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Buchardt S400 Mk II vs Sony SSCS 5 in Bass

I am still in the quest for a ideal bookshelf / stand mount as my secondary system. Recently I procured Buchardt S400 Mk II for in-home auditioning a month ago. The top end and midrange SQ is top-notch, airy and rich with dynamics. However, the bass is a bit on the light side to my taste. Although it is rated down to 33hz (- 3 dB) in room, I do not feel the bass is that impactful as compared to the Sony SSCS 5 which is only rated down to 53Hz (-3dB). Both me and my best half could hear more impactful, better-defined double bass notes from SSCS 5 than from S400. I was so puzzled / annoyed by this. Let me lay out the main specs that might affect the bass performance for comparison purpose.

                      Buchardt S400 Mk ii                Sony sscs 5

Woofer          6" paper cone (on top)             5.12" cone (on bottom)

Enclosure      1 rear 8"x5" passive radiator   1 rear port

Bass rating    33 Hz (-3dB)                            53 Hz (-3dB)

Efficiency       88 dB/m/w                               87 dB/m/w

Both were driven by the same components, speaker placements, supported by the semi-sphere silicone footers, and evaluated with the same music. Does the rear port design more effective than the passive radiator? Does the position of woofer affect the bass weight? Can someone, in particular who owned the S400, shed a light on this please?

 

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Showing 4 responses by grislybutter

grislybutter
2,307 posts
 

anything above 60Watts should work fine with the Buchardts. I never read or saw any tests where they complained about the bass or used a beast like the  Pass Lab 250

grislybutter
2,307 posts
 

I found the Dyna Contour to sound better than the Special 40. I think it's a pretty sweet deal, with a great balance of detail, imaging and warmth. I never heard the Heritage. It seems that everyone is lacking bass with these small-ish monitors. Harbeth?

grislybutter
2,307 posts
 

"They're more like entry-level speakers" - in the audiophile world, that's what thy are.

In my non-audiophile world, they are fantastic :)

grislybutter
2,307 posts
 

I totally agree with skipping a sub. Interestingly 2 years ago my list was (whatever version I could afford):

Dynaudio, Totem, Buchardt, Revel, Sonus Faber (my 3x my budget list was the Martens, Sonner, Harbeth and Joseph Audio)

I pretty much couldn’t afford any decent SF, the Totems were lean, I didn’t go for Buchardts, and the Revels would have been the best bang for the buck. I am happy with my Evoke 20s but I would accept the Contours for sure.

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