> Horn speakers again due to their efficiency are most often driven with low power triode amplifiers with distortion characteristics more friendly to our brain’s neural programming - this often manifests as an authenticity of tonal characteristics more semblant of reality than some other speaker / amp combos.
Would be interesting to use also conduct the test with a high power solid state amp from the usual suspects and also a class D amp.
Also I am not sure that test tones played like that tell the whole story as music being played poses very different demands on amplifiers than test tones and possibly we might see differences in that context.
Btw - is this into your Animas? Useful just for context.
Indeed, the Thoress even seems to be somewhat lower in level for higher harmonics at 1khz with some closer to the noise floor. I might be able to make a similar measurement if I can dig my old computer out that had good measurement software (it had FFT and wave generator functions through a good sound card).Most measurements are taken from the amp's output... but that's not what we listen to. We listen to the amp interacting with the speakers. So I captured the output of my speakers being driven with 3 different amplifiers with a measurement mic (1 kHz reading 83dB at mic, mic 2m from mid cone), and here's what I found:
100 Hz Signal
First Watt F5 (class A, PP, SS)
View attachment 45634
Gainclone (class AB, SS)
View attachment 45635
Thoress 300B (SET)
View attachment 45636
3 kHz Signal
First Watt F5
View attachment 45637
Gainclone
View attachment 45638
Thoress
View attachment 45639
10 kHz Signal
First Watt
View attachment 45640
Gainclone
View attachment 45641
Thoress
View attachment 45642
Whatever causes the euphonic sound of SET amps, it seems not to be an increase in harmonic distortion.
Mani.
Sorry, meant 100Hz not 1Khz.Indeed, the Thoress even seems to be somewhat lower in level for higher harmonics at 1khz with some closer to the noise floor. I might be able to make a similar measurement if I can dig my old computer out that had good measurement software (it had FFT and wave generator functions through a good sound card).
Indeed, the Thoress even seems to be somewhat lower in level for higher harmonics at [100 Hz] with some closer to the noise floor.
Well, your speakers are so sensitive that it was probably just some mW of power. That said, there were papers published by Matti Otala that demonstrated that amps are more affected by speakers when the amplifier has global negative feedback because the back EMF of the speaker is pushing distorted sound back into the amplifier through the feedback loop. This cannot happen when there is no feedback loop. Now, for sure the gainclone has global feedback but I don't know if the F5 uses any or not. That is only a possible reason of course...the other is that 300B amps producing mW will have very low distortion...quite possibly inherently lower than the transistor amps at the same powerInteresting, isn't it?
And BTW, the test tones were pretty loud when I took the captures. I mean, you wouldn't have wanted to spend too much time in the room for the 3 minutes that each of them played, so it's not as though the amps weren't being challenged. As I said, the 1 kHz calibration tone was registering 83dB on the SPL meter, which is pretty loud.
Mani.
Tuna Audio??...sounds fishy to me Ron...May I answer a different question?
If my primary musical interest were jazz I am 100% certain I would get a horn loudspeaker system, either a Viva Audio Master Horn, a Cessaro Zeta or a Tuna Audio Avaton.
This is because I think there is something about the way a horn reproduces the sound of brass instruments like trumpet and French horn and tuba which is consonant with the way those instruments themselves generate sound.
Tonality is a problem with all speakers. Show two speakers that have the same tonality...even within a brand or line of a brand. Apogee was one of the most uniform across the lineup that I have heard, but speakers were using basically the same drivers the whole way through just scaled differently.Tonality is usually the problem with horns, not the benefit...
Tuna Audio??...sounds fishy to me Ron....
A lot of that ease and flow is simply a lack of distortion. Once a driver is acoustically amplified by a horn it no longer has to move very much or requires much power both of which reduce distortion. Also, a driver that is barely moving will be less prone to breakup, again another source of distortion. Less power also means less thermal compression...a source of dynamics killing and often an underrated issue.SETs with horns have a continuity and flow of music unlike other systems, which sound more stop start in comparison. They also allow you to to play music much more easily on the ears, because the rise and fall, the dynamic range, and soft to loud passages are handled more easily than cones which have mismatched drivers as complex crossovers. The tonality of piano and brass is where they excel to other speakers. When it comes to violin and vocals, they are as good but I also can do with other speakers.
And then some with no crossover, single driver like the pnoe and yamamura go beyond. Also, driving a sensitive efficient speaker with 1w played through no resistors, caps, or crossovers gives more nuances and purity to the tone
Many horns are cupped in the vocals, and many face bass integration issues leading to digital hybrid bass. Some can be shouty. Of course, these are to be avoided.
Even SETs with devore orangutan will give that flow to the music. What these and horns will also do is give a transparency to recordings, allowing you to see more into performances without needing to have a constant stage and style like many cones do. Other non horn speakers with simple crossovers like Mike's or audio machina with transparent electronics also allow that, but most of Avalon, Wilson, Lansche, focal, Magico, etc create a constant stage and style that makes many recordings sound the same. This can be easily demonstrated if you use different labels from Decca, RCA, EMI, reissues, monos, etc. I am not sure if this is only due to the complexity of the crossover or also the driver
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