Best large format horns for home use

I have a pair of 291C drivers (same body as the 288H). I am going to put some GPA aluminum phragms in them. What are some good large format horns for home HiFi use?

I have been looking at Mantaray and multicells. Also there are some EV's that might work. I have been told that the smaller multicells like the 803/805 would be better for HiFi since they have a smaller dispersion pattern.

I have heard of people using as big as a 1505 in their home with success. Hmm

And then how about the Mantarays... Which ones are the best for this application?

I would use these on top of my 828 cabs. The woofers will be switched to some model of the 515. Right now xovers are 800hz passive, but can be lowered for the large format drivers.

Thanks

I use klipsch, yes I said klipsch large format horns and they sound incredible! I use Tad drivers with them though. The model number is K402, they are a little pricey, but I think they are about the best thing I have bought in audio.

Are the Kilpsch horns a 1.4" throat?

I would prefer to use a horn that I don't have to modify or use an adaptor. Something 3 bolt with a 1.4" throat

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Originally Posted by Elitopus1

Are the Kilpsch horns a 1.4" throat?

I would prefer to use a horn that I don't have to modify or use an adaptor. Something 3 bolt with a 1.4" throat

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No its a 2" throat so you would need an adaptor. Its a shame, because these horns are so smooth, they have almost no horn sound, and as large as they are work very well even in small spaces.

I'm always on the lookout for a pair of JBL 2440/2441. If I ever find a pair of those I will keep those Klipsch horns in mind

My favorite would be the 329, followed by the 311, but unless you plan on mortgaging your house, probably out of the question.
MRII594A are pretty good.

www.greatplainsaudio.com/downloads/MRII594A.pdf

329's are definitely expensive. 311 can be had for cheaper. Do you prefer the 311-60 or 311-90? The 60 are cheaper but it seems like too small of a dispersion pattern.

I'll check out those Mantarays. I had some JBL 2360's before. Those looked like the bigger MR horns. And I liked them.

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Looks like I can get a pair of MR594 for around 300$ plus shipping. Thats just slightly less than a pair of 311-60.

I'd like a pair of 805 or 1005 to play around with, but those are going for much more.

I wish more people around here had Altec gear laying around. I live in the nation's oldest city, and there isn't much old stuff except for buildings and the forts. :D

I have pairs of:
311-90's
1505B's
MRII 594's
MR94's
ALL of them sound really good IMHO

I would say of the 3 for home/close range use, the 311's
The MR94's have excellent long range throw / sound.
MRII's are very good in the home, esp if your really close to the speakers

Never had a chance to listen to or let alone own 329's...one day maybe :-)

I did have smaller format JBL horns (similar to the MRII's), combined with the 2445J's and didn't think that much of them

Thats a nice variety of horns you have there BigScott!

When using the 311-90 horns, what drivers and xover frequency did you use?

288-8K and a N500-8H network on a 817A LF horn w/515-8G's
Pretty sweet sound

So Scott, how did your neighbors like them? I wish I had room for large format horns, recently I had a set of huge EV fiberglass horns but I quickly sold them off, they never left my car.
I'd love to try some multicell horns such as the Altec H808 but they have gone off the chart money wise.
Still lots of the smaller format horns to play with and I have all the stuff to build a set of 511E horns. 291 drivers with Symbiotek diaphragms at the ready.

BillWojo

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Originally Posted by BigScottinVA

288-8K and a N500-8H network on a 817A LF horn w/515-8G's
Pretty sweet sound

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I bet that did sound sweet! I ran 817a cabs with 921 woofers and JBL 2360 horns with Renkus 3301 drivers for a while. Big sound out of those speakers.

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Originally Posted by Elitopus1

I have a pair of 291C drivers (same body as the 288H). I am going to put some GPA aluminum phragms in them. What are some good large format horns for home HiFi use?

I have been looking at Mantaray and multicells. Also there are some EV's that might work. I have been told that the smaller multicells like the 803/805 would be better for HiFi since they have a smaller dispersion pattern.

I have heard of people using as big as a 1505 in their home with success. Hmm

And then how about the Mantarays... Which ones are the best for this application?

