Slam
 

Any really good amplifier will be able to handle full power
more-or-less continuously - certainly for several minutes - without a
problem.

Hmmm, yeah - I spend my life listening to square waves and pink noise so I
don't need any transient handling capability, but those who listen to real
music do!


If slam really isn't just another piece of marketing nonsense, then it
must have a reality based in a particular sound produced by an
amplifier - that would make it some sort of specialist device for
music production, not Hi Fi reproduction.

It's mostly marketing nonsense, and used a lot in the pro audio world where
transient response is vastly important, and multirail amps (class G or H I
can't remember) are more common. You should only hear a "slam" if a "slam"
was recorded or intended by the producer/artist/engineer.

Slam
 

On Thu, 2 Oct 2003 19:48:07 +0100, "Tim S Kemp"
wrote:


Any really good amplifier will be able to handle full power
more-or-less continuously - certainly for several minutes - without a
problem.

Hmmm, yeah - I spend my life listening to square waves and pink noise so I
don't need any transient handling capability, but those who listen to real
music do!

You miss the point. The well designed amplifier WILL have the
transient handling capability you seek. The poorly designed one with
an underrated power supply probably wont.

If slam really isn't just another piece of marketing nonsense, then it
must have a reality based in a particular sound produced by an
amplifier - that would make it some sort of specialist device for
music production, not Hi Fi reproduction.

It's mostly marketing nonsense, and used a lot in the pro audio world where
transient response is vastly important, and multirail amps (class G or H I
can't remember) are more common. You should only hear a "slam" if a "slam"
was recorded or intended by the producer/artist/engineer.

So as I say, slam is a property of music production, not reproduction.
If there is slam in the recording, then a good non-slamming amplifier
will reproduce it.

d

_____________________________

http://www.pearce.uk.com

Slam
 

On Thu, 2 Oct 2003 19:48:07 +0100, "Tim S Kemp"
wrote:


Any really good amplifier will be able to handle full power
more-or-less continuously - certainly for several minutes - without a
problem.

Hmmm, yeah - I spend my life listening to square waves and pink noise so I
don't need any transient handling capability, but those who listen to real
music do!

You miss the point. The well designed amplifier WILL have the
transient handling capability you seek. The poorly designed one with
an underrated power supply probably wont.

If slam really isn't just another piece of marketing nonsense, then it
must have a reality based in a particular sound produced by an
amplifier - that would make it some sort of specialist device for
music production, not Hi Fi reproduction.

It's mostly marketing nonsense, and used a lot in the pro audio world where
transient response is vastly important, and multirail amps (class G or H I
can't remember) are more common. You should only hear a "slam" if a "slam"
was recorded or intended by the producer/artist/engineer.

So as I say, slam is a property of music production, not reproduction.
If there is slam in the recording, then a good non-slamming amplifier
will reproduce it.

d

_____________________________

http://www.pearce.uk.com

Slam
 

Any really good amplifier will be able to handle full power
more-or-less continuously - certainly for several minutes - without a
problem.

And wouldn't object to being asked to deliver considerably more if
momentarily demanded? You seem to be arguing against transient
headroom :-)

Slam
 

Any really good amplifier will be able to handle full power
more-or-less continuously - certainly for several minutes - without a
problem.

And wouldn't object to being asked to deliver considerably more if
momentarily demanded? You seem to be arguing against transient
headroom :-)

Slam
 

Some amps do have more SLAM! I can personally vouch for this and demonstrate
it! and it can be measured accurately and scientifically with a db Meter and
a seismograph.

If you take a big Krell or McIntosh and throw it on the ground it will
produce allot of slam, but if you take a wee Cyrus and throw it on the
ground the same way it produces way less slam. this can easily be measured.
On the other hand, if you take a Cyrus and launch it from a trebuchet it can
produce more slam than the krell dropped from head height.

Slam is what happens when two objects collide. It's to do with velocity x
mass / d (density of arrival surface) = s (slam) = energy expelled during
impact

I recommend the trebuchet method for launching if you want to test out your
own equipment. subs are the most fun.

Stew.



"Tim S Kemp" wrote in message
. ..

"The Old Fogey" wrote in message
om...
Can anyone define 'Slam' in the context of audio power amps?

The ability to deal with sudden short lived transient sounds - preferably
without affecting the rest of the output of the amp. Normally acheived
with
good PSU design and big power reserves and capable of transient output
well
beyond the units continuous ratings.

