[rsaavedra]

4 out of 10 octaves are bass. [size=small]Bass == 40% of the audible range!!![/size] Check the octaves in the audible spectrum:

Code:

[left]OctaveFreq.(Hz)Range ------------------------------------- 12040Low Bass 24080Low Bass 380160Upper Bass 4160320Upper Bass 5320640Midrange 66401280Midrange 712802560Midrange 825605120Upper Midrange 9512010240Treble 101024020480Treble[/left]

People usually visualize the audible spectrum as if divided percentually in 3 equal parts: Bass, Midrange, and Treble. Well, not the case, those 3 parts are not equal. With 4 octaves Bass takes up the largest part of the whole. Midrange is next with ~3.5 octaves (35%), treble is just the remaining ~2.5 (25%, a quarter of the whole). And most people can't hear that last 0.5 octave of treble anyway. In that case bass frequencies cover 4/9.5 == 42%+ of the range of frequencies that can be heard.

The lower the frequency, the larger the amount of air that has to be moved, hence the more energy needed. Bass demands the most energy, consecuently it carries the most energy, and is hardest to play back and control properly. And this energy can be felt as well as heard. Even deaf people can follow the rhythm of a tune despite their hearing limitation, because they can feel this energy in the lowest bass thumps.

A system without great sounding bass is simply *NOT* great sounding, imho.

 

[chia-pet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rsaavedra 4 out of 10 octaves are bass. [size=small]Bass == 40% of the audible range!!![/size] Check the octaves in the audible spectrum: Code: [left]OctaveFreq.(Hz)Range ------------------------------------- 12040Low Bass 24080Low Bass 380160Upper Bass 4160320Upper Bass 5320640Midrange 66401280Midrange 712802560Midrange 825605120Upper Midrange 9512010240Treble 101024020480Treble[/left] People usually visualize the audible spectrum as if divided percentually in 3 equal parts: Bass, Midrange, and Treble. Well, not the case, those 3 parts are not equal. With 4 octaves Bass takes up the largest part of the whole. Midrange is next with ~3.5 octaves (35%), treble is just the remaining ~2.5 (25%, a quarter of the whole). And most people can't hear that last 0.5 octave of treble anyway. In that case bass frequencies cover 4/9.5 == 42%+ of the range of frequencies that can be heard. The lower the frequency, the larger the amount of air that has to be moved, hence the more energy needed. Bass demands the most energy, consecuently it carries the most energy, and is hardest to play back and control properly. And this energy can be felt as well as heard. Even deaf people can follow the rhythm of a tune despite their hearing limitation, because they can feel this energy in the lowest bass thumps. A system without great sounding bass is simply *NOT* great sounding, imho.

Wow! What an eye-opening perspective!

Very informative.

 

[flibottf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by smeggy I find it difficult to understand why anyone should like a bass-light system if that bass isn't of poor quality or overwhelming. It is a part of the music and needs to be there or the sound will never be faithful to the spirit of the recording.

Bass has become the black sheep of audiophiles for some reason and I never understood why. Although e4c has great mids and highs, I don't find it natural at all with the lack of bass... In no way it sounds like live vocals or instruments..

When I hear audiophile say that any amount of bass is unatural are downright wrong.. It's the kind of bass that might sound unatural just like midrange or treble... bass is part of the music so bass is all about high-fidelity with respect to the rest of the frequency range (audiophile : a person who is enthusiastic about high-fidelity sound reproduction).

enjoy your music the way you like it but you're not an audiophile if you dislike any kind of bass....

 

[smeggy]

It's funny really. Back in the bad old days of the '80s the prevailing hi-fi rag mantra was that you should put the vast majority of your cash into the front end, a good chunk into amping and a miniscule part into speakers in a severe version of 'garbage in, garbage out'. They used to recomend crazy stuff like running $100 tiny bookshelf speakers with a $5,000 turntable and call that a balanced system. Never mind that it would have lacklustre treble, so-so mids and zero bass.

Pretty much all you heard was some midrange with spiky treble, your front end was glorious.... if only you could actually hear it

Talk about waste of a system.

 

[umlaut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iliketuna speaking in the masses' perspective... i believe bass is so overhyped because it has been traditionally absent in various electronic devices with a speaker (e.g. am radios, tvs, telephones even) so when joe consumer hears something with bass, even if its boomy uncontrolled bass, he automatically assumes 'this is good sound!' he could never hear this boom in his tinny tv speakers, so to him this is awesome. also, i believe adding a boomy sound is easy for the manufacturer and could be considered a 'feature' (mega bass anyone?) for marketers to jump all over

2x

Like crummy satellite speaker systems sitting @ Best Buy with the bass knob on the subwoofer going to 11.

 

[micaela]

In addition to the bass line providing a rhythmic foundation, the bass line also provides the melodic foundation. Most of the time the bass line provides the root of the chord - at least in most pop/country/rock music. Our ears normally listen for this bottom of the chord in order to make sense of the melodic & harmonic structures above it. Whether we are trained to listen for chord structures or not we have been trained by popular music to expect certain chord progressions & the bass usually gives us this sense of stability that we are accustomed to listen for. But as everyone else has said - the bass w/out the harmonic stuctures above it are boring, repetative and without body -- like the frame of a house w/out any of the finishing touches. Everything needs to be in proper balance & how that balance should be presented is a lot up to individual preferences. Just listen to different conductors' versions of the same pieces of music. A lot of interpretation is made by the conductor in deciding what balance he wants to hear in certain parts of the piece - no two people will do it exactly the same way. Thats what makes music so interesting & sometimes complex.