I would use these on top of my 828 cabs. The woofers will be switched to some model of the 515. Right now xovers are 800hz passive, but can be lowered for the large format drivers.

Thanks

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Read up on a RCA MI-9595. I used them, a 90 by 40, when I was in my RCA field coil days, and I believe that horn has an INCREDIBLE midrange recreation !! Steve Schell may be your go-to guy.

Have no clue what size throat it was, but I LIKED what comes out of the mouth !! Maybe the best there is !!


Jeff Medwin.....Low Ohms.

E, Had 15 cell and 10 cell. Preferred the 10's probably for the narrower vertical pattern. Have MRII564 for right and left and a MRII5120 for the center and like them alot. (Can be had cheap too.) See what you can find. They all provide better mids than the small format drivers.

Echo the suggestion for the MRII series. The MRII594A is an excellent horn, way better than the small JBL ones.

If you can find them, and have room for them, the first MR series (metal) are great as well. The MR94 and 64.
I also like the 1005 and 1505 in the same space.
All require larger rooms to 'breathe'.

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Originally Posted by LOUDER

E, Had 15 cell and 10 cell. Preferred the 10's probably for the narrower vertical pattern. Have MRII564 for right and left and a MRII5120 for the center and like them alot. (Can be had cheap too.) See what you can find. They all provide better mids than the small format drivers.

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Thanks for the info. I figure I will have to start with some MR until I can find a good local deal on some multicells to try.

There are some of the smaller MR horns on ebay. Most of them have higher shipping than than price of the horns! Lol

I have had these large format drivers for a little while now, but have never set them up. I am curious to see what all the fuss is about. Also since I already have an 802 system (the 604's), why not get a large format system going?:cool:

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by LowOhms

Read up on a RCA MI-9595. I used them, a 90 by 40, when I was in my RCA field coil days, and I believe that horn has an INCREDIBLE midrange recreation !! Steve Schell may be your go-to guy.

Have no clue what size throat it was, but I LIKED what comes out of the mouth !! Maybe the best there is !!


Jeff Medwin.....Low Ohms.

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I googled these. Looks like they are 3 bolt flange horns. I don't know if the RCA drivers are the same throat size. Anyways, they go from 200-1200$ for a pair. So it looks like deals can still be had. I'll keep an eye out

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Originally Posted by magnarc

Echo the suggestion for the MRII series. The MRII594A is an excellent horn, way better than the small JBL ones.

If you can find them, and have room for them, the first MR series (metal) are great as well. The MR94 and 64.
I also like the 1005 and 1505 in the same space.
All require larger rooms to 'breathe'.

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This is great. It really helps me focus my attention on getting some MR for now, and then some multicells when I can find a pair. I like the way the multicells "look" better, but in the end I just want whatever sounds the best.

Thanks for the input!

I found a MR564 for 55$ including shipping on Reverb. If I had a place to get a second one I might try it out

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Elitopus1

What are some good large format horns for home HiFi use?

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Well, my heart belongs to the tar filled 1803, but the MRII594 is a lot cheaper, more practical for most folks with a DIY waveguide [WG] being best overall specs wise and to my ears better overall than anything short of a two way Synergy concept, which is the WG minus the secondary mids to increasing mid-band efficiency. I was surprised at how little audible extra 'body'/'foundation' its mids add when auditioned at typical HIFI levels and only beginning to 'sing' at HT THX reference.

For folks that only have 511s and/or 811s, stacking a pair [or in Cal's system, one of each]/channel nets a bit larger summed effective piston, mouth area than a 2xx driver/805 combo, so plenty of dynamic headroom for frequency shaping, mids 'presence', minimum recommended XO point/slope, yet a 1" exit's more extended HF, all for less 'coin of the realm'. :D

GM

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Elitopus1

I found a MR564

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Just how far away do you sit?

GM

Thanks for the input GM.

I have thought about using the double 511/811 horns and small format drivers. I have all the drivers I need, and half the horns.

I also wanted to put my pair of 291C to use finally.

The 564 I am looking at is in TX. It is 30$ with 25$ shipping. So maybe they could ship it to north FL for that. Maybe not though.

I have a pair of what looks like these,

http://www.hostboard.com/forums/hbmc.../2017/06/9.jpg
someone gave them to me. if they can do you any good and you can use them.

FWIW: Altec 288-8G - Electro Voice HR60 HELP

GM

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GM

FWIW: Altec 288-8G - Electro Voice HR60 HELP

GM

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So if I understand correctly, the EV horns have a slightly smaller throat? Is it just the HR60, or the HR90 and HR120 also?

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Originally Posted by Phil-G

I have a pair of what looks like these,

http://www.hostboard.com/forums/hbmc.../2017/06/9.jpg
someone gave them to me. if they can do you any good and you can use them.

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Those look pretty nice! Have you tried any of your large fomat drivers on them?

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According to some quick research those horns have a 1.3" throat. Any way to make them larger to match the 1.4" Altec drivers?

Don, it's just fiberglass. A dremel tool would make quick work of it with a sanding drum.
I recently had a set of HR90's, they were huge. I never unloaded them from my car, sold them that quick. To big for me at 40" across.

BillWojo

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Elitopus1

So if I understand correctly, the EV horns have a slightly smaller throat? Is it just the HR60, or the HR90 and HR120 also?

According to some quick research those horns have a 1.3" throat. Any way to make them larger to match the 1.4" Altec drivers?

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Well there's this method...;)
Amazon.com: Lisle 10000 Brake Cylinder Hone: Automotive

Dunno, just found the thread in a quick search and posted it.

Make a 2x longer tapered reducer than the driver's internal one to minimize reflections back to the internal throat or align bore the horns after adding an epoxy layer [or four] of fiberglass matte around the exterior assuming the flange is large enough to safely mount/support a 2xx.

Otherwise, there will be a lot of reflections from the mouth back to the horn's throat and a separate set of much higher frequency reflections between the horn throat and the driver's internal one, but never having done any experimenting can only say that folks with keen hearing should theoretically have no trouble hearing a difference if one could make a suitable comparison, though the reality is that the worst case scenario probably will be just a lower extreme HF output; i.e. what happened when I mounted an 802 to an 805 multi-cell with just a gasket.

GM

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Originally Posted by Old Guy

Well there's this method...;)
Amazon.com: Lisle 10000 Brake Cylinder Hone: Automotive

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+1 :D, beat me to it, this is what I meant by 'align bore', then saw your link as I going to go search for one to link.

GM

I just checked the throat measures a little over 1 3/8"
I've never used them, and just for the record they're painted black. :D

Sounds like near enough to 1.4" that just an Altec gasket is required, though a perfect bore match will help the extreme HF a bit if no super tweeter is used.

GM

I think that I paid $60 for one of my MRII564's and $120 for the other one with the 1 to 1.4 adapter and a Altec 909. I cant remember what I gave for the MR5120. Check out Phil's E.V.'s. If you like them make offer. When E.V. first came out with those we nicknamed them urinal horns.

I have heard that some of the big EVs are great, but I have no experience with them. My recommendation for cheap thrills is the Altec 203B, the two cell giant with the huge sound and the narrow pattern. For living room use they define the possible for a domesticated multicellular. Big goose bump vocals!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Elitopus1

I have a pair of 291C drivers (same body as the 288H). I am going to put some GPA aluminum phragms in them. What are some good large format horns for home HiFi use?

I have been looking at Mantaray and multicells. Also there are some EV's that might work. I have been told that the smaller multicells like the 803/805 would be better for HiFi since they have a smaller dispersion pattern.

I have heard of people using as big as a 1505 in their home with success. Hmm

And then how about the Mantarays... Which ones are the best for this application?

I would use these on top of my 828 cabs. The woofers will be switched to some model of the 515. Right now xovers are 800hz passive, but can be lowered for the large format drivers.

Thanks

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Little late in this but I would look for a set of LeCleach horns in the DIY forums or eBay. I sold a set with JBL 2435HPLs a few years ago. I have 1005bs, 511bs and lecleach horns with " and 2"'throats. I have also owned Klipsch and have heard the 402, tract Rick and various tad clones the lecleach horns are very hard to beat in imaging and smoothness with very little horn artefacts.