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

[Argonaut]

Interesting as most consider most horn speakers heard as the most fatiguing grain in your face run out of the room horrible..!

The 1% which survive to produce good sound , tend to sound like good panel speakers …!

Go figure

Do you have an accredited source for these statistics of which you quote ?

 

[bonzo75]

Do you have an accredited source for these statistics of which you quote ?

University of Zero distortion can give out accreditations and a certificate in a glass case after a 3-year gruelling programme - for 4 years you can even get a premium certificate in a gold case. It is valid for 3 years after which needs to be renewed.

 

[Al M.]

Trio vs other good horns (or between any two good sounding horns, because horns sound so very different from each other) is all three of subjective taste, genre dependent, and source dependent. Easy Answers can only be given between a good sounding horn vs a bad sounding one..

Good to know that you're a consummate expert on comparisons between the horns mentioned.

 

[bonzo75]

Good to know that you're a consummate expert on comparisons between the horns mentioned.

Did I say that? I mentioned between 2 good horns, and a bad horn vs good horn. I know that LV is very different from trios. I don't mention LV details because I have not auditioned it privately, only many times at Munich.

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

a well executed horn system nukes any monkey coffin out of the waters IMNSHO

 

[PeterA]

a well executed horn system nukes any monkey coffin out of the waters IMNSHO

Leif, what would you say are the best sounding horn systems made today, and why?

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

I wouldn´t know, but I think LV is up there despite it´s obvious caveats
but in DIY-ville there´s a lot of competent systems
a lot of great systems around in Norway and lots of creative and well executed systems @ETF as well

 

[DasguteOhr]

a well executed horn system nukes any monkey coffin out of the waters IMNSHO

When I heard wth horns years ago, I always claimed the same thing, but I was proven wrong. Something like that can keep up quite well.

Expolinear Lautsprecher T-420 L

Expolinear Berlin, High End Elektroakustik

www.expolinear.de

The magnetostatic and extremely lightweight Görlich drivers are dynamically truly enjoyable. Even horn fans will say so after hearing. promise

 

[Ron Resnick]

- Wilson Alexandria does not use first order crossover but it is as dynamic as good horns

From what I have heard I do not agree with this.

- Aries Crates big horn was very compress in munich 2024 It was even less dynamic than small wilsons.

If true, this was an anomaly or a malfunction. It is silly to develop a hypothesis on the basis of this one subjective observation.

- WAMM in Munich 2025 was more dynamic than some horns in munich 2025

Not all horns are great.

 

[microstrip]

I didn’t mean sensitivity alone either.

Sensitivity determines how much sound you get per watt of input power.

Sorry, no. This is the definition of efficiency. We addressed it many times in WBF.

Impedance determines how hard the amplifier has to work to deliver that power.

Why not simply saying that it affects the current needed to deliver that power?

The combination of these two factors, along with driver and crossover design, directly affects the real-world dynamics of a loudspeaker.

Driver and crossover design affect efficiency and impedance. We can't discuss speakers putting everything in a juice blender and pressing the switch on button.

So, a speaker that has relatively low sensitivity, combined with demanding impedance behavior and easily requires 400 watts just to come alive, simply cannot deliver dynamics in the same effortless way as true horn systems, or even high efficient cone speakers.

Why? Sorcery? You are using extreme cases to illustrate your point.

 

[morricab]

Sorry, no. This is the definition of efficiency. We addressed it many times in WBF.



Why not simply saying that it affects the current needed to deliver that power?



Driver and crossover design affect efficiency and impedance. We can't discuss speakers putting everything in a juice blender and pressing the switch on button.



Why? Sorcery? You are using extreme cases to illustrate your point.

Sorry but efficiency is given in % conversion of electrical to acoustic output. Sensitivity is given in dB/watt at a given distance (usually 1 meter ) or dB/2.83V to be impedance independent.

 

[mtemur]

I’ve been reading this thread and there’s been a lot of talk about time alignment, phase, and the physical placement of driver voice coils. Some members even post photos of drivers and draw a line through the voice-coil centers to “prove” phase irregularities. That kind of armchair analysis shows a misunderstanding: you cannot judge a speaker’s phase coherence, time alignment, or driver integration from photos or from isolated graphs.

Full measurements — most importantly a step response (or impulse response) alongside frequency/phase and near-field data — are required to assess time alignment and integration. Many three-way designs deliberately wire the midrange with reversed polarity to reduce cancellations in the crossover region; in some designs the bass or tweeter may be reversed while the mid is normal. Those wiring choices are deliberate and cannot be evaluated reliably from a photo or a single phase/impedance trace.

A phase trace or an impedance/frequency plot alone is usually insufficient — especially if you don’t even know which trace is which. And crucially, phase behaviour is a specification (like frequency response): it tells you about the speaker’s behavior, not whether it will sound good. So don’t over-obsess about unlabeled specs or pictures or technical debates in search of fame. Instead listen thoroughly and decide if you like the speaker. That’s what matters.

 

[mtemur]

I listened to old AG Trio and Duo omegas many times with SET, parallel SET, push pull, SS, 211, 300B, 2A3 and even with AG’s own SS amps. The result is; they sound plastic, shouty and bad. Total crap.

I also listened new AG Trios and Duos with their active amplification. They sound good and cannot be compared to old AGs in my opinion.

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

yes I worked with old Trios for 12 years and when only the magnetic frame and the plastic horns were left of the original parts, I remounted it back to originals and sold them....
the midbasshorn played well above 2K5 and the whole midrange was total crap with a Community M200 driver...replaced with TAD 4001 and it helped but didn´t save it....

 

[Atmasphere]

From a purely sonic perspective, however, I personally find the Vox Olympian to play in an entirely different league. I have listened to it on several occasions at a friend’s place, including with the optional bass extension.

