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Horns are the oldest form of sound amplification known to man. Already when the first man formed a funnel using his hands to render his voice more perceivable, the principle of amplification by acoustic transformation was invented.
Most wind instruments use horns to enlarge their sound emitting surface.
The principle was also used in the early cinemas' speaker systems, which drove shivers down the audience's spines. They had to fill a huge room with sound, using only the input from a rather weak tube amplifier. So, given highly efficient speakers, you need no more than simple, neutral amplifier design to achieve truly amazing results.
Bass frequencies, which normally would be transformed into heat inside a speaker case, are channeled through a funnel of precisely defined hyperbolic contours, undergoing an acoustic transformation which eventually delivers impressive natural amplification - the visible opening of the horn acts like a membrane of the same size, yet, not having a mass, without all the disadvantages of moving masses.
The efficiency of conventional speakers lies somewhere around 2 percent, i.e. 98 percent of the supplied energy is transformed into heat. Typical efficiency ratings of horns vary between 10 and 12 percent. This enormous advantage allows you to use low output tube amplifiers, delivering subtle dynamics and smooth frequency response even at very low volumes. But of course, you're not limited to these levels; playback at actual concert volume is not a problem either.
Using only one full-range driver in a speaker gets as close as possible to an ideal point-like sound source. It emits the entire audible frequency spectrum, and unlike speakers with several drivers, doesn't need shunts and can be connected directly to the amp.
For multi-way speaker systems, however, the input signal must be split in the different frequency ranges, which requires significant technical efforts, bringing about a number of severe problems:
You get phase displacements. A single sonic event, that should reach the ear at a distinct point of time, is broken up into a number of discrete events, thus impairing the precision of sound reproduction.
Directional hearing requires a certain interaural time variance. If this variance is ambiguous, however, depth information and plasticity get lost. Formants are frequency ranges containing particularly strong harmonics. They have great influence on the timbre of a sound. When formants are distributed over more than one driver, the characteristic spectra of instruments and human voices are impaired.
Psychoacoustics teaches us about the recognition of instruments depending greatly from its temporal flow, especially attack and decay. If the reproduction of these events is not correct, characteristic features of instruments are mangled. The consequence: the sound seems sterile.
Full-range drivers eliminate all of these problems. The resulting homogeneity and plasticity are superior to everything you could expect from multi-way speakers. The character of the performance remains unadulterated. The music sounds deceptively real. The atmosphere of the room where the music was recorded, be it a great concert hall or an intimate jazz club, is reproduced amazingly well. You'll feel like actually being there, not like listening to a sound conserve.
One of the most important aspects in the process of design at Hornmanufaktur is to avoid standing waves and resonances, which would otherwise spoil the great fidelity of reproduction.
The sides of the speaker cases are realized in sumptuous sandwich construction (several layers), restrained using braces and layers of bitumen. This approach yields a high inner density, nipping resonances in the bud. The lavish curves prevent standing waves before they can even develop. Cavities are filled with sound-absorbing material.
The resulting precision certainly is one of the keys to success.
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We use the best full-range drivers on the market.
Our speakers are designed with highest fidelity and speed in mind.
The drivers have the most advanced high-performance membranes made of banaba fibres, whose hyperbolic-parabolic geometry reduces distortion to an absolute minimum while at the same time providing the uppermost stiffness of the sound emitting surface. The membranes have been varnished with a natural resin lacquer developed exclusively for Hornmanufaktur.
Their strong actuation makes these drivers simply perfect for horn speakers.
The speaker baskets were modified with softening materials to avoid resonances.
You can't describe the sound - you have to experience it. Favouring natural music reproduction over superficial effects provides for long and tireless listening gratification. Voices and instruments are conveyed in natural magnitude and astounding plasticity.
Especially remarkable are the dynamics. The difference between ppp to fff is reproduced perfectly realistically. Instruments are next to re-created, more naturally and dynamically than any other type of speakers could do.
All those advantages can be experienced using amplifiers with relatively low output.
The diagram shows lines of equal volume. The reference values are the volumes (dB) of a 1000 Hz tone, with the lowest perceivable pressure of 20 µPa. Relating to each of these values, test persons had to settle the actual volume levels which were perceived as equally loud.
A linear frequency responce may be useful in studio monitors. For the actual listening at home, however, other parameters than linearity are decisive as the diagram shows: Speed, accuracy and fidelity are necessary to ensure natural reproduction.
Detailed studies of measurement engineering, theory of measurement and measuring methods have led to a distinct result: You will not get insignificant measuring data from us, because the data alone won't give you even a hint of the actual sound. Standardized measurements at a distance of one meter are clearly absurd unless the speakers are also used at a distance of one meter. Measuring bass responses is slightly illusive anyway. If the analysis isn't done "on a 60 foot ladder on top of a mountain", under real free field conditions, you are more likely to analyze the room than anything else. Every speaker is different in every room. The only unmistakable gauge is the human ear!
Copyright (C) 2004 Die Hornmanufaktur
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