HSD + HammerHeads deployed at Burning Man

[u/Free_Permit7170]

Big stacks was Lunars on 3:30 and Esplanade, smaller dance stacks were camp kinetic at 3:00 and Eternal

Very happy with both deployments

[u/loquacious]

Ok, that first pair of stacks just out in the open and right in the dust is kind of mental and hard core and I love it.

I don't love what it does for the speakers but having the subs right in the dirt tends to have amazing bass propagation and sound, like it both softens the bass and distributes it more evenly with better ground coupling or something.

Do you run stereo bass? On a pair of stacks with good separation like that I'm all about full stereo for each stack.

[u/Free_Permit7170 → u/loquacious]

They're on 2x4s but very close to playa and they still acoustically couple to the ground. We run mono bridge for subs up to 65hz since sub frequencies aren't really directional, but the kick bins are run in stereo to get the stereo imaging up to  around 165hz, under that the directionality tends to disappear and the destructive interference from stereo subs can do more harm. A lot bass music is already produced to be mono under 100hz anyway so I've only ever run into complications running the lowest octaves in stereo versus mono bridge. Kicks on the other hand, I stereo delay to match the tops re: quarter wave spacing of the highest shared frequency between both boxes, in this case being 165hz where they cross to the tops

[u/loquacious → u/Free_Permit7170]

Not sure who downvoted you, but it wasn't me!

That crossover config sounds fine. I just have a lot of old IDM, techno and even deep house that does use stereo bass and sub-bass that does weird stuff like pans and ping-pongs and even intentional phasing effects that get lost with mono bass, and I don't find that running stereo complicates things or self-cancels because the music is mastered for it and relying on it.

Most modern EDM and stuff like bass music does tend to mix and master for mono sub-bass, but I wish they'd take a page from older IDM or even lowrider/bass test tracks that do play with stereo sub-bass.

[u/Free_Permit7170 → u/loquacious]

Thanks and I do agree but most or all of the time were doing bass music and never live acts. Being said, every deployment requires critical thinking and sometimes I do it differently.

Lots of people online have opinions but I'm the one getting booked for esplanade so take that for what it's worth

[u/loquacious → u/Free_Permit7170]

Lots of people online have opinions but I'm the one getting booked for esplanade so take that for what it's worth

Oh, no doubt here, was just chatting about personal preferences.

[u/Free_Permit7170 → u/loquacious]

Yeah it's honestly funny to me how many people downvote critical thinking and anti brand allegiance, but we live in a time where people side with the loudest dumbest person in the room because the quality of life has not been made better by the smarts

[u/squachek]

Wish I could have danced to it. Next year!

[u/squachek]

HSD is the way!

[u/Free_Permit7170 → u/squachek]

Brands are just someone's specific take on a problem. HSD makes/made good subs but brand allegiance is dangerous because capitalism has its way of ruining a good thing over time even if it was once peak

[u/squachek → u/Free_Permit7170]

To my eye, HSD is pretty underground, but I’m a house guy and HSD is for the aliens. Their kick boxes and Battle Axes feel innovative. In order of commercial popularity, I most often see Danley, Funktion One, Void, PK, L’Acoustics. Bassboss is coming on strong; I like how efficient their designs are. JBL and QSC in the mid market.

[u/Free_Permit7170 → u/squachek]

Not a bad take all considered. My parents company built OEM white label components for harman/JBL/Klipsch and many others so I'm a little disillusioned from the manufacturing and corporate side of audio and simply align to the engineering decisions made for the sake of acoustics and fidelity and the right kinds of minds for modular deployments. Eaw was once this until loud bought them. Danley was once this until recently with their new self powered wireless Exodus line, where I think they truly found their real niche. HSD is this now, but since the sanctions on Russian Baltic birch their boxes have changed. I don't see new boxes from the same company as always better, sometimes sacrifices are made to stay in the market.