Fully agree. Infact when I think back over previous speakers, the ones that didn’t sound fast probably also had flabby or boomy bass issues. Maybe that plays a part in making something sound slow.
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I think the perception of ‘fast’ often has a lot to do with how transients / attacks are handled, perhaps more than the decay of bass responses. This has a lot to do with your point below:
Switching (class D) amplifiers generally have a much higher damping factor than linear (class A/B) amplifiers. So for ‘fast’ transient responses class D, which is also used in active speakers, is generally perceived as faster than linear amplifier designs.
Very well said
This is so very true…
Apparently mine can do the 100m in 9.85 secs (no drugs)!
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Do all the vocals come out with a Caribbean accent as well?
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Seems rather slow: I would expect 100m in about 0.29 sec…
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Ah, benefits of being a scientist!
Let me know what you think of it.
The BBC Phil performance, or another one if I may ask …
If we’re still talking about “Fanfare for the Common Man”, my CD is from Delos records # DE 3140, released in 1993. The full title of the CD is, Portraits of Freedom". It includes several other selections from Copland and from Roy Harris. One of the Copland pieces is “Lincoln Portrait” with the spoken word by James Earl Jones.
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I can’t jump on our hi fi chat today – we have to go out to our new home under construction and lay out a tile floor the way we want it. But I’ll provide written comments here 
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sounds like fun. Catch you next time.
I just switched from Harbeth M30.1 to Dynaudio (used) confidence 20. The most basic difference is far more clearly defined and deeper bass. In my room, the Harbeths were missing that bass base. The mids and highs are sparkling clear on both, but in comparison the Harbeths are a bit warmer and more forgiving. There is more detail and air with the cf20. My understanding is that the contour line is more polite and laid back than the confidence line - I’d still recommend trying to find a dealer that carries Dynaudio. They have 3 major lines and depending on size/budget could probably choose from any of the 3. Enjoy
Someone finally said it! 
I really, genuinely think this is key to the perception of ‘fast’. Sure, the speaker (and amp) plays a part, but it is just a part. The room, in and of itself, is the proverbial elephant in the room that for whatever reason very few wish to address with any real seriousness or intent. Figure this out and any competent speaker design will absolutely flourish in this regard insofar as the topic at hand is concerned.
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Yes, the room plays a vital part in every aspect of the sound one achieves from their gear. But it can be difficult to address. Here are my findings and practices.
Speaker placement, acoustic dampening, and diffusion all play a part. For example, my bedroom has an open wardrobe which provides both dampening and diffusion. The wallpaper I have used in the listening room is textured which I am sure breaks up the sound as well. Along with this, the bed offers absorption and the window shutter blind panels positioned in multiple directions act as a diffuser. Another thing that I’ve come to learn is to rake the speakers ever so slightly to achieve a smoother dispersion of the treble. The speakers make sound in all directions therefore if you can, avoid any immediate reflections unless this is by design (Naim classic speakers).
And finally, there is such a thing as too much dampening. I once used too many acoustic absorption panels which completely killed the liveliness that my system was putting out in my room.
For too much dampening, you just need a de-humidifier ( or anti-perspirant). 
Sorry, I just couldn’t resist
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Lol
Anybody compared Neat XLS to ATC SCM40? Which would be the faster more punchy speaker? Atc with it’s sealed design or Neat with the isobaric and ported design?
It’s very difficult to compare, the XLS are tiny and the SCM40 are big speakers. Often times it’s the smaller speakers that are closed and the larger speakers that are ported, but in this case it’s the other way around.
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Smaller speakers are generally faster than larger speakers, however;
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Well designed closed speakers are generally faster than ported speakers
So you would really have to listen to them live to make a good comparison between the two.