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

[Atmasphere]

Adding a sub to my system that is only going to about 45 herts was a big add. I would love to get to even 25 hertz.

That's one thing nice about the Audiokinesis Swarm; you really don't have to worry about them going low to 20Hz.

 

[PeterA]

And I also too feel.it does pertain to horns as many of the horns I have heard sound a little thin. When compared to say a wilson/magico type speaker. Good bass support will bring a sense of heft and body that "might" be lacking. Adding a sub to my system that is only going to about 45 herts was a big add. I would love to get to even 25 hertz.

Rex, how did you conclude that the thinness you heard from these systems was a result of the horn speakers and not something else in the system?

I ask because a visitor today told me I had banished the thinness he heard last week from some familiar recordings in my system. I had actually made some adjustments to my vinyl front end. He told me the difference between last week and this week was fairly dramatic. The horns remained the same.

 

[bonzo75]

I'm not going to say your wrong. I would agree. A single amp and.crossover would work. If you spent the time, and it would help to have tools, to strategically place the subs around the room.

Being that people with a horn system, or any high end system are looking for the very best, I still believe investing in 4 amps and crossovers, and paying JR to dial it in will give, the best performance.

And I also too feel.it does pertain to horns as many of the horns I have heard sound a little thin. When compared to say a wilson/magico type speaker. Good bass support will bring a sense of heft and body that "might" be lacking. Adding a sub to my system that is only going to about 45 herts was a big add. I would love to get to even 25 hertz.

Bass based Thinness is due to midbass not deep bass

 

[Al M.]

Bass based Thinness is due to midbass not deep bass

Very true.

You might add upper bass too. Drums for example are mostly covered by midbass and upper bass.

I consider deep bass important as well, but without proper upper and midbass the sound falls apart. You need weight in that range (and punch where applicable, e.g., on rock).

 

[Kingrex]

Rex, how did you conclude that the thinness you heard from these systems was a result of the horn speakers and not something else in the system?

I ask because a visitor today told me I had banished the thinness he heard last week from some familiar recordings in my system. I had actually made some adjustments to my vinyl front end. He told me the difference between last week and this week was fairly dramatic. The horns remained the same.

Did you just say for the last 2 to 3 years your setup may have been playing a little thin. And you only just now worked it out?

 

[Kingrex]

I was at this show a few nights ago. I would not say the sound was thick at all. It didn't have any added bass. I feel most horn systems get close to this sound. I feel like some non horn systems embelish the sound with added richness and full body. And I think we enjoy that. Because, at the show, I was sort of wanting to, feel, and hear more weight and bass.

 

[PeterA]

Did you just say for the last 2 to 3 years your setup may have been playing a little thin. And you only just now worked it out?

No, not at all. About a month ago, I increased the tension of the thread for my turntable and shortly after that bought a new cartridge that I started to set up. The first adapter I used for the cartridge didn’t work well so I replaced it with a better device. Then I was able to fine tune the cartridge set up better and given what I was hearing I adjusted the thread tension of my turntable. The result was a better overall presentation. The fitness was there for about a month due to the thread tension, being too tight and the new cartridge, not being optimized.

My friend told me that I’ve returned to the sound I had before, say a month or two ago with the loser thread tension, but the presentation improved further given the quality of the new cartridge. So I did not say that and you imagined something.

I’m still curious about how you determined the sound from all of those systems with the horns sounded thin because of the horn speakers themselves. I thought that was an interesting claim you made.

 

[Audiohertz2]

Thank you for the information. If you had read everything written on the last few pages, you might have noticed that I already mentioned this, including the exact specifications for this measurement.


Best regards,
S.

Thanks for setting me straight ….!

 

[Audiohertz2]

Dear Duke,
I share your view that the exact measurement method for sensitivity specifications is crucial, and you haven’t misunderstood me. Let me address this step by step and elaborate, based on standardized acoustic principles.

