The unique looking "Little Horn Speakers" caught my eye and I was particularly excited to see they use a familiar transducer, the Fostex FE108E Sigma. While their size is far from what most would describe as a little speaker, they are little for a horn. [Click on the images to enlarge]
The custom handcrafted speakers are produced by Specimen Products from Chicago. The enclosure (base) is made using Baltic birch plywood and this acts as the compression chamber. The horn is cast using a heavy-duty resin and both the base and horn are finished with lacquer.
The overall height is 36" (915 mm) and the bell of the horn is 14" (355 mm) across. The base is an 8" (200 mm) cube. The impedance is noted as 8 ohms with a sensitivity of 90 dB. The frequency response is listed as 77Hz to 23kHz. The speakers are well suited for use with low power tube amplifiers.
The Little Horn Speakers delivered a surprising large soundstage and you get the single-driver finesse and detail that FE108E Sigma is known to deliver. The speakers retail for $2400 / pair are available in a number of colors. More information and photographs are available from Specimen Products website.
More Salon Son & Image 2011 Coverage
As Specimen Products' first dealer and sales representative, I couldn't be more thrilled with these little wonders, the matching tube amp and sub, and with the wonderful people behind them, namely Ian and Nadine Schneller, whose business is located in Chicago. They plan to exhibit at Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in October, so don't miss it. A demo of the products will be given at the May 15th meeting of the Chicago Audio Society as well, which anyone is welcome to attend.
ReplyDeleteBrian Walsh
Essential Audio
Those look great and a pair of speakers that the wife may actually approve of.
ReplyDeleteWould it be possible to invert the speakers so the driver is at ear level and the horn couples with the floor. That would take up even less space and possibly improve the low end?
I remember reading about these little guys a few months ago, very unique and artistic approach, I definitely like the red walnut colored ones. The 90dB sensitivity may be a little too low for SETs though.
ReplyDelete