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

I believe if we do our due diligence well, we should be doing all-right. Leap of faith is not just luck, rather is built on solid background work you have accomplished beforehand.  The more work you do, the more you could push past your comfort zone to explore / pursue the adventure.  Not every reviewer is bought out.  Even they were and give biased opinions, how about the positive feedback from users?  They can not be all blind followers, right?

Before I was a bit too conservative and over-thinking with the buying decision even within my budget, and end up with forcing myself to live with a subpar system I feel can be further enhanced to extend my level of satisfaction.  Later, I learn to stretch my budget and follow my heart to get things done.  So far, I have been lucky.  I have made most of the purchasing decision right other than a few entry-level DACs I have already got rid of and the speaker situation I am facing now.  Nothing is perfect especially with these budgetary speakers.  Knowing this is probably the highest budget now that can be approved by my best half, I would be content with what I have and start enjoying music listening and appreciation.

Just now something crosses my mind.  I was thinking of bridging my amp (400 watts wi/ the 2-3 ohm tap) to possibly push the limit of Buchardt.  I could only try with a single speaker since it is a 4-ohm speaker but, if it succeeds to get weightier bass, I could upgrade the amp later.  Well, that is the plan and will update you all if succeeded.

["lanx0003 I sort of shy away from adding a sub, primarily because I do not believe a separated sub could easily match the speed and texture of the main speakers. I had tried at least three times (SVS and REL) but none of the sub. I have tried provide me satisfactory results."]

I’m unaware of any subwoofer that claims measurably superior speed. Since the speaker location is typically the worst location for a subwoofer your dissatisfaction with that subwoofer and even with the sub-bass speaker is predictably understandable.

Consider the majority of full range statement speaker demonstrations are usually accompanied by determined room positioned and system tuned subwoofers providing an indistinguishably low frequency presentation.

lanx0003 , I would not put a lot of stock in what a reviewer says. I own Goldenear BRS, Kef, LS50 meta, Buchardts 400rk2 special editions, and I have a pair of Dali Minuete SE on the way. I have not heard the Dali's yet, but all of my speakers have their plus and minuses, yet I like each one. It does not matter how much you spend on speakers, amps are never perfect. My special 40's are my favorite and I notice no congestion in the mids. 

I can not believe nobody around here talks about Usher BE 718's.

I scored a used pair for twelve hundred, including delivery. I won't even try to describe the to you, but I will tell you that the beryllium tweeter makes them super special in the high frequencies.

And I want to personally challenge you, to find a bookshelf with a better bass response, for the money.

You should do a quick search and read a couple of reviews.

I believe they would stun you and I'm not joking.