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I spent much of the last two days listening to a MiniWatt (with the two bypass caps mod) drive a pair of Horn Shoppe Horns. Folks this is a marriage made in heaven. It's hard to believe this tiny 2.5 watt amp can push the horns to over 100 dbs without a hint of distortion. If I hadn't held the sound meter in my hand sitting comfortably away in the horn's sweet spot I wouldn't have believed it possible. The MiniWatt and Horn Shoppe Horn combo has got to be the best deal in high end audio.
Hi Dereck,I just received my MiniWatt. Still waiting for speakers Can you tell me if it has the cap mod? Sorry there is no serial number. It was shipped on September 10th.Thanks!Michael
You really should be looking at speakers with a highly efficient single driver such as the Fostex family. The MW can drive the Fostex FE126E as used in the Hornshoppe Horns to very loud levels. The Omega line of speakers as mentioned in this tread are excellent and work well with the MW as do some of the Tekton Design speakers. Fostex drivers are made in Japan and sold world wide. Their availabilty has spawned a cottage industry of speakers builders. The beauty of the simplistic single driver speaker is there's no power sucking crossover to consume the watts or color the sound. It also means that folks with limited knowledge and soldering skills can make their own speakers. There are plans on the net for every imaginable single driver design from back loaded horns to transmission line and bass reflex. I believe a 4 inch Fostex driver in a cardboard box would sound better than what many folks consider hifi.The single driver speakers are the most revealing speakers ever. If a recording is bad you get to hear all the little lousy details that make it bad but with a great recording you hear all the subtleties that make it great. As someone said "with the Hornshoppe Horns and MW you can hear Miles Davis' spit rolling around in his trumpet!" I just wish I hadn't wasted so many years and $$$$ on high end garbage before I discovered the magic of single driver speakers and flea powered SET amps. If you own the MW you're half way there!
The horn in our discussion is not a true horn like a "horn tweeter". The folded pathway in the cabinet that exits to the rear is where the name comes from. I like to think of the folds as the tubing you would find in a French horn or tuba. The Fostex driver is not a horn. I hope this makes sense.
Quote from: Poultrygeist on 28 Oct 2009, 04:16 pmThe horn in our discussion is not a true horn like a "horn tweeter". The folded pathway in the cabinet that exits to the rear is where the name comes from. I like to think of the folds as the tubing you would find in a French horn or tuba. The Fostex driver is not a horn. I hope this makes sense.Actually no.... as I said, I had no idea or experience in horn speakers.
Hello Derek and welcome to Audio Circle.First, I want to thank you for making the tour possible and hope we can have more of these in the future. I would also like to add that Derek is a pleasure to work with and provides excellent customer service to his clients. MiniWatt is excellent example of inexpensive gear that sounds good and is quite affordable.Way to go Derek.I hope we will hear more from MiniWatt and that you continue expansion of your company with new, exiting products in the future.BestMariusz
Horns sound great pulled out into the room. I actually prefer them that way rather than in the corners. Bass is not quite as strong but if more is needed one can add the small Hornshoppe Bass Cube or a regular sub.
