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

[Ligriv]

Next time when I'll go again to Bulgaria to Yanislav's house to listen to that system from the video I posted here (the one with the Altec 817) I will try to use not a phone to record the sound and image but something more professional with a good microphone.
I recognise I recorded that posted video here on a very poor quality phone (Samsung J5).

 

[Rob181]

400k speaker with Krell in a dedicated room

There is no doubt whatsoever to my ears which system I would prefer to listen to - & its the Altec/horn stack with Misho amps...

 

[Ron Resnick]

Why would someone ever put big bore solid-state on high sensitivity horns? With a plasma tweeter, no less?

 

[bonzo75]

I have never experienced a loss of dynamics from my speakers on orchestral music (high SPL peaks, up to 100 dB or even above) when it was preceded by music at more sustained high SPL (jazz, rock; up to 95 dB, average somewhat lower) over a good amount of time.

Poof, there goes your theory. Sorry.

Heard they sound pretty poor, flat, compressed, and digital spikiness.

 

[bonzo75]

Why would someone ever put big bore solid-state on high sensitivity horns? With a plasma tweeter, no less?

Acapella cannot be driven by sets. They might not need a Krell but then need high powered amps. That’s why I don’t like them. They are good for those who want to listen only to music focused on top frequency half.

 

[morricab]

I have never experienced a loss of dynamics from my speakers on orchestral music (high SPL peaks, up to 100 dB or even above) when it was preceded by music at more sustained high SPL (jazz, rock; up to 95 dB, average somewhat lower) over a good amount of time.

Poof, there goes your theory. Sorry.

You never had them to begin with…nothing to lose.

 

[bonzo75]

Let’s compare male vocals on two similarly priced systems

 

[Al M.]

There is no doubt whatsoever to my ears which system I would prefer to listen to - & its the Altec/horn stack with Misho amps...

I would prefer neither.

At least not from what I hear from the video. However, the muffled sound s not heard on the first video of the same Altec system, so in real life that system may be alright after all.

 

[morricab]

May I ask what speakers you have? I own the Sasha 2, and like you, I don’t really notice dynamic compression at high SPLs. But when I compare them to SET/horn setups like the AG Duo, or to high efficiency cone speakers I’ve heard before, such as the Sigma Orchestra 2.9 or the Grandinote Mach series, I’m always struck by their lifelike dynamics and natural flow, especially with classical music. They feel more direct and give a much stronger “you are there” experience.

IMO, Voice coil heating and power compression are real, measurable phenomena; they can be demonstrated with graphs, formulas, and lab tests. However, what truly matters is not just the measurements, but how much these effects impact the musical experience. The loss (or preservation) of dynamics, liveliness, and emotional engagement in the sound is something that listeners perceive more directly through real-world listening than through theoretical models alone. In the end, it’s the ear that reveals the true extent of these effects, not the numbers.

Grandinote Mach 9 and larger all have great dynamics for non-horn speakers. Same for my Hornings. That said, no home speaker system on the planet can do justice to a full orchestra and that is as much the recording to blame as the system…although you put a live orchestra feed through anything less than a huge stadium line array and you will get destroyed speakers or crippling compression.

 

[bonzo75]

Which flight should I take to go and audition that model?

Sofia, Bulgaria.

 

[bonzo75]

I own the Sasha 2

And actually, Sasha 2 were Wilson's best after the older X1 (haven't heard Alexx), but they are better than all the 1 series, such as Alexia 1, Sasha 1, and are better than XVX, Alexandria X2S2s, and X1S1s. They were more coherent and together than the bigger models

 

[bonzo75]

The author of this report compares their dynamics favorably to his dad's horn speakers on which he was raised (Altec Corona, sensitivity rated between 97 and 101 dB):

You will get an Altec corona between 500 - 1500 USD, and almost anything will compare favourably to it. Especially going by his dad's speaker's memory. Your Pranafidelity now sounds like a bargain. Lol

 

[bonzo75]

There is no doubt whatsoever to my ears which system I would prefer to listen to - & its the Altec/horn stack with Misho amps...

Slightly different iteration of same system

 

[DasguteOhr]

Why would someone ever put big bore solid-state on high sensitivity horns? With a plasma tweeter, no less?

control over the speaker and dynamic headroom that low watt amplifiers cannot deliver.thats physic

 

[andromedaaudio]

control over the speaker and dynamic headroom that low watt amplifiers cannot deliver.thats physic

There is no sense in trying to convert Horn / Set lovers with logic

They want the .........





Horns sound better / more dynamic / neutral with SS , AV came to that conclusion hence the built in I tron amps in the AV trio G3

 

[DasguteOhr]

Grandinote Mach 9 and larger all have great dynamics for non-horn speakers. Same for my Hornings. That said, no home speaker system on the planet can do justice to a full orchestra and that is as much the recording to blame as the system…although you put a live orchestra feed through anything less than a huge stadium line array and you will get destroyed speakers or crippling compression.

You mustn't forget that Grandinote's dynamics come primarily from its excellent amplifiers. E.g a Shinai amp is probably better than 90% of all other amps in terms of dynamics. If you connect other amps to the speakers, it will quickly become clear

 

[bonzo75]

control over the speaker and dynamic headroom that low watt amplifiers cannot deliver.thats physic

The dynamic headroom on that with Krell is much lower than with low watt amps on other speakers, though higher than low watt amp on that speaker. This is audible in room and on videos

 

[morricab]

control over the speaker and dynamic headroom that low watt amplifiers cannot deliver.thats physic

That Acapella speaker in the video is ‘only’ 93dB sensitivity. In a big room with high volume large symphonic or power rock you will need some power.

 

[morricab]

You mustn't forget that Grandinote's dynamics come primarily from its excellent amplifiers. E.g a Shinai amp is probably better than 90% of all other amps in terms of dynamics. If you connect other amps to the speakers, it will quickly become clear

I have heard them with Aries Cerat amps…no worries . Grandinote amps aren’t the only ones delivering great dynamics…

That said, Mach 9 is 99 dB and Mach 8 XL is 98dB and both are easy loads.

 

[bonzo75]