Synergy horn flat pack kit

In the coming weeks when my design is finalised, I will be getting panels CNC machined.

I will be offering a kit in Australia for a limited time. This is a one-off run. You will need to jump on board right now, because this is not a commercial ongoing venture. Instead I will make this available to a small group, with a view to making this accessible to non DIY types and sharing CNC costs around a group.

If you are interested, shoot me a message on my contact form, and I will keep you in the loop.

Some preliminary details ...

Kit will include:

1. CNC cut flat pack panels – over 40 pieces of birch ply and MDF. 

2. Celestion Compression driver (optional). 

3. Celestion midranges – 4” closed back TF0410MR – box of 12 (design is not suited to other drivers)
4A. Passive version – assembled passive crossover

4B. Active version – including filter details for the crossover  

Prelim specs

• Size: approx 900mm wide x 660mm high x 500mm deep
• Sensitivity: 103 db 1w1m (passive), 107 db 1w1m (mids), 109 db 1W1m (tweeter)
• Impedance: 8 ohms min
• -3db @ 250 Hz (estimated, but could be 220 – 300 Hz)
• Beamwidth: 80 degrees horizontal, maintained down to 350 Hz, pattern widens below
• 60 degrees vertical, maintained down to 640 Hz, pattern widens below

Options

I will be suggesting the addition of foam to the horn to reduce coloration. Considering offering it cut as an option, if I'm able to construct a suitable cutting device soon enough.

Time frame

I'm aiming to see this design move into CNC form in the coming weeks, so there is not a lot of time to decide if you are considering it. This is a piggyback project.

What's so good about the Synergy horn, in subjective terms

The Synergy horn is everything good about horns - dynamics and slam, good match with flea powered amps, unlimited output. The Synergy solves all the problems with horns - their need for a large room, their problems with imaging and the tendency of some to artificially distort the acoustic image. The Synergy also avoids the harshness and coloration that is a problem with many designs, often leading to the use of certain valve amps to try to tame them.

There is some similarity to the sound of Martin Logan stats, but without the amplifier difficulties and with much higher output.

The imaging and wide sweet spot is similar to waveguide speakers like the Econowave, but there is greater resolution of midrange detail, greater clarity and the clean output goes to another level.

Synergy horns create a large sweet spot like omnis and open baffle speakers, but the image is sharper and more pin-point in nature. This means vocals in movies don't appear artificially stretched.

Synergy horns can work in a small room and can actually work quite well placed close to boundaries, where other speakers become muddied. They also work better in untreated rooms due to their controlled directivity.

They aren't for everyone - if you like small speakers, horns aren't for you! If you only listen to casual, low level, mellow music like acoustic guitars, easy listening jazz and the like, you won't appreciate everything a Synergy horn can do. You may find you prefer a nicely crafted Sonus Faber in that case. Or if you have a taste for a very airy top end, if you've fallen in love with the delicate shimmer of cymbals on ribbons or other exotic tweeters like Plasma or AMTs, then you may find Synergy horns or any speaker with compression drivers don't deliver that experience. However, my experience has been that the Synergy horns play nice with a very broad range of music. They don't draw as much attention to their air and shimmer, but overall I find them more natural.

Can I hear it first?

Are you in Melbourne? I may be able to organise a demo of a Unity horn which will give an idea of the type of sound you can expect. If interested shoot me a message on my contact form

The actual design involved here isn't available for audition.

Let me introduce Wally. *he waves*
Wally hears my Synergy horn at a GTG (get together).

Wally: Wow, that's awesome! I had no idea they were really going to be this good! I've never heard anything like it.
Me: Thanks. I'm glad you like it.
Wally: I really should have jumped at the chance, this is the best speaker I've heard.
Me: This is that moment where I try not to say "I told you so!"
Wally: So ............ how much for you to make me one?
Me: The mids are all gone unfortunately. You would have to buy 120 of them and foot the bill for another CNC run. Either that or I have to come up with a new design and crossover - there is a lot of work involved. So you see, there was a good reason for me to say "now is the time to jump on board!"

He who enjoys the luxury of the audition and being served by sales staff must accept a much higher price.

A retail speaker which is priced at $20k, may be available direct for $10k. Second hand you might get it for $4k with many proclaiming "bargain!" However, the DIY version might be more like $2k and if it is well-designed and nicely finished, then which is the better deal?