Comment on "Canyon" and "Cupped Hand" effects
I worked in recording studios and I have the following to say about the horn coloration discussed here:
1. There are so many different types of horn technologies out there so the assumption to sum them all up as the same is really grossly inaccurate. For basic information on horn technology, one can just go to Wikipedia and you will see what I mean...
2. The horn driver coloration, or the "cupped hand" effect varies greatly with different horn designs. I worked with so many different brands and types of speakers and I can tell you that at least the Klipsch reference series presents with only very little of this coloration. Sometimes this coloration is noticeable due the mild broad hump around 1kh through 2.5khz with a proportionally recessed 10khz through14khz (proportionally meaning the speaker may still have an above average output at the higher frequency bands, but the curvature of the output is not linear). This is just how the human ear is very sensitive to the 2khz band and it is the PROPORTION of frequency uniformity in relation to this band of high human sensitivity that can change the psychoacoustic perception of tonality.
3. A small boost with parametric eq centered around 12khz with bandwith of around an octave, while leaving the broad band 2khz hump untouched, should take the "cupped hand" effect completely out of the Kilpsch reference speakers with adequate lower register output (therefore this will not help the smaller bookshelf models as the lower frequency band output is too low to alter the overall frequency proportion curvature).
4. People tend not to understand the principles of recording... Given the sound is recorded live and not generated from a computer (which most modern pop recordings are almost all synthetically generated), a recording can either be made in a setting where the recording acoustic environment is minimized (such as using mic of a certain pick up pattern, VERY close mic placement to the sound source, and acoustically deadened recording booth), OR the some degree of the recording environment is purposely recorded during the recording session, OR artificial recording environment is synthetically created during post recording processing. When a recording is played back, the playback acoustic environment IS going have an effect on the sound of the recording AGAIN, REGARDLESS what types of speakers you use. Horn drivers will be less affected by the playback acoustic environment, while designs such planar and bipolar drivers will be very affected...
5. Having said that, the horn camp will justify their design by the fact that one needs to eliminate effects the playback acoustic environment as much as possible (unless it is artificially intended and enhanced), because then there is the additive effect of combining the acoustics of the recording environment with the acoustics of the playback environment, greatly distorting the original recording as intended by the recording engineers. The other camp that relies on effects of playback acoustic environment (the ones that use planar, bipolar, other driver technologies such as Gallo, Ohm Walsh, etc) believes in mimicking the ideal 360' sound producing properties of most live instruments (and even this is debatable and not so simple when you get into details) to achieve a more "realistic" sound presentation. This intent of adding after effects of acoustic environment is also engineered into all the DSP acoustic programs out there now days...
6. This debate over how the effects of pre and post recording acoustic environment to be dealt with is very controversial in the science of recording. Some just argue, why not just take the instruments directly to the ears and use binaural recordings recorded by special mics under special conditions and played back only via special headphones...? And which camp is more realistic? Probably none of them, even binaural recordings... It it likely more dependent on the specific design and quality of a particular product, and also on the recording themselves as each recording was recorded with different principles and intentions by the engineer. Even "live music", acoustic or modern synthetic, is highly dependent on the playback or performing acoustic environment...
7. Furthermore, so many claim they know what sounds "real" but do not even go to live performances anymore. And guess how live modern pop music is played back on stage...? Whether its computer generated or live sound, they are all played back through horn speakers. Acoustic music such as classical and jazz? Well, many who did direct and immediate comparison between live and recorded music under special set up conditions often expressed that while they are impressed with the 3D spacial presentation of live acoustic music, they also expressed their shock that live strings can sometimes sound harsh or instruments lack "air" and "sparkle" and sometimes not as exciting and pleasant as compared to a good modern recording... And how does one define "Live" music now days anyway...? So, it really is up to the specific taste of the listener. It would not be accurate to assume one technology presents a "more realistic" sound reproduction than the other...
8. Back to the Kilpsch, I finally tried a pair of the large Reference series after decades of using dome tweeters, even for close field post recording monitoring, editing, and processing, and I have not been able to go back to dome tweeters for overall final playback since...(I still use dome tweeters for monitoring because most of the consumer home speakers use dome tweeters.) Mind you that I use my parametric eq and I do mostly 2 channel stereo listening, but the cupped hand effect is completely not noticeable if the correct curve eq is applied. Even with parametric eq, dome tweeters just cannot reproduce the kind of immediacy, cleanliness, and dynamics well designed horn drivers can, and if I want to add the effects of post recording acoustic environment, I would rather deal with very sophisticated DSP programs available now days since I have more control of the processing parameters. Dome tweeters, while more pleasant for SOME music types and recordings, just sound too diffused and actually less "realistic" to me now days... Then again, this is my personal preference, from someone who almost got a pair of Gallo's just this past year...
