With live, non-amplified music does anyone ever hear slamming bass? I've heard deep, forceful tones that carry a physical impact, but I've never been exposed to that sharp, highly edge defined bass sound except for when I'm listening to high end audio systems. I'm not entirely convinced, but the stereotype Krell/Bryston bass sound could be a form of coloration. Which is not to say that on rock and other strongly rhythmic music that it can't be a very pleasant colorations.
amplifier's "slam-factor"
I wonder if anyone can explain me why there are differences in the so called "slam-factor" between different amplifiers (with comparable power ratings). It is well known that for example Krell amplifiers have a high slam-factor, while Mark Levinson amplifiers are quite tame in comparison, even the most powerful ones (> 300 watts per channel). Spectral amplifiers are very fast regarding signal amplification and transmission, but I find them not very "powerful" sounding (high slam-factor), assuming speed is one of the factors which determine whether an amplifier has a high slam-factor or not.