Why are more people attracted to bass than treble or midrange?

[Golila3]

I think it's mainly because of the texture and the different ways to interpret the bass. The texture of things like the drum, the cello and even the acoustic guitar(i think) is strongly influenced by how the bass of a headphone interprets it.
 
I like treble and mids more than bass, especially mids, but I still love of the LCD-3 because of it's awesome bass texture and clarity.

 

[ScaryFatKidGT]

Because bass impact is awesome
 
And because it is what keeps the beat
 
And because most people don't actually listen to music and are doing something else at the same time and I think bass is sub consously easier to hear, maybe it has something to do with it not changing as much bassed on distance/ position as mids and highs do.

 

[ScaryFatKidGT]

I think it also has something to do with cheap products not being able to produce a lot off bass and sounding this so when something sounds nice and fully people generally jump on it, where people don't notice high and mid detail as much, as long as they can hear the lyrics they are good (think of all those 128bit MP3's played on subwoofer systems)
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I think that is mostly young people who subscribe to the "more is better" theory and home theater people who want the Death Star to make their windows rattle. The truth is, the most important range in rock music in particular is the lower mids and mids. That's where the vocals and guitars sit. Take those frequencies out and you might as well be listening to a CD playing in the apartment next door.

 
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I have a set of $100 Altec Lansing speakers on my computer that come with a weirdly shaped subwoofer. It's capable of putting out lots of deep bass without rattling. But its shortcoming is being able to cover the entire audible spectrum with anywhere close to a flat response. The crossover from the sub to the dinky ass mains has such a wide gap, it's like a firebreak in the middle of the sound.

I think id still rather listen to music with every thing 5khz and up cut off than I would with every think below 500hz cut off?
 
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Well the Grateful Dead used a ton of bass(in their live shows) because people high on LSD loved feeling their body vibrate from it.

lol you don't need to be high to like bass impact
 
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Yes, there's a certain amount of truth in that, but...
 
1. People who weren't high on LSD also loved feeling their body vibrate from it. I know this because I took the LSD partway through the concert.
 
 
2. I've yet to encounter any headphones which make my body vibrate, but I can still tell when the bass is inadequate.

 
w
 
As for doctor dre... please - not in the same breath as the Dead.

Skullcandy skullcrushers? lol although its horribly undetailed and the mids and highs suck as well.
 
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I like to annoy the neighbors with it. There's nothing like playing a 20Hz foundation-rattling bass tone for 30 minutes straight to provoke a vague and untraceable sensation of dark and evil foreboding throughout an entire apartment complex. 

 
lol I wanna bring my dual 13.5" car subs in and try this 40-22hz sweeps lol

 

[bigshot]

5kHz and up is two octaves. 500Hz and down is four octaves and change. 

 

[chewy4]

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lol you don't need to be high to like bass impact
 
 

Haha, I wasn't trying to imply that.
 
I'm just sayin' that's the earliest example I know of where a band used excessive amounts of bass in live shows to vibrate the whole audience, and the drugs most likely had a say in their decision to do that given the history of the band.
 
Nowadays tons of bands and especially DJs are following that trend. Especially in the livetronica genre, which to be honest is getting a little annoying.

 

[Parall3l]

I've never heard claims of piercing sub-bass before. When played at a loud volume, bass is far more tolerable.

 

[bigshot]

Bass can hit a resonant frequency that makes the walls rattle. I had that problem when I first started EQing. Pretty irritating.

 

[MrViolin]

It's probably because they've never had the chance to listen to clean, smooth, good stuff

 

[Strangelove424]

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lol I wanna bring my dual 13.5" car subs in and try this 40-22hz sweeps lol

 
 
In reality, for fear of damaging the sub, I only did that for 2 or 3 minutes and I think I was using a 30hz tone, not a 20hz tone. I get some weak response from the sub at 20, but 25 is the beginning of usable frequency for me. Just be careful with your equipment.
 
But anyway, that's how Dennis the Menace uses a subwoofer... practical jokes aside, and really focusing in on the music, tone and voicing are more important than power and extension. I've had experience with powerful subs that sounded like gorillas thumping their chests. Sure, they could knock the wind out of me, but it sounded ugly. A good subwoofer should be able to render the smoothness of an upright bass, with quick attack and quick decay. You should be able to hear that it was a string being plucked, not just a powerful thump. Subwoofer voicing is just like any other speaker, and they can sound quite different. I like subs that make music, not just bass.   

 

[tninety]

Bass is exactly what the Dr. ordered! 

 
http://www.kulfoto.com/pic/0001/0032/b/QwR6231875.jpg
 
Seriously the cultural aspect of it... it's popular to have a "booming" car so that's spread to all of audio. It's poison. 

 

[ScaryFatKidGT]

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Haha, I wasn't trying to imply that.
 
I'm just sayin' that's the earliest example I know of where a band used excessive amounts of bass in live shows to vibrate the whole audience, and the drugs most likely had a say in their decision to do that given the history of the band.
 
Nowadays tons of bands and especially DJs are following that trend. Especially in the livetronica genre, which to be honest is getting a little annoying.

Lol I agree
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In reality, for fear of damaging the sub, I only did that for 2 or 3 minutes and I think I was using a 30hz tone, not a 20hz tone. I get some weak response from the sub at 20, but 25 is the beginning of usable frequency for me. Just be careful with your equipment.
 
But anyway, that's how Dennis the Menace uses a subwoofer... practical jokes aside, and really focusing in on the music, tone and voicing are more important than power and extension. I've had experience with powerful subs that sounded like gorillas thumping their chests. Sure, they could knock the wind out of me, but it sounded ugly. A good subwoofer should be able to render the smoothness of an upright bass, with quick attack and quick decay. You should be able to hear that it was a string being plucked, not just a powerful thump. Subwoofer voicing is just like any other speaker, and they can sound quite different. I like subs that make music, not just bass.   

well they have a FR to 22hz lol

 

[azynneo]

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It's probably because they've never had the chance to listen to clean, smooth, good stuff

^
 
this

 

[eucariote]

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Well the Grateful Dead used a ton of bass(in their live shows) because people high on LSD loved feeling their body vibrate from it.

 
The pleasure of good music does come from the same source as natural and drug rewards.  I think that sheds a little light on why people like loud music, but not necessarily the deep end of it.

 

[Spyro]

Assuming it's bass of relatively good quality, it's what makes an IEM sound more like a headphone than an in ear monitor.  When I wear Etys I know I am wearing an IEM and a simulation of the music.  When I wear my JH13 or 16 it sounds like headphones and sounds like I am there live.  Gotta have the "fullness" of sound to obtain the realism.  That's why Etys are 25 years behind the times.  Most argue about the bass but it's more about the "fullness" of sound and the full soundstage.  Compare an ER4S/P and a UE900 and you will understand in about 5 seconds what I am talking about.