Speakers for leading edge, transients, speed and big sound

Phusis,

Many good points are made in your excellent posting.  It would indeed be challenging for a big woofer to handle frequencies up to 700 hz.  A local builder uses quite sizeable horns and compression drivers that can go extremely low.  I recently heard a system where the crossover from compression midrange to woofers was set at 180 hz with a very shallow 6 db/octave slope.  The compression drivers were quite pricey, and if this were my system, I would insist on a higher crossover point and/or a 12 db/octave slope.  The woofers are twin 18” woofers made to his specifications.  The manufacturer insists on a minimum order of 40, and in the past three years or so, he has made three such orders.

@phusis 

Thank you for your response. Your point about "hifi" bass and what it is / should be about is well taken. I do agree in principle, but I do like some slam too, and I'm not resigned to the two being mutually exclusive.

I suspect that listening tastes play a part. For instance, I listen to a lot of electronic music.

In any event, I was curious about this:

to those of us who are not bothered by larger size and that dare to look outside the accepted brands, hifi segment and high price dogma, not to mention embracing actively configured speakers, there are even better options out there - and cheaper to boot.

Wondering if you would care to elaborate on some specific options you have in mind? Thanks!

@kofibaffour I really don't know why I gave up n the M2. Maybe I'll buy them again! That said, I heard some Wilson Chronosonics that I thought were better

The perception of "slam", for example, has more to do with phase characteristics, not just drivers in a single speaker, but when more than 1 speaker is in a listening space, as would be the case with stereo or multichannel. Its an engineered solution present in a couple of brands inside pro audio...about which most "audiophile" brands have little to no clue ( i.e., the latter would prefer to keep spending up the clueless tree)

Your point about "hifi" bass and what it is / should be about is...

I do agree in principle, but I do like some slam too, and I’m not resigned to the two being mutually exclusive.

listening to Monitor Audio Platinum 200 3G speakers continue to put a smile on my face. Detailed with depth and articulation. Hooked up to Pass, Esoteric and a VPI classic…