
show off your beasts! I'll bring the treats!

[bentoronto]

Originally Posted by Top Shelf

Pizza and beer sound great! I would love to hear different types of music
as well. An octave and a half? From what I've read here there seems to be a
little more bandwidth than that?(Driver dependant)! I have been a big fan of
building 15" and 18" BR's and FLH's for many years but I would like to see
what all the hype's about. Seems everyone that builds one or two has the power
to knock down buildings and make grown men cry.

Ah, you are exactly right about driver size and how that seems to mold the edges of the frequency compass (in my ignorant opinion). That is why there seems to be a lot of "art" in making them despite the fanatical attachment everywhere in the subwoofer forum to simulations and trust in their predictions.

HYPE!!! Now them's fightin' words on certain threads. Sure glad I didn't use a word like that. Take care.

Yes, near Ottawa. A picturesque nice town - with canals. Famous giant cheese sent to the Chicago fair of 1893 and reproduced in their museum. Quite a beautiful trip for you through Algonquin Park and Bancroft. Doubly so in the fall colour season and multiply so if biking.

[mwmkravchenko]

I think I heard my name used.

Ben you know how to make a guy turn red!

Thanks for the complements.

Only two quasi tapped horns in the shop at the moment. And a really big 12" FLH. A true tapped horn I have not made yet.

For what I have modeled it is very driver specific. And modeled I mean designed one that approaches the efficiency of a FLH. Check the baseline 2Pi efficiencies of almost all of the posted tapped horns. THey are not really tapped horns ala Danley but tappered pipes.

JBell has done a really well worked out tapped horn.

Mark

[Brian Steele]

Originally Posted by mwmkravchenko

Check the baseline 2Pi efficiencies of almost all of the posted tapped horns. THey are not really tapped horns ala Danley but tappered pipes.

I think a lot of the suggested designs you're seeing here are driven not only by how big a box the designer is willing to live with, but also what drivers they'd prefer to use and what passband they're aiming for, and of course their budget.

[mwmkravchenko]

I think a lot of the suggested designs you're seeing here are driven not only by how big a box the designer is willing to live with, but also what drivers they'd prefer to use and what passband they're aiming for, and of course their budget.

Yep. That is it in a nutshell.

Have you done any modeling of Tapped horns Brian? Your not exactly a newbie either. It would be interesting to discuss your findings.

Mark

[Brian Steele]

Originally Posted by mwmkravchenko

Yep. That is it in a nutshell.

Have you done any modeling of Tapped horns Brian? Your not exactly a newbie either. It would be interesting to discuss your findings.

Mark

I've modelled several dozens (e.g. almost 12" driver in the PE catalog) and discarded almost as much . Almost completed work on my second POC using a cheap 12" driver from PE in fact. Based on published specs, it's certainly no TH-112, but it is less than half the gross size, does a respectable 40 Hz and can be built for $180 or less, including the driver.

[mwmkravchenko]

Good to hear someone else has been after the concept. A proper horn is a tough nut to crack.

From some reverse engineering I'll say this much. A true tapped horn driver closely resembles a good car audio driver. The closest thing available was the peerless XLS line of drivers. William Cowan did some great work on that driver.

William Cowan's Homepage

The lab 12 can be coaxed into some decent output in a decent box. but it requires a bit of modification.

Mark