What are the Top Horn Speakers in the World Today? Vox Olympian vs Avantgarde Trio vs ???

[Kingrex]

Well, IMO it depends on the room. In my previous room the same speaker system sounded much better with them in the front wall.

Baaaa. Not true. Woofers always have to be in the back. Its a new RULE!!!!

 

[Audiohertz2]

Hmm seems to me the website is in his signature. Are you on your phone or something?

As far as an Instagram video, is that how we are judging the sound of audio equipment now?

Judging the sound of the video, What say you ..?

 

[gleeds]

All, I leave for the Dutch Audio Show mid-week. My main reason to visit is to experience the premiere of the Trafomatic Elysian GM-70 parallel single-ended monoblocks. The first set of these remarkable amplifiers will be delivered to the US before the end of the year. I expect to pair them with the Odeon horns I previously reported on, which, while reasonably efficient, are not in the flea watts efficiency class and can truly benefit from the Elysians' 60 watts of SE power!

At the show, the amplifiers will be paired with a brand-new horn loudspeaker, the Blumenhofer Gioia Eroica. The US selling price will be approximately $60,000. Blumenhofer's craftsmanship, heritage, and form-follows-function design continue to grow on me, especially when compared to some of the more unconventional horn designs I have seen lately.

Anyone on the continent would do well to attend this well-organized, relaxed show featuring several exciting premieres and a host of exceptional exhibitors.

 

[djsina2]

 

[caesar]

Dear Morricab, the Masterpiece Mini Edition, like the other models, is available in three versions:

1. Passive: This version features a passive crossover per speaker, known as the Cubus Network. Just like the crossovers in the Masterpiece Standard and Reference models, it’s designed without compromise, using only 3 qmm air-core inductors and four resistors. The name “Cubus” comes from the crossover housing design, a sleek black cube measuring 60 x 60 x 60 cm. Each x-over case weighs 78 kg per side.
2. With DSP: In this configuration, we use the DEQX Pre-8 as our OEM partner’s digital signal processor. In my opinion, it’s the best DSP available on the market—and I believe I’ve tried nearly every audio and pro Audio DSP out there.
3. With DSP and Amplifiers: This version builds on the second configuration but adds three Hornsolutions XES Class A amplifiers for an even more refined audio experience, what makes it a full activ Design.

Personally, I generally prefer DSPs, not just for these speakers but for others as well. However, the choice is entirely up to the individual. Of course, you can also pair the DSP with three tube amplifiers if desired.


Best regards,
S.

Hi Swen,
Thanks for sharing your knowledge! How are your designs different than the Magico horn?

 

[caesar]

Unfortunately the thing in audio is people expect an upgrade moving from older to newer model or lower priced to higher priced, and once in, it is very difficult to get out. This is compounded by the fact that often a model that comes is not optimised before they move on to the next “upgrade”. All these keep the newbie linear in his approach..

Suckers get marketed to. They are told their previously great system now sucks, which they also sense, and the ocean will part if they upgrade their brand x to the model of the brand that's double the price.

But let's be honest, this hobby would die if suckers didn't upgrade up the chain. Don't notice with smaller brands. But where would wilson, transparent, d'agostino, etc., be?

 

[caesar]

Gentlemen, anyone have serious auditions of Cessaros? And can they rock, or are they more soft and feminine?

Word on the street is they are virtually impossible to integrate - fool's errand. They never come together as one whole.

Has anyone actually successfully experienced one of their top models?

 

[caesar]

AG uses active bass. If it is too loud simply turn it down. If it is too quiet, turn it up. A big advantage if AG is the bass can be tailored to your liking.

What exactly does this mean? Can you please provide some scenarios?

 

[caesar]

I heard Jacob's new AG Trio G3 system. (I think I'm the only person in North America other than Angie Lisi who has heard Jacob's system and Todd's Trio G3 system and Ali's Trio G3 system.)

Does he still use Dartzeel amps?

 

[caesar]

Right, it doesn’t kill dynamics… it just strangles them so hard that their faint cries for help can’t even make it through that giant wall of crossover parts.
View attachment 157625

That is insane!

I recently heard the $150K Rockport driven by 1000 wpc Boulder. No dynamics. It souned dead!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Only "experienced" audiophiles can imagine something like that sounding "real".

 

[caesar]

Hello Cesar,

Naturally, I could write a technical essay explaining why, in my opinion, it is preferable for a horn loudspeaker to be a true full-range horn, and why I consider certain crossover points at X and Y to be both reasonable and correct. I could also go much deeper into the relationship between the horn and the compression driver, which hasn’t even been touched on here yet. I could even share a link to the homepage, so that anyone who is genuinely interested can simply click and read more details there.

But let’s be honest—most people are not interested in that level of detail. In the end, a loudspeaker and the technical implementation of its concept should ultimately be judged after extensive personal listening.

Best Regards S

thank you again for brilliantly communicating and explaining things at the right level of abstraction. This thread is really the forum at its best.

I believe this is what founders envisioned the forum to be 15 years ago.

 

[caesar]

Surely they are audiophile terms applied to stereo sound reproduction - the way knowledgeable audiophiles communicate. Whether they bring or not emotional connection with the music depends on listener preferences.

I would love to see a Mahler concert where the musicians had skipped any formal training and were just told by the conductor "play with emotion, don't care for how you play or others play".

BTW, for music I read Gramophone, Diapason or other music magazines, occasionally surfing in the net at knowledgeable sites, particularly for jazz.