To really know if the speaker is as you say, you have to eliminate variables such as the room and amplification, sources and so on. I've heard both speakers; they are transparent enough they can easily show problems upstream.

One problem is that such speakers are often used with zero feedback tube amps which have a high output impedance and so can react very differently to load impedance which varies from speaker to speaker. So just because the same amp was used with both speakers does not guarantee that the comparison is legit. To do that an amp capable of behaving as a Voltage source would have to be used (which, if a tube amp, is one with feedback) so to eliminate that problem.

BTW, such speakers designed for amps of high output impedance will usually have controls in the crossover to allow the speaker to be adjusted to the amplifier's power response to the load of the driver for which the control is intended. IOW such controls are not there to adjust to the room. If the speaker is lacking such controls you might want to critically assess its suitability working with an amplifier of high output impedance. For example that might be solved by DSP...

There is no question that some speakers/systems favor certain genres.

There is plenty such question! As I pointed out previously, this is one of the most pervasive and oldest myths in audio. Any speaker that appears to favor a certain genre is simply lacking in some way so its merely a matter of time to find a recording in the genre that its supposed to favor that will belie that.

My corner horns actually project images in front of the plane of my speakers

From where do you measure the 'plane' of the speakers?

Nobody in this world can speak about relation of specifications and our brain system fatigue

This statement is false. Of course anyone can. More to the point though listener fatigue has been well-known for 90 years or so and is directly related to specifications, such as higher ordered harmonics created by the system.

 

[Kozak170]

Sorry, no. This is the definition of efficiency. We addressed it many times in WBF.

Efficiency and sensitivity aren’t the same, but they’re linked. Efficiency is the power ratio, sensitivity is the SPL you measure (dB @ 2.83V/1m). In practice, sensitivity is just the user-facing way of expressing efficiency + impedance, so saying it tells you how much sound you get per watt is perfectly valid.

Why not simply saying that it affects the current needed to deliver that power?

That’s exactly what I meant. But putting it as ‘how hard the amp has to work’ connects the electrical side to the practical reality. Low-impedance dips don’t just mean more current, they mean more stress, more heat, and sometimes instability for the amplifier. So both ways of phrasing it are valid, mine just ties the physics to the listening experience.

Driver and crossover design affect efficiency and impedance. We can't discuss speakers putting everything in a juice blender and pressing the switch on button.

Sure, driver and crossover design do affect efficiency and impedance, no disagreement there. But that’s exactly my point, sensitivity and impedance aren’t isolated numbers, they result from those design choices. And in the end, it’s the combination of sensitivity, impedance, and design implementation that dictates how dynamic a speaker can feel in real world use. Ignoring how these factors interact is more like pressing the ‘blender’ button.

Why? Sorcery? You are using extreme cases to illustrate your point.

No sorcery, just physics. Low efficiency speakers need far more excursion to hit the same SPL, and that extra movement plus voice-coil heat leads to thermal compression. Both choke dynamics. High efficiency cones or horn systems don’t fight physics in the same way, they achieve loud, clean levels with minimal excursion and heat, which is why their dynamics sound so effortless and alive.

 

[microstrip]

Sorry but efficiency is given in % conversion of electrical to acoustic output. Sensitivity is given in dB/watt at a given distance (usually 1 meter ) or dB/2.83V to be impedance independent.

Just what I said - please read the post I was answering.

 

[Hornsolutions Swen]

Let me give you some context for the thread: we all see things from a different perspective. My goal is to find the best horn speakers for me. A rational decision making approach calls for selecting a good handful of speakers to audition, before selecting one that meets one's subjective preferences and one's goals. Hence the title.

You bring up interesting points about horn-loading all the octaves. It may be important to you, but obviously not everyone agrees. Please convince the audience why this is better or critical from your perspective. thanks

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

 

[microstrip]

Efficiency and sensitivity aren’t the same, but they’re linked. Efficiency is the power ratio, sensitivity is the SPL you measure (dB @ 2.83V/1m). In practice, sensitivity is just the user-facing way of expressing efficiency + impedance, so saying it tells you how much sound you get per watt is perfectly valid.

But hard to link, unless we have the EPR curve of the speaker, something that we extremely seldom have. It is why they should be used with care, not mixing them as you do.

That’s exactly what I meant. But putting it as ‘how hard the amp has to work’ connects the electrical side to the practical reality. Low-impedance dips don’t just mean more current, they mean more stress, more heat, and sometimes instability for the amplifier. So both ways of phrasing it are valid, mine just ties the physics to the listening experience.

No, saying current we have something we can quantify and manufacturer address, not things we can just imagine proclaim to astonish people. My physics can be quantified and instability is a separate issue, seldom affecting modern amplifiers.

Sure, driver and crossover design do affect efficiency and impedance, no disagreement there. But that’s exactly my point, sensitivity and impedance aren’t isolated numbers, they result from those design choices. And in the end, it’s the combination of sensitivity, impedance, and design implementation that dictates how dynamic a speaker can feel in real world use. Ignoring how these factors interact is more like pressing the ‘blender’ button.

Nice to see we recognize it.

No sorcery, just physics. Low efficiency speakers need far more excursion to hit the same SPL, and that extra movement plus voice-coil heat leads to thermal compression. Both choke dynamics. High efficiency cones or horn systems don’t fight physics in the same way, they achieve loud, clean levels with minimal excursion and heat, which is why their dynamics sound so effortless and alive.

Just repeating the same misleading arguments. There is no thermal compression at typical sound levels in good non-horn speakers.
If you have physical evidence of it prove it with measurements.

Curiously that people do not address the real differences between horns and other speakers, mainly the distortion and the dispersion, and focus on sorcery.

 

[microstrip]

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

Well, I would be very interested. Please do.