A
question sometimes posed by military / government clients is "why use a
full-range loudspeaker like Technomad when instead of 'horn' products"?There are a few key reasons:
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Horns
vs.
High Fidelity Loudspeakers
in Military Applications
A
question sometimes posed by military / government clients is "why use a
full-range loudspeaker like Technomad when instead of 'horn' products"?
There are a few key reasons:
Intelligibility
First and foremost, there is a critical difference
between sheer volume of sound and intelligibility. High-efficiency horn designs
popular in the past several decades have truly awful intelligibility - every
speech or music signal that goes into them comes out a garbled mess.
While this is not a problem if the horn is only generating a siren, or a warning tone, it IS a big problem for speech reproduction. A typical horn system makes quite a racket, but delivers little information - what is being said is too distorted to be understood. This is not just an issue of comfort or aesthetics - inexpensive horns destroy the ability of a government PA system to deliver critical life-safety warnings, communicate the location of potential threats, or to convey important instructions to people in crisis situations. Without intelligibility, a military PA system has no force protection value.
Another consideration is the value of a PA system for deception or PSYOPS use. Signals played through horn system are not realistic - the limited frequency range, harmonic distortion, and ragged response of a horn make a signal played through a horn artificial sounding. In contrast Technomad full range military audio systems reproduce sound with outstanding accuracy, whether the signal is speech, deep-toned explosions, gunfire, insect sounds, music, crowd noises, etc.
Logistics
A second issue is 
Logistics.
Horns do not lend themselves to mobile applications - they have to be packed
in protective cases or they are easily destroyed. Technomad Tour Model loudspeakers
have clamp-on gasketed lids that convert the loudspeakers into Military Specification
810F flight cases (complete with comfortable large-grip handles). Technomad
loudspeakers in 'case mode' can be transported anywhere in the world securely
with no additional protection, and will arrive fully functional wherever they
are deployed. Technomads are the only commercial off-the-shelf loudspeakers
that are MilSpec 810F rates.
Durability
A third issue is durability. Traditional horns are relatively flimsy structures
that do not survive the rigors of wind, impact, and other abuse. They require
protection during transport and storage. In contrast, Technomad AS series
loudspeaker are extremely rugged and are totally weatherproof. [ click HERE to
see Technomad "Torture Testing" videos ]. Technomad loudspeakers last
years longer in military environments than ordinary loudspeakers and horns.
Dual
Functionality
Finally, Technomad full range military loudspeakers offer VASTLY better music
playback than traditional horns. This means the same system that delivers base-wide
paging and warning playback can be used as a high-quality audio system for change-of-command
ceremonies, social events, sporting events etc. This dual function capability
means better value in any military or government application.