@atmasphere wrote:
I’ve run into breakups in older designs (like Altec, with their aluminum diaphragms) and also in newer designs, like the JBL speakers I use for my keyboard setup. If I get over a certain volume, the speaker doesn’t handle it that well (gets harsh) so it does seem like I’m setting off a breakup in the horn.
My speakers at home use beryllium diaphragms; the first breakup is at 35kHz.
That’s not much of a basis for qualified comparison here. Which JBL’s are those, and how are they (or the Altec’s) representative of a whole segment of speakers?
Look, I believe we’ve been here before, but there’s nothing to support the narrative inkling towards modern pro drivers, or even a range of older dittos, being in particular marred by breakup modes. There’s tons of great pro drivers and horns out there with solid R&D behind them, and they don’t suddenly turn harsh when pushed - believe me. If they did they’d be out of business. Of course you could find cheaper "weaklings" among them with sub optimum horn profiles, flimsy material choice, less than stellar drivers and overall execution, and they would be the easy and even convenient target for field coil-, beryllium diaphragm-fitted and lovely hardwood housed speakers like your no doubt great Classic Audio Loudspeakers to make a case against them.
Instead choose someone your own size, as they say; it would be most interesting to put together an all-out combination of partly DIY, off the shelf quality pro driver-fitted horn-based speaker setup at a likely much cheaper price, actively configured with horn subs and all, and then have a showdown for a more fair comparison. I’m not trying to belittle speakers as the ones you own, on the contrary, but if we want to make this a fair fight then let’s have the other party pull out their big guns as well :)
