# Crossfire HLCD's and waveguides?



## Inigma (Mar 17, 2012)

Did Crossfire make waveguides or did they just use another companies waveguides and am I correct to assume they also just used rebranded drivers? 

How were the Crossfire EH-1's? Who made them? At about $50 for the set would they be a decent buy or would I be better off buying something from parts express? And if so, what at $50 or less per driver would be better? 

Thanks in advance for any help, hope you are all enjoyin your 4th. Its really warm here.


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## Mic10is (Aug 20, 2007)

They did make them. I am not sure if they were the manufacturer or had someone make them for them, but they did have them available. They definitely were not rebranded horns. 
Not many people had much experience with them


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## Inigma (Mar 17, 2012)

Thanks Mic. 

I figured they weren't that popular. I also figured if anyone remembered any information about them this forum would probably be the best place. I doubt Crossfire themselves remembers much about them.

Maybe I'll give them a call and see what info they can dig up. I really wouldn't mind picking up a nice set of their old waveguides.


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## Mic10is (Aug 20, 2007)

WakeWorld Discussion Board: HLCD's in tower box??
http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/816/p1010972ys1.jpg


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## Inigma (Mar 17, 2012)

Thanks, for the link. That looks like a really cool project!


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## Mic10is (Aug 20, 2007)

Only pics and info I can find!!..lol


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## Inigma (Mar 17, 2012)

Lol, yeah I know! If you are google searching older Crossfire products that arent currently being sold, it sure doesnt turn up very much info. Its kind of like a reminder of how things used to be.

Its like a pre-digital camera/camera phone/facebook/post a picture of everthing, era in which you had to leave the comforts of your own home and venture out into the world to find, see, meet, anyone or anything new.


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## Patriot_tech (Apr 28, 2008)

I have a set of the EH-2's. they sounded great in the last car they were in. I also have a printout of their instructions from crossfire I found years ago. Pm if I can help.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

They were marketed as tractrix horns.


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## Inigma (Mar 17, 2012)

thehatedguy said:


> They were marketed as tractrix horns.


Thanks or the info. I googled Crossfire tractrix horns and wasn't able to find any more information either.

Patriot- I'll PM you a little later. Maybe I could get a PDF copy or even just cell phone pics of them so I can read them.

Thanks everyone. I emailed Crossfire and if I hear back from them I can post the info here if anyone else is interested.

I went ahead and ordered a pair o the EH-1 drivers. Now hopefully I can find a pair of their horn bodies.


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## Mic10is (Aug 20, 2007)

thehatedguy said:


> They were marketed as tractrix horns.


thats what keeps poppin up in my mind as how they were marketed but I think they were actually Elliptical


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## Inigma (Mar 17, 2012)

I found a bunch of info on the Crossfire website with the way back time machine. I was even able to save the tech sheet.

The EH-1's lowest crossover point is supposed to be 1200hz with 24db. It is a 1" PEI diaphragm. 

The EH-2's and EH-3's were 2" titanium diaphragms with lowest crossover points of 750 and 700hz at 24 db respectively. 

They are referred to as "Elliptihorns" on the Crossfire website and tech sheet. 

I'll have to keep my eyes out for a set of EH-3's.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

You can have an eliptical shape but still be tractrix...like you can approximate it in square.


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## Inigma (Mar 17, 2012)

I read a rumor last night, that a klipsch engineer had designed or helped design the horns. I didn't read any real proof, that's just what someone had stated in a thread I read last night. I was able to find the most information about them when I googled "Crossfire Elliptihorn". 

I haven't heard anything back from Crossfire yet, but didn't expect to hear anything back from them until this upcoming week as I emailed them I think late Friday afternoon on a holiday weekend. 

Is it the combination of the drivers low frequency response combined with the horn shape that sets where the highpass needs to be set? Real question being are the EH-1 drivers themselves going to be limited in how low they play regardless of horn body to the point of no benefit of a larger horn body vs the mini's or is the driver's highpass frequency a recommendation for that particular driver on their specific horn body?


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## win1 (Sep 27, 2008)

Here is alittle bit more infomation on the EH-2 I found on ebay way back machine

Crossfire EH2 Elliptihorn HLCD Compression Horn Driver | eBay


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## Patrick Bateman (Sep 11, 2006)

Inigma said:


> Lol, yeah I know! If you are google searching older Crossfire products that arent currently being sold, it sure doesnt turn up very much info. Its kind of like a reminder of how things used to be.
> 
> Its like a pre-digital camera/camera phone/facebook/post a picture of everthing, era in which you had to leave the comforts of your own home and venture out into the world to find, see, meet, anyone or anything new.


Seattle has this humongous public library downtown, with a few thousand square feet dedicated to old magazines. It's just incredible how much great audio stuff there is out there that predates the internet. It's funny how we take for granted a lot of innovative work simply because it's pre-internet.

I could practically camp out there 

Unfortunately the library is basically a homeless shelter, because Seattle coddles the homeless like no other. So it's hard to read when you're suffocating from the smell of urine 

(Basically 60% of the people at the library are homeless, and the smell is just unbearable. And it's hard to use the facility because a lot of the resources are being occupied by the homeless.)


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## The Dude (Mar 24, 2007)

Sorry to dig this up from the grave, thought I would put this up in case anyone is interested. I have dealt with the seller before, had no problems: 1" Throat HLCD Waveguide Horn Driver EQ Network 20kHz | eBay


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## Inigma (Mar 17, 2012)

Yeah that's what I bought and from that seller too. No trouble with the transaction at all and would purchase from him again.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

I'd like to track down one or a set of their horn bodies just to have...or borrow one to make a mold of.


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## Inigma (Mar 17, 2012)

Me too. I looked quite a bit but wasn't able to find much let alone an actual horn. When I called Crossfire, they were quick to say they couldn't help me out with any info on the horn bodies too. 

I want a 3d printer so I can print different horn body sizes and shapes. I think that would be pretty cool! Maybe I'll finally get one this year. I've kind of been waiting for it to develop a little more and I need to do a little more research. The one I thought I'd want, doesn't print ABS and prints a softer plastic that I think would just melt or warp in a hot car. Might still be good for prototyping though. Find the shape you like etc then use it to make a mold or send out the file to have it made. 

Maybe I should start a different thread for this question and maybe their isn't a simple answer, but what is the difference (after a horn is coupled) between a compression driver, piezo, and bullet tweeter? Does the design of a compression driver just give it a greater ability to play smoother or flatter across a wider frequency pattern or response i.e. play lower and higher than a piezo or a bullet tweeter in a horn?


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## mikey7182 (Jan 16, 2008)

Inigma said:


> Me too. I looked quite a bit but wasn't able to find much let alone an actual horn. When I called Crossfire, they were quick to say they couldn't help me out with any info on the horn bodies too.


I have had the same experience with USD any time I've called them. VERY dismissive and abrupt.


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## Inigma (Mar 17, 2012)

Lol, is it USD that still makes horn bodies? I think its them that I called maybe 6 months ago to ask about horn body prices. I was on a cell phone and didn't have the best reception. The response I heard was a lot less, maybe it sound like 80 bucks or something and so I repeated the low number in an excited question back to the guy on the phone to confirm that what I had heard was in deed true. We'll, it wasn't and I had heard around one less zero and the tone of his voice was classic. It was like he was disgusted that I thought he would actually have sold me a set of horn bodies for around $80.00. Oh well, I simply heard him wrong, thanked him for his time and we got off the phone.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

The one time I called, I spoke to Eric and he was very friendly.

So no Crossfire bodies floating around?


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## Patrick Bateman (Sep 11, 2006)

Inigma said:


> Lol, is it USD that still makes horn bodies? I think its them that I called maybe 6 months ago to ask about horn body prices. I was on a cell phone and didn't have the best reception. The response I heard was a lot less, maybe it sound like 80 bucks or something and so I repeated the low number in an excited question back to the guy on the phone to confirm that what I had heard was in deed true. We'll, it wasn't and I had heard around one less zero and the tone of his voice was classic. It was like he was disgusted that I thought he would actually have sold me a set of horn bodies for around $80.00. Oh well, I simply heard him wrong, thanked him for his time and we got off the phone.


Eric Holdaway was very nice to me and basically gave me the 'push' I needed to start making my own. This was about twelve years ago.

I kinda get the impression that car audio in general isn't even close to the volume it was in the 90s, and horns even less. So perhaps the salesperson was trying to close a sale in the store and was in a hurry to get going.


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## Patriot_tech (Apr 28, 2008)

I have a set of the Elliptihorns installed my GN right now with the EH-2 drivers. Bought them off eBay many years ago BNIB. Was thinking about doing some ES horns, but nothing is coming out until spring at this point. It's too cold.


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## jel847 (Nov 8, 2007)

Wasn't speaker works somehow connected to crossfire? I always though the crossfire stuff was rebranded USD product including the pro mids.
This was nothing more than a assumption by me.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

They were a Crossfire dealer at one point. Don't think it was rebranded...as USD never really made anything other than their horns, the rest was rebranded items.



jel847 said:


> Wasn't speaker works somehow connected to crossfire? I always though the crossfire stuff was rebranded USD product including the pro mids.
> This was nothing more than a assumption by me.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

I would love to borrow one to make a mold for my horn library.



Patriot_tech said:


> I have a set of the Elliptihorns installed my GN right now with the EH-2 drivers. Bought them off eBay many years ago BNIB. Was thinking about doing some ES horns, but nothing is coming out until spring at this point. It's too cold.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

I was doing some digging on another subject and came a cross some elliptical tractrix horns for Klipsch horns...and I had heard the Crossfire horns were designed by someone with some Klipsch connection somehow.

Well there is a guy in California by the name David Harris who makes and sells elliptical tractrix horns by the name Fastrac Eliptrac horns. Which was pretty similar to the name of the Crossfire horns. So what's the chances this fellow who makes elliptical tractrix horns is the fellow who designed the elliptical tractrix horn for Crossfire?

Daves Fastlane Audio Hobby Site


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## win1 (Sep 27, 2008)

Sub'd again


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

I don't know how much more we can add to the story from here.


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## Patriot_tech (Apr 28, 2008)

I'm doing some cosmetic updating in the car and I'll be taking mine out to recover them in grill cloth. I'll take some better pics while they're out.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

I would love to borrow them for a day or so to make a mold of them.


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

sort of looks like DecWare's big Imperial top horn assembly.


supposedly, the more nearfield you get to the horn, the more you want to splay out the sides of it, and get that width. I imagine you could call it controlled directivity if you want to...

in a car, maybe the reason the wide-but-offset ID full bodies work so well, is due to this simple observation.

that's as near-field as you get, and it would be hard to implement a horn much larger than those in a car.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Well I asked Dave over on DIYA if he had designed those horns...he said he wasn't even aware of such a thing. So, I guess it wasn't him after all.


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