Large Room Test: Wick 4AL vs Alliance DC4

[davewerden]

OK, here is the first of 3. This one compares my 4AL with my DC4, using my church sanctuary. For this one I deliberately had the mic well back in the room to give a better perspective of what a listener (who is not sitting next to me!) might hear. What do you think?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7ixTn6FvD4

[John Morgan]

Both very nice, indeed. The DC4 is a bit warmer and broader. The 4AL is a little less of that. That is about the main distinction I hear this morning, quickly, before going off to band. I could sure live with either, but I think my preference would lie with the DC4.

[DEF1]

Both sound great but the DC4 is slightly better. It’s hard to say if this is just mouthpiece affecting the sound though as I get the feeling you enjoy playing on the DC4 better than the 4AL.

[JakeGuilbo]

The DC4 seems to have a "wider" sound profile whereas I would describe the 4AL as more "compact". It almost sounds like the recording equipment changes with each mouthpiece, so interesting. Do you change the gap at all between MP?

I love the way you articulate those three Fs halfway through the Holst - a lot of players just gloss over them, almost not articulating them at all, forgetting (or not knowing) the origin of the music.

[RickF]

Both mpcs sound great to my ear. I'd give the edge to the DC4. Don't know if a bit warmer is the right way to describe it or if there's a bit more over tones with the DC4.

[daruby]

I listened pretty carefully with decent speakers. The Wick 4AL sounds a tad more brilliant and ever so slightly crisper than the Alliance DC4. The Alliance DC4 sounds just a bit warmer with just slightly less (maybe smoother?) articulation than the 4AL. I was not pre-disposed to this outcome. I like either, but now I might be interested in a DC4 myself.

I must say that in the large room you sound fantastic with either mouthpiece. Great job, Dave

[davewerden]

I love the way you articulate those three Fs halfway through the Holst - a lot of players just gloss over them, almost not articulating them at all, forgetting (or not knowing) the origin of the music.

Thanks! I think that is partly because many folks rely only on their tongue to play those. But that is the lesser of the input the music needs from us. Mostly it is air. Here is a video I did just on that subject:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnliDBO7Apc

[davewerden]

...I get the feeling you enjoy playing on the DC4 better than the 4AL.

I DO enjoy playing the DC4, but when I switch back to the 4AL (like for this test) it is also fun to play. Mostly I think the DC4 is slightly easier to play, but only slightly.

[davewerden]

I appreciate all the comments so far! I am not saying much about the sound comparison myself so I don't influence this conversation.

FYI, the other 2 videos I'll post soon are the same session, but comparing 4AL to DC3, and comparing DC4 to DC3.

And I forgot to mention, I did only one run for each mouthpiece, playing ALL the excerpts in a row. The comparison is done by chopping up 2 of the tests so each excerpt can be heard back to back.

[Richard III]

In this case, the DC4 is missing middle to middle high frequencies (graphically say on a 0-10 scale, 6-8 is missing). The 4AL sounds fuller and more balanced. I enjoyed hearing the 4AL this time. I found the dullness of the DC4 because it is missing those frequencies to be unappetizing. Odd, because I preferred it before. Also, from my experience, when that part of the range is missing, my ear will hear it as flat. I've had that happen to me with recordings done in churches also.

[highpitch]

Dc4.

Dg