Thanks for the nice words, folks
@B&T, as you rightly pointed out, the my post was based completely on my preferences on how I'd like my setup to sound like, and the kind of bass I like. My preferences may not match with somebody else's.
Another point I wanted to make was that the end-result of the ICE system (being able to enjoy music) is what counts. And that what counts is not exactly how well the ratings of the various components are matched.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bass&Trouble 1. If there was a sub from ID that had a power handling of 300 W rms and the ability to produce the same SQ that you perceive from the ID Max, would you still buy the ID Max and power it with 300 W rms? Or buy the 300W ID and use the saved money to buy, say, a 500 W rms amplifier? |
If I get the same SQ as the IDMax from another sub for less, I'd definitely buy that other sub. And yes, with the money saved, if I could buy an amp (with a higher power rating) that I feel makes the sub sound even better I
definitely would.
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Originally Posted by Bass&Trouble Surely you're not the type that associates higher power handling with better sound quality, hence it can be safely assumed that you believe that it is possible for any brand to have a subwoofer of identical or better sound quality with lower power handling in the power range that we are talking about. The converse is usually the hard part. |
I did not quite get where you are coming from. I suspect you misread my earlier post to be one where I'm saying that powering a sub with its rated power is wrong. NO. That is not what I was saying.
I'm all for powering the IDMax with a 1000w amp,
as long as I can afford such an amp. Believe me,
if I could buy a 1000w amp (that sounds like the TRU S500 amp I listened to, with 700 extra watts) just like that, with no concern for the money spent, I
definitely would. I'm sure that a 1000w amp will make the IDMax sound great.
What I was saying was, a 1000w amp is not really needed to make the IDMax sound good enough. Even a 300w RMS amp (the TRU S500 I listened to is rated 300w at 4 ohms) will do the job. A 600w RMS amp will do the job better. But will it enhance the experience to such an extent that I need to spend the extra money for such an amp? I don't think so. Not for me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bass&Trouble 2. Since you say that in %age terms (although actual watts consumed for enjoyable listening are far lower than maximum available amplifier power):
- powering a 1000W rms subwoofer with 600W is your definition of unit performance, a reference.
- powering a 1000W subwoofer with half that power is about 20% lower performance
- hence powering a 1000W sub with 1000W must be about 30% better performance than the reference? |
I think the earlier portion of my reply should answer your question. As I said in my post you've referred to, the % I mentioned was simply for the purposes of illustration -- to paint a picture that would help illustrate what I was saying.
I'm sure that you of all people know that one cannot measue the
enjoyment one gains from listening to music in raw figures. In my post I refer to 'enjoyment', and not 'performance'. Yes, performance can be measured in figures. But IMHO figures (such as the 1000w RMS rating of the IDMax, or the 300w rating of the TRU amp, or the dB level that this sub will generate when powered by this amp) will not tell us how much we will enjoy listening to the IDMax with 'x' components and 'y' HU.
But I will agree with what you said. Yes, powering a 1000w sub with a 1000w amp will definitely give better performance figures than powering a 1000w sub with a 300w amp, or a 600w amp. I did not say this was no so.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bass&Trouble So, shouldn't it be thrilling for you to have a 300W subwoofer with the same sound quality, running on a 550-600W amplifier? Considering that the amp is not even close to breaking a sweat. THD levels are the lowest. The subwoofer at operating wattage is well within the operating range, and within the linear excursion limits! And you're not even spending more money! |
If I could have a 300w sub that sounds
identical to the IDMax, and run it off an amp that sounds
identical to the TRU S500, but pushes 550-600w, and have all that for the same amount (or less!!!) that I'd have to pay to buy an IDMax (34K) and a TRU S500 (51K), I'd be tickled pink.
Especially if actually had the 34K + 51K to spend!
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Originally Posted by Bass&Trouble And I am not even getting into the cases, which I regard as perfectly normal, of those individuals who want to get more OR most bang for the buck. By your theory, they'd feel very cheated. |
I don't understand how somebody could feel cheated if he listens to a setup he would want, like it, and then buy the equipment he listened to.