TADs SS Hibachi Amps

Audiobob,

Unfortunately I can't gauge how these amps will work on just bass drivers. I do know that I had the TAD 60 prior and these monos best it in just about every aspect. As far as speed, punch, and deep bass, all I can say is that , with my Vandys, these amps are punchy and musical and do not sound laid back like people think they sound with other amps. I listen to mostly classic rock so I need the characteristics that you mentioned. As far as the technical stuff, best to email Paul.

In my system, the amps really shine in the lower octaves. The only caveat is that they may be slightly "bumped up" in the upper bass area (the "warmth" I referred to in my earlier post). The effect is subtle, but audible on certain speakers. As I mentioned, I like this tonal balance on my Merlins, not so much on other speakers I own. As a general rule, I believe that these amps will work better as bass amps with speakers that are slightly overdamped than with those that are underdamped. Just MHO.

Good Luck,
Marty

Thanks for your answers.Martykl,could you please define "overdamped" and "underdamped"?

Audiobb,

I am using the terms to describe:

Overdamped = tight, well defined bass response that may be reduced in level relative to the mid band and beyond. This is often (though not always) characteristic of sealed (particularly acoustic suspension) systems, and less often (though ocassionally) seen in ported speaker systems.

Underdamped = looser, fuller bass that may be elevated in level. This is more often (though not exclusively) found in ported or passive radiator systems and sometimes in infinte baffle sealed systems where the cabinet volume is large relative to certain performance parameters of the woofer.

Technically the terms have a somewhat more precise meaning, but for the purposes of understanding my earlier post, I hope that this is useful shorthand.

Good Luck,

Marty

Marty,

Is correct. In fact the way the speaker mechanical and air suspension is designed is very important as to how it will sound. (actually far far more important than amplifier damping!!)

Here is a third term: "critically damped". This has been generally accepted as the best sounding most practical approach. This is neither overdamped or underdamped - it means that when power is removed then the speaker goes to the rest position faster than any other design WITHOUT additional oscillations.

Here is a link to Damping. The red curve is overdamped (like a screen door closing - uncommon in speakers - needs lots of force to make it move). The Blue curve is underdamped (quite common in speakers with a bass boost/hump). The Green curve is the "goldilocks" curve - critically damped or "just right" (often regarded as the optimum setup for a woofer)

You may ask - Why then do speaker designers use anything else except "critical damping"? Basically it boils down to tweaking to get more output efficiency or more bass extension from small boxes - for example an underdamped driver with a port can get you more bass (higher efficiency) but the bass may sound muddy or warm (and won't be very smooth in freq response). Conversely, a critically damped sealed box design will sound tight and punchy in comparison but won't have anywhere near the bass extension and efficiency. An overdamped design will sound very tight but will be extremely inefficient - needs lots of power - high power Class D SS amps and Active designs may make this a more viable option in future.

The above may explain why some ported small subwoofers with high bass efficiency may sound impressive but muddy or non-musical.