 

[spineynorman]

I always appreciated bass because it was always the most difficult to accurately reproduce in the loudspeaker business. I imagine it is ture with headphone gear as well.

Bass taxes the amplifiers more than any other range of the sound spectrum. I guess that when bass is done well, it really gets my attention. For me it has nothing to do with importance. The full spectrum of sound is important, whether my ears can hear all of it or not.

Joe

 

[omedon]

I like the wonderful bass texture. Stand up bass in particular and especially with a bow.

I am not looking so much for kick or boom. I want that deep down richness that allows me to dive into and explore notes.

I use James Taylor 'Fire & Rain' as a bass test for all my equipment. When playing that track the strings in the middle should be quite loud and deep, really empowering the song. My 225's & Gilmore Lite failed this test miserably. Adding the HF-1 improved things a fair amount but it was still recessed, lean, and didn't have the right energy and emotion. I am happy to report that with my newly arrived MPX3 combined with the HF-1 passes the test with flying colours.

 

[Rickio]

The Cult of the Bass is a sign of darkness and the end of the world!

Seriously this touches a sore spot for me. As I have neighbors downstairs and in my apt. complex who play deep loud resonating booms and seem to think that is music.

It seems it might be a tad less now in public but I am not certain. I used to hear kids driving in cars playing bass and drum beats. And no they aren't listening to music, they are playing and listening to bass and drum beats. I think it is a total drag as it really is a get in your face kinda of thing and I don't apreciate it.

I think the whole bass phenomena is really part of the hip hop and rap scene but not completely. Some peope love to drown there music in bass and it's not even rap or hip hop. But I do think it is a primal thing and it is psychological but I also think it is from the more primitive aspects of our psyche and it is really something you can learn to hate when a subwoofer lives below you!

If a person owns a private porperty and does not disturb anyone...go for it! Other than that it is really not a civil thing to do to strangers and neighbors. Also it is not music no matter what anyone says. It may be a form of entertainment but the people who played the original music would likely be freaked to hear people play there music that way. Unless they are rap artists on the way to the bank

 

[omedon]

I don't understand all the bass hate.

Highs should not sound bassy ex. many car stereos, PCDP Bass Boost

and

Bass should not sound high ex. ipod w/ ibuds, cheap radio

Highs should be high and lows low. That is how it is meant to be. That is what I strive for.

 

[Luco]

I love proper bass reproduction, in particular the physical presence that bass has is just delicious in my opinion. And you have to a bit silly to chastise someone for desiring good low frequency extension among other sound qualities.

 

[BodiesOfLight]

I love bass, tight impactful, as well has good extensions for growling lows--I like to feel it. Gets you pumped.

 

[flibottf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rickio I used to hear kids driving in cars playing bass and drum beats. And no they aren't listening to music, they are playing and listening to bass and drum beats. I think it is a total drag as it really is a get in your face kinda of thing and I don't apreciate it.

Not because you don't like a certain kind of sound doesn't mean it's not music. If it's meant to be drum N bass it IS what the artist intended. I don't like drum N beat and such but I think its still music like everything else.

 

[sxr71]

On headphones I don't think impact is ever going be life-like or even speaker-like, so I'd rather go with solid timing and sharp delineation of notes (which one could argue is a guilty pleasure not attainable with speakers or even real indoor performances but possible only with headphones).


Good low bass extension is a bonus.

 

[sxr71]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rsaavedra 4 out of 10 octaves are bass. [size=small]Bass == 40% of the audible range!!![/size] Check the octaves in the audible spectrum: Code: [left]OctaveFreq.(Hz)Range ------------------------------------- 12040Low Bass 24080Low Bass 380160Upper Bass 4160320Upper Bass 5320640Midrange 66401280Midrange 712802560Midrange 825605120Upper Midrange 9512010240Treble 101024020480Treble[/left] People usually visualize the audible spectrum as if divided percentually in 3 equal parts: Bass, Midrange, and Treble. Well, not the case, those 3 parts are not equal. With 4 octaves Bass takes up the largest part of the whole. Midrange is next with ~3.5 octaves (35%), treble is just the remaining ~2.5 (25%, a quarter of the whole). And most people can't hear that last 0.5 octave of treble anyway. In that case bass frequencies cover 4/9.5 == 42%+ of the range of frequencies that can be heard. The lower the frequency, the larger the amount of air that has to be moved, hence the more energy needed. Bass demands the most energy, consecuently it carries the most energy, and is hardest to play back and control properly. And this energy can be felt as well as heard. Even deaf people can follow the rhythm of a tune despite their hearing limitation, because they can feel this energy in the lowest bass thumps. A system without great sounding bass is simply *NOT* great sounding, imho.

Great point, I never really looked at it that way before.