Marc Mickelson and Jeff Fritz listened to Tracy
Chapman’s "3000 Miles" at least 25 times during the 2007 CES. It was their
reference track for assessing bass depth, power and pitch definition. Few systems got it
right. Some missed the bass notes altogether, failing to play as low or as loud as needed;
others failed by displaying the one-note bass syndrome, whereby everything below a certain
frequency sounded all the same. We did hear the song reproduced correctly on a few
occasions, however.
Accuphase showed a system that included the DP-800/DC-801 SACD-playback combination
($30,000), a P-7100 stereo amplifier ($19,000), a C-2800
preamplifier, and a PS-1200 power conditioner ($9500), all chained to the Avalon Acoustics
Eidolon Diamond loudspeakers. To say the bass response of the system was nearly perfect
would be an understatement. What we did not know upon first listen was that we were also
hearing the Accuphase DG-38 room-correction unit ($11,500). Evidently Accuphase was
applying equalization to the signal, although the exact slopes and levels were not
revealed to us. What was obvious was that the system displayed bass response that seemed
uncanny for the speakers, which we've heard a few times, and the room. Although room
correction is something we’ve never employed, this system made a believer out us. It
may just be the secret weapon for those notorious hotel-room bass problems.
