Why would the same horns installed on 2 different cars sound different ?

s2kdriver80

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So I liked the sound of the stock 2003 S2000 high/low horns that I had for 17 years, so I ordered new horns from Honda that go in a 2003 S2000 and had them installed on the CTR. The high and low components on the CTR were replaced with the respective high and low parts from the S2000. Did some minor jury-rigging since the connectors were different. Installer said wiring is good, grounding is good, and each horn (high and low) seems to be sounding at full power.

However, the combination of the high/low S2000 horns installed on the CTR definitely does not sound the same like it did on my former S2000.

Two reasons I can think of. First... both CTR horn placement is right next to each other (behind the bumper on passenger side), whereas on the S2000, one of the horns was behind the bumper and the other was farther away up in the engine bay. Maybe the differences in placement and distances between them are producing a different net sound? Idk, don't think a minor placement difference would cause such a variance in sound. Second possible reason... due to manufacturing tolerances or damage to one or both of the horns (and therefore the pitch is off), the newly installed setup doesn't produce the expected sound?

Anyone know why this may be the case?
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haltamer

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Are you listening from inside the car, or in front?

The position, and sound deadening on the 10G Civic makes even my Hella supertones sound like moped horns from inside, but if you drop the window (Or, if you like pain) stand in front, they're perfectly loud.
 
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s2kdriver80

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Are you listening from inside the car, or in front?

The position, and sound deadening on the 10G Civic makes even my Hella supertones sound like moped horns from inside, but if you drop the window (Or, if you like pain) stand in front, they're perfectly loud.
I did it both ways. And it's not the volume, as the loudness seems about right. It's the tone/pitch that's off for some reason I can't figure out.

I'm almost tempted to order another set of S2000 high/low horns and install them to see if it makes any difference. If it sounds the same as the first install, could rule out the horn parts as the culprit, and it might possibly be the wiring/grounding that's causing this.
 

tinyman392

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So I liked the sound of the stock 2003 S2000 high/low horns that I had for 17 years, so I ordered new horns from Honda that go in a 2003 S2000 and had them installed on the CTR. The high and low components on the CTR were replaced with the respective high and low parts from the S2000. Did some minor jury-rigging since the connectors were different. Installer said wiring is good, grounding is good, and each horn (high and low) seems to be sounding at full power.

However, the combination of the high/low S2000 horns installed on the CTR definitely does not sound the same like it did on my former S2000.

Two reasons I can think of. First... both CTR horn placement is right next to each other (behind the bumper on passenger side), whereas on the S2000, one of the horns was behind the bumper and the other was farther away up in the engine bay. Maybe the differences in placement and distances between them are producing a different net sound? Idk, don't think a minor placement difference would cause such a variance in sound. Second possible reason... due to manufacturing tolerances or damage to one or both of the horns (and therefore the pitch is off), the newly installed setup doesn't produce the expected sound?

Anyone know why this may be the case?
Acoustics is a very weird area for sure. But many things alter the sound of... well anything for that matter. The power being sent to the horns, the housing that the horns are placed in, the distance and shape of the housing makes a huge difference. Even the material of the housing will make a difference too. Size of the opening for the sound to escape and location of the car. There are a ton of variables that will affect sound as a whole. There is also the manufacturing tolerances and "break in" of the horn too which can change the sound over time.

My main expertise in sound comes from my headphone hobby though. To give you an idea of how sensitive sound can be consider the following... With in-ear monitors (the type with the rubber tip that you put in your ear): how deep you put them in your ear will make a difference in sound, the material and shape of the silicone tip, the choice of using foam tips or 3rd party tips will all make a difference in sound. For full-sized headphones (the ones that look like traditional headphones), the selection of the pad, its thickness, shape, material, density of the foam, material of the pad (leather vs pleather vs suede) all make a difference. On top of that, how you place the headphone on your head (with the headphones more forward, more backward, up higher or lower, etc.) relative to your ear will also alter the sound of the headphone.

If you want an example closer to home, loudspeakers. Get a speaker, and as you move it from room to room, it will sound different due to the way the room itself is set up as it'll reflect and absorb frequencies of sound differently than the next room. This is analogous to the paragraph before regarding tip shape, material, insertion depth and ear pad material, shape, head placement. By changing the location of the speaker relative to... Everything, you end up changing the sound.

Acoustics are very finicky and lots of things change them. Even think of an exhaust system and how much goes into getting the right sound that you want to hear while being able to filter out (mechanically) the sounds you don't like drone. Or the entire fact that Toyota hired Yamaha to work on the Lexus LFA... Not designing a motor (which they can), but tuning it so the motor sounds right and sends some of that goodness into the cabin. If I'm not mistaken, ever time Toyota tuned something on the motor, Yamaha had to go in and tune their "acoustic chambers" so it didn't ruin the sound. Granted this was for engine note rather than a horn, but the same concepts apply.
 

MadMage

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Are the vehicles sending the same voltage and amps? Any frequency or amplitude modulation being sent by the vehicle? (I doubt it.)

but in short, I would not have expected them to sound identical, given all the variables already mentioned by others.
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