Can you tell how a marker shoots just by hearing it?

[mooman978]

Whenever I am curious about the shot quality/feel of a marker I look up a shooting video on YouTube. I feel like just by watching a couple of videos of said marker shooting I can tell exactly how it would feel to shoot it. I have tested this a couple times and for me my expectations have been fairly accurate.

[Jonnydread]

There is definitely something to be said about the quality of a sound signature, but I am a very kinesthetic person so sometimes what I hear/see and how something feels are completely different. The first time I shot a mag it was completely different than what I expected from watching videos so I think it's kind of a YMMV situation.

[Chuck E Ducky]

It depends on the marker. I feel like all the top Electro markers all shoot very similar with different ergo. I’m all about reliability these days.

I can definitely tell velocity pretty dam close to a chrono and ROF by sound sig.

[Cyberpyr8]

Well I would take a DSR+ over a TM40 or Luxe X. They sound similar but the experience is different. And the DSR+ is cheaper. I prefer the 180R or R5 over the CS3 Pro. More expensive isn't what he asked about. The sound signature on the less expensive markers is about the same but the shot is nicer for sure on some of the lower priced ones. Paint doesn't make it sound different either. Plus, any modern marker will handle the paint.

I think for a lot of people, they don't shoot that many markers so when they hear one on a video and then go buy it, they don't really know what the difference is. As someone who bought and used a lot of different markers in the last few years, I can tell you they would be disappointed with what they have if they shot more markers. I had a few people rave about their TM40's. Then I let them shoot my LV2's. They can't believe how smooth it is. Then they go back to the TM40 and realize it isn't that great. If I let a R5 owner do it they wouldn't see much difference. They might think mine was louder if anything but the kick and recoil is the same. I tend to forget most people don't try other markers much. When they do, I find they end up buying what they tried. They thought they had a great shooting marker until they shot something that was different. The OP was saying they thought the sound signature indicated the shot quality. I disagree. They all sound very similar but the difference is there. Most people just don't know because they have a very small pool to compare it to.

[Chuck E Ducky]

I’m the exact opposite I won’t touch another Dye product. They make good barrels and hoppers. I’m a Planet Eclipse fan personally. Sound Sig is all in the barrel. Something People have been thought to care about. But the reality is it makes zero real world difference when you are ripping 10.5bps. + people are so concerned about how it sounds behind the marker. What really matters is across the field if you buy into that sales pitch. I thought the LV2 shot really nice as well. I stopped shooting Luxe after the ICE it would not shoot in the cold. Unlike my First Gen Luxe that thing was amazing. The CS markers all shoot super similar that thinner grip is nice on the newer ones. I’m also not saying there isn’t a difference. I’m saying the difference is in the barrel more than the marker. For instance my 08 Ego with a 14” Dye UL and Lp valve out of SL has a much different sound sig as the typical 08 Ego Bark.

[Cyberpyr8]

Yeah I have 4 PE markers and an oddball Nova, I get it on the PE reliability and quality. But the DSR sounds and shoots great and I give them credit for that. But I think their hoppers are junk. I have never had a good experience with a Dye hopper. The eye pipe for me is really the deal breaker on the guns. But I digress! But again, just as an example that you don't have to spend 2k to get a great shot.

And you're right, the sound on the receiving end is more important. My LV2 with the Hormesis barrel kit is so quiet. I had a ref chronoing mine on the field one day and I heard it from the pits and was amazed how quiet it sounded. I rarely hear it from that perspective. I let a guy borrow my A-Team LV2 with Carbon Nano and the same thing. While he was playing I could really hear how much quieter it was than other markers around him. I realized that's why I sometimes don't get zeroed in on as much because the other players may think it's further away than it is. My Emek with the whisper bolt, no difference on the receiving end compared to my other Emek without it. On the holding end it's almost the same to me too. Now my Carbon barrels on the Emek's, they are quieter when you are getting shot at by them compared to say the ID barrels that came with the body kits.

