VH-1 is our "folded Voigt horn", a combination of back loaded horn and quarter wave pipe, patented back in 1933. The sound is very enjoyable but not neutral. Horns produce a more direct sound, with an extra punch and closeness, a feature many who listen to rock, techno and other "punchy" music appreciate. There is also a slight coloration that makes music from the 1970´s and earlier sound the way it did "back then". Another feature is that even at low power the music will fill the room. We have designed VH-1 according to the original 1933 idea, which is a horn with the bottom area equal to the moving part of the speaker (the membrane), linearly expanding to the mouth. The woofer placement is also according to the original concept. The Qts figure, membrane size and resonance frequency all need to be correct. The woofer in our HSV-1e kit is exactly the one that the VH-1 was designed for. Don´t try this design with any other woofers, it will not work. The kit (HSV-1e) contains all electric parts (woofers, tweeters, speaker terminals, filter capacitors, self resetting electronic fuses and 10 m cable) you need for one stero pair. That is, everything except for the boxes themselves. Drawing, material list and building instructions are included in the kit. LInk to HSV-1e loudspeaker kit The VH-1 on the right (above) was built by one of our customers who put his own exteriour design outside the box. The one on the left has the standard shape, however we have changed to a round tweeter since this picture was taken.

A Hi-Fi enthusiast described the difference between "ordinary" speakers and horns this way:
”Horns definately don´t sound tame! The music jumps at you rather than timidly hiding somewhere behind the speakers." The sound has also been described as when you are close to the musicians at a concert, there is a stronger feeling of precence than you get from ordinary speakers.
One drawback that exponential horns have is the limited bass response, unless they are really huge.
However, the VH-1 has a solid and powerful bass response despite moderate size.
(Size: Height 135 cm, depth 40 cm, width 28.2 cm.)

We recommend the VH-1 if you...
...want a "being-at-a-concert" feeling also at home. The sound is close, "big" and intense.
...listen to rock, techno and other music that benefits from the extra "punch" you get from horn speakers.
...listen to recordings from the 1970´s and earlier. The extra warmth gives the music the right "atmosphere".
...have a low power tube amplifier. Horns produce second harmonics that trick the brain so you feel a much higher volume than it actually is. You reach typical home listening level at 0.1 - 0.4 W per channel.
So, the VH-1´s will make even a small 2 x 3 W tube amplifier sound pretty powerful.
...have heard about horns and want a pair yourself, but not too expensive, and easy to build.
...want a horn loudspeaker, but with better bass response than exponential horns of similar size.

However, if you want top quality Hi-Fi speakers, have a look at our SQ-50 series. Full studio quality! No audible coloration or distortion, perfect detail reproduction and really wide and linear frequency response (no need for a subwoofer!) make them ideal for anyone with really high demands. No matter what music you prefer (including full symphony orchestras, synths, choirs, pop, rap, jazz...) you will get excellent listening pleasure as the sound is "totally natural".
Recording engineers have compared their sound quality of our SQ-50´s to speakers costing 10 - 20 times more. So if you really want to enjoy your music, and are looking for REAL Hi-Fi sound, the SQ-50´s are the right choice.

Some frequently (or not so frequently) asked questions:

"Can I use a pair of woofers I happen to have in my garage, they seem to be of similar size?"
No. Horns really need woofers that match the design, or they can sound really weird.
The Voigt horn needs a woofer with the right Qts, membrane area and resonance frequency. Even moderate differences will result in a "jumpy" frequency response. Use the original HSV-1e kit.

"Can I put the woofer a little bit lower / higher?"
No. It is essential that the distance between the horn bottom and woofer center is not changed.

"Can I move the tweeter further away from the woofer, or below instead of above it?"
Yes, but the further away from the woofer, the more problems with phase differences, especially around the cross-over frequency (2 - 4 kHz). Below or above makes no big difference as long as you don´t have any furniture in front of the speaker. However, you should have "free sight" between you and the tweeter as high frequencies don´t go around solid objects.

"Is it OK to put an extra layer of real wood on the outside, or maybe a nice wallpaper or cloth?"
Yes. As long as the cabinet inside is built according to the instructions in the HSV-1e kit and the outer material does not rattle when the music is played. (Metal is not a good material...) As you build the speakers you have the freedom to choose whatever look you want. (the VH-1 on the right further up this page has the original chipboard box on the inside and is then covered with real wood with rounded sidewalls and an extra front.
As long as you don´t cover the drivers or horn mouth it is OK. (Of course, a loudspeaker cloth is OK also over the speakers and horn mouth (the fron opening at the bottom).

"Will I get even better sound if I replace the capacitors with really super-duper ultra expensive audio caps?
No. The HSV-1e kit has top quality polypropylene capacitors. There will be no improvement.

Simply put: You may alter the look of the speaker by adding the surface material you want, but there is no reason to alter the design as such, or trying to find "better" components as the components used in the HSV-1e kit are a perfect match to the VH-1 Voigt horn.

When you get the HSV-1 kit, the drawing and instructions will look like this (but dimentions have been changed):

The front piece is 10 mm behind the front of the sidewalls and upper / lower parts. The reason for this is that it makes it easier to fit a frame with loudspeaker fabric on the front. The loudspeaker drivers are mounted from the front and stick out about 5 mm from the front. How to glue the parts together: It may seem "normal" to use the standard white glue you use when glueing wooden parts together. However, you will need something to hold the pieces in place while the glue is curing. A more simple way is to use contact adhesive. You put the adhesive on both surfaces, wait about 10 minutes and press the parts together. No tools are needed. If you figure out in advance where to put the adhesive, you may glue several pieces together each time. If you want to use contact adhesive, avoid the water based type, the long-time stability is better using solvent based contact adhesive. You will need better ventilation, but it is worth it in the long run. And a one-time exposure to the fumes in a reasonably well ventilated area is pretty safe.

Inner part 1 and 2 glued together. Do this first.