Horn loading of cones and domes drivers (i.e. not compression)

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Hi ! i understand that at least two speakers manufacturers (i.e. Avantgarde and Acapella) use horn loading on cone and dome drivers
I have listened to both in the past and i have been extremely well impressed by the clean and powerful sound
I wonder why they are alone in this approach
Then has anyone tried horn loading not compression drivers ? do horns for this application exist ?
 
I've done a few. Eg...

phaseplug1.jpg
 
Not to mention Multi Entry Horns where the mids and mid bass / bass drivers (sometimes 2, 4 or 6) are regular cone drivers playing through holes or slots into the horn in compression format.

There's usually a compression driver HF at the throat for the higher efficiency (to keep up with the other multiple drivers) and keep everything 1/4 wavelength distance more easily?
In a domestic setting you could have one cone driver at the end, one MF driver and one mid bass and it might work fine.

I think I've read somewhere someone putting a ribbon HF on.

Here's a MEH

Screenshot_20241014_075742_com.android.chrome~2.jpg


Images borrowed from another place.
 
You mean all the horns you can buy are for compression drivers? That might be correct.
Hi Yes indeed
I must elaborate a little
I have seen a frequency response of a day audio d54 as It is and horn loaded
I was amazed
The usable range extended a lot in the lower Hz
I can't find the source anymore
Then I remembered me listening to a pair of speakers from Acapella using a big horn on a d54 I think
By far the best midrange I have ever heard
Perfect!
At one point I think someone was selling 3D printed horns but I'm not sure they bolted right to a dome tweeter or whatever. Such would be excellent products to beg Parts Express for!
Thank you very much
I can only assemble parts taken from here and there
For instance I take the amps from broken powered speakers and use them to power other passive speakers
I can only put things together
 
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Not to mention Multi Entry Horns where the mids and mid bass / bass drivers (sometimes 2, 4 or 6) are regular cone drivers playing through holes or slots into the horn in compression format.

There's usually a compression driver HF at the throat for the higher efficiency (to keep up with the other multiple drivers) and keep everything 1/4 wavelength distance more easily?
In a domestic setting you could have one cone driver at the end, one MF driver and one mid bass and it might work fine.

I think I've read somewhere someone putting a ribbon HF on.

Here's a MEH

View attachment 1367713

Images borrowed from another place.
Hi this is amazing but much more complex
I would love to try small fullranges in this arrangement
That could be something
Maybe just two of them covering from 200 Hz up
 
much more complex
I would love to try small fullranges in this arrangement
That could be something
Maybe just two of them covering from 200 Hz up
It is Multiway etc. DSP is your friend.

I just copied what was out there.
Worked brilliantly.

So well my 5 way individual horns (Le Cléach HF / Tractrix MF / Exponential LF) system was replaced by one MEH🙂

There are plans for smaller 2 way versions and build blogs here on DIYaudio of course.

Down to 200Hz with perhaps a 6" MF would be doable.
8" drivers with rear enclosure can see you down to 70 - 80Hz.
Then you just need a sub.

This is from the ATH4 thread.
3d printed!👍
I'm in awe of what they are doing.
I'm old school wood so far.

Screenshot_20241008_204622_com.android.chrome~2.jpg


You could have a cone HF and 1 or 2 8" LFs.

Don't be thinking these are only for PA. They sound amazing nearfield and hifi detail / vol levels. But with the single point sound source and if you go phase coherent on the XOs its another level.
 
Thank you very much
I can only assemble parts taken from here and there
For instance I take the amps from broken powered speakers and use them to power other passive speakers
I can only put things together
If you look around you will find different models and versions from different mfgs.
To take some examples:

JBL has a selection of waveguides/horns that are buyble. Either made for the CMCD 61/82H or the cinema versions used with 6,5".
Just look up the corresponding speaker and manual to get the model number or designation.
Limmerhorn sells a few versions.
The QSC cinema horns are sourceable from China clones or not idk.
Autotech has the SEOS 24-4" made for the 2169H CMCD from JBL:

https://www.pispeakers.com/catalog/...ucts_id=104&osCsid=fploh4d256glnudg7bvgcau072
 
Thank you very much to You all !
i am very impressed by your creations
The horns design and construction is really a work of art and physics
They not only increase SPL for a same level of distortion but can increase also the usable bandwidth of a driver !
i cannot find the graph of the loaded D54 vs unloaded It was shocking The horn loading completely transformed the driver response
There was only the FR but i am quite sure that also the distortion went down quite a bit
I already know that when done right the results can be amazing So much better than unloaded drivers There is no comparison
I was shocked by the loaded D54 on the Acapella Violon i think The choir was not a reproduction It sounded real
The bass instead was quite poor in comparison Almost detached
Like with Avantgarde Duo by the way even if the bass was powered
 
Not to mention Multi Entry Horns where the mids and mid bass / bass drivers (sometimes 2, 4 or 6) are regular cone drivers playing through holes or slots into the horn in compression format.

There's usually a compression driver HF at the throat for the higher efficiency (to keep up with the other multiple drivers) and keep everything 1/4 wavelength distance more easily?
In a domestic setting you could have one cone driver at the end, one MF driver and one mid bass and it might work fine.

I think I've read somewhere someone putting a ribbon HF on.

Here's a MEH

View attachment 1367713

Images borrowed from another place.
Hi very very nice
i will try to understand something
i am still a fan of the two box solution with a head above a separate bass box
but the nice thing of great concepts is that they can be scaled
a MEH head with two good midranges and a tweeter could sound wonderful
an horn loaded MTM
I love MTM
some years ago i was using two decent center channels as L and R
Very nice sound
 
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I would just confirm, that for home, you can get away with a single midrange driver (and bass if you wish, too) in a MEH. My largest MEH had a single 8" (8PE21, 2x Faital 3FE22 sounded and measured almost identically on the same horn) and a single 18" for bass, with EQ boost, this was almost full range, flat down to around 30 Hz at home volumes. Multiple smaller bass drivers work as good as less larger ones - any cheap, low Fs woofers would do, since the band is very limited and you do not have to worry about breakup region.