[Daltech]

Sound signatures are as unique as fingerprints. In film, if you miss recording the sound of a take, it’s gone forever. Sure ADR/Post/Foley can try to “re-create” the sound, but it’s impossible to go back in time.

That said, once you know a sound, your brain stores it in a way similar to how you remember the sound of a car and can tell if it’s someone’s car you know or not. Subconsciously almost unless you train your ears to notice subtle distinctions. Fair warning, don’t do that, it will ruin movies, music, restaurants, concerts and farmers market bands. It will make everything except flawless Beethoven almost unlistenable.

[Pyrate Jim]

I used to run with a Sheridan KP-2df. The sound signature of that one was deceptive.
I would often hear the other team yelling that I was out of air just by the sound. They were wrong.

Another observation I've made was with an Automag that would sound completely different depending on which barrel I was using.
The stock crown point was loud, a Dye would whoosh, the AA barrel was quieter, and the BOA Snakebite would ring like an actual bell.

My opinion is basically that sight or sound don't add up to how a marker actually feels in your hands.
The weight, the balance, the length, even which side the feed is on can change the characteristic feel when using it.
If you say you can get that off tubeyou then more power to you, I'm not denying it can be true.

[JeeperCreeper]

My.Palmerized KP3 is deceptively quiet when its running right

[nerdcore]

In the past, I could approximate shot feel by sound signature, mainly poppits vs spoolies: if it sounded like a poppit, it probably had more kick. BUT among multiple poppits or multiple spoolies, I couldn't tell much based on sound. I need to be hands-on.

Listening to audio from a video tells me very little, as that is constrained by the video quality, playback quality, speaker quality, etc.

[Cyberpyr8]

Have you shot many tuned G6R's or LV's? My LV's and G6R's have had almost no kick but I tune them to be that way. To me that's the advantage of a poppit over most spools. You can tune it to your liking. I had a LV1.1 that literally had zero kick. It was so smooth you could put the barrel on a table and shoot it and it didn't lift. It was crazy. I once had a G6R like that too. Shouldn't have sold either one! But you tune one like that you think you can do it again. Not always that easy.

[nerdcore]

Cyberpyr8 this was years ago. The last poppit i shot was an alias timmy (not counting Minis, which are sorta poppits?). Not sure it was tuned in any particular way, it was all factory.

I couldn't determine anything by sound alone these days.

[Chuck E Ducky]

I always love the G6R that red and black one that was in the BST was tempting me. Those things were super efficient to didn't the shoot like a case on a 68/45. I really liked the few that I shot but I have never owned one. BL was always known for being finicky and requiring lower tank pressures. The Ano on them are just amazing tho. Gloss splash on Dust 🔥

[Pyrate Jim]

"Kick" in a paintball marker is like horsepower in a unicycle.

[Chappy]

I find “shot quality” quite boring, personally. I’m not shooting my procarb tomorrow because it’s “smooth” but different strokes as they say

[Evan4366]

05 ego sound signature is like an explosion by comparison to a lot of markers, but it's still a smooth shot. I wouldn't really consider sound an indication of how well or smooth a marker shoots. Especially when it can change pretty significantly with various barrel porting.

[cheapguitarscheapthrills]

I think ergos and trigger feel are more important in my opinion but you can definitely garner a decent amount of info based on sound signature. Obviously Spyders and Tippmanns sound like cannons in comparison to today's electros. But I've shot some very nice custom pgps that go bloop

[Number six]

I can tell by sound when a Mag is/isn't shooting paint.
It's not a super-power, but I've tactically exploited people who couldn't after I ran out.

[Frmrspec]

After working on markers as a day job for 15+ years I can hear when most markers aren’t setup properly, or at least to my standard.. over dwelled, LPR too high, etc..

older DM’s are the easiest… if the shot sounds like a pop, not a plop then LPR is too high, stack tubes if you hear crackpsshh dwell is too high, holding the valve open longer than it should be.. stupid stuff like that..