front loading alpairs!?

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#3
Presumably. Although technically they could be used in a BP or Karlson.

Anyway, assuming front horn, like the above, there's no technical reason why they couldn't be. Whether it's a good idea or not depends on what it is you're trying to achieve (and how well designed the horn is to attain whatever the design objectives are, of course 😉 ).
 
#4
since alpair 10.2 is a fullranger, lets assume it as similar to compression driver (ignore specs differences) and many CDs are front loaded(horn loaded) or waveguide loaded, for wider dispersion(dont know what other advantages it have). so by front loading alpairs, can we achieve improvement in performance (perhaps wider dispersion and higher sensitivity). ofcourse we will have to xover to alpairs at the xover point of waveguide/horn.
 
#5
There was this guy who had some giant plywood horns running a 4" Fostex...........he had a video on YT for awhile but took it down, so many people were asking him so many questions, then it was gone. He really didn't answer any questions.


_________________________________________________________Rick.........
 

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#6
If it's who I think it was (almost certainly Derek) that's probably because he didn't design it. It was done by a chap in Europe somewhere, and was what he described as a dipole horn, since the driver front loaded a fairly short, large terminus horn, but had no compression chamber to the rear. Technically not the best performer I've ever seen, and LF support is mandatory since the horn was only tuned to get down to the lower-midband.
 
#7
True, it was open in the rear.......It did have a rich & detailed voicing....as he made sure to record it on video with the best audio he could muster.......You could hear the changes in tone clearly as the camera slowly walked around to the back of the horn. I have indeed contemplated such a horn for a pair of 6X9s I have..........Coordinating wood cuts, dimensions, "Can I move it within the house with given dimensions" With my long-term 12B4 amp in development, the problem of low power, "What I have to work with" takes hold. The idea of horn loading for SPL gains............plus it would look way cool...Thought about naming it "Big Blue" in honor of the Giant Crane that fell......& painting it blue.


____________________________________________________Rick.......
 
#9
Richard Ellis said:
There was this guy who had some giant plywood horns running a 4" Fostex...........he had a video on YT for awhile but took it down, so many people were asking him so many questions, then it was gone. He really didn't answer any questions.


_________________________________________________________Rick.........
Click to expand...

I have seen those youtube videos, its gone now
but its very similar to ferguson hill...
Ferguson Hill Loudspeakers - YouTube
 
#12
Yes. That's what the Altec Voice of the Theatre (VOTT) range were for e.g. You really need to know exactly what you're doing and why though if you want to get decent performance; it's not quite as straightforward as you might think.

Hornrsp and Akabak can model such designs. There's not much practical use for them in most home audio situations though.
 
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#13
soundnovice said:
let the driver be backloaded or boxed(MLTL)! we can still add a front loading horn right?
if even remotely this idea makes sense(!) then my next question would be is there any software for designing such thing?
Click to expand...

The Beauhorn uses both front and rear loading with a Lowther DX4. These sounded really good, but alas still needed subwoofer help to sound right/balanced. I've used a front horn to tame a "shouty" driver (DX55), but rear loading still did not provide enough gain to match it.

For Alpairs, think shortish horn to not attenuate the highs too much and provide gain to compensate for BSC down to around 200Hz or so for a reasonable size, then the rear load will take over around 200Hz or so. Purist single driver approach and could be done, but so much easier with EQ and/or adding a woofer.
 
#15
As far as I know, the main attraction for front loaded horn is to get an increase in SPL / sensitivity. I thought front loaded horns tended to be limited to 3 octaves and therefore full range wasn't realistic. But if you could do a front loaded horn with the 10.3, achieve higher SPL - it might be a fun thing to try. I agree, not much point in front loading if you put a MLTL on the back.
 
#17
For discussion sake, say I liked the Pencil with the 10.3 but wanted a bit more sensitivity. Let's say a bit more means 3dB at least. And if I didn't want the phase delay associated with a backloaded horn or bass reflex. So I then look to a front loaded horn. Is it feasible to get the frequency response of the Pencil in a front loaded horn, with greater sensitivity ?
 
#18
Not really since they're designed for completely different things.

Leaving the basic alignment issues aside, if you want to go 1-way driver & vaguely full-range then an FLH isn't practical. They are not immune from the laws of physics, so to get low you'll need a straight (as in unfolded) horn. Think ~10ft long, minimum. You can go compound loading to increase efficiency with either a bass horn or vented box on the back. That works, the VOTTs are good examples, though since they were intended for use in cinemas (the clue being in their name) they didn't necessarily make ideal domestic speakers without some redesign.
 
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