I.B. Folded Corner Horn !

[Jim Butler]

HI Mirrophonic,
You're right-I am lucky to be able to set up my speakers in a large space with an ability to turn it up.

I might also add that, most of the time, I listen to my Altecs at very reasonable levels (some might say low levels) because the **** things are so incredibly clear. They are a beautiful invention.

I'd still like to hear what others on this forum have to say on their experience of loudness and volume.

Jim Butler

[GM]

Hey Jim,

Mine mirrors your experiences. You took 'deer in the headlights' right out of my mouth. Back when I sat down to do some serious listening, I did it at ~live levels (assuming a decent recording), so it could get quite loud, though never quite at Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, or similarly too loud concerts. Folks were always stunned at how loud they were listening at, and how much stereo imaging, detail they were missing playing their faves on their cone/dome systems, even relatively expensive ones. And of course the midbass 'slam' of four horn loaded 515s backed up with four more to fill in the LF was a religious experience for many. Janis Joplin, et al, never sounded so good in concert, at least when they were here in Hotlanta. At the time I had a much larger room than I do now, so levels can't be as high now or too much ear compression occurs, but I still listen at DD/DTS reference levels (85dB/listening position), which is 5-10dB louder than most listen to movies, even those with the fancy dedicated 'cinema' HTs.

One of the more surprising things I learned when I first got on the net was something called SAF, WAF. They littered way too many threads and made no technical sense to me, so finally had to admit my ignorance and ask. I was stunned. I had never known a woman who objected to the size or $$ investment of my system. Indeed, once they heard them, they had their GFs (with/without their main 'squeeze') over to play their faves and I wound building or helping to build similar systems and many smaller ones such as Lee's, or for the impecunious and/or apt. dweller, RS horn/wide BW woofer tower designs.

GM

[scott fitlin]

My take on loudness and volume is that with horn loaded systems, such as Altec, you dont have to " push " the volume to get adequate level. The system just puts out, and in such a believable, realistic sounding fashion its uncanny. Low level resolution is also second to nothing! You simply hear things in the recordings you just never knew were there!

If your system is set up and powered right, when you kick the system, the loud volume never offends, but the musical picture gets bigger, kind of larger than life. This is what I fell in love with all those years ago, as a kid! The dynamic slam, such as snare drums, can be absolutely unF*&%ingbelievable! Yet, so polite sounding, and never painful.

They had gotten it so right so many years ago, it isnt funny.

Those who know, know!

[Altec19]

Greetings All,

I've observed over the years that the untrained ear judges volume based on the presence or absence of one of the various kinds of distortion that invariably crop up with lesser audio systems. In other words, it ain't loud until it breaks up! I have Model 19s upstairs and A7-500s downstairs and neither one of them will break up before people start getting pinned against the back wall. By this time the point has been made and there is little reason to advance the throttle any further.

Clean truly is beautiful especially when it is accomplished via high efficiency!

BTW, I have vacuum tubes driving the 19s and a pleasant HK 60 watt/ch SS amp on the A7s. Check out last winter's pastime in the link below for more on the tube amp.

Later . . .

The Phoenix Amplifier Project