Slam
 

Some amps do have more SLAM! I can personally vouch for this and demonstrate
it! and it can be measured accurately and scientifically with a db Meter and
a seismograph.

If you take a big Krell or McIntosh and throw it on the ground it will
produce allot of slam, but if you take a wee Cyrus and throw it on the
ground the same way it produces way less slam. this can easily be measured.
On the other hand, if you take a Cyrus and launch it from a trebuchet it can
produce more slam than the krell dropped from head height.

Slam is what happens when two objects collide. It's to do with velocity x
mass / d (density of arrival surface) = s (slam) = energy expelled during
impact

I recommend the trebuchet method for launching if you want to test out your
own equipment. subs are the most fun.

Stew.



"Tim S Kemp" wrote in message
. ..

"The Old Fogey" wrote in message
om...
Can anyone define 'Slam' in the context of audio power amps?

The ability to deal with sudden short lived transient sounds - preferably
without affecting the rest of the output of the amp. Normally acheived
with
good PSU design and big power reserves and capable of transient output
well
beyond the units continuous ratings.

Slam
 

On Thu, 02 Oct 2003 19:56:27 +0100, Laurence Payne
wrote:


Any really good amplifier will be able to handle full power
more-or-less continuously - certainly for several minutes - without a
problem.

And wouldn't object to being asked to deliver considerably more if
momentarily demanded? You seem to be arguing against transient
headroom :-)

The problem with transient headroom is that of how much you need to
allow for. Transients are't necessarily narrow spikes that drop back
in microseconds - they can actually be quite wide pulses, and the
power supply must be able to cope with them right the way through. If
the supply starts to sag midway you get distortion of the transient
itself, and reduced power rating until the capacitors charge up again.
Some amplifiers with this problem remain distorted for appreciable
fractions of a second after this kind of overload.

The way the decent designer deals with this is to make sure that any
length of transient is handled with ease. That means a virtually
continuous power rating. By this I mean that the power supply will not
sag under full load, although the temperature of the output
transistors may possibly rise unacceptably with prolonged full drive.
That is the only kind of non-continuous rating that should e tolerated
in an amplifier with any pretensions of quality.

So in a decent amplifier, for these and a heap of other reasons, the
transient headroom should be an integral part of the full power
rating.

d

_____________________________

http://www.pearce.uk.com

Slam
 

On Thu, 02 Oct 2003 19:56:27 +0100, Laurence Payne
wrote:


Any really good amplifier will be able to handle full power
more-or-less continuously - certainly for several minutes - without a
problem.

And wouldn't object to being asked to deliver considerably more if
momentarily demanded? You seem to be arguing against transient
headroom :-)

The problem with transient headroom is that of how much you need to
allow for. Transients are't necessarily narrow spikes that drop back
in microseconds - they can actually be quite wide pulses, and the
power supply must be able to cope with them right the way through. If
the supply starts to sag midway you get distortion of the transient
itself, and reduced power rating until the capacitors charge up again.
Some amplifiers with this problem remain distorted for appreciable
fractions of a second after this kind of overload.

The way the decent designer deals with this is to make sure that any
length of transient is handled with ease. That means a virtually
continuous power rating. By this I mean that the power supply will not
sag under full load, although the temperature of the output
transistors may possibly rise unacceptably with prolonged full drive.
That is the only kind of non-continuous rating that should e tolerated
in an amplifier with any pretensions of quality.

So in a decent amplifier, for these and a heap of other reasons, the
transient headroom should be an integral part of the full power
rating.

d

_____________________________

http://www.pearce.uk.com

Slam
 

On Thu, 2 Oct 2003 20:02:32 +0100, "Stewart"
wrote:

Some amps do have more SLAM! I can personally vouch for this and demonstrate
it! and it can be measured accurately and scientifically with a db Meter and
a seismograph.

If you take a big Krell or McIntosh and throw it on the ground it will
produce allot of slam, but if you take a wee Cyrus and throw it on the
ground the same way it produces way less slam. this can easily be measured.
On the other hand, if you take a Cyrus and launch it from a trebuchet it can
produce more slam than the krell dropped from head height.

Slam is what happens when two objects collide. It's to do with velocity x
mass / d (density of arrival surface) = s (slam) = energy expelled during
impact

I recommend the trebuchet method for launching if you want to test out your
own equipment. subs are the most fun.

Stew.

I've seen an upright piano thrown by trebuchet, and I can vouch
personally for the truth of your theory!

d

_____________________________

http://www.pearce.uk.com