Has anyone ever measured a 32B horn?

[Steve Schell]

Marty these 90 degree horns are fascinating and an often overlooked branch of horn evolution. D.G. Blattner of Bell Laboratories received U.S. Patent #1,996,743 on this type of horn in 1935:

ACOUSTIC DEVICE - Google Patent Search

The late A.J. May of RCA also researched these horns and built prototypes. There was at least one production model of 90 degree horn built by RCA of some fibrous material. Mostly it was the Western Electric and later licensed Altec horns that were produced in large numbers.

There were also numerous European 90 degree midrange / high frequency theatre horns built, but they don't appear to use the throat shape to achieve wide horizontal dispersion of high frequencies like the W.E. horns.

I had a plastic pair of Altec 32Bs years ago, but let them slip through my fingers. Never measured them.

[GM]

TL-221 has the 9849 studio monitor's polar response and as radial horns go, it's pretty impressive and an engineering mini-'tour de force' when one considers its 90? bend and the times it was designed in.

GM

[martyh45]

Resurrecting the dead thread :-)

The 32 horns have intrigued me for years. I just came across this PDF with system measurements for monitors including the 9849A. I realize that sales literature is not the best place to find accurate information but I think in this case using it to compare the monitors listed is probably safe. I would assume that the same smoothing and other sales trickery was used across the board. Looking closely it seems the 32B horn is much better at the bottom end of the pass band then the sectorals. That is something I did not expect to see, couple that with better HF dispersion and it is no wonder they were produced for so long. All in all the 32 horns seem seriously under appreciated. As GM said ? a mini tour de force?


http://www.greatplainsaudio.com/vint...leslit_ALL.pdf