Today this is about to change and it is possible to take advantage of the horn speaker’s favorable characteristics without compromising audio quality. These advantages of the horn are among others:
- better low frequency transient response,
- smaller and lighter pro audio speaker systems which are easier to transport and better for stacking in speaker arrays,
- vastly improved energy efficiency which represents an ecological advantage.
When horns are driven at high levels, there may be nonlinearity in the air near the narrow throat of the horn. In addition, nearly all horn speaker designs need to fold the horn as depicted in the figure. The increased air flow in the resulting corners may also give rise to undesired nonlinearity.
The goal of this MSc project is to set up a model for simulation of nonlinearity using the Westerveld partial differential equation for weak nonlinearity. This is already incorporated in the Acoustics Module of the COMSOL Multiphysics program (both available at UiO). This simulator will then be used to work with NNNN to model some of their designs in order to optimize the mechanical shape of folded horns.
Main supervisor: Sverre Holm, Department of Physics
Co-supervisors: Rune Skramstad, Chief Technical Officer (NNNN); Anders Malthe-Sørensen, Department of Physics
References:
- NNNN, Drammen, pro audio horn loudspeakers website
- Comsol, Thomas Forrister, Simulating Nonlinear Sound Propagation in an Acoustic Horn, 2018
- Drømmen er å lage så gode høyttalere som mulig. Toppen av lyd fant vi i Norge. I Drammen, Odd Richard Valmot, Teknisk Ukeblad, okt 2020.