This bass lacking malarky

[Jimboo]

When you chaps and ladies ? State . I want more bass or my system lacks bass , what exactly are you saying?
I mean the bass as recorded may not be there as much as you wish. Beats headphones will give you bass whether you want it or not. Subwoofer set ups, do they give you the bass unnaturally , um inflated so to speak?
I have had several systems in my lifetime. Linn , naim and quad and now Kef. I liked them because the bass was (for me) almost as I think the recording had. E.g dub sounds dubby. I can hear Jack Bruce on Cream recordings sound right. I feel it is part of the sound and more of the bass is rarely if ever in a lot of music meant to be so upfront.
Do you mean something else , something more akin to I dunno presence?
I can see that many of you will think , what is this idiot talking about. I just never have heard bass light sound in hifi as such. If I see a bass boost button or headphones are really bassy . I run for the hills because they completely muddy the recording. For me.
Can someone explain or clarify why they think sound in general is good but it's always the bass that seems lacking. Given how a band with bass and drums work together there shouldn't be prominence in bass sound.

 

[Al ears]

Funnily enough a recent thread was regarding a chaps lack of treble.... ho hum.
Bass is always a contender for being lacking as it seems many want not just to hear it but also to feel it.
Seems to be why many yoofs insist on putting ruddy great bass bins in the boot of their cars, not only do they want to feel it they want you to feel it as well.
There's no helping the tone deaf....

 

[plastic penguin]

This all begs the question: Do they want more or better bass?

 

[Deleted member 116933]

I think what people are referring to is a full range sound. My speakers sit at 50 hz and if I’m lucky 45hz in room response, under that there isn’t much music that will go below that especially Acoustic/actually real instruments . Large electronic pieces is where the real deep stuff is, DJ shadows Three Ralph’s spring to mind Where there’s actually some 10 hz tones in there. But where do you draw the line, the deeper it goes the more difficult it is to control in room and your room has to able to reproduce it.

I think what people are trying to do is reproduce like for like sound effortlessly, they’re after that live sound. Not just the feeling of bass but feeling of being there. Some get close some just end up with a mess that’s all bass and nothing else. Only certain speakers “can” achive it. Ps audio have a great example in there listening room 1 with some gigantic infinity speakers.

G boys are a little different they’re addicting to loudness and pressure and more of a “look at me look at me” And what this can do. There abit like the birds of paradise with all there flashy colours. They’re making a statement, the louder it is the better.

 

[Gray]

Like you Jimboo, I've never been concerned by a lack of bass, I'll take quality over quantity thanks very much.
But there's no doubt that many small standmounts lack (the lower registers of) bass.
As someone who drives PMC 21s with a Cyrus amp , the leanness of my bass would kill bassheads.
To me though a lack of any HF is a bigger, totally unforgivable crime against humanity.
I'm under no illusions though......I know that I (if not my neighbours) could benefit from some deeper bass. If someone can give me the depth together with the fantastic speed and quality I currently experience, I'll take it (good luck with that).

 

[Jimboo]

I still don't understand what a bass head is, they like things to thump? I mean the live band on stage blow to the chest comes from the drums. In bass forward music such as dance tracks as Millennia said the Hz level is going to cause problems with your room and getting that sound. In a normal recorded and playback scenario then the bass up in the mix or forward or in a bass solo ! would be lacking how.
The kids with a bin in the boot sounds awful and destroys anything else that may be there.I played Bowie's black Star and some Zep last night any more bass just wasn't needed. I have a rap, hip hop playlist and streaming that while listening intently to the bass I cannot honestly hear it lacking oomph.
Can you honestly get more bass without something else suffering?

 

[Gray]

I still don't understand what a bass head is

Can be an attention seeker.....the type who drive past listening to 90% distortion.
Or it could just be an idiot. When I worked at the Top Rank, heavy rock nights saw quite a few punters with their heads actually inside massive PA bass bins.

 

[TrevC]

Like you Jimboo, I've never been concerned by a lack of bass, I'll take quality over quantity thanks very much.
But there's no doubt that many small standmounts lack (the lower registers of) bass.
As someone who drives PMC 21s with a Cyrus amp , the leanness of my bass would kill bassheads.
To me though a lack of any HF is a bigger, totally unforgivable crime against humanity.
I'm under no illusions though......I know that I (if not my neighbours) could benefit from some deeper bass. If someone can give me the depth together with the fantastic speed and quality I currently experience, I'll take it (good luck with that).

You add a decent (BK) sub but equalise it to your room using something like an Antimode. Your fast bass ( no such thing as fast or slow bass of course) remains but you also hear the deep stuff.

 

[jonathanRD]

You add a decent (BK) sub but equalise it to your room using something like an Antimode. Your fast bass ( no such thing as fast or slow bass of course) remains but you also hear the deep stuff.

Maybe a lot of people want the deep stuff all the time, or think that's what they are missing on all music, but of course it's only there if it was recorded with it.
Once you have a system that plays the deep stuff, and chest pumping stuff, you do realise that it's not there all the time.

 

[TrevC]

Maybe a lot of people want the deep stuff all the time, or think that's what they are missing on all music, but of course it's only there if it was recorded with it.
Once you have a system that plays the deep stuff, and chest pumping stuff, do you realise that it's not there all the time.

Are you asking a question?

 

[Jimboo]

Yes, he is. Do systems seem to lack bass because what is sought isn't there in the first place?

 

[Deleted member 188516]

Yes, he is. Do systems seem to lack bass because what is sought isn't there in the first place?

maybe some people like "deep bass" ???
this track would be "half empty" otherwise...

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZTvTX0Es24

 

[Jimboo]

Of course , if you have a deep bass track and it has the bass recorded as such then that is what I hear. If you play the pistols , Beethoven or Joni Mitchell etc. Where is the bass missing generally?

 

[Gray]

.....no such thing as fast or slow bass of course

You know precisely what I mean by fast bass Trev.
Of course no sound can be faster than the original but it's transient attack most certainly can be slowed down as it's reproduced.

 

[Deleted member 188516]

Of course , if you have a deep bass track and it has the bass recorded as such then that is what I hear. If you play the pistols , Beethoven or Joni Mitchell etc. Where is the bass missing generally?

maybe some people have hearing loss and therefore can not hear the bass notes as loudly ?

the sex pistols cd / album had very little to no bass on my past systems - only enjoyed it if i could turn the bass