In my opinion, there's few methods of reproducing music that sound better than a favorite song being played through a well design horn loaded sound system. Throw in a Class A amplifier and heaven is but a push-button away.

Now, I'm not talking about metal, or cheap plastic horns--no way. I'm referring to a well dampened horn made from substantial material. JBL has their proprietary elements, thick, black and shiny. Beautiful stuff--but expensive.

I prefer to DIY. You learn, boy do you learn. And when it comes out right, you've got a good reason to pat yourself on the back.

In my case, I prefer paper mache--for high frequency anyway. The blue horn on my home page is absolutely the best sounding horn I've ever fabricated. In fact, it's one of the best sounding horns I've ever heard. But it has to be coupled with the proper compression driver. The JBL 2446 is my favorite. It has excellent midrange response, down to 400hz if I so desire, and plenty of sparkle in the upper spectrum. Yes, a one inch throat compression driver may deliver a more delicate flavor, but it won't reach down low. The best thing about the 2446 is the price--$550.00. Imagine that--110db one watt, one meter for only $550.00. What this means is that I can spend less money because I don't have to purchase quality, high wattage power amplifiers. It means that a three watt amplifier can easily reach concert level from 500hz to 18,000hz. It means I can run in Class-A mode.



 


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    Hello. My name is John Inlow and I'm here to confess: I love horns. My first experience, one that changed my life forever, occurred over thirty years ago. I happened to be shopping for EV drivers at a local Mom and Pops audio store--Wasson's Laffiette, I believe. This store was the best thing a newcomer to audio could sink his teeth into. They had a selection of plywood horns to die for. I remember listening to a small folded horn, couldn't have gone much lower than 100hz. Weak bass, or not,  that was all it took. I've loved horns from that point on and never looked back.

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