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Junior Varsity
Help me understand the concept of speaker “throw” please.
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<blockquote data-quote="Perry Wright" data-source="post: 212092" data-attributes="member: 13023"><p><span style="font-family: 'arial'">A topic overflowing with misconceptions. . . . . .</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'arial'">Simply: Long throw means a narrow dispersion pattern, which assumes the target coverage area will be far away.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'arial'">Short throw means a wide coverage pattern for a target coverage area which is close. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'arial'">• You may have heard that sound dissipates at -6dB per double the distance, which is true for the small scale, but does not usefully describe how sound behaves in an outdoor concert situation. The perceived sound intensity drops off at a much more linear rate. (See chart). Horn loading, including folded horn bass boxes, increases efficiency, directivity, power handling, but even more importantly, substantially increases the distance with useful sound intensity. In fact, outdoors, no direct radiating speaker will ever equal a medium bass horn (36" x 24" x 24") or larger (36" x 24" x 36"). At 300 feet, direct radiator speakers will be nearly useless, while the same speakers, with the same power and signal, in horn boxes, will produce effective sound intensity.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: '-webkit-standard'"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span style="font-family: 'arial'">The same effect holds true for mids and highs. In other words, if large high horns and low horns are used with direct radiator mids, the mids will fall short at longer distances. All speakers should be of similar design. In other words, all horn loaded or all direct radiator.</span></span></span></p><p> <span style="font-family: '-webkit-standard'"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span style="font-family: 'arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: '-webkit-standard'"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span style="font-family: 'arial'">Real world example: Years ago I did an outdoor concert with 4-18", 4-12", and 4 large high horns per side.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: '-webkit-standard'"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span style="font-family: 'arial'">Well, it sounded great up close, but walking out 200-300 feet, the lows and mids were nearly non existent, while the highs still carried pretty well. The next concert we replaced the 4 18" with 2 folded horn 18's per side. Then the highs and lows reached the distance but the mids were still lacking. So for the next concert we replaced the 4-12" with 2-12's in a large horn cabinet on each side and totally solved the problem. Less speakers, less power, but far more coverage and projection. Lesson: Horns are definitely the way to go !</span></span></span></p><p> <span style="font-family: '-webkit-standard'"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span style="font-family: 'arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: '-webkit-standard'"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span style="font-family: 'arial'">Horn designs may vary but ANY horn will FAR outperform ANY other design for outdoor concert events, no matter what kind of music is being played, live or recorded.</span></span></span></p><p> <span style="font-family: '-webkit-standard'"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span style="font-family: 'arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: '-webkit-standard'"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span style="font-family: 'arial'">I heard someone say, "But power is cheap, so why use horns ?"</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: '-webkit-standard'"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span style="font-family: 'arial'">Well, power might be cheaper these days, but blown speakers are not. And that still does not change the laws of physics. </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: '-webkit-standard'"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span style="font-family: 'arial'">Horn loading is not a fad from the past. It is an acoustical advantage like a lever is a mechanical advantage. </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: '-webkit-standard'"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span style="font-family: 'arial'">Once you hear the difference, you will want full horn loading for all your events.</span>[ATTACH=full]208805[/ATTACH]</span></span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Perry Wright, post: 212092, member: 13023"] [FONT=arial]A topic overflowing with misconceptions. . . . . . Simply: Long throw means a narrow dispersion pattern, which assumes the target coverage area will be far away. Short throw means a wide coverage pattern for a target coverage area which is close. • You may have heard that sound dissipates at -6dB per double the distance, which is true for the small scale, but does not usefully describe how sound behaves in an outdoor concert situation. The perceived sound intensity drops off at a much more linear rate. (See chart). Horn loading, including folded horn bass boxes, increases efficiency, directivity, power handling, but even more importantly, substantially increases the distance with useful sound intensity. In fact, outdoors, no direct radiating speaker will ever equal a medium bass horn (36" x 24" x 24") or larger (36" x 24" x 36"). At 300 feet, direct radiator speakers will be nearly useless, while the same speakers, with the same power and signal, in horn boxes, will produce effective sound intensity.[/FONT] [FONT=-webkit-standard][COLOR=rgb(0, 0, 0)][FONT=arial][/FONT][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=-webkit-standard][COLOR=rgb(0, 0, 0)][FONT=arial]The same effect holds true for mids and highs. In other words, if large high horns and low horns are used with direct radiator mids, the mids will fall short at longer distances. All speakers should be of similar design. In other words, all horn loaded or all direct radiator. Real world example: Years ago I did an outdoor concert with 4-18", 4-12", and 4 large high horns per side. Well, it sounded great up close, but walking out 200-300 feet, the lows and mids were nearly non existent, while the highs still carried pretty well. The next concert we replaced the 4 18" with 2 folded horn 18's per side. Then the highs and lows reached the distance but the mids were still lacking. So for the next concert we replaced the 4-12" with 2-12's in a large horn cabinet on each side and totally solved the problem. Less speakers, less power, but far more coverage and projection. Lesson: Horns are definitely the way to go ! Horn designs may vary but ANY horn will FAR outperform ANY other design for outdoor concert events, no matter what kind of music is being played, live or recorded. I heard someone say, "But power is cheap, so why use horns ?" Well, power might be cheaper these days, but blown speakers are not. And that still does not change the laws of physics. Horn loading is not a fad from the past. It is an acoustical advantage like a lever is a mechanical advantage. Once you hear the difference, you will want full horn loading for all your events.[/FONT][ATTACH=full]208805[/ATTACH][/COLOR][/FONT] [/QUOTE]
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Help me understand the concept of speaker “throw” please.
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