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Need more slam! Help!

Hi all,

For the most part I am very happy with my current system. I’m still pretty new at the hobby, been about 3 years or so but in that time I feel that I’ve been able to cobble together a pretty nice system.
I currently have a vpi prime scout with an ortofon 2m black cartridge running to a musical surroundings phonomena to a rogue rp1 preamp, to rogue st90 amp and concluding with vandersteen model 3 signatures. Audioquest diamond back interconnects and kimbercable speaker wire.

First, here’s what I love about my setup - huge soundstage, really open and three dimensional. And this is probably what I find most exciting in home audio reproduction, I love feeling as if I’m looking at the stage from the third row and can pick out where everyone is, truly magic to have that feeling from the living room couch. I am pleased with the speed and accuracy of my system, it feels very articulate and controlled.
Now for what I’m yearning for, basically just more omph. I want a lot more snap on a snare hit, I want to feel the music more in a physical sense. I guess you could describe this as a more “live” sound but that’s not exactly what I mean. I really just want some more slam. Where should I be targeting, thinking power amp? Thanks in advance!
128x128sammyshaps
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,865 posts
 
Snare slam is normally north of the woofer. I had 3a for many years w Mac SS 200 wpc amp that can wake them up. Brother runs them
now w big Threshold. They are very neutral. Too far out from the wall is something you can change easy and free. The point about low gain front end very valid :-)

sounds like you have a super fantastic system for just 3 years in
jjss49's avatar
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jjss49
6,612 posts
 
sammy

the ideas about checking stylus rake angle and also bi - amping with class d below are great ideas i did not think of... but they may well help!

good luck
gmercer
193 posts
 
First and foremost it comes down to speakers and the drivers they are utilizing. I am not familiar with those speakers so cannot directly opine but I'd guess they are on the more polite side and there is not much slam you will achieve without replacing them.
Second, when I added more watts to my system, I got more slam. Not saying that would necessarily happen to yours, just sharing my experience.
Last, a subwoofer will definitely help with oomph, however the crack of a snare happens well outside of a subwoofer's range (low end bass) so that does not exactly correlate.
avanti1960
1,411 posts
 
@ditusa 
@sammyshapsThe earliest versions of the Rogue RP-1 had low gain and users were complaining about the anemic sound.  Later versions were in fact updated to 7db of gain.   Either way they do not sound dynamic or powerful.  

my linestage was the RH-5 headphone amp / linestage, not the RP-5.  
The RH-5 has adjustable gain of 3db, 12db and 16db. 
AT the 12db setting "slam" was very good.  
http://rogueaudio.com/Products_RH5.htm
avanti1960
1,411 posts
 
as a follow-up the rogue stereo 90 is a decently dynamic, powerful tube amp, as is the stereo 100.  
making the change to a 200 WPC power amp (for example) will not yield much more slam and you will lose the charm and refinement that comes from a tube power amp.  
add "slam" through your preamp, preamp tubes and subwoofer.  
the REL subs are the only ones I have tried that do not blur the clarity of the midrange.  
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