Can someone actually explain what 'slam' is in this context. I always get confused by this as people talk about slam as if it is a low frequency phenomenon rather than the wideband transient that it is.
Good point. These are the same people who talk of "fast" subwoofers. 🙄 For me, "slam" is like "tight", it would come from having plenty of bass power, but well-damped with no serious resonances, and time-aligned with the rest of the spectrum, so the transient from a kick drum hits you powerfully all at once and doesn't hang over afterwards.
What I just described isn't a property of a bass driver or an amplifier, it is a property of a well integrated system in a room with excellent acoustics.
But I still want one purely on the grounds of looks. 🙂
Me, too. And power.
When you work with racks and racks of Macro-Techs back stage, they are just a tool.Me, too. And power.
I have never heard any live sound pro-audio guys comment on visual appeal of gear....sound, reliability, power/grunt, yes.
Visuals, nope.
Dan.
When you work with racks and racks of Macro-Techs back stage, they are just a tool.
I have never heard any live sound pro-audio guys comment on visual appeal of gear....sound, reliability, power/grunt, yes.
Visuals, nope.
Dan.
Yet the look of the speaker stacks is very important. In fact I would suggest done deliberately to make it look 'LOUD' to the musicians and audience. Expectation is surely 50% of it with live entertainment. And racks of evilly glowing LEDs in the backstage darkness always helps?
When you work with racks and racks of Macro-Techs back stage, they are just a tool.
I have never heard any live sound pro-audio guys comment on visual appeal of gear....sound, reliability, power/grunt, yes.
Visuals, nope.
Dan.
You highly underestimate the influence of the other senses on our hearing.
Technically everything we hear is made up by our brains...the ear mechanism collects and transduces pressure variations into nerve impulses but the sense of sound only emerges from these nerve impulses in the brain.
Very true.
I mentioned this before, the other senses are of great influence on how we hear, as they are connected to the same brain.
You overestimate.You highly underestimate the influence of the other senses on our hearing.
I have been around audio gear and servicing audio gear for more than 30 years.
I actually do not care whatsoever about appearance, and appearance does not influence my appraisal of sound whatsoever.
Nowadays I run powered speakers.
With some interesting tweaks, these just plain disappear, and 3D sound image fills the room (and other rooms also).
The listeners visual attention is diverted away from the cabinets to individual sound sources 'appearing' hologram like in 3D space.
When that is happening, who cares what any of the system looks like !.
Dan.
You overestimate.
With some interesting tweaks, these just plain disappear, and 3D sound image fills the room (and other rooms also).
Dan.
Now getting a 3D image in a different room to that which the speakers are in is quite some trick.
It's a secret.
You're never going to find out in this thread, so what's the point?
You just want to get your hobbyhorse out and ride it around a bit.
My hobbyhorse is; I hate meaningless pointless threads like this based on no more than the extravagances of somebody's ego. You're not even entertaining. Can't you think of a question interesting enough to answer?
The only bore more boring than a hi-fi bore is a car bore. Let me tell you about my Miata...
You're never going to find out in this thread, so what's the point?
You just want to get your hobbyhorse out and ride it around a bit.
My hobbyhorse is; I hate meaningless pointless threads like this based on no more than the extravagances of somebody's ego. You're not even entertaining. Can't you think of a question interesting enough to answer?
The only bore more boring than a hi-fi bore is a car bore. Let me tell you about my Miata...
It's a secret.
The only bore more boring than a hi-fi bore is a car bore. Let me tell you about my Miata...
I'll take your car bore and raise you a whiskey bore!
Yet the look of the speaker stacks is very important. In fact I would suggest done deliberately to make it look 'LOUD' to the musicians and audience. Expectation is surely 50% of it with live entertainment. And racks of evilly glowing LEDs in the backstage darkness always helps?
Except that modern PA systems look nowhere near as 'loud' as older '80s types and in larger productions chances are that neither audience nor the musicians will be likely to actually see the amp racks.
What does look 'loud' are the Marshall stacks metal bands are so fond of filling the stage with but most of those are just empty cabs.
I mean the 3D in the main room translates to other rooms.Now getting a 3D image in a different room to that which the speakers are in is quite some trick.
The main room system perfect centre focus and pin point depth imaging sounds outstandingly good from other rooms.
Dan.
Can someone actually explain what 'slam' is in this context. I always get confused by this as people talk about slam
as if it is a low frequency phenomenon rather than the wideband transient that it is.
Imagine punching a memory foam mattress, and then punching a punching bag. The bag has slam. It's a time domain thing.
And people over 40 complain its not as loud as it used to be (although motorhead in the 80s WAS too loud). Not been to a 'larger production' for 4 years, but last one I did go to (Reading festival) you could see the amp racks in the gloom. Things may have changed and one festival is not a significant sample.
Just googling for research and looking at the shots from glastonbury this year. OK its no Grateful Dead wall of sound, but still looks like a 40 ft tall stack on either side of the stage.
Just googling for research and looking at the shots from glastonbury this year. OK its no Grateful Dead wall of sound, but still looks like a 40 ft tall stack on either side of the stage.
Imagine punching a memory foam mattress, and then punching a punching bag. The bag has slam.
So nothing below about 200Hz?
Yup.Except that modern PA systems look nowhere near as 'loud' as older '80s types and in larger productions chances are that neither audience nor the musicians will be likely to actually see the amp racks.
Kiss and plenty of other bands...yes. Empty/dummy Marshall amplifiers too.What does look 'loud' are the Marshall stacks metal bands are so fond of filling the stage with but most of those are just empty cabs.
90's AC/DC show ....nope. All 16 on stage guitar quad boxes wired and working.
Dan.
So nothing below about 200Hz?
Think of percussion instruments, even a triangle has slam. It's not a low frequency thing, it's a time domain behavior thing.
Crown amps that is at least the Studio Reference series (and the presumably identical Macrotech / Macro Reference) do have a particular pronounced, live-like and realistic slam / punch in the bass.
Think of percussion instruments, even a triangle has slam. It's not a low frequency thing, it's a time domain behavior thing.
So the Original premise that the slam is in the bass is wrong?
So the Original premise that the slam is in the bass is wrong?
Bass can have slam, but so can sounds elsewhere in the frequency range. The higher range sounds just won't have that gut feeling.
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