[TakashiMiike]

As time goes on, I've been noticing more and more newbies have only been caring about bass for their "pop" or "dubstep/electronic" music. I am quiet young myself and I understand my generation, but this is still fairly alarming to me. We've almost gotten to a point where I hardly ever see newbies come in and say "Hey listen, I'm new to this and I really love female vocals, give me a headphone that works well with those" or acoustic guitar, or violins. This has become a rare occasion. 
 
I would like opinions and speculation on this, should we let well enough alone? Is this even a problem? Is this a deterioration in musical "values" if you can call it that? What is the cause of said deterioration if it exists. What does the future hold?
 
I personally feel that (being part of this generation) that I can provide my own speculation as to why this is happening.
 
1) Mainstream music (popular) has become very bass centric, most lyrics have lost meaning (and in my opinion sincerity), pop songs emphasis and enhance the beat.
2) The world as known to the average customer focuses around bass, back before I knew anything about headphones I thought Bose was the king of sound, because I didn't know any better. They have a very enhanced bass, and I thought this was the way things were supposed to sound. Turns out I was just boosting the bass of already bass boosted music. Bose and monster both have bass heavy and emphasized signatures.
3) I think many people want to show off bass to other people too. This is evident in people who buy subwoofers for their cars and blast their monotone bass while driving down the street. Showing a friend your headphones and saying, hey listen to how hard this bass slams, is more likely to impress them than saying, "hey listen to how clear these mids are", or "listen to how eloquent and subtle the details are."
 
Perhaps I should not be so judgmental but I feel like this a deterioration of music and societies attitude towards music. It seems very superficial and one sided.
 
Perhaps I am all wrong, speculations, criticisms, additions, and experiences are all welcome here, please do not feel threatened by this thread, I have no preconceived notions, this is merely speculation, I am looking to simply bounce ideas of people of like, and unalike minds.

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
This kind of attitude is basically like saying a set of frequencies in the spectrum are for proper HiFi enthusiasts, and anyone who deviates from them or from the `balance' is essentially not someone who appreciates HiFi.
 
So what if someone or a whole generation prefer the low end of the spectrum of frequencies? It's just sound. And the low frequencies happen to also have the ability to vibrate so you can actually feel the sound on top of it. Who's to say that this is any less than someone who's listening to the most neutral bland set of sounds? Female vocals are just a range of frequencies in the spectrum. A male tenor's voice is as well. And they're called basses. Imagine that.
 
I think you're being too critical of someone's taste in audio instead of being critical about the quality of the audio itself which is what HiFi is.
 
Very best,

 

[Ikelmonster]

I would say that your reasons are pretty spot on, bass is definitely what most people (myself included until I started listening to mostly heavy metal 3 or so years ago) focus on. I don't think it is a sign of the degradation of society, though...I think its just an aspect of music that is really popular and has been popular for a while.

 

[tokendog]

Different generation, different strokes for different folks.  I'm sure that a lot has to do with the age of the listener / the type of music in the current era.  That's not to say that a lot of young people do not like older music - in fact a lot of them love it, but ratio-wise the odds are against the younger generation knowing / caring / experiencing any thing that we grew up with.
 
I'm 28 and can reference specific music that I consider old / classic, but someone who is 38 would reference some thing different in that regard.
 
Today every thing on TV is hip hop, synthetic, electronic, or auto-tuned.  That's what they know cause it's what they are fed through the media.
 
My wife LOVES classic rock but that's because her dad loved it and she grew up with it.   Not every one gets to experience it.   I know people at work who are in their early 20s who have never seen Star Wars, E.T., The Last Star Fighter, etc... and music-wise, they don't know Pink Floyd, Guns N Roses, Motley Crue, The Who, etc..I am in shock when I hear this but it's more and more common the older I get. 

 

[Roller]

The mere fact that you want to change people's preferences instantly voids your post, as it seems to indicate prejudice towards different musical tastes, whether they are mainstream or not. It's a fact that different people like different things. And naming one music subgenre (dubstep) as if it classified all music of the genre itself (electronic) is a very wrong thing in my book. Do keep in mind that I do listen to electronic music but couldn't care less for dubstep, I find it abismal, but I certainly respect each and everyone's preferences.
 
Another thing I find wrong about what you're saying is that there are much more people enjoying a variety of music than what you are portraiting. What might be happening, perhaps due to different social contexts (IMO), is that people who enjoy genres which usually have emphasized bass do seem to be more vocal about expressing their thoughts, and that might actually be related to the culture of the musical genre itself, expressed on a sociological level.
 
Then, there's the difference between bass quantity and quality, which people with little audio experience more often do look for quantity, and I find the culprit of that fact to be the likes of Bose and Monster, just like you said. Still, among those people who are just arrived, some already look for quality, even if on a subconscious level, as long as they're not swayed by little more experienced users who got their first "less-budget" set of headphones and blindly recommend it as if it was the best thing on earth since sliced bread.
 
At this very time, there are plans of doing a proper thread regarding bass emphasized headphones, where there will be reviews on bass quality, bass quantity, price tiers, best genres for each headphone, etc. Basically, it won't be just a basshead thread, following the apparently current theory that people who like emphasized bass, like bloated bass quantity, smearing the rest of the spectrum, which I consider to be as furthest from the truth as it can be. The true definition of a basshead is a person that looks for the best sound experience with embodied bass, detailed, layered, impactful, and blending as perfect as possible with the rest of the FR.

 

[Br777]

There can never be enough bass! bring it on!

 

[peskypesky]

to each his own. live and let live. whatever floats your boat.

 

[buffalowings]

MOAR BASS

 

[wdahm519]

I know a few people have said this already but, why do you care what they listen to?  
 
Hating Beats by Dre is one thing, because we feel sorry for people who were suckered into overspending for over a low-level headphone, and a little angered by their ignorance.  However, hating on a whole frequency spectrum just because "noobs" tend to like it more -- that's just a little too negative for me.

 

[crinacle]

Exactly. Some of us audiophiles love our bass; newbies come here to love bass too, in an audiophile way of course.
 
It'll only become a problem when quantity is chosen over quality.

 

[blackzarg]

It is what it is.
 
I'm a classical musician, avid symphony goer, musical geek, but I love my bass.
 
Besides a shift in musical tastes, technology plays a role, IMO. Similarly, in movie soundtracks there has been a big shift to add a lot of low LFE frequencies.

 

[TakashiMiike]

 
Quote:

And naming one music sub genre (dubstep) as if it classified all music of the genre itself (electronic) is a very wrong thing in my book. Do keep in mind that I do listen to electronic music but couldn't care less for dubstep, I find it abismal, but I certainly respect each and everyone's preferences.

 
I would like to clarify that I am not saying the genre is bad, (about 15-20% of my library is dubstep) I am just making an observation of the many newbie posts seem all tilted to a particular part of the frequency.
 
 
Quote:

This kind of attitude is basically like saying a set of frequencies in the spectrum are for proper HiFi enthusiasts, and anyone who deviates from them or from the `balance' is essentially not someone who appreciates HiFi.

 
I can agree with that, and I hope I do not come off this way. But is there something to be said for people who appreciate one specific part of the frequency WAY more than the other parts, not talking about minor preferences here, talking about big biases towards bass. I get that sort of vibe from the many many newbie posts (just look around a little bit at some of the most recent newbies posting advice threads)
 
I understand the point of view to each their own, and I am of course not judging.
 
 
Quote:

Then, there's the difference between bass quantity and quality, which people with little audio experience more often do look for quantity, and I find the culprit of that fact to be the likes of Bose and Monster, just like you said. Still, among those people who are just arrived, some already look for quality, even if on a subconscious level, as long as they're not swayed by little more experienced users who got their first "less-budget" set of headphones and blindly recommend it as if it was the best thing on earth since sliced bread.
 
At this very time, there are plans of doing a proper thread regarding bass emphasized headphones, where there will be reviews on bass quality, bass quantity, price tiers, best genres for each headphone, etc. Basically, it won't be just a basshead thread, following the apparently current theory that people who like emphasized bass, like bloated bass quantity, smearing the rest of the spectrum, which I consider to be as furthest from the truth as it can be. The true definition of a basshead is a person that looks for the best sound experience with embodied bass, detailed, layered, impactful, and blending as perfect as possible with the rest of the FR.

 
I think this is very well said, I am certainly willing to be wrong. Perhaps all the people asking for bass are asking for bass quality? However I do notice a lot of newbies who are mainly focused on quantity.
 
Can one say what sound signature is the "correct" sound signature? I don't think so, many like a neutral sound, trying to stay as true to the original intent as possible, many like a fun colored sound. But something about the way these people always talk about just bass bass bass, it seems that they have little care for the rest of the frequency, and that is what bugs me.
 
I am considering all your points, you will find I change my mind when I'm wrong, I'm not set in my ways, and I'm willing to be wrong, please pick apart anything I say here, and lets continue the discussion
 
 
Quote:

I know a few people have said this already but, why do you care what they listen to?  
 
Hating Beats by Dre is one thing, because we feel sorry for people who were suckered into overspending for over a low-level headphone, and a little angered by their ignorance.  However, hating on a whole frequency spectrum just because "noobs" tend to like it more -- that's just a little too negative for me.

 
I'm simply raising discussion, not trying to change anyone's mind, just having an intelligent conversation with others Also I am not hating on the bass frequency spectrum, but I do think like any frequency, when focused on too much, it is a detriment to the music. I suppose this is mainly directed to headphones that have an over +10-15 dB hump in the midbass/bass, I would not buy a headphone that had a +15db anywhere in the frequency range, and I guess I feel that this can be objectively shown to be not high fidelity, nor good for music culture as a whole.
 
Well stated opinion though, and well appreciated, that's what I'm here for to hear others point of view and to discuss Thank you for your post.

 

[pooslice]

Some of the newbies might have been directed here by this video http://www.youtube.com/user/ThatSnazzyiPhoneGuy. He use to really dig monster beats until he saw the light and reviewed and HE-500. He mentions headfi at the end of the video.

 

[bcasey25raptor]

Quote:

As time goes on, I've been noticing more and more newbies have only been caring about bass for their "pop" or "dubstep/electronic" music. I am quiet young myself and I understand my generation, but this is still fairly alarming to me. We've almost gotten to a point where I hardly ever see newbies come in and say "Hey listen, I'm new to this and I really love female vocals, give me a headphone that works well with those" or acoustic guitar, or violins. This has become a rare occasion. 
 
I would like opinions and speculation on this, should we let well enough alone? Is this even a problem? Is this a deterioration in musical "values" if you can call it that? What is the cause of said deterioration if it exists. What does the future hold?
 
I personally feel that (being part of this generation) that I can provide my own speculation as to why this is happening.
 
1) Mainstream music (popular) has become very bass centric, most lyrics have lost meaning (and in my opinion sincerity), pop songs emphasis and enhance the beat.
2) The world as known to the average customer focuses around bass, back before I knew anything about headphones I thought Bose was the king of sound, because I didn't know any better. They have a very enhanced bass, and I thought this was the way things were supposed to sound. Turns out I was just boosting the bass of already bass boosted music. Bose and monster both have bass heavy and emphasized signatures.
3) I think many people want to show off bass to other people too. This is evident in people who buy subwoofers for their cars and blast their monotone bass while driving down the street. Showing a friend your headphones and saying, hey listen to how hard this bass slams, is more likely to impress them than saying, "hey listen to how clear these mids are", or "listen to how eloquent and subtle the details are."
 
Perhaps I should not be so judgmental but I feel like this a deterioration of music and societies attitude towards music. It seems very superficial and one sided.
 
Perhaps I am all wrong, speculations, criticisms, additions, and experiences are all welcome here, please do not feel threatened by this thread, I have no preconceived notions, this is merely speculation, I am looking to simply bounce ideas of people of like, and unalike minds.

im 18 and i don't like to much bass. i prefer a neutral sound signature. and i listen to heavy metal.
 
 

 

[wdahm519]

Quote:

im 18 and i don't like to much bass. i prefer a neutral sound signature. and i listen to heavy metal.
 
 

Cool story bro!
 
I'm just kidding, but I think the OP wasn't really talking about us active Head-Fi members... more like the kids out there who just stumble on the site randomly.