500Hz Kugelwellen Horn

rajagopal_j

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It has been eons since I have actively posted on this forum and I thought it will be fun to get back with documenting this build here.

I have been quite settled with my setup for well more than 10 years now, I think I did a build thread then, I am not sure if its still there. Maybe I should update and do an evolution of my setup over time from open baffles to bass reflex. Anyway while a lot has changed since then some primary components remain, I have had my 425Hz LeCleach .707 hypex horns as the primary horn for more than 10 years now. While making these I did spend time reading JM LeCleach's work and I found that in one of his comparisons he found the Klangfilm Spherical wavefront horns aka Kugelwellen horns to be the best, I have always wanted to make one of those since then.

Fast forward 10+ yrs to about 2 weeks back and I realised I still want to make one. I own a 3D printer (actually 2 printers) so why not! Fire up a dev env and lets code. The idea is to make a 500Hz Kugelwellen horn with a .75 eccentricity for dispersion with a built in filleted flange at the throat to fit it on to my HF driver.

First plot the wave front propagation based on the horn params and get a point cloud
1-pointcloud.jpg 1-pointcloud-1.jpg

Next, draw triangles and form the shape to make a mesh
2-triangles.jpg 2-triangles-1.jpg

Now lets wrap it
3-wrapped.jpg 3-wrapped-1.jpg

This mesh while it looks solid, still doesn't have a thickness, so extrude the outer face and add thickness
4-thickened.jpg 4-thickened-1.jpg

The edges are not clean, so clean up in TinkerCad
5-cleaned.jpg 5-cleaned_1.jpg

We need a way to mate with with the HF driver so, Add a mounting Flange and fillet joint for strength in OpenScad

6-flange.jpg

Finally time to print, but it has to be split into 2 pieces to fit the bed.
7.jpeg

8.jpeg

Next to the current LeCleach horn to give a better idea of size. The LF is 15 incher, the LeCleach horn is ~16in in diameter.
9.jpeg

Now for the most painful part of this build sanding, priming, welding the halves and painting. The inside profile has to be super smooth. Lots of work done, a lot more to do!

More as I make progress!
 
Nice to see this. What other options are there apart form 3d printing to make horns like this? I have seen painstaking efforts with wood by German horn makers.
 
Nice to see this. What other options are there apart form 3d printing to make horns like this? I have seen painstaking efforts with wood by German horn makers.
We can make this in wood as well, CNC is the best option for this. We can turn the horn separately then make a flange to spec and mate them. We can also cast it in fibreglass, but we will have to still make a POP model based on the designs and then make a mould and then cast. Given this is an elliptical design 3D printing is one of the best bets, if we have access to a 500mm bed printer this can be printed in one piece.
 
Congrats for the nice prints... Overall Nice looking speakers in the background. :)

Are the horn profiles computed using Dr Bernd Ahler's (docali) spread sheets?

Also, for general info, docali himself has developed even better horns (in terms of smoother directivity transition and acosutic loading optimization) like the WN300.
Any reason why this specific horn profile was chosen?

Other comparable (maybe even better in terms of directivity profiles) are the ones here: https://at-horns.eu/

If one is after constant directivity horns with 90 degree beamwidth (in horizontal plane), these are among the best as well:
 
Congrats for the nice prints... Overall Nice looking speakers in the background. :)

Are the horn profiles computed using Dr Bernd Ahler's (docali) spread sheets?

Also, for general info, docali himself has developed even better horns (in terms of smoother directivity transition and acosutic loading optimization) like the WN300.
Any reason why this specific horn profile was chosen?

Other comparable (maybe even better in terms of directivity profiles) are the ones here: https://at-horns.eu/

If one is after constant directivity horns with 90 degree beamwidth (in horizontal plane), these are among the best as well:
Thanks Vineet, I recently read some of your threads, your work its pretty good.

This horn was designed ground up based on the original wavefront propagation formulas developed by Klangfilm. Same as the DRBA link you sent, there is nothing new in there, the work was done a long time ago by the the klangfilm guys.

The primary source of inspiration is this presentation by JMLC
https://pearl-hifi.com/06_Lit_Archi...eCleach_Jean-Michel/Horn_Shootout_ETF2010.pdf

This came out in 2010 around that time I had just setup the LeCleach horns, which is the round horn you see in the picture. I have always wanted to make a spherical wavefront profile, just got around to it.
 
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