How come Horn + woofer designs are not more popular?

Interesting, Clio09. I feel lucky to own a pair of Audiokinesis Dream Makers, that probably sound even better than the Jazz Modules (have not compared). My respect for them, and for Duke's philosophy and design, has grown over the years.

I think a main reason why (good) horn speakers are not more popular is that most people have not heard them. I mean not heard them over a longer period of time, with good tube amps. When I switched from solid state to tube (OTL), at first it sounded dull, blurred, anemic. It took time to get used to the new sound. Most people haven't had that chance.  

@o_holter, I have heard both versions of the Dream Makers, the original with TAD drivers and the newer series. Yes, they are better than the Jazz Modules, but they are also much bigger and more expensive (although with anything Duke makes still a great value). I heard them with the LCS add on as well. While the LCS does everything it is intended to do, it wasn't my cup of tea. The Dream Makers on a stand alone basis were much more to my liking.

BTW - I have owned Atma-Sphere amps for quite some time and as you know they are a great match with Duke's speakers.

@mijostyn --

That is why Howard Johnson made 28 flavors. But, too bad we could not hear each other’s systems.

Indeed, re: flavors. And, most definitely - it would be very enlightening listening to each others setups, and find out what words (and sitting behind the screen arguing) can’t quite get at. I have my preferences, sure, and overall I find a well-implemented all-horn system to provide something special. On the other hand it’s interesting listening to other peoples systems and get to know where they’re coming from, and what motivates their journey. Mostly I find there’s something worthwhile to appreciate here and sometimes even to be inspired by.

Occasionally I have a tendency to downplay the qualities of my own setup, even though I cherish it on a daily basis, because I listen to it so often and get used to its traits like coherency and dynamics; then, when I listen to others systems my initial reaction can be one of being in favor of this new sound just by virtue of it being new and bringing something different to the table, but after a while the pendulum swings back and stabilizes for a more level-headed approach.

A friend of mine got a fully active setup with waveguide-equipped S.P. Tech Revelation main speakers that are augmented by a pair of Electro Voice 880DM cinema subs (2x18" per sub), and the sonic totality of this system ranks among the very best I’ve ever heard. The tonality, smoothness, scale and overall authenticity is simply breathtaking, and listening to organ music from this setup actually lends you the impression of something reminiscent of a live performance, which is saying a lot. Very few systems I’ve heard are able to even remotely give the sensation of authenticity with organ music.

On the hand listening to my own setup - which still lacks a bit of fine tuning the sub-integration and room acoustics even further - feels more vibrant, "ignited," liquid and alive (also a lower volumes), and I find overall coherency better here. I’d wager the transition from 2x8" units from the S.P. Tech mains to 2x18" from the EV subs reveals itself as less energy-coherent compared to going from a horn-loaded 15" in my mains to a tapped horn-loaded 15" in my subs. Then again my setup can’t quite equal the image height and overall response-smoothness found in my friend’s system. Interesting observation: even though my friend’s system uses 2-3 kilowatts over his mains, fully active, the 30 Class-A watts over my passively-driven all-horn mains seem to deliver more uninhibited dynamics (no, it's not that I'm lured into believing what's actually distortion acts as dynamics here - re: @atmasphere).

Clio09 - the LCS effect speakers are a bit of plus and minus in my system, but tuned right (and turned quite low) they are mainly a plus. Helps fill the room, smoother bass, some more dimensionality. But I agree, the Dream Makers alone are very good indeed. My pair, made in 2013, came with Celestion CDX1-1445 compression drivers and Acoustic Elegance TD10X woofers. I've later changed to  PRV Audio D290Py-B compression drivers.

I would guess that Dream Makers like other AK speakers sound best with beryllium tweeters, but I have not heard them. The PRVs lifted a veil compared to the Celestions, so thats why they stay put, but I may test with the Celestions, later. They had an organic quality that I liked. Duke made the x-over tuning with the Celestion / Ac elegance combination, but he also wrote that the PRVs could be worth a try. I tame them a little bit by small wool "collars" placed around the mouth of the horn.