[boomana]

I actually started a thread in the members' lounge awhile back asking for self-proclaimed bassheads to tell me the deal. A nice range of well-articulated answers more or less led me to the conclusion that it pretty much comes down to taste in music and exposure to different influences and gear (mostly speakers). It also seemed to be a bit of an age thing. What pleased me is that most people said that they were looking for tight, articulate bass, and not just more bass. From reading the headphone forum, I'd been led to think otherwise. From reading the posts in that thread, I understood a bit better (wanting a visceral response more or less...maybe in line with your theory), and have some respect for my basshead brothers and sisters (though I don't think any women posted there).

 

[ph0rk]

Rhythm.

If I could turn up just the drums and the bass guitar, I would, those two instruments seem to me to suffer the most from the compression wars. I can't, so I look for stuff that can produce a nice kick or low E.

I am a big fan of the shure IEM sound signature, but even the 'bassy' ones aren't -that- bassy.

 

[Seidhepriest]

Well now...

Drums aren't just bass - any drum has a really powerful frequency response, as an example, bass kick drums are as powerful at 20 KHz (if not more powerful) as they are at 60. Smaller drums like congas are even more noticeable in midrange as low frequencies.

But anyway, there're some bits of psychoacoustics to this... First of all, low frequencies are literally palpable, they're associated with rumble, high pressure and physical proximity. Second, there's the Fletcher-Munson curve...

Human hearing is most sensitive in midrange, and at sound pressure close to threshold of pain.

Part of proper psychoacoustic stereo imaging is adjusting a mix's EQ to match human hearing curve, and yes, this might involve a bass and treble boost (remember the "loudness" button and how addictive it was, or maybe even still is, on a good amp?).

Finally, and perhaps the most important influence that went unnoticed, the influence CD audio's artificiality has on this. As audio frequency rises, CD audio loses detail - there're only 4 samples/cycle at 11025 Hz. Phase information and overtones suffer most. The ironic bit is that bass instruments (pretty much any instrument, especially strings, which often are screechy and shallow on CDs) need overtones to sound any realistic. Hence the attempt to compensate for lack of overtones by bass boost - an attempt to force the "physical", punching realism where detail is lacking.

 

[NiceCans]

Bass is part of the whole, it is only as important as the rest of the frequency range.

From the comments that some people are prone to make you'd wonder though.

 

[markl]

When evaultating audio, novices have to rely on the things that leap out at them. That's their only criterion. They haven't developed enough to understand things like "soundstage", natural tonality, or "air", or any other relative subtlety. So when you ask them to give an opinion on something related to auidio they default to listening to the one thing that leaps out and punches them in the face-- the bass. In their minds, since this is the only criterion of audio they understand, the more and pounchier bass something has, the better it must be. If I notice it, if it's "louder" than the other one, it must be "better".

It's like asking a caveman to read Shakespeare. They lack the language and the skills.

This is why low-end Best Buy audio is so boomy in the bass, and why TV monitors are set on "KILL" on the shop floor. It has to stick out from the rest in order to be noticed by the lay-person on the street. "Ooh, that new Sony sure is bright and crisp!"

Studies show that the same audio set-up played 1 db louder in blind testing will be deemed "superior" to the average person. If you give them 10db more in bass, then well, hot damn, that must be the PINNACLE of audio reproduction.

 

[locu64]

There's no need to be afraid of a little bass. Old church organs can even go <20Hz.

 

[trb36]

I feel like the explanation for the phenomenon you've described - people not liking your shures because of their lack of bass - is because bass has a very distinct presence in music, and its absence is easily noticed. I get the feeling that people who haven't spent a lot of time with different headphones won't be able to notice differences in mids/highs as well as differences in bass.

Thus, people think your shures suck because they seem to be very different from what they are used to.

 

[Rainbow Randy]

I believe most people go throughout most of their lives using stock sound. They use the speakers that came with their televisions, their computers, their cars, etc. To go from that to hearing just about anything that offers frequencies below what they typically hear form their cheap sound equipment will likely seem to be an improvement (and likely will be).

 

[fishski13]

as a former acoustic and electric bass player, i consider myself a "bass head", but not in the common usage of this term. lottsa boom, overhang or fart when it's not asked for, i'm outta there. that being said - Ultrasone PL2500 were too much over time, but the SR225, DT880 and K701 are just right. some music has bass engineered hyped-up, i can appreciate this (and enjoy), but don't mess with recordings that do not.

i've also realized that anything that sounds spectacular at the get-go is often fatiguing over the long haul.

PACE

 

[pez]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrecked_porsche /img/forum/go_quote.gif Its because our ancestors from thousands of years ago played tribal drums which were full of bass. Its in our DNA to enjoy bass. Drum 'N Bass anyone?

Mmmhmmm x2. Can you say Dieselboy

. I have to say, when it comes to speakers and open headphones, I love bass that's deep, but not muddy and bloated and hogging up the frequency response at the same type. When it comes to IEMs and closed headphones, I like more of a flat balanced response (thumpy and bass quality over impact). I guess when I hear something open I like to hear that impact.

 

[krmathis]

Because the lower frequencies (bass) are part of the music. It add weight and body to the music, which will sound lifeless without it...

 

[milkweg]

Depends on the music. Plenty of music uses no bass instruments at all so in that case it isn't really improtant. But good headphones and speakers should cover as much of the frequency spectrum as possible with no colorization in any frequency. That's why I use a sub, my main speakers can't reproduce even 35hz, never mind 20hz.

 

[NajoBB]

You know what? At first i thought that all headfier's were crazy people. I mean, how could you not like BASS? In a couple of months I've gone from 1000 watt rms sub woofer in the trunk (minimum) to shure se500 too much bass-rolled off highs.....thats why i don't judge people like some do. Majority of others like extreme bass just because they reeeally don't know better, and because it's really popular these days. But people can change, and I've changed most of my friends that were hardcore bass heads. I mean, i like bass (as far as head-fi standars goes, I'm still a bass head) but i can't live without highs, mids and everything else. And you know how I've changed? I'm not kidding......bose helped me

. I bought some triports in-ear a couple of months ago.And i didn't sell them in the first place just to first show them to my friends, and then show some nice cans. They were ALL like: my god....it was like...i had ears cleaning first time after 20 years....i can here highs, details....wow....hehe.

 

[Kataklystik]

I like bass but I don't like too much bass because with headphones I won't "feel" the bass anyway so I think that's what speakers and subwoofers are for.
It's true that most people that don't know anything about audio or what real music sounds like prefer a sound with big bass. I think this is because most modern music is quite bass heavy and people like bass because they can feel it.
Maybe some people can't concentrate on the music or think it's boring if they aren't overwhelmed with bass.

 

[sinus1982]

the reason for bass adoration might be simple:
BASS IS THE MOTHER!
what do you hear when you're inside your mother's belly? right! maybe the comfortable pre-natal feeling is linked to the deep muffled sounds you hear there?