hORNS Universum 3 MKII

Argonaut

Well-Known Member
Jul 30, 2013
2,380
1,617
530
N/A
I would be interested in any first hand considerations of this particular 3 way horn.


[video]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3i-Mle5CWRg[/video]
 

Billy Shears

Well-Known Member
Jul 27, 2015
255
1
150
Hi Harlequin
I cant offer first hand experience but there was a very detailed review in the german stereoplay magazine which i found very interesting: This Design is differnet from other Horn loaded Speakers,
- The Midrange driver is a Berillium dome with pressure chamber and is limited to max 3 octaves (so no broadband here) which minimises coloration according to hORNS.
-The Bass has its own A/B Amp... detachable (so its semiactive quasi bi-amped)
-The speaker is 95.6 Db Sensitive.
Sound? Apparently it had much less coloration and better imaging than most other horn speakers they heard.
 
Last edited:

Billy Shears

Well-Known Member
Jul 27, 2015
255
1
150
The finish on these Horns are the Ultimate Rohrschachtest..

Maybe Oneobgyn can tell me if its just my mind or not :)

 

bonzo75

Member Sponsor
Feb 26, 2014
22,443
13,473
2,710
London
I would be interested in any first hand considerations of this particular 3 way horn.


[video]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3i-Mle5CWRg[/video]

I will be listening to them soon. The UK distri of Lampi has these, you can check them out, he lives a bit further up from Lewes/Tunbridge Wells
 

Argonaut

Well-Known Member
Jul 30, 2013
2,380
1,617
530
N/A
I will be listening to them soon. The UK distri of Lampi has these, you can check them out, he lives a bit further up from Lewes/Tunbridge Wells

They are certainly worthy of consideration bonzo, considering the footprint and relatively 'real world' RRP.
The ergonomics of form are much more appealing to the eye than 'a couple of planks and a baffle with DIY Esk Ply horns stuck there on!
 

JackD201

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
12,308
1,425
1,820
Manila, Philippines
The finish on these Horns are the Ultimate Rohrschachtest..

Maybe Oneobgyn can tell me if its just my mind or not :)


These look like a job for Onehematologist. They sure look like red blood cells :)
 

audioblazer

Member Sponsor
May 13, 2010
765
204
1,605
Malaysia
I the that video is taken in Munich show . Heard it in Munich & quite like it esp this year . Beautiful looking horns & can be painted to your specification. Know of a dealer with all white pair & reasonably price .
 

Billy Shears

Well-Known Member
Jul 27, 2015
255
1
150
These look like a job for Onehematologist. They sure look like red blood cells :)

Bloodcells? oh dear then there is something wrong with my mind! :p
 

Elberoth

Member Sponsor
Dec 15, 2012
2,007
253
1,170
Poland
I the that video is taken in Munich show . Heard it in Munich & quite like it esp this year . Beautiful looking horns & can be painted to your specification. Know of a dealer with all white pair & reasonably price .

I believe those are not painted by injection moulded (in a specific color) - like the Avantgardes.
 

spiritofmusic

Well-Known Member
Jun 13, 2013
14,605
5,413
1,278
E. England
I'm struggling to work out the horns topology.
AG Duos have tweeter and mids horns, w/pwrd woofers subs.
AG Trios have upper mids and lower mids horns in addition to tweeter and pwrd subs.
Tune Audio Animas have tweeter and mids horns, w/downfiring woofer horns, and separate pwrd subs if wanted.
Where do these horns fit into all of this?
 

Billy Shears

Well-Known Member
Jul 27, 2015
255
1
150
I'm struggling to work out the horns topology.
AG Duos have tweeter and mids horns, w/pwrd woofers subs.
AG Trios have upper mids and lower mids horns in addition to tweeter and pwrd subs.
Tune Audio Animas have tweeter and mids horns, w/downfiring woofer horns, and separate pwrd subs if wanted.
Where do these horns fit into all of this?


Downfire active woofer below 350hz Midrange compressiondriver 350-3khz Tweeter above that


Hi Harlequin
I cant offer first hand experience but there was a very detailed review in the german stereoplay magazine which i found very interesting: This Design is differnet from other Horn loaded Speakers,
- The Midrange driver is a Berillium dome with pressure chamber and is limited to max 3 octaves (so no broadband here) which minimises coloration according to hORNS.
-The Bass has its own A/B Amp... detachable (so its semiactive quasi bi-amped)
-The speaker is 95.6 Db Sensitive.
Sound? Apparently it had much less coloration and better imaging than most other horn speakers they heard.
 

Blue58

Well-Known Member
Jan 20, 2013
890
675
1,155
London, UK
I'm struggling to work out the horns topology.
AG Duos have tweeter and mids horns, w/pwrd woofers subs.
AG Trios have upper mids and lower mids horns in addition to tweeter and pwrd subs.
Tune Audio Animas have tweeter and mids horns, w/downfiring woofer horns, and separate pwrd subs if wanted.
Where do these horns fit into all of this?

With 95.6dB sensitivity it looks like the horns are doing very little.
 

Billy Shears

Well-Known Member
Jul 27, 2015
255
1
150

spiritofmusic

Well-Known Member
Jun 13, 2013
14,605
5,413
1,278
E. England
I thought a big plus point of horns was to max out on sensitivity ie 105dB at least. Doesn't look like that's the case here.
 

Duke LeJeune

[Industry Expert]/Member Sponsor
Jul 22, 2013
747
1,200
435
Princeton, Texas
With 95.6dB sensitivity it looks like the horns are doing very little.

They're providing radiation pattern control, which imo is of far greater benefit than acoustic amplification.

Note that you need a really quiet system for it not to have an audible noise floor through 105 dB speakers.
 

DaveC

Industry Expert
Nov 16, 2014
3,899
2,141
495
They're providing radiation pattern control, which imo is of far greater benefit than acoustic amplification.

Note that you need a really quiet system for it not to have an audible noise floor through 105 dB speakers.

I agree, but also wonder what drivers they could be using and how the sensitivity could possibly turn out so low...
 

Billy Shears

Well-Known Member
Jul 27, 2015
255
1
150
I agree, but also wonder what drivers they could be using and how the sensitivity could possibly turn out so low...

Sorry to keep having to repost my own quotes but they seem to be hard to read :)

- The Midrange driver is a Berillium dome with pressure chamber and is limited to max 3 octaves (so no broadband here) which minimises coloration according to hORNS.
-The speaker is 95.6 Db Sensitive.
Sound? Apparently it had much less coloration and better imaging than most other horn speakers they heard.

The midrange is a 50mm and the tweeter a smaller version of the same driver, both are custom made for hORNS.

Again i think the lower senisitivity is a good thing as Fidelity and ultra high senisitivity dont necessarily go hand in hand.
 
Last edited:

Billy Shears

Well-Known Member
Jul 27, 2015
255
1
150

zztop7

Member Sponsor
Dec 12, 2012
750
3
0
Edmonds, WA
Beryllium dome surface area & sensitivity

The midrange is a 5mm and the tweeter a smaller version of the same driver, both are custom made for hORNS.

5 millimeters does not look correct / 5 millimeters is one fifth of an inch - the tip of a baby's finger.
I have two pairs of beryllium domes from different manufacturers - actual 4 inch diameter domes = 100 millimeters / 5 inch total outside diameter = 125 millimeters.
Surface area to produce sound; the 4 inch dome [100mm] would have 400 times the surface area of the 5mm dome.

105 Db sensitivity is easily exceeded with a proper beryllium dome. The problem is that the beryllium dome walks all over the other drivers. Therefore, the signal to the beryllium driver must be attenuated to properly match the less sensitive drivers. That is probably where the 95.6 Db happens.

Respectfully,
zz.
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing