Bass descriptions be confusing me

Bass "texture" and "detail," I think, are largely the same thing. Basically just means that if there's more to the bass note than just a simple "thud" you can hear it.  Something like say a bass guitar would be an example of this, I believe.

Extension is basically just how far down the bass reaches.  If you're only getting midbass and no subbass, that would be a lack of extension.  If you get the rumbly subbass as well as the "punchy" midbass then that would likely be considered "good extension."

Impact usually refers to the amount of midbass you're getting.  Impact, I feel, is largely self-explanatory.  If you feel the bass "hit" you hard, then that would be impact.  If you feel it sort of rumble over you when it should be hitting hard, then that is a lack of impact.  This is what most "mainstream" headphones try to go for - tons of midbass to increase the perception of quality.

Quantity is basically a combination of the two above, taking into account "how much" there is.  If the bass is exaggerated compared to the rest of the spectrum, that would be considered a lot of "quantity."

"Quality" is very subjective, but in general, good "quality" is bass that can keep itself in control.  Low-end headphones with lots of bass tend to sound "flabby," with the bass sort of flopping around everywhere and messing up the rest of the sound when it shouldn't be.  But too much "control" can mean that there simply isn't enough bass - many consider this to be "high quality," but I believe that "quality" should be a measure of every factor - having the right amount is part of it too.

Anyway, that's just my take on it.  Others should throw in their thoughts too if they have any problems with what I've said...this is just what I've always thought these meant.

DaBomb has given you a great overview.

The only thing I would add for detail and texture is that some headphones make it very hard to hear where the bass is positioned in the mix--all bass seems to come from everywhere, while some headphones allow you to tell where the bass is.

In addition for quality, bad headphones tend to create "one-note bass" where bass is simply sensed as "whoa, there's bass!".  Quality bass allows you to hear individual tones and notes.  

So, yeah, I would say that there are bassheads, and then there are bass connoisseurs...

I honestly can't explain what texture/detail is but I can tell you that quality is just a sum of all the parts of the above and what different people consider "quality" is different from some others. Forget quality and find what you like.

in digital recording the engineer does indeed have the ability to position and populate the instruments in the soundstage, near far left right big small etc

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blue Boat 

 

 

In response to the second quote, when you say the bass messes up the rest of the sound, does that mean

that low quality bass causes a headphone to sound overly warm? 

 

 

Yeah pretty much.  It can also creep up and obscure the mids.  Basically it gets so loud and loose that the mids become more difficult to hear.  This is a huge problem to some people, and not so much of a problem to others, so it's all really up to you.

For me, the descriptions became apparent when I moved into higher-end phones than what I currently had and was familiar with. Sort of an "ah-ha" moment. The comparison to what you had previously is so vivid. These terms become something you just come to "know," and understand. It's hard to talk about bass texture if all you know is Bose. It's hard to fully describe, and one must gain experience through their audio journey to fully understand.