The Sound of Speaker.

Horns are fun and some of the real good ones. Everest, VOT, Jensen Imperials, Have some of the nicest cabinets made for their time and now if your into HUGE (normally) ply cabinets..

Me I’m a small planar guy. 3-10" or so.. 8" Monsoon neos are mighty hard to beat for speed, accuracy, power handling and frequency range

The new GSRs can work from 300hz to 20Khz 50 watts continuous power.. and 49.00 usd per unit.. EASY load... Wire them at 8 - 16 ohms and drive them with an A or A/B valves amp.. 20-200 watts they don’t care..

I’m pretty fond of ring and domes too. I think for rock and roll one of the best speakers I heard were Infinities QLS1 40 yeas ago.. Man you get those to sound good.. They use to fill the base with sand and tune that Watson to the room. Came with different resistors for ceiling height..

As a matter of fact I have 24 just waiting for a nice narrow baffle about  about 8" wide.. A single AC G1 ribbon for the highs.. Maybe 72" tall. Two railroad ties stacked aught to work.... :-)

YUP... Time to feed the chickens..

@gdnrbob. “Unfortunately, if you want to be on Audiogon, you need to develop a thick skin. There are many self-professed ’experts’ here who’s opinions would be better taken if they used a bit more tact/reserve.”
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Or better yet ignore anyone posting condescending or other discourteous posts. I enjoy my time on AudioAficonionado forum because non courteous behavior is not tolerated and the forum emphasizes high end systems.

@OP,
When I was a student, with limited funds, I bought inexpensive drivers and built my own speaker cabinets. I learned about the very basic stuff to make speakers which allowed me to use an inexpensive receiver and a turntable to play through the pair of DIY bookshelf speakers. 

In the meantime, I look at reviews and tests, and go listen, in search of the 'perfect' speaker. As a person trained in the sciences and engineering, well as in music, a speaker must test well - not just the linear tests, but the non-linear tests too. Then I listen to speakers and it must sound real, enough to convince me that I am hearing what I expect to be real without having to concentrate to hear it. The speakers should also be listenable over many hours without fatigue. Too many speakers fail this last test, while giving a good initial impression.

It doesn't matter what technology is used to reproduce the music - horns, panels, cones/domes, ribbons, AMT, etc. If the final sound waveform is a facsimile of the input waveform, then that's the best you can expect from the designer. If testing shows this is so, and the sound tells me it sounds real, then I'd buy that speaker (if I can afford it).

Also, consider whether you will listen to the speakers for two-channel music, or will you also use it in a home-theater 5.1-, 7.1-, or more channels arrangement. If both, that could limit your choices in which speaker design you use. Good luck in your search.

Nothing wrong with a good horn speaker. It is a little more difficult to get them perfectly smooth but they do limit dispersion which improves room interaction. I would use them with a BBC curve because they tend to have an edge in the upper midrange. 
As far as ESLs are concerned  you have to audition those that are as tall as the room, 8 or 9 feet. These are significantly more powerful than 5 or 6 foot tall speakers and in most instances smoother than horns with superior imaging, no crossovers. They are not as efficient so they do require more power, the price of admission. 

"...They use to fill the base with sand and tune that Watson..."

I think you meant to say Watkins?