Speakers, speakers ,speakers.

[Reffc]

The only horn system I've heard that I could live with was Speedy Steve's multi-way effort. But if that was retail it would cost hundreds of thousands I suspect. All the others are okay with acoustic/simple music but not with rock music.

You don't tend to see horn speakers in recording studios so that is possibly why.

The problem Martin is that horn systems need huge bass horns to get anywhere close to being full frequency, and the size precludes them from most domestic spaces...think Western Eelectric 15 or 16A or larger. The really large ones that I've heard do things so differently though to conventional speakers that I can see their attraction. The music just appears to be there, and the dynamic swings and immediacy have to be experienced with these ultra high sensitivity designs. Trouble is they were never designed or meant to be for domestic spaces, most of the so-called high end horn systems today using active bass crossed over to passive mid/hf and that is something really hard to get right. The Cessaros I thought did a good job but again, I didn't experience them with bass heavy thump-thump music and guess that those wealthy enough to buy them aren't into electronica or dubstep!

[User211]

I'm not sure you need huge bass to hear the issue I have with the Liszt.

The horn is up high and I found it really easy to detect obvious differences in sound by moving around a bit. I also became quite acutely aware of mid to high band sounds emanating from quite a height, even though I was sat way back.

Bear in mind I am used to a speaker that emanates bass/mid and treble from the same height. So maybe that makes me more sensitive to it than usual. The sound varies with my speakers as you move too, as it does with most, but I felt the Liszt to be more uneven that most in this regard. But even in a good listening spot with the Liszt, I can hear a difference in the way the sound is dispersed by the horn over the LF section.

Not saying I have brilliant hearing, but I know it would and did annoy me a bit.

Everything has flaws. Liszt is not the kind of flaw I'd want to dump multi-tens of thousands on. Others might feel differently. I also know one other person well who thought the same about the Liszt, so I am not alone.

[Macca]

The problem Martin is that horn systems need huge bass horns to get anywhere close to being full frequency, and the size precludes them from most domestic spaces...think Western Eelectric 15 or 16A or larger. The really large ones that I've heard do things so differently though to conventional speakers that I can see their attraction. The music just appears to be there, and the dynamic swings and immediacy have to be experienced with these ultra high sensitivity designs. Trouble is they were never designed or meant to be for domestic spaces, most of the so-called high end horn systems today using active bass crossed over to passive mid/hf and that is something really hard to get right. The Cessaros I thought did a good job but again, I didn't experience them with bass heavy thump-thump music and guess that those wealthy enough to buy them aren't into electronica or dubstep!

The system I'm talking about had tapped bass horns. So it did do the real low bass. And I think fully active 5 way. Someone said to me they thought it 'too big, like being in the cinema' But I quite like that.

I also like the mid bass to be a bit 'fruity' - I don't want that added upstream I like it to be a feature of the speakers. The bass side of the 'West Coast' sound. I know it is not neutral and it is the sort of balance they put into (or used to) 'lifestyle' systems. I know I shouldn't but I do. Not too much, not a comedy bass hump, Just that little bit of fruitiness - 80hz to 250 hz or thereabouts raised up a bit. But with the deep bass as well of course. So some speakers can be a bit too neutral for me I think.