Senior Member
Location: Warrington
Posts: 3,451
I'm Neil.
Critical damping of the speakers is an essential component of tight 'slam' and 'dynamics'. Without it, the sound can be one-note, plodding, boomy etc.
Also, whilst you might gain a bit more 'transparency' with a passive preamp, you lose slam & dynamics compared to an active.
The speaker / amp interface is important i.e. can the amp dump enough current into the speakers during musical peaks.
Some analogue sources may lack slam & dynamics too, much less of an issue with digital.
Mana Acoustics Racks / Bright Star IsoNodes Decoupling >> Allo DigiOne Player >> Pedja Rogic's Audial Model S DAC + Pioneer PL-71 turntable / Vista Audio phono-1 mk II / Denon PCL-5 headshell / Reson Reca >> LFD DLS >> LFD PA2M (SE) >> Royd RR3s.
Senior Member
Location: Bishops Stortford
Posts: 1,250
I'm Chris.
That's a bit of a sweeping statement. What evidence is there for loss of slam and dynamics with a good passive preamp?Originally Posted by Yomanze
Source
SW1X Universal Music Server UMS I Signature with Power Supply Unit PSU I Signature
SW1X USB II
SW1X DAC III Special
Audiolab 6000 CDT transport
Amps
Pre amps -- Hi fi Collective twin mono ladder stepped attenuator, with Charcroft Z-foil and silver wired. And First Watt B1 active no gain buffer.
Power amps -- Welborne 45 SET monoblocks 1.8W / Decware Taboo 6W / Elekit 300B TU-8600SVK plus further improved components 9W / ICE Power 1000W
Speakers
Highly modified Endorphin P17 open baffle speakers containing both vintage and modern alnico drivers and paper cones. All silver wired - 8" Cube Audio FC8 full range drivers and vintage 15" Altec VOTT 416 bass drivers. All sat on Townsend Audio Podium seismic isolation platforms.
BK Electronics XLS400FF Sub.
Cabling
Silver mains cables, interconnects and speaker cables by SW1X
Headphones
HRT HeadStreamer and SennHeiser HD650 headphones
Purely subjective I would assume but that is also my experience.
Drunken Moderator
Location: Staffordshire, England
Posts: 37,872
I'm Martin.
None. They are completely un-related.
Current Lash Up:
TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.
Senior Member
Location: Warrington
Posts: 3,451
I'm Neil.
Yes, my subjective experiences (too). Have used some very fine passives and actives. For my amps and system I prefer actives. Slam and dynamics are two particularly interesting traits to compare between the two IMHO.
Mana Acoustics Racks / Bright Star IsoNodes Decoupling >> Allo DigiOne Player >> Pedja Rogic's Audial Model S DAC + Pioneer PL-71 turntable / Vista Audio phono-1 mk II / Denon PCL-5 headshell / Reson Reca >> LFD DLS >> LFD PA2M (SE) >> Royd RR3s.
Super Moderator
Location: W Lothian
Posts: 99,005
I'm Grant.
again we come down to one man's slam and dynamics over anothers'. guessing different folk have different definitions
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Drunken Moderator
Location: Staffordshire, England
Posts: 37,872
I'm Martin.
I guess. I have hooked my passive up to a Krell and some Akai speakers with 15 inch bass drivers and the slam almost had me over the back of the chair. With some recordings it feels like you are being pummelled, it is actually too much.
Current Lash Up:
TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.
Senior Member
Location: East Riding of Yorkshire these days
Posts: 4,779
I'm Shaun.
Back in the late nineties I used a pair of Castle Harlech speakers with a 300B PP power amp. Around 2000 I changed to a studio power amp with around 300 Watts per channel and some hefty current delivery. The difference in bass grip and control was absolutely mind blowing. To me, that kind of bass grip and control is all about the amplifier.
Senior Member
Location: Warrington
Posts: 3,451
I'm Neil.
What gives a system slam and dynamics?
For me slam is also about phase / time domain accuracy. If the bass bits hit you with a time delay and out of phase the whole tune isn’t going to “slam” together. This is mainly a speaker issue... you want all the bits to hit your ears at the same time.
Mana Acoustics Racks / Bright Star IsoNodes Decoupling >> Allo DigiOne Player >> Pedja Rogic's Audial Model S DAC + Pioneer PL-71 turntable / Vista Audio phono-1 mk II / Denon PCL-5 headshell / Reson Reca >> LFD DLS >> LFD PA2M (SE) >> Royd RR3s.
Speaker + Amp (because it's always the two together). Big Tannoys have large area and perfect phase (due to the dual concentric alignment of drivers) I don't call it slam though it's more about bodily impact of the music. The word slam to me conjures up the wrong thing - inappropriate pyrotechnics.
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