Horns · Horn types
Back-loaded horn
How it connects#
The rear face of the diaphragm feeds the throat through a throat chamber. The horn’s mouth and the front of the cone are two separate outputs.
Because they are two outputs, they add with their phase. Where they arrive in step, the horn reinforces the bass; where they arrive out of step, they cancel.
When to use it#
Good for#
- Full-range and wide-band drivers that need help in the bass.
- Designs where the direct radiator carries the midrange and the horn only has to cover the bottom octaves.
Watch for#
- The two outputs can cancel just above the horn’s working band. Check Horn Radiating Outputs, not only the total SPL.
- There is no sealed rear chamber in this type: the throat chamber is the only chamber.
What you set#
Set the enclosure type to Horn, then choose Back-loaded under Horn type, in the enclosure panel or in the Horn Editor’s path bar.
In the horn card#
The horn card in the enclosure panel lists each path as a row: click one to open that path in the Horn Editor. The card also sets:
| Control | What it sets |
|---|---|
| Throat chamber | Volume, and its Cross-section under Advanced. The cross-section sets the length of the coupling path: volume divided by cross-section. |
In the Horn Editor#
The path itself is set on the Horn Editor tile. Drag it in the drawing, or switch the tile to Table to type each value:
| Control | What it sets |
|---|---|
| Main horn | The area at the throat, then up to eight spans, each with a Flare, a Length and the Area where it ends. |
The rear-of-driver marker is fixed at the throat. Drag the arrows and the dividers between spans to reshape the path, or click a value to type it. How the Horn Editor works.
What the horn length does#
Only the horn length changes. The shortest horn adds little below 150 Hz, and each longer horn carries the output lower. Its peaks and dips start lower too, because the path’s resonances move down with its length.
- 0.6 m−3 dB 177 Hz
- 1.2 m−3 dB 101 Hz
- 1.8 m−3 dB 74 Hz
How the outputs add up#
The dashed lines are the horn mouth and the front of the cone on their own. The solid line is what you hear: the horn dominates the low end and the direct radiator the top, and they interact where they overlap.
- Total
- Main mouth
- Direct radiator
Diagnostics and stuffing#
Horn Radiating Outputs shows the Main mouth and the Direct radiator separately, with their coherent total. When the throat chamber has both a volume and a cross-section, the coupling path shows as Main coupling. Reading the horn diagnostics.
Any span of the horn can be stuffed. How stuffing works.
Folding and Hornresp#
- Folding
- Available. The Fold tile mounts the driver on an outer wall facing out, opens the throat into the dead space and compares the throat chamber the fold leaves with your target.
- Hornresp export · Nd
- Up to four spans export as a native record. Hornresp needs the two diaphragm faces at opposite polarities, and the export notes that absolute phase may be inverted and that you should use its combined acoustic output with Path = 0 cm.
- Checked against Hornresp
- 13 native Hornresp cases of this type are re-simulated in the regression tests. 13 of 13 agreement checks meet their tolerances.
Try it#
There is no example for this type yet. Open the simulator, add an enclosure, set its type to Horn and choose Back-loaded under Horn type. It starts from the default horn path.
Ask your AI#
Ask your AI
Using 00 Simulator, add a back-loaded horn to my open workspace for the driver I am using now, with a 1.5 m horn. Simulate it at 10 W, show me SPL, and use the radiating outputs in the results to tell me where the horn mouth and the direct radiator cancel.
Connect your assistant so it can open your designs.