Because of this thread, I bought the Tricycle disc and played it. Not even close to Dafos for this former high school percussionist. Chant on-line didn’t do it for me, so I didn’t buy it. You play the Reference Recordings Dafos?
Gut punching dynamics, that’s the definition of Dafos in the audiophile dictionary.
I’ve listened to the Qobuz version. I wonder if it’s better on other mediums – which source are you using?
Yeah, the Lp version, that’s the ticket for Dafos. Too bad Mickey Hart made acquiring a legit copy so difficult.
I’ve got the RR CD, run of the mill CD, and the 20 bit Gold CD (plus the RR LP). Are they different? Yes. Dramatically? No, not really.
https://www.psaudio.com/pauls-posts/bigger/
Here’s an old thread with Paul discussing a demo with the IRS speakers in Chicago and people commenting how the Dafos demo moved 7’ tall wood doors to the room.
I gave Dafos one more listen, albeit on Qobuz, and it just doesn’t do it for me. At the same volume level, Chant puts me back in my seat on the first measure. The Gates of Dafos has the slam. But not the thwack. And rounds out with a low grumble. It’s a very good sound, but it just doesn’t punch me in the gut. I wonder what kind of drum that is. It reminds me of Japanese kodo drums.
You’d have Poem of Chinese Drum blowing your speakers if left at the levels needed to have Dafos seem substantial. It must be the Qobuz recording…
This intrigued me, so I played the Qobuz version of Dafos. It is blah (Sorry, I don’t have another word to describe it)… dull and lacking dynamics compared to the reference recordings CD.
I listened to TriCycle on CD, and compared to the Gates of Dafos, with Dafos being a “10”, TriCycle is a charitable “7” when it comes to low bass gut punch. When you say the same volume level, that may be the rub. With regard to Dafos, recorded on analog tape, I don’t believe it is recorded anywhere near the same level as TriCycle, and that’s because of the incredibly high dynamic swings; they had to have a low floor to the recording so it could be transferred to vinyl. The proper comparison is not at the same preamp volume setting.
I don’t know what to say. It doesn’t do it for me.
Do you have any other selections I can try on Qobuz?
There’s not much to compare to Dafos, which is why it was essentially an industry standard for system demos at audio shows.
Fair enough. Thanks for sharing.
What are your thoughts on the bass action in Poem of Chinese Drum?
I don’t stream, so I haven’t listened to it (which is why I ordered the TriCycle CD). I’m strictly a CD spinner (and some mostly legacy vinyl).
I will say, the all time woofer destroyer is Telarc’s 1812, but that has a different type of woofer energy that’s hard to describe. Deceivingly high current draw that unknowingly either destroys woofers, amps, or both.
I just ordered the Poems of Thunder, in HDCD, so I should be able to get the best dynamics played over my Oppo with HDCD decoding.
Sometimes some recordings include passages at 0hz (DC). I know, for instance, that Eva Cassidy’s “Ain’t no sunshine” does it for very brief moments. You can see your woofer really, really work. But no gut punching bass. Just lots of excursion.
But do it for more time, and you may end with an unstable amp ou fried woofer.
Maybe it is the same with Dafos, and Qobuz has just filtered the frequency response to avoid damages, and the Telarc CD goes all the way down.
In my system, Dafos did not throw me back (like @vee).
If you could rip the Dafos cd, and put it through a frequency analyser, we might see what effect is I t eh file.
I think Telarc’s 1812 has content down to 6Hz, but most (?) woofers roll off in the lower frequencies, so while there may be ultra low frequency content, it’s not near the levels of the content that’s in the audible range.
If you’re willing to forsake music, there are parts of Titanic and Blade Runner 2049 that will make you fear for your homes foundation. These are in the movie, not soundtrack music recordings. BTW, if you’re trying to impress a girl, forget about it. 
Thanks, I’ll check them out. I’ve found most movies have big, rumbling bass effects though vaguely remember a few that may have had the “gut punch” feel for things like high-velocity weapon special effects sounds.
The soundtrack from “Patriot Games” is pretty bass heavy. I bought the CD after Harry Pearson flipped out about it. -I need to relisten. It’s been decades since the last play.
I seem to remember that the beach scene in Saving Private Ryan has a good bit of energy in it.
I often use Griot Liberte by Buster Williams for a real-world test of how my setup sounds. There’s also “Toccata ja fuuga seka muut Bachin kauneimmat” by Matti Hannula
