BEST HORN LOUDSPEAKER TO PURCHASE
I am a 73 year male with normal hearing as per my ENT doctor. I am comfortable listening to music at 50-55 dbs, with occasional peaks of 60-62 dbs. Looking for the music to sound alive at these levels. Did some acoustic treatments, purchased an equalizer which did not help(workaround of Fletcher Munson Curve). Finally I made a change and purchased a pair of JBL 4349 horn loudspeakers, which is a 2 way speaker with a horn midrange and a large dynamic woofer. Sensitivity was 91. I was able to get full bodied sound at lower levels, but the bass driver did not wake up until 70 decibels. I have 2 SVS subs, the DB4000. I adjusted the cross over and volume which improved the bass. When I put my ear next to the bass driver of the JBL at 50-55 db there was very little bass to be heard, in a piece that had substantial bass . This is my den system. I now firmly believe that a horn loudspeaker is the best way to go. My main system consists of 15 year old Vandersteen 5A's, Thor Audio Monoblocks 150 watt tube each side, and a Thor Audio linestage. The Vandersteens are absolutely wonderful speakers, featuring built in subs. You get top to bottom sound that is full and rich, but not at comfortable listening levels. Uncomfortable levels lead to ear pain. I have tried and tried, but in my system the Vandersteens require about 70 DBS to come alive. I have been researching and I believe I need a high sensitivity. I have been thinking about the Volti Audio Luceras. My budget is $15,000 per pair. I've watched Greg of Volti speak on You Tube and he seems to be perfectionist and seems to really know his business. I believe the Lucera has a 99 db, which should help the dynamic bass driver come alive at lower listening levels. I also believe that the sound will be rich and full bodied at my listening levels. Has anybody heard or own the Luceras? Would be interested in anybody's thoughts. Thanks for reading and responding to my question.
OP: "I am comfortable listening to music at 50-55 dbs, with occasional peaks of 60-62 dbs." You: "with real bass. No holes or suck out in the bass, every note top to bottom." Listen to something at your normal volume. Now, drop to 50-55 dbs. How do those suckers sound? If they retain excellent bass, you have risen above science or they have excessive bass at normal volumes (not extended, excessive) there’s no way around it. |
I had considered Voltis although there was no place reasonably nearby to hear them, and noticed a NO RETURN policy that I wasn't happy about. I get it but still...I also sent an inquiry regarding an "unfinished" Razz (the price of which had gone up a thousand or so) and was told in a somewhat snarky reply by Greg Roberts to forget those and buy some ready to ship far more expensive fancy wood finished model. Suffice to say Volti has never and will never see a dime from me. |
I am the original poster and have 2 new thoughts. I did not want to start a new thread, because it seems that posting a new response is preferred by audiogon members. As you may know looking for a speaker that sounds rich and full body at a 50-55 decibel level. The horn loudspeaker seems to be the way to go to achieve this. But I did some research and came upon an article that mentioned that a three way loudspeaker that has a treble horn, mid range horn and a large dynamic bass driver will not be cohesive since the bass driver is far away from the treble and mids. Also concerned that such a large bass driver would need a lot of power to get those powerful magnets to really move and provide bass. It was pointed out to me that a very small amount of power is required to power the highs and mids, but not enough power to get the bass driver moving. This is evident in the JBL 4349's that I purchased recently. It is a 2 way, highs and mids share a horn and a large bass driver handles the bass. The issue I have is that at my listening levels, the bass driver does not get activated at all. I have dialed in my subs and they add a little bass, but don't totally solve the problem. It should also be known that the JBL's are 91 db efficient and a Volti Lucera is 99 db efficient. That should solve the problem, but not sure. I read about another speaker that claims to be rich and full bodied at 50 dbs, which is the Devore Fidelity 0/96 loudspeaker. It is a 2 way and the reviews claim that since the bass driver is extremely close to the mid and high driver that the sound is cohesive and due to its open baffle design plays rich, full bodied at 50 dbs. I am located in New York so there are 2 or three dealers that sell the Devore. The last thought I had was to purchase a llimiter, where you can set up your system so not play louder in dbs than your desired setting. Last night, listening to Beethoven 7th symphony I noted that the low portions are as low as 38 dbs and the loud go into the 80 db level. Anybody have any thoughts about my concerns? |
"Last night, listening to Beethoven 7th symphony I noted that the low portions are as low as 38 dbs and the loud go into the 80 db level. Anybody have any thoughts about my concerns?" Some TVs had ’night’ modes to avoid peaks that wake the wifey asleep nearby). I bought a gizmo for my elderly mother, who was in a single room in a nursing home. It was a ’volume average’r’, i.e. soft sounds boosted so she could hear them, loud sounds cut so not too loud for her or thru the wall to neighboring room. also, ads are louder, despite denials and broadcast rules, it automatically cut those ad’s excess volume. it had a bypass, so you could not use it unless needed. do you have a tape or processor loop? sub-titles were a blessing for her. Oh, yeah, this was the maker I don't know who, but something for audio systems rather than TV is out there hopefully.
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quickie search ’audio limiter’, just to see what’s out there, learn a bit even if not ideal choices. pro acoustics amazon audio limiters https://www.amazon.com/audio-limiter/s?k=audio+limiter
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