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Buchardt S400 Mk II vs Sony SSCS 5 in Bass

I am still in the quest for a ideal bookshelf / stand mount as my secondary system. Recently I procured Buchardt S400 Mk II for in-home auditioning a month ago. The top end and midrange SQ is top-notch, airy and rich with dynamics. However, the bass is a bit on the light side to my taste. Although it is rated down to 33hz (- 3 dB) in room, I do not feel the bass is that impactful as compared to the Sony SSCS 5 which is only rated down to 53Hz (-3dB). Both me and my best half could hear more impactful, better-defined double bass notes from SSCS 5 than from S400. I was so puzzled / annoyed by this. Let me lay out the main specs that might affect the bass performance for comparison purpose.

                      Buchardt S400 Mk ii                Sony sscs 5

Woofer          6" paper cone (on top)             5.12" cone (on bottom)

Enclosure      1 rear 8"x5" passive radiator   1 rear port

Bass rating    33 Hz (-3dB)                            53 Hz (-3dB)

Efficiency       88 dB/m/w                               87 dB/m/w

Both were driven by the same components, speaker placements, supported by the semi-sphere silicone footers, and evaluated with the same music. Does the rear port design more effective than the passive radiator? Does the position of woofer affect the bass weight? Can someone, in particular who owned the S400, shed a light on this please?

 

lanx0003
dwest1023
176 posts
 

Sounds to me you have a low power amp problem. I have listen to the 400mrk 2 with my Pass integrated 250 and I could not tell if my Sub was on . The Buchardt have excellent bass. 

lanx0003 OP
676 posts
 

@dwest1023 

That could be it. I see Pass 250 renders 500 wpc into 4 ohm and S400 is rated a 4 ohm speaker. I had Parasound A23 and NC 2125 v2. Both are high current rated 225 wpc into 4 ohm but maybe still not powerful enough to push the woofer and radiator well. Wow. I thought with the 88 db/w/m sensitivity my amplifiers should be able to handle it well BUT I could be wrong for all this time... 

I wish I could afford Pass int. 250.  Do you other recommendations for that powerful amp. under, say, $2k-$3k that could do the trick?  My 45 days' trial is ending soon.

dwest1023
176 posts
 

If you have a high current amp pushing 22wpc, you should have no problem driving the 400’s. It could be your placement of the speakers. Try moving them closer to your back wall. 

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