First, regarding sensitivity measurement: Nominal values (e.g., 95 dB/1W/1m) are typically determined axially (i.e., in the main radiation direction) at a distance of 1 meter, often with an input voltage of 2.83 V (corresponding to 1 W at 8 ohms). The level is measured as an average over a frequency range (e.g., 250 Hz to 4 kHz), assuming hemispherical radiation (solid angle 2π sr, directivity index Q=2). Manufacturers ( Of course, assuming the manufacturer actually conducts these measurements and is willing to publish them).rarely inflate these values artificially, as they are standardized according to norms like IEC 60268-5 – the contribution of room reflections is explicitly excluded to ensure comparable conditions. In practice, this leads to deviations in a real room, as reflections influence the overall level at the listening position.

This is precisely where the point about reflections comes into play, which you so aptly addressed: With the same axial level (e.g., 95 dB for the horn vs. 98 dB for the cone loudspeaker), a conventional cone/box loudspeaker indeed has a broader radiation pattern (often nearly omnidirectional in the midrange), leading to stronger diffuse reflections. These reflections add to the direct sound and increase the measured level at the listening position – theoretically by up to 6 dB in a typical room (depending on distance and room geometry), as sound pressure in rooms decays less rapidly than in free-field conditions. However, this “additional level” often doesn’t translate into a pure loudness increase but rather as a diffuse “veil” that reduces clarity: Early reflections (under 50 ms) can cause phase shifts, while later ones blur transient contrast.

With horn loudspeakers, it’s different: Their directivity (narrower radiation angle, often 60–90° horizontally) focuses the sound more toward the listening position and excites the room less – fewer diffuse reflections mean less “background noise.” As a result, the pure direct sound level achieves a subjectively higher presence and clarity, making the horn appear louder and more detailed despite its lower nominal sensitivity. In a real listening room, this can even outperform a cone loudspeaker with a 3 dB higher rating, as the listener contends less with room reverberation.

And yes, you hit the nail on the head with dynamic contrast! Increased reflections often behave like masking noise, obscuring quiet passages and subjectively reducing the overall dynamic range (typically 60–120 dB in music) – similar to a concert hall, where controlled, spectrally correct reflections (e.g., from the ceiling) preserve contrast, but diffuse wall reflections diminish it. Horns minimize these uncontrolled contributions, making them particularly advantageous in acoustically challenging rooms (e.g., with hard surfaces). Of course, this depends on the specific horn design (e.g., Constant Directivity vs. classic) and room acoustics – a measurement with an SPL meter or REW software would best demonstrate this.

Beat Regards S.

Horny ,

I see you are a manufacturer of Horn loudspeakers , can you confirm for some professional courtesy ..

 

[Hornsolutions Swen]

I see you are a manufacturer of Horn loudspeakers , can you confirm for some professional courtesy ..

A professional confirmation for what?

 

[Audiohertz2]

If you are selling loudspeakers at least afford us the courtesy of knowing ..!

 

[Hornsolutions Swen]

If you are selling loudspeakers at least afford us the courtesy of knowing ..!

Got it!
Hornsolutions is a developer of horn loudspeakers!
Just so you know, I’ve mentioned this multiple times here already, and several users have asked if I’d share more about our horns or our philosophy.
A quick read would do wonders. This is now the third time, so forgive me if I don’t entertain any more of your questions.


Best regards,
S.


P.S. My username is, by the way, the company name.

 

[Audiohertz2]

Got it!
Hornsolutions is a developer of horn loudspeakers!
Just so you know, I’ve mentioned this multiple times here already, and several users have asked if I’d share more about our horns or our philosophy.
A quick read would do wonders. This is now the third time, so forgive me if I don’t entertain any more of your questions.


Best regards,
S.


P.S. My username is, by the way, the company name.

Touche ‘

By forum rules you have to state so in your signature so forgive me for mentioning this before a ban …!

Go-ahead and Ignore at your leisure …!

