Buchardt S400 Mk II vs Sony SSCS 5 in Bass

The Dynaudio Evoke speakers have "big bass for their size" and they should be easy to power with any amp. They're more like entry-level speakers however. But don't sleep on them. 

I personally use Closer Acoustics OGY speakers. I don't think that anything could match their midrange clarity and bass speed for the money. The single driver (EMS LB5) paired with a plywood transmission line shines here. The Ogy just suffer a little bit in terms of bass quantity (compared to the Dynaudio Evoke, but they outshine the Klipsch RP600M in every single metric). 

Be careful with higher end bookshelf speakers like the KEF R3 or Amphion Argon 3S. They sacrifice bass quantity for bass/midrange quality. I suppose that they expect you to buy a sub. 

@grislybutter Amen! Brother. I could happily live with the Dynaudio Evoke. 

@lanx0003 The margins are pretty slim on the OGY. The drivers alone are 380€ for a pair (made in France). If you factor in the cabinet (assembled in Poland) then 1500€ for the plywood model is a bargain. 

They say the bass goes down to 50Hz. I believe that. But specs don't mean much. The Klipsch RP600 go down to 45Hz but they only seem to have mid-bass. 

The OGY's bass is surprisingly punchy and fast, thanks to the transmission line. You don't have port shuffing like most ported tiny boxes. But the bass isn't warm enough or room-filling for big orchestral music. In comparison the Dynaudio Evoke is boomier with recessed mids (annoying for vocal clarity in movies). But the Evoke is just more fun. 

I paired my OGY with a Rel T5x subwoofer and I'm kinda on the fence. It's clear that I could setup the sub better. But I seem to gain a warmer/deeper bass at the expense of midrange clarity. 

@tunefuldude I would personally drive to your home with my OGYs LOL

@lanx0003 Sub placement matters. There are online calculators. Plug in the room dimensions. It’s a lot like speaker placement. The corner will make the sub sound boomier. 
 

From my limited experience, my poorly setup sub (REL T5x) makes an appreciable difference on most music. Yeah it might not sound as clinically pristine as my speakers alone. But when listening to rock, pop, hip hop, electronica or funk music some boomy bass makes sense. You hear that during live concerts as well. On acoustic tracks with double bass the sub also makes the music immersive. 
 

However, the bass on some of Panda Bear’s tracks (Dolphin) really makes the sub behave uncontrollably. Maybe it’s intentional? I don’t know. It’s like being in a pressurized cabin taking off.