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"Slam"--what is it, is it really accurate?

I put this question under speakers because I assume "slam" is mostly a function of the speakers, but perhaps a certain level of amplification is required. The only places I have experienced slam is listening to certain demos at audio shops, and some live music. Most speaker demos I have heard over the years did not produce slam.

So, what mostly accounts for a system producing that "slam" you can feel in your chest? Is it that certain speakers are "voiced" with a mid-bass hump that causes it? Do they EQ the signal to produce it? Do they employ super powerful amps?

Secondly, how accurate is slam? How much of a goal in speaker selection should the ability to produce slam be?

The reason for the questions is that I am getting close to being in the market for new main speakers. My current amp is a McCormack DNA 1, BTW. Thanks for any info!


mtrot
mtrot OP
804 posts
 
Kiddman wrote:

"Remember that in real life the SPL of individual drums being hit reasonably hard (slam would imply more than soft gentle drumwork) is going to be over 100db. Well over. Most speakers simply don't have the ability to convey music that loud without a lot of distortion. Most audiophile speakers just won't do it."

So, could that be why some are drawn to large cabinet speakers with light, fast cones such as Daedalus? I'm beginning to think the ability of speakers to achieve that sense of dynamic "liveness" may be as or more important to a sense of realism than frequency response accuracy.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Kiddman wrote,

"Remember that in real life the SPL of individual drums being hit reasonably hard (slam would imply more than soft gentle drumwork) is going to be over 100db. Well over. Most speakers simply don't have the ability to convey music that loud without a lot of distortion. Most audiophile speakers just won't do it."

Kiddman, you must be kidding.
kiddman
341 posts
 
Not kidding. You can't get realism in slam without playing it near the levels you hear it at live. Bring a sound level meter to live events, you won't believe the SPL peaks.

I'm not advocating playing at those levels constantly at home. But, if you want to see if your system can have the slam of a drum like you heard it live you have to play it back at that level. Then you will know if the perceived lack of slam is due to your system or just the fact that you are playing it much lower than real life.

Course, that assumes you want a system to sound real. My experience is that most audiophiles don't go hear live music and are just chasing some idea of what they think it should sound like.
rhljazz
1,254 posts
 
I agree with Martykl. My experience coincides with his. I do feel slam is a real part of some live music. I like a system that can give a credible rendition of slam.

An example would be really hearing the "kick" in the kick drum.
kiddman
341 posts
 
Yes, you feel the wave hit your body with a nice kick drum shot when you are near it, with no amplification. I would call that "slam". Same with the floor tom, which is actually a lower frequency than a kick drum.
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