Re: Danley SM80 and others shootout Monday January 14 at Danley in Gainesville, GA.
Ivan,
Don't want to jump in on your thread too much, but I can add my own feelings about subwoofer (and whole system) impact. I agree with you completely that subwoofers with rising response above 90Hz or so are perceived as having more "punch" even (especially?) if that response is equalized flat. The added sensitivity at these frequencies comes out as additional headroom, and you can hear that the sub is just loping along in that frequency range, even when you wouldn't expect it to be at a taxing output level. I am not surprised that when you equalized a rising response into a subwoofer that didn't have it naturally you found it unimpressive.
Aside from that, low phase shift through the entire system is a critical step, although this is more practical in your home than in an arena. Finally, extended LF response appears to be a Big Deal™ as well. Punch is more than just what you feel in your chest, it's an impression of how aggressive the PA is. As you of all people have surely experienced, having that extra even 5Hz at the bottom end makes a big difference. Exquisitely aligned systems with wide bandwidth and high output capabilities can be actually frightening.
