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In Reply to: RE: Making the move to high efficiency seems impossible... posted by PranaBindu on March 21, 2012 at 13:29:58
"I think I'm missing drama, slam, dynamic agility from my current system,"
It's best to make an objective assessment of what your system isn't doing that you want it to do. The problem may not be your speakers, it may be that your amplifier isn't up to the job, or it may be that the room sound is interfering with achieving the clarity you seek, or...
You might consider getting an equalizer to tailor the sound to your liking, or maybe just turning up the midrange and treble will do the trick.
It's best to make an objective assessment of what your system isn't doing that you want it to do, before you make a significant change. (Wait, I already said that.) :)
In any case, before you go off and get directional horns or wide dispersion cones/domes, consider your room. In a fairly live and open space, horns can be excellent for you. But in a fairly dead space, you might not be so happy being relegated to a small "sweet spot". Cones and domes can sound excellent in either.
So, consider your space. Do you have a large percentage of hard surfaces, not over-cushy ("big soft") furniture, and a fairly open home? Or, do you have something more toward the opposite?
I'm a big fan of matching speakers to rooms and listening habit preferences, so these things matter to me. Personally, I don't want to have to sit in one of two chairs where the sound is "perfect". I'm more like you - I want it to sound great over a large area. Yes, there is a "sweet spot" in my house, but I can wander around and it still sounds great!
Our good buddy Duke might want to chime in here regarding the wide and even dispersion thingy, and other thoughts.
hth
Follow Ups:
This is a good point. A lot of audiophile horns today have extremely narrow dispersion creating a "head in the vise" effect. This includes, especially, the typical tractrix round horn. Radial horns have less of this effect, and vintage multicell horns can also be satisfying. However, for a more even dispersion, similar to a cone driver, some sort of contemporary constant-directivity solution would be best. There are a number of solutions here, but I would suggest a conical design. NOTE: all constant-directivity horns require equalization. Basically, by spreading the high frequencies over a wider area, you are lowering their level at any one area. So, you have to boost them.
"But in a fairly dead space, you might not be so happy being relegated to a small "sweet spot". Cones and domes can sound excellent in either."
Horns come in a wide range of dispersion patterns. I've owned horns with horizontal patterns as narrow as 60 degrees and as wide as 130.
Right! And direct radiator speakers can have a very narrow "one seat sweet spot" too. I've heard some Magicos and Sonus Fabers at a local audio salon that were notable one-seat-wonders. I thought the Focals they demonstrated at a later date sounded better in this regard, and they cost some $10,000 less. K Horns, while they sound good in terms of dynamics, are not known for being "imaging" speakers. PWK never bought into the whole time alignment thing. I've heard K Horns in smallish rooms, and I would'nt expect a narrow sweet spot to be a problem with them. It all depends on what you mean by "small room".
Paul
It is very easy. Sell everything and start from scratch.'No time or patience to DIY.' - Then stick with what you have and stop complaining.
Edits: 03/24/12 03/24/12
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