Laid Back Speakers amps, players etc

Laid back generally means a warm resonant bass (typical of small ported designs with underdamped response and big "hump" in the bass) often combined with a "scooped" midrange (scooped midrange means the power response, which is combined on axis and off axis, dips from 1 Khz to 5 Khz.)

These type speakers are extremely popular and have been best sellers since the 80's - although they can make it difficult to hear dialog on movies they make music sound rich, warm with the impression of a listening position a bit further back in the audience.

When you listen to speakers like this you feel like humming along to the music - very relaxing.

Shadorne thanks for your answer. I can see your point.

So is this supposed to be a good thing, a bad thing or is it a matter of personal preference?

From what you say I understand that the ultra hi-end equipment should not be laid back....

Can someone give some examples of laid back components?

From what I understand I would consider laid back amps the Lamm, speakers like the Verity, and cd players with tubes. But is this really what laid back is all about?

Regards,

Michael

Laid back sound comes primarily from the speaker, as Shadorne says. Choose a laid back speaker, and add neutral components, and you should be done. I've yet to hear a laid back speaker at any of the several audio shows I've attended. Maybe I just missed those rooms.

I don't agree that Lamm amps are laid back. In fact, they attempt to be absolutely neutral, which is the goal of the majority of high end audio components, IMO.