Horn frequency pickup – Part 2

This post is a continuation of the previous Horn frequency pickup – Part 1 which described the results from the film roll horn. This post will use the same test method to test the frequency response of the toothpick horns. Both the pointy end and flat end-side is tested with various symmetrical geometries.

The chart above is an example of a test result. The red curve is the frequency response from the microphone with a concave toothpick horn fitted, and the blue curve is the response from the clean microphone sitting just beside it.

Conclusion

Compared to the film rolls, the effect of this horn starts on slightly lower frequencies, namely typical 2 kHz. The typical response is a rise in the interval of 2-8 kHz. When the flat ends of the toothpick are facing the sound the changes are more aggressive than with the pointy ends. Especially for +25 kHz, some serious dips occurs with the flat ends.

One of my favorites is the ’07-flat surface, pointy ends, minus 5 mm’ (minus 5 mm meaning the microphone is 5 mm behind the front end of the horn). This horn has a good presence rise from 2-8 kHz and leaves the rest of the spectrum fairly unchanged.