 

[LL21]

Got it!
Hornsolutions is a developer of horn loudspeakers!
Just so you know, I’ve mentioned this multiple times here already, and several users have asked if I’d share more about our horns or our philosophy.
A quick read would do wonders. This is now the third time, so forgive me if I don’t entertain any more of your questions.


Best regards,
S.


P.S. My username is, by the way, the company name.

Isn’t your website in your signature?

 

[Audiohertz2]

There is no web address Lloyd , also no Industry expert , listed under his moniker, it was not obvious to me so i asked ..!

 

[bonzo75]

There is no web address Lloyd , also no Industry expert , listed under his moniker, it was not obvious to me so i asked ..!

There is a website under his signature. I know you are not good at listening but this is now about reading

 

[Kozak170]

And I also too feel.it does pertain to horns as many of the horns I have heard sound a little thin. When compared to say a wilson/magico type speaker. Good bass support will bring a sense of heft and body that "might" be lacking. Adding a sub to my system that is only going to about 45 herts was a big add. I would love to get to even 25 hertz.

Deep bass (Sub-bass) is the range that, when you reach down to 25 Hz, adds a sense of space, depth, and physical vibration. However, its absence rarely causes the sound to feel "thin." Midbass is the range that gives music "warmth, body, and heft." If this range is weak, even with a very deep subwoofer, the sound can still feel thin or dry.

Horns often sound this way because some horn designs have a dip in the midbass. This happens because the horn's length and mouth are optimized more for efficiency in the midrange or treble, which leads to a reduction in energy in the midbass range, making the sound feel lacking in warmth. Adding a subwoofer to a horn system can be tricky as well. If the crossover isn’t correctly set around 60–100 Hz, there can be a "hole" in the energy, resulting in a gap between the bass and midrange frequencies. This can make the sound feel incomplete or thin. The room itself plays a significant role too. Standing waves in the midbass range can cause problems, often making the sound feel thin or inconsistent. These standing waves can amplify or cancel out certain frequencies, depending on the room’s dimensions, further affecting the overall sound quality.

 

[morricab]

Deep bass (Sub-bass) is the range that, when you reach down to 25 Hz, adds a sense of space, depth, and physical vibration. However, its absence rarely causes the sound to feel "thin." Midbass is the range that gives music "warmth, body, and heft." If this range is weak, even with a very deep subwoofer, the sound can still feel thin or dry.

Horns often sound this way because some horn designs have a dip in the midbass. This happens because the horn's length and mouth are optimized more for efficiency in the midrange or treble, which leads to a reduction in energy in the midbass range, making the sound feel lacking in warmth. Adding a subwoofer to a horn system can be tricky as well. If the crossover isn’t correctly set around 60–100 Hz, there can be a "hole" in the energy, resulting in a gap between the bass and midrange frequencies. This can make the sound feel incomplete or thin. The room itself plays a significant role too. Standing waves in the midbass range can cause problems, often making the sound feel thin or inconsistent. These standing waves can amplify or cancel out certain frequencies, depending on the room’s dimensions, further affecting the overall sound quality.

One of the great things about my backloaded Odeons is that the midbass has amazing slam.

 

[Kozak170]

One of the great things about my backloaded Odeons is that the midbass has amazing slam.

German horn speakers have the greatest influence on the horn speaker market, just like the impact of German composers— from Bach to Beethoven. Now, it’s all about Avantgarde, Odeon, Cessaro, Pnoe, Sadurni, and Hornsolutions bringing the symphony to life!

 

[Hornsolutions Swen]

Isn’t your website in your signature?

Yes, of course.
There’s no reason for me to hide my identity. What would be the point? The issue is that the user Audiohertz2 likes to write, but seems to have no interest in checking whether their points have already been addressed or countered. This has happened three times in just the last 10 pages, and to be honest, it’s frustrating. That’s why I’ve decided to only respond if someone directly asks me a question.


Best regards,


S.