Tim Morin wrote on Sun, 04 February 2007 11:33 |
I agree, we would also be intersted in a shootout of this type. the problem will be that most of these are mostly about loud and painful. I have read threads about the NY sub shootout and most of the fuss is whose cabinets were the loudest. I have not seen any threads on the musicality of the subs as that is truly what determines which of these manufacturers will be on a major tour or install in the future. just my 2 cents.
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Hi Tim,
One of the challenges I have found in doing these types of things is fitting all you want to do in a very limited amount of time. For future reference we should have the following in attendance if we ever do this again:
A time cop. An event production manager who will keep things moving on schedule.
Predetermined testing methods and a list of the data to be recorded.
A predetermined list of songs or recordings (or instruments) to play.
More space. A football stadium would be nice.
Two more days.
A collection of the most popular and well known cabinets currently in use on large numbers of tours and stages.
You. Yes you. You, too. Your ears. If you care, be there!
Once upon a long time ago, in a place far from here, I went to a shootout that wasn't. It was a listening workshop. I live in Texas and when someone says shootout I think last man standing, as loud as it can go without ending up dead. When someone says listening workshop I think of things a lot more subtle and a lot less violent. To do both would be a great idea, if a very ambitious one, particularly if it were to be limited to a day or two.
In this fantasy I really like the idea of blind testing. Let all the listeners sit (stand, walk) on one side of a scrim and have some techs set up each system for listening. (Better yet, set them all up in a very big circle in a big field facing inwards to the center and cover each in a scrim.) The listeners can take notes, answer predetermined questions and score the contestants from 1 to 10 on a number of criteria. When that's done, measure them all for FR and phase and distortion and whatever else you want to know and then go for the highest SPL each box can achieve without expiring in a cloud of smoke.
Tally the blind votes and place the subjective scores next to the objective measurements and reveal the names.
I personally think that you will find the boxes on those major tours are not the ones that sound the best, or go the loudest, or both. They are most likely the ones with the most familiar names. They are the ones who tend to shy away from competitions like this because they have a lot more to lose than to gain. I would too, if I were them, but I am ready to go head to head with any of them, any time, any place. May the best
sound win!
Are we doing it at your house next?