Calla Horn Speakers
$5,800
Available on backorder
The new Calla Horn speakers are made of Italian Poplar. The tight lines and pristine appearance set them apart from the more organic patina of the Legacy Calla speakers.
A natural nitrocellulose finish is applied to the outside of the horn and an opaque saturated color applied to the bells. This serves as a stunning contrast to the beautiful hardwood exterior.
Calla Horn speakers offer superior audio quality. The natural woodgrain with contrasting bold saturated color in the bell interior make them a perfect choice for discriminating audiophiles and interior designers alike.
Form, function and hand work coalesce into a package of stunning beauty and performance. These constructions are so arresting, the sonics so splendid, that I hereby offer them as my flagship models
-Ian Schneller
Call for details about items in stock or to order your custom Calla Horns.
Custom horn speakers require 3 – 6 month production time.
- 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
The Calla horn speaker was originally produced as a Legacy model for my 2014 show Aero Dynamisms at Packer Schopf Gallery, Chicago. The 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.
A special ICA Calla Horn System which included a Specimen Satellite Subwoofer in matching finish was produced for the Museum Shop of the International Comtemporary Art Museum, Boston in tandem with the museum’s installation Sonic Arboretum 2015
Design & Construction
All Specimen Horns are entirely handmade at Specimen in Chicago, IL. The meticulous process requires several hundred hours per pair. Form, function and hand work coalesce into a package of stunning beauty and performance.
The bases are made of premium quality Baltic birch plywood. The horns are made from Italian poplar. First, the hardwood is cut into flats. The edges are then beveled to the perfect angle. After this, the flats are bent into curves that will make up the octagonally fluted horn shape. Assembly is a tricky process that requires two people working together with dexterity and perseverance. The seams are then reinforced with micro fiber filled epoxy and hand sanded inside and out. The assembly is then registered into the flange used to mount the horn to the base, or compression chamber.
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.
Compatibility and Placement
All Specimen Horn Speakers can be paired with my hi-fi tube amplifiers for a beautiful symbiosis. Or they can be used with virtually any other system and achieve excellent results.
Specimen Horns 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, making it difficult to identify the sound source. This can evoke the sensation of the instrument being in the room with the listener.
ICA Calla Horn System produced for the Museum Shop of the International Comtemporary Art Museum, Boston in tandem with the museum’s installation Sonic Arboretum 2015
