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Lamhorn 1.8 with AER MKI driverA Review by Frater Perdurabo I have heard the future of Lowther - style speakers, and it works. "It", the Lamhorn 1.8 with the AER MKI driver, is roughly the same size as a B&W 803 - maybe a little smaller in some dimensions. This is a horn loudspeaker that virtually anyone can fit in their living space. It provides smooth, tactile bass down to (my guess) the low 40s, the quickness and transparency of an electrostatic, efficiency over 100db, and that "ocean of sound washing over me" feeling you normally get only from bruisers like the Tannoy Churchill, Altec A7s, and live music. What you DON'T get is as important as what you do: none of the traditional Lowther frequency response problems, for one. No beaminess with the AER the soundstage is broad and stable. Of course, if you have the right (read, "dead") room, and already own a pair of Lowthers, Robert will sell you a pair of cabinets; the Lowthers will bolt right in. And on the other, other hand, if you find the midrange and treble of real Lowthers too warm and syrupy, he also offers a piece of industrial art called the REPS-R1. Although it was bright, for my taste, its smoothness was remarkable. It was analytical without being an ear-bleeder. No doubt you are curious about the horn itself. Richard was circumspect, saying only "keep things as short as possible" and "don't have too many curves" during a brief session in which I tried to reverse engineer the product. My best guess, now, is: he has a great set of ears and is a master of intelligent compromise. Space is running out. Time to conclude with a few bullet points: For the last 2 years I have been interested in low powered tube amps and the speakers that work with them; I observed early on that there were lots of amp builders (amateur and professional), but no great sounding high efficiency speakers to use with them. (None that mere mortals could buy, build, or get spousal permission to install in their houses, anyway). I even started an on-again off-again (soon to go "on" again) speaker company to remedy this deficiency. During that time we have never used another company's loudspeakers; our only comparisons were to a live piano. But when time, schedules, and finances permit, I fully intend if a second audition is as promising as this one to purchase a pair of the AERs. If you are a DIYer, even (or perhaps that should read, ESPECIALLY) if you are a rank beginner, try to get your hands on a pair of the AER MK1s. There are two reasons for this: if your loudspeaker doesn't sound right, you will at least know not to blame the driver, and the other is those Radio Shack and flea market and e-bay "finds" really start to add up after awhile. Take it from a veteran of a 20 year camera addiction - it's cheaper to buy the best as soon as you realize you are serious, rather than trade up. Even if it means taking a loan or a second mortgage. And by definition, anyone building a horn loudspeaker at home is pretty serious - or mentally ill ! If you are NOT a DIYer, at least when it comes to speaker building, read the previous bullet point anyway. Except substitute "Lamhorn 1.8 with AER Mk 1 driver" for plain "AER Mk1" And finally, one closing thought: at roughly 6 big ones, US, the Lamhorns, with drivers, are cheap compared to other "statement" hi-end speakers. But they're still expensive, for most of us. Wouldn't it be neat if someone came out with a speaker that used the AER MK 1s (which retail, by themselves for around 2 grand), and put them in a simple (read, "much cheaper to make") bass reflex box with a 16 ohm pro woofer, and charged about 2 and a half large for them? Then you'd have an extremely decent speaker, and if god forbid the urge to upgrade struck, you could buy the Lamhorn cabinets and cannibalize your AER drivers for them. You'd only be out of pocket about $500 making this the best trade-in deal I ever heard of. But there's more. If you hate waste (and I know you do), you'll probably look for something to put in the two empty holes you now have in your old speakers. You could either go with another pair of AERs, or any other 16 ohm Lowther style driver - such as a Coral beta 8. It doesn't have to be new (indeed, probably won't be,) just working. Anything that's 15 ohms, 97 db efficient, and suitable for a 1st order crossover at 250 Hz will do fine. So you'll have one state of the art speaker system, The Lamhorns, and one pretty decent speaker system. (We'll call them "Brand X"). You could either set up 2 complete stereo systems or drum roll be the first one on your block or possibly the first in all of recorded history to have a home theater speaker system that excels at music AND movies. The Lamhorn's image is so wide, and stable, that a center channel isn't really needed. So all you need to add is a subwoofer. I have a hunch a pair of Vandersteens might be just the ticket. But we all know that subwoofers and Lowthers don't mix, right? Wrong! The bass from subwoofers isn't too "slow" to keep up with Lowther style speakers - the problem is that most Lowther style implementations don't go down low enough to make a smooth subwoofer crossover possible. With a typical backhorn style cabinet, the subwoofer is called upon to be a subwoofer, a regular woofer, and, in really bad cases, a mid-bass driver as well. That's what doesn't work. What does work? I hope I've made that clear: the Lamhorn 1.8 with the AER MK-1 driver. Top
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