Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: More Mirafone size comparison pixx...


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Posted by Rick Denney on May 28, 2002 at 13:53:37:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: More Mirafone size comparison pixx... posted by Sorry on May 28, 2002 at 12:50:15:

The simple answer is Yes, bigger tubas are louder.

But life isn't that simple.

Dr. Sloan quoted an old saying among car nuts. Bigger engines are more powerful--that is the meaning of "there is no replacement for displacement." Displacement is the volume of air or water consumed by the thing.

Of course, bigger car engines are not always more powerful. Formula One regularly gets 500+ horsepower (guessing here) out of econobox-sized engines. But look what it takes to get that power--almost unlimited resources. An engine of, say, four times the displacement could produce that power output for a tiny fraction of the cost. There is no replacement for displacement.

So, a small tuba can find that perfect combination of shapes that makes it remarkably loud for its size, and a large tuba can seem to absorb sound rather than project it. But given the same level of design, and played by equally competent players, a larger tuba makes a bigger sound (now, that is subtly different from "louder", but it's as far as I'm prepared to go).

According to my untrained wife, my York Master makes a deeper sound, but the Conn 20J makes a bigger, and in this case, louder sound. Of course, that doesn't make it better.

Rick "whose Miraphone may actually be louder than either one, but not bigger in sound" Denney


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