Viewing: Why so much bass?

**turbonutter69** · 11-10-2009, 09:02 PM

I never said 15's couldn't hit low notes. I'm saying that 10's or 12's will hit the low notes faster and sharper than an 15 sub. TBH the best size sub for all round music would be 8" as this would get to the low notes quicker than the 10's and 12's.

***HDi fun*** · 11-10-2009, 10:14 PM

TN is right. Bass is not just about loud booming noises. It's about music. People often confuse loud bass with deep bass.

Getting deep notes played back tunefully is an accomplishment. Consider than the low B on a five string bass is about 30Hz. This is lower than mains 50Hz and so takes a lot of amplifier power and control to reproduce faithfully.

Smaller cones generally are easier to drive than larger ones. Even if they need a bit more input power they present a more linear (less reactive) load to the power amplifier output stages that a huge 15" or 18" equivalent.

**Hansi** · 13-10-2009, 12:41 AM

As a musician I like to have a good sound system which includes a good sub but it should never be cranked up all the way since that ruins the music. I listen mostly to good old classic rock like led zeppelin, deep purple and that kind of stuff plus some MUSE. The classic rock would be ruind by to much bass but you've got to have some bass for MUSE. That is why you have to have bass control and the option of bass.

I'm a bass player (among other instruments) and I like to hear the bass lines but not just the boomboomboom of techno and that kind of stuff. I have one friend who listens to that kind of music and has his sound system turned up with full bass and you can't stay in the car with him without constantly being messing with his volume settings (I hate when people mess with my settings but it just has to be done with this one because he just doesn't understand music, he just wants the bass kicks)

***HDi fun*** · 13-10-2009, 12:24 PM

I, likewise am a musician which is why I like to hear the start, finish and pitch of each bass note. Why do we bother spending all that time practising to get the articulation and eveness in good order just for some idiot to add 20dB of boost at 60Hz?

***HDi fun*** · 18-10-2009, 11:01 PM

ARTICULATE BASS

http://www.youplayalong.com/video/33...-Wind-and-Fire

MarloweDK, formerly a Youtube contributor shows what bass is about. Real name is Tomas Rissel

**ArtJimmerson** · 21-10-2009, 07:53 PM

You need a big bass for times like 1.28 of this song, it makes it all worth while:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFFgmQ-HP6s

***waynne*** · 28-10-2009, 12:51 PM

Here we have the extremes. I guess some like loads of bass and others loathe it.

**RobBentley** · 28-10-2009, 10:42 PM

When I was 14-21 bass was 'more the better' and I loved the feeling of it moving everything in the room. Lately (I'm now 24) its just started to get on my wick and I can't figure out what's changed.

***HDi fun*** · 29-10-2009, 12:19 AM

Bass is not about just reinforcing the volume of low frequencies. Often you find that such setups don't reproduce low notes very well at all. They just boost the upper harmonics out of all proportion.

Truly deep bass is a different beast altogether. It's the low end which gives music its sense of size and rhythm. Unpitched thuds are not a substitute.

My own home hifi is equally capable of making a good fist of baroque pipe organ works right through to mid nineties techo dance club material with ease. It also does it at ridiculously high SPLs (sound pressure levels) as well.

This all amounts to a sense of 'being there'.

Badly designed sub boxes don't come close.

**turbonutter69** · 29-10-2009, 12:50 AM

My home stereo Thumps. As will the Cab when I get round to it.

***HDi fun*** · 29-10-2009, 01:15 AM

Wind up merchant

Thumping should only happen if the source material is thumping and demands that the syetm thumps in response. Transparency is my goal. I like a music system that plays back the music.

**turbonutter69** · 29-10-2009, 01:17 AM

You know me too well.

My systems always let you hear every single note. But also treats you too huge bass. But I do set my systems up so you can hear everything.

***HDi fun*** · 29-10-2009, 01:31 AM

I drive my home speakers with a 26 yr old integrated amp. It weighs about 15kg and is thoroughly bad in energy terms. It runs hot due to pseudo Class A biasing of the output stages but it plays music in a way that is so hard to find now.

***waynne*** · 29-10-2009, 06:08 PM

I bet your running some Kef's Hdi?

***HDi fun*** · 29-10-2009, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by waynne

I bet your running some Kef's Hdi?

I do have an old pair of KEFs stashed away. At the moment though I'm using a very modest pair of Eltax Symphony 6.3s. They're compact, rear ported floorstanders, 2 way bi-wired and they are disturbingly good to listen to.

***waynne*** · 30-10-2009, 01:42 PM

Nice! I have to put up with a Pure DMX-60 at home but it has very good sound considering they are such small speakers. (And it's not all bass either!) I'd swear that the speakers got better after a bit of use as well!

Friend of mine had a really nice set of Kefs, he took the covers off to clean them and his little daughter poked her finger through the cone! He was gutted!

***HDi fun*** · 31-10-2009, 12:58 AM

It's not all bass with mine either. Midrange vocals and high end all are dished up with arrogant ease.

I look for transparency, and above all, musicality. A system should not have a sound of its own.