This is question that came into my mind recently and I haven’t seen posted before. Note that this refers to the typical “electromechanical”/“broadband” tone, not to the alternative tones of some models, nor to coding pattern. I include below examples of all the options in the poll (all in continuous for easier comparison):
Edwards 892 - I prefer the fuller tone of the 2B to the sharper 1B, but both sound really cool in harmony. See what I mean? https://youtu.be/syZ84JkEWok
Gentex SHG - Sounds almost like a low-pitched mechanical horn.
Simplex TrueAlert - The 2-wire SmartSync ones especially. The 4-wire ones are a bit more shrill, and the addressable ones (especially the ES) sound almost whiny.
Gentex Commander2/3/4 - The most pleasant-sounding of the “cricket” tone horns.
The older Simplex rectangular horns, like the -9236. Mixed with -9219s, they sound meh, but by themselves in code 3, they really shine.
Honorable mentions
The Advance/L-Series probably has the most effective tone. It sounds like a lot of effort was put into making it as attention-grabbing as possible.
The Faraday 6220, since it’s actually a hybrid between an electronic and a mechanical horn.
In conclusion, I lean towards analog horns with their more natural sounds and varying pitches. It’s hard to rate the MAEH, and the HA24D even more so, since both have tones that are quite inconsistent.
From the list I chose the 892 if only because the experience that I had with them in my high school modular building was neat not because the school itself was a Simplex system mainly but because they all had different pitches which I know from looking on YouTube is rare.
I do like the older SHGs for the same reason but since they weren’t included, I’m going with the 892.
I personally like the Mircom FHS, it’s actually a little more pleasing to the ears. But, 2 that stick out to me are the Edwards Integrity & Genesis. They have got to be some of the most ear piercing alarms I’ve heard, especially the LED version of the Genesis, way louder than the original.