Get low

[beeker]

Distortion (or warping) is the alteration of the original shape (or other characteristic) of something, such as an object, image, sound or waveform. Distortion is usually unwanted, and so engineers strive to eliminate distortion, or minimize it. In some situations, however, distortion may be desirable. The important signal processing operation of heterodyning is based on nonlinear mixing of signals to cause intermodulation. Distortion is also used as a musical effect, particularly with electric guitars.

 

Paul Klipsch avoided distortion by using horn loaded low frequency bass bins. It is a fact when a cone moves there is distortion produced. Its kind of a catch 22 although it is a fact. All paid or instructed sound engineers will tell you the same thing. You will flip some people out with this discussion although once this is understood it is okay. Some distortion is okay. What we want to avoid is distortion you do not like.

[Paducah Home Theater]

The RF-7ii's actually do sound pretty accurate on good kick drum material but the power you get from live sound just isn't there.

 

What amp do you have on your RF-7's?

I just have a Marantz SR-7009 receiver right now, will have a Marantz separate amp soon. Did hear RF-7ii's on a $7,000 200x7 amp last night though, dynamics were SWEET. Still don't think you could get the kind of gut wrenching volume I'm talking about though.

[CECAA850]

Still don't think you could get the kind of gut wrenching volume I'm talking about though.

Certainly not.  I have mine on 300 WPC QSC's and they hit pretty hard.  Much harder than the top of the line HK I had them on prior.  Definitely not concert stage dynamics by any stretch of the imagination but not bad either.

[Scrappydue]

You want live levels your gonna have to move from reference line. Setup up to the cinema line. I won't speak for him buy message ref head (now pro cinema head??) he will tell you about the differences between the rf-7ii and the kpt-904. If you've been chasing for years it would be wise to ask him his thoughts on it. But I can tell you my speaker hunt is over after getting into the cinema line. The 6 15's up front and the quad 18's give plenty of chest thump and get much louder than any rock concert I have ever been to in my life.

[Paducah Home Theater]

much louder than any rock concert I have ever been to in my life.

That's the other issue, I still need to maintain a little bit of hearing. AV receivers just need to come with a pro mixing board and blu rays have a separate channel just for kick drums and another for bass guitar. Problem solved.

[Quiet_Hollow]

I could care less about accurate orchestra music,

That's nice, neither could I.

I want to sound like I'm inside a hard rock concert.

That's specifically what I talking about.   

It was nothing short of amazing.

I'm sure it was. 115-120 dB is after all, quite breathtaking in the most literal sense.  

 

I've been chasing that sound ever since.

We're both on the same page here...we've just gone about things differently, system-wise.

There seems to be a gap in the home, this black hole that exists somewhere between subs and mains that you get on live sound.

Among other things, one primary difference is sensitivity.

So yeah I'm probably chasing unicorns that are ridden by leprechauns but yeah live sound in the home is what I'd like to achieve.

Not really, but you can start by taking (ie listening) to the advice of people who've already achieved your goal.

When you boost the subs in the home to boost the kick drums then things will just sound sloppy.

Depends on a lot of variables. Particularly one's definition of "boost". 

I keep viewing this as a shortcoming of my subs but maybe it goes well beyond that...

You'll get there eventually. You definitely know the sound you're after and that's a great start. That's what got me going too.

 

Here's a tip: At a rock concert, that hole between the mains and the subwoofer is filled by using an engineer.