HIFI!
I make home HiFi systems for myself for fun. I also make some bespoke
parts for others (more about that on another site I will set up).
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From the occasional valve amp, tonearms, DSP crossovers, and perhaps most interestingly; Horn speaker systems.
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Horns can have enormous sound-stage. From deep fast bass, speed, agility, clarity and dynamics, to an integrated flowing sound across all frequencies that no other implementations I've heard can match.
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The result, an effortless easy to listen to sound:)
Done properly there is none of the honk or problems horn disbelievers cite.
Ever purer sound requirements lead eventually to 4, or preferably 5 way systems.
Front loaded horn bass has to be heard to be believed.
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They are not small though! The following pages chronicle my journey.
12 sided conical horn in 21mm birch ply with JBL2435Be driver. Bass (crossing at 1000Hz) is GRF with Eminence Kappa Pro 15" LFII driver. This performed better on the bass (more controlled and just as deep), and the JBL2435Be performed better than the Tannoy HPD or Golds DC horn. I added a cheap Eminence tweeter for a bit more high freq ambience.
A Cad savvy friend kindly modelled this for me.
I achieved a smooth throat transition by using 2 pack wood filler and carefully sanding to perfect smooth. Horn end cut off to JBL 1.5''
12 sided conical horn in 21mm birch ply with JBL2435Be driver. Bass (crossing at 1000Hz) is GRF with Eminence Kappa Pro 15" LFII driver. This performed better on the bass (more controlled and just as deep), and the JBL2435Be performed better than the Tannoy HPD or Golds DC horn. I added a cheap Eminence tweeter for a bit more high freq ambience.
Humble beginnings
I started out building a pair of Tannoy GRF replica cabs in 21/24mm birch ply and it snow balled from there. A conical on a GRF, then added a mid horn, then bass horns, then Tapped horns - Then refining and improving drivers and horns, amps and crossovers.
Click Picture to enlarge
Weighing in at 425Kgs. Here is the passive X/O 5 way, birch ply Concial system, that I and a friend lugged to Scalford to play for fellow enthusiasts.
We had a large room with low ceiling, that gave echo'y acoustics. Come show day, with 30 people in the room it sounded pretty good. Not as compellingly intimate as at home though.
Packing them in. The system got a lot of attention. I met and made many new friends.
Weighing in at 425Kgs. Here is the passive X/O 5 way, birch ply Concial system, that I and a friend lugged to Scalford to play for fellow enthusiasts.

Scalford Hall Wigwam Show 2012
The system grew from 2 way to 3, to 4, to 5 way. Friends came to listen. They persuaded me to take the whole system to Scalford!
From top to bottom - Raal Lazy ribbon tweeters, JBL2435Be's on upper hornes. JBL2482's on mid horns, 15" Eminence on bass horns and 15" LF drivers on Tapped (sub) horns.
Click Picture to enlarge
From 20Hz Tapped horns (behind the round horns) through bass horns, mid, upper mid horns and ribbon tweeters this system really does it for me. I have not heard a system (so far), anywhere that I prefer. A dedicated amplifier drives each of the 5 driver pairs. Chosen to match the driver needs and sound good in my room. A Digital Signal Processing unit manages ADC / DAC, Crossovers, time alignment and room correction (2 bass channels only).
Over 1.2m in length 90cm mouth = will not fit though a normal house door.
Smaller mid bass horns - I've lowered the whole rig for a more integrated sound. I love the sound of this system, on all types of music.
From 20Hz Tapped horns (behind the round horns) through bass horns, mid, upper mid horns and ribbon tweeters this system really does it for me. I have not heard a system (so far), anywhere that I prefer. A dedicated amplifier drives each of the 5 driver pairs. Chosen to match the driver needs and sound good in my room. A Digital Signal Processing unit manages ADC / DAC, Crossovers, time alignment and room correction (2 bass channels only).