I wanted to contextualise this track deep dive with reference to the system on which I listened to it.
My car is fitted with a fairly basic system (It is a fairly basic car!). It features Audison Voce II AVK 6 S II 2-way components in the front, driven actively from an Audison Forza AF C 8.14 bit amplifier/processor which runs tweeters and woofers bridged. This delivers 200 watts RMS to each speaker. Sub bass is taken care of by an Audison APBX 8 AS active 8" subwoofer in a compact and very sturdy enclosure placed at the rear of the vehicle. Total equipment cost at time of writing is £ 1749.97 plus installation, plus cabling and accessories. By no means entry level, but this system definitely punches well above its weight!
I have eclectic tastes, and the set-up brings the best out of all of the genres I listen to. These include, folk, jazz, rock, electronic, orchestral and a merry mix of all five!
It is easy to listen to, but also easy to forget about the subwoofer. I am no bass head but am obsessed with integrity of reproduction, which means sub bass has to balance with the rest of the audio spectrum. This is no mean feat. In fact, it is arguably more difficult than satisfying the needs of those who put sub bass as the highest priority in their system requirements.
Over my time with this system, I have raised the sub bass level control to max. This is because I do not always listen at high levels. In fact for most family journey's the system plays well within itself. It is a simple fact of life that bass and sub bass require lots of energy from an amplifier to make them work hard.
This situation means that rather than reaching for the sub level control to turn it up, when listening at high level, I find myself turning it down! This state of affairs suits me well. The APBX 8 AS is extremely well behaved, it never flaps, swamps, or dominates the rest of the soundstage, and can be, ignored a lot of the time.
Our Lauren recommended a track to me recently, "Madre Vida" by Alé Kumá reimagined by Grossomoddo. Lauren is a dancer at heart and very fond of music with a Latin vibe. She has demonstrated to me many times the closeness between different types of Latin music. This particular track, as the name suggests, is clearly influenced by Latin music culture, although Alé Kumá works predominantly with music of an Afro-Columbian influence. Grossomoddo is a French duo, famed for injecting a Mediterranean vibe to any source music they work with. The result, I suppose, is more World Music than Latin per se.
The track begins with a repeated acoustic guitar riff which sounds distinctly Middle Eastern/African. These same influences can be found all over the world and feature chromatic riffs with a distinctly minor key feel with a splattering of quarter tone incidentals.
A low note and rhythmic second guitar line build under the riff until at 32 seconds, a thumping kick drum and low rhythmic bass line announces the start and points toward the future of what is essentially a Latin dance track. A panoply of percussion blends nicely under the top-line which is a repeat of the introductory guitar with embellishments. The percussion redefines the intro with a distinctly Latin character.
The mid/high frequency content is essential in adding a wide and deep soundstage. Bass and especially sub bass is non-directional, this is good, as it means that the APBX 8 AS blends perfectly with what is going on up front, but without significant top-line content we would be listening to a mono thump. I have heard many systems proudly demonstrated to me that sound like this. It is great but it is not music, in my opinion. Sub bass is an embellishment, a very important one but does not carry an entire piece of music.
As I turn the system up in my car, the bass and rhythm energy increase significantly as does the sense of fun that went into creating it. Under the rhythm and main guitar theme are low keyboard chords that drift in and out in level before the track breaks at 1:20. A mournful female vocal line along with harmonies help to illustrate the Cultural combination, before the guitar top-line returns. Another vocal interjection before the full energy of the track returns at 2:56. I have never been a dancer, but often wonder how it feels to be on a hot, sweaty dance floor when extended track breakdowns happen. Take a sip of your drink, I suppose.
Experimenting again with level, the excitement seems directly proportional to the volume. The track is made to make you move your feet and is probably not one you would hear your milkman whistling as he delivers your morning pint! Despite this, I found it an enjoyable and invigorating listen, which again demonstrates the versatility of this excellent subwoofer as well as the rest of my beloved system.
You can read more about my installation by following this link: https://www.drivingsounds.co.uk/articles/archive/issue-13/pure-source
Carl
Editor