Calla Horns Speakers
$5,800
Call for items in stock or to order custom colors. Custom horn speakers require 3 – 6 month production time.
The Calla horn’s pronounced truncation produces an enhanced spatial sound-stage. In other words, bigger sound in a smaller package.
Considering a special Calla horn design for the ICA Boston museum shop in conjunction with the museum’s installation of the Sonic Arboretum in 2015, it seemed logical to have the horns integrate well with nature.
- Dimensions
- 43" tall overall
- 17" horn diameter
- 8" cube base
- 12" minimum shelf depth - Driver
Fostex FE-108EZ 4" full range driver
- Impedance
8 ohms
- Sensitivity
1 W/1m 90 dB
- Frequency Response
77Hz - 23kHz
ICA Calla Horn System for the ICA Boston museum shop, 2015. Sold.
Eremurus horn and Call Horn at the Mosaic Fountain Garfield Conservatory, Chicago. 2014.
The original Calla horn speaker. The prototype created for Aero Dynamisms.
Calla Horns
The prototype Calla Horn speaker was originally produced for my 2014 show Aero Dynamisms at Packer Schopf Gallery. This installation introduced eight new and unique horn speaker designs in an 8 channel audio system for a sculpture/sound exhibition in collaboration with composer Glenn Kotche.
The first Calla Horns utilize re-cycled newsprint and dryer lint in their construction, as do other Specimen Horns. Considering a special Calla horn design for the ICA Boston museum shop in conjunction with the museum’s installation of the Sonic Arboretum in 2015, it seemed logical to have the horns integrate well with nature. These materials accomplish this as they create their own foliage-like effect. They work exceedingly well in any botanical setting. They almost look as if they have grown in place.
Design & Construction
All Specimen Horns are entirely handmade at Specimen in Chicago, IL.
A full range driver is rear loaded with a horn shape to match the acoustic impedance of the air in the compression chamber with the air in the listening room. There is no crossover distortion.
Each horn speaker is unique and embodies a variety of markings that result from the construction and finishing process. This raw and organic finish lends a unique patina to each horn.
The bases are made of premium quality Baltic Birch plywood. These Specimen horns are made from recycled newsprint, dryer lint, and shellac, making them by far the most eco-friendly Specimens to date. Dryer lint is one of earth’s greatest squandered resources and we are now putting it to use. It has incredible strength from all the interlocking fibers.
Compatibility and Placement
All Specimen Horn speakers can be paired with my hi-fi tube amplifiers for a beautiful sonic symbiosis. Or they can be paired with virtually any other system and achieve excellent results. They are also perfect for home/office theater use.
These speakers are designed to work well elevated as a typical bookshelf speaker, out in the open, or even placed on the ground to achieve a more spatially expansive installation, as in the Sonic Arboretum exhibitions. The sound of Specimen Horns has been described as “holographic” in that the sound seems to be coming from behind the enclosure.
Museum Legacy
The Specimen Leiderhorns, Hornlings and the smaller Hornlets horn speakers were first created for the Sonic Arboretum, a collaborative project between Ian Schneller and composer/violinist Andrew Bird. The Sonic Arboretum installation had its debut at New York’s Guggenheim Museum in 2010 and in 2011 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. The installation included a collection of 76 different Specimen horn speakers and Specimen Custom Tube Amplifiers. The Sonic Arboretum exhibited again at the International Contemporary Art Museum, ICA Boston in 2015, where the specially designed Specimen ICA Calla Horns System made its debut.
