Homemade Horns... Is it possible?

[OoMesKoO 10+ year member]

Is it possible to "DIY" a set of horns? I have been browsing PE.com... seems like they got quite a few options. would a good set of 1" horns with

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&PartNumber=270-096&DID=7

These bodies seem good to anyone?

Click to read more...

 

[mokedaddy 5,000+ posts]

Yes you can mix and match horns but it doesnt mean they will work well together.

When I was at the Installer Institute my instructor custom made horn bodies in his camaro. He showed me the formulas he used to figure them out and it was almost 6 pages of notebook paper.

 

[mokedaddy 5,000+ posts]

What are you going to be using them for?

If its just to get loud for parties or something like that, than it shouldnt matter too much.

For the price of those bodies I say give it a shot.

 

[Tehgregzor 10+ year member]

Beep Beep.

 

[OoMesKoO 10+ year member]

Im almost positive im going to get bashed on this.

I want to use them for my frontstage. Dropping almost 2-300 on a new set at the moment is out of my budget. Figure if I can fab something up for these bodies with a set of good compression drivers, id have some budget horns. I have room to mount them in the front, I have a Tahoe.

 

[mokedaddy 5,000+ posts]

I wouldnt bash you for it but can almost guarantee it will sound like crap. Do you have a good eq? That would definitely help but if you dont than I would highly suggest going a different route. You can get diy drivers for less than $100-150 for mids/tweets and should be far superior to those horn bodies in a vehicle.

And here is why. Cheap compression drivers usually need extensive eq to sound good in correct horn bodies let alone random horn bodies. Also those bodies are not meant for a vehicle environment. If you notice on most prefab car horns they are thinner top to bottom and open larger towards the center of the vehicle. This is what helps the imaging.

Wow long post.

 

[OoMesKoO 10+ year member]

I think I have a pretty nice EQ.

http://www.radiomancaraudio.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=RFOEQ2

Will that suffice?

 

[mokedaddy 5,000+ posts]

I dont remember is that 14 or 10 bands? If you know what you are doing it may suffice.

But personally I think you would be better off with conventional drivers. Perhaps Dayton or something along those lines.

 

[OoMesKoO 10+ year member]

The main reason I want to go with a horn setup, is I feel conventional drivers just dont seem to get loud enough for me. I like it to be loud. Im not very anal on SQ. Id like to get them loud. I just dont really want to run 543 Eminence speakers in my frontstage to make it loud enough.

 

[OoMesKoO 10+ year member]

And its a 10 band passive EQ.

 

[mokedaddy 5,000+ posts]

Give it a try. You may be happy you may not, but the only way you will know for sure it to try it.

Theoretically it will work fine. If its any good or not, well only you can decide that. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[galacticmonkey 5,000+ posts]

For a loud, cheap front horn setup, get these Selenium drivers:

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=264-204

And these horns:

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=264-318

Cross them over pretty high, send them about 200rms each, and just make sure you got some SERIOUS mids to keep up.

 

[req 5,000+ posts]

here is the problem with said circumstances.

horns in a car can not be far enough away to have a symmetrical horn body. thus the design by image dynamics that change the dispersion pattern of the horn lens. the horn motor is a lesser issue of the two, the horn body is what will make or break a car install.

circumstantially i have a set of full body horn lenses that i am not using. they have sound dampening material on them and are to image dynamics spec. there are B&C drivers on PE that mimic the CD2 neo's (nearly identical) but having an EQ is a definite benefit.

if not, then ID sells each horn lenses for $100 each.

 

[OoMesKoO 10+ year member]

here is the problem with said circumstances.
horns in a car can not be far enough away to have a symmetrical horn body. thus the design by image dynamics that change the dispersion pattern of the horn lens. the horn motor is a lesser issue of the two, the horn body is what will make or break a car install.

circumstantially i have a set of full body horn lenses that i am not using. they have sound dampening material on them and are to image dynamics spec. there are B&C drivers on PE that mimic the CD2 neo's (nearly identical) but having an EQ is a definite benefit.

if not, then ID sells each horn lenses for $100 each.

What would said price?

Please keep in touch!