Cheap talk about emotion or armchair pseudo-psychology is not my interest, although it is loved by audio marketing. If you want to debate emotion sourced on stereo you must understand stereo with some minimal depth, something many people fail to understand - they just want dogmas and recipes.

I think you are over generalizing. No one is saying to disregard technical knowledge. Using your analogy, even skilled musicians are told to play for the heart, otherwise you can just train a robot to perfrom. I recently heard jazz pianist Emmet Cohen. He was mentioning that after going through many years of rigorous technical training, he ran into an old master. The guy's advice: play from your heart. Same with blues: best guys play LESS NOTES but with MORE EMOTION.

Also, interesting that you, a wilson speaker guy, is bring up marketing in a horn thread. Marketing has taught audiophiles that horns are colored. Wilson probably sells in a couple of weeks more speakers than all top horn companies sell in a year.

Furthermore, you are committing a "naive realism" psychological fallacy. It's very common in audiophilia. Just because you find meaning and satisfaction from understanding stereo nuances (again, wilson marketing specialty by the arrogant, high and mighty peter mcgrath - as he plays his recordings, he describes how wilson speakers execute imaging, stage, dyamics, depth, etc.), doesn't mean that everyone gets their meaning and satisfaction from that.

Good for you. I am glad you are happy and find meaning and satisfaction from that. You are ahead of many guys who just trust others or their dealer or distributor, and get pleasure from socializing about their brands. Yet other people find very deep meaning from other aspects of the hobby.

I personally find meaning in the hobby from realism of dynamics, tone and flow - and connecting to the music.

 

[PeterA]

I personally find meaning in the hobby from realism of dynamics, tone and flow - and connecting to the music.

This is great. You are describing for us what you experience when you listen to music on your system. For me, I find meaning when the music is presented with natural clarity and energy. That helps me connect to the music.

It is a bit trite to say it’s all about the music, but how many systems do we experience that don’t let us get into the music? I’ve heard many.

As this is a thread about horns, I haven’t heard enough of them, especially contemporary horns, to generalize about their quality. I can say that of the various systems that I’ve owned, my current horn based system does get me closer to the music embedded in the grooves of my records.

 

[caesar]

This is great. You are describing for us what you experience when you listen to music on your system. For me, I find meaning when the music is presented with natural clarity and energy. That helps me connect to the music.

It is a bit trite to say it’s all about the music, but how many systems do we experience that don’t let you can’t get into the music? I’ve heard many.

As this is a threat about horns, I haven’t heard enough of them, especially contemporary horns, to generalize about their quality. I can say that of the various systems that I’ve owned, my current horn based system does get me closer to the music embedded in the grooves of my records.

Thanks for picking up on this, Peter. I think beyond the superficial elements of this hobby, the real serious folks find deeper meaning , significance, and ultimately, happiness - in one way or another.

The box speaker guys, low efficiency, and non-horn guys, seem to find meaning in stereo artifacts, but I find it hard to do anything but get sucked in when horns get things right : when the tone is close to real-life and dynamics are as lifelike as technology allows.

 

[PeterA]

Thanks for picking up on this, Peter. I think beyond the superficial elements of this hobby, the real serious folks find deeper meaning , significance, and ultimately, happiness - in one way or another.

The box speaker guys, low efficiency, and non-horn guys, seem to find meaning in stereo artifacts, but I find it hard to do anything but get sucked in when horns get things right : when the tone is close to real-life and dynamics are as lifelike as technology allows.

We all pursue different aspects of the hobby. Each of us assembles his system according to his values and a target. Perhaps for some the target is not as clear as it is for others.

My target is the natural presentation and enjoyment of the music on my records. When the stylus passes the lead in groove and the music starts, the system is gone and the music expands into my room. I am left to enjoy the genius of the composers and artistry of the musicians. That is all that is left along with whatever thoughts the presentation conjures.

 

[hopkins]

When the stylus passes the lead in groove and the music starts, the system is gone and the music expands into my room. I am left to enjoy the genius of the composers and artistry of the musicians. That is all that is left along with whatever thoughts the presentation conjures.

Same here. But I could say this of practically any system…

 

[morricab]

Same here. But I could say this of practically any system…

Umm…no.

 

[hopkins]

Umm…no.

Umm..yes

 

[gleeds]

All, here is a new entry that, from Blumenhofer Acoustics, our colleague in the Netherlands, informs me punches way above its weight, especially when paired with the new Trafomatic GM-70 monoblocks in use at the recent Dutch Audio Show. The estimated US retail for the Grand Giola 2's is $60,000.

 

[microstrip]

We all pursue different aspects of the hobby. Each of us assembles his system according to his values and a target. Perhaps for some the target is not as clear as it is for others.
My target is the natural presentation and enjoyment of the music on my records.

Curious that you write "natural presentation" and "enjoyment of music" side by side in the sentence. Do you think if you had not met DDK and Vladimir Lamm prodcuts your current employment of music would be very different?
That having a different preference would spoil your enjoyment?

When the stylus passes the lead in groove and the music starts, the system is gone and the music expands into my room.

People who listen with headphones can say "When the stylus passes the lead in groove and the music starts, the system is gone and the music expands into my head ". IMO . much more impressive.

I am left to enjoy the genius of the composers and artistry of the musicians.
That is all that is left along with whatever thoughts the presentation conjures.

Well, I enjoy a lot more things - probably I am more analytical than you. I appreciate the intrinsic beauty of the sound of music. And most times, not just in 20-25 minute slices.