Not all reviews were so flattering. It appears that there was no general consensus as to what to think of these ensembles. A review in the Harmonicon of a London concert in December 1831 suggested that the audience heard a first-rate band of Russian horns, but a second-rate band of wind instruments, citing a lack of expression and a shrill and out of tune upper register.34 The volume of this type of ensemble must have been immense. J. C. Hinrichs, upon describing the Horn Band in 1796, said that on a quiet night a horn band could be heard up to a "German mile", which was the equivalent of five English miles. As a result several methods were employed in an effort to provide more dynamic contrast. One was to build leather-covered wooden horns. Maresch's effort entailed having the players stand in a circle around a hollow box. To play more softly, the horn was inserted through a hole in the side of the box so as to muffle the sound