New Coincident Frankenstein 300B Stereo Version

A little observation on bass:

This appears to be a unique US phenomenon that good bass is almost always equated to "tight" or "super-duper tight" (aka overdampened) bass.

While we can observe overdampened bass in real life in recording studios, or at venues where the instruments (mainly drums) overload the room acoustics.

The exact opposite is the overly loose bass: just like what you get in a concert hall when you sit at the end of the row close to the exit. Still, it's realistic, but I have not heard of many people standing in line for those seats & that experience....

Yet, while listening to bass at venues with good acoustics at good places, bass is not overly tight - it's just right. A good SET can deliver that, the bass that has a good likeness of both texture in the bass and the right tightness. Overly tight bass representations bleed out the texture of the bass.

Push-pull implementations have bass tighter, with bland bass texture. (=More apparent power, less refined skill/technique.)

Single ended implementations have bass looser, with better bass texture.

Good implementations of each have less issues, and get closer to a fine balance.

It's up to your preferences from which side you want to approach bass - is tightness or texture your #1 goal?

@charles1dad

@brownsfan

Thank you for your kind words, indeed, big part of my audio journey was working on myself, on how I listen to music and what I hear.

Of course, we don't need to learn to enjoy music, anyone with a pair of ears can bask in sound and voice. Yet, there is a massive difference between what an unsuspecting victim used exclusively to instant gratification absorbs from the music and how Mozart perceived it. I know, Mozart is a tall yardstick, as tall as it ever gets, but he does set the bar and stands as a warning sign that there's much more to music and music appreciation than just desensitized and sanitized instant gratification and empty shows.

For me getting to learn the nuances of what I hear, getting familiar with the fabric of music made it possible to fine-tune my system to allow further and deeper exploration.

It has been a wonderful journey so far. I'm glad I'm not alone on the road.