Markus and his horns

I’ve had an enthusiasm for multi-cellular horn speakers for as long as I can remember. In 2007 I had the pleasure of hearing a demonstration of a pair of Altec 1505B horns, and the spatial representation of the soundstage and the breathtaking ‘live experience’ led to shivers, tingles and goosebumps. That feeling stayed with me long after that esxperience, which is why I started work on the production of multi-cellular horns.

An initial very high hurdle was the calculation of the exponential horn progressions, requiring millimetre accuracy. The design of such horns is clearly understood, but a multi-cell horn follows other physical principles, such as the spherical wave horn, due to the large number of individual horn elements in the network. This required a long study of the technology, and a multitude of calculations, drawings and models.

That hurdle cleared, it was a matter of putting this newly-acquired knowledge into practice, so machines for woodworking were purchased, a reasonable workshop set up, and the work began. The first few attempts gave me plenty of opportunity to heat my house comfortably in winter (!), but the desired sound gradually came together.

I felt that familiar tingling in the stomach and the hairs standing hairs on my arms when Rory Gallagher tortured his Telecaster, Ray Brown plucked the double bass or Chet Baker breathed the incomparable melodiousness of his trumpet. No matter what kind of music – whether club jazz, punk or orchestral works – the horns play with a purity and directness that conveys true emotion.

However, this hasn’t simply been a process of faithful reproduction of existing multi-cell horn designs: new developments have been added, such as multi-cell horns for the high frequency range, and horn attachments for Altec Duplex 604/605 coaxial drivers – to name but a few.

 

Each horn is unique

I make my horns in consultation with each customer, so a little patience is required: from the first conversation to the finished horn takes some weeks.

First, the type of horn is determined for the intended application and the driver with which it is to be used: in the Horn Types section of this site you can see the various horns subdivided by frequency range.

After that, the individual wishes of the customer regarding colour and surface treatment are considered, as each horn is built by hand, and we can also discuss the damping of the horn mouths, from bitumen and cork insulation to filling with sand – everything is possible. Under References you will find some articles from the trade press as well as pictures of satisfied customers from all over the world.

Take time to look at my galleries, and you will also find more information and pictures in my Facebook account (where I would be very grateful for a like or recommendation!)

I hope you enjoy browsing through my site and maybe soon we can discuss your personal horn loudspeaker. Just give me a call or use the contact form if you would like to find out more, or just want to talk about my horns – I look forward to hearing from you.