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Upper Bass Articulation in uber hi-end speakers

noobie1

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Joined
Feb 15, 2017
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A few years ago, I went to listen to some TAD speakers - (ME-1, CE-1, and Evolution 1). These speakers are all endgame-worth and range from about $15k per pair MSRP to $30k per pair MSRP. We played the same tracks over all three speaker (the latter two in the same room). What was most impressive to me as you went up the chain was the bass articulation (I'm going to say it was the upper bass ~100-200Hz but feel free to correct me). Some of the tracks had low saxophone note or tuba notes that sounded incredibly articulate on the Evolution 1 but were not all that clear in the CE-1 or ME-1. On lesser speakers/headphones, the same track sounds garbled and veiled.

For those who have experience in high end speakers, is this something you notice compared to lesser speakers? Is upper bass articulation highly dependent on speaker placement and/or room treatment? People often comment on how a subwoofer seemingly improves the SQ of the whole frequency spectrum not just the lowest notes. Would a quality subwoofer help with upper bass articulation at all?
 
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