Electronic Bass
Techmaster P.E.B. "Bass Computer"
Power Supply "Bass Boom Bottom"
While rearranging my music collection, I came across a couple "real" bass CDs I thought I were long lost-Techmaster P.E.B and Power Supply. Back when bass was big and cruisin' was cool, these CDs got a lot of play by subwoofer-loaded ground shakers that could rattle your mirrors from 10-car lengths back. While the label on Techmaster P.E.B. reads: "Caution: Ultra Low Bass May Damage Speakers," which may have carried some truth with subwoofers of its time, today's drivers are far more advanced-but that didn't stop me from trying.
I first delved into Power Supply and pulled up the title track "Bass Boom Bottom." This is an intense electronically derived composition that has nearly constant bass the entire duration of the song. Hoping my electrical system would hold up, I cranked the volume knob until the system reached the "neighbors are complaining" level. The Alpine clearly had no problems with my action as it stretched its surround to near max. Its output was quite spectacular-enough to make me surrender to the beast in the box.
With Techmaster came the ultra-low frequency goods. The lowest notes of "Bass Computer" came through with authority, proving the SWX-1243D to be rather linear on the frequency scale. To that end, playing "Bass By Numbers" provided further proof of its abilities. Driving these ultra-low frequencies at high volumes, I was highly impressed at the composure of the Alpine. In short, it never seemed to display nonlinear behaviors or exhibit even the slightest hint of cone breakup. Its output (at comparable power levels) performance neared that of the ultra-impressive Critical Mass UL12 sub I had on hand for reference, but at a quarter the price. That, of all things, is pretty impressive in itself.
Score: 9/10
Rock
Candlebox Candlebox
Most every track on Candlebox's self-titled album is loaded with drum kicks, like every good rock album should be. The pace and ferocity of the hammer hitting, cracking the skin of the kick drum differs slightly between the tracks and when accompanied with a bass guitar the sub should be able to maintain good distinction.
I started off with "He Calls Home." In this slower-paced track the kicks should play through the accompanying bass guitar. Here the Alpine scored high with the kick drum very distinct as the snap of the hammer was presented with good attack and decay. The bass had a nice bit of resonance in its fundamental tones and again the SWX showed it can play nicely with the other speakers in the system.
Tracking back to "Don't You," I paid close attention to the double kicks and how they differed from the individual beats. Again the Alpine proved to be fast and accurate, making it easy to detect changes in the amplitude of the drum kicks.
Score: 9.5/10