Consumer Electronics

FOLDED-HORN SYSTEMS

Outdoor speaker systems and many movie theatre sound systems employ speaker coupling systems known as exponential horns. Such horns with their constant rate of flare provide an acoustical match between the cone of the loudspeaker and the air to which sound energy must be coupled (See Fig. 5.10).

 

 

Fig. 5.10 Cross-sectional view of a horn-type reproducer

 

To effective horns make, it must be designed to a length that is determined by the lowest cutoff frequency desired. For example, to be able to use a horn design down to 32 Hz the horn would have to be nearly 9 ft. long. Even the average listening room would not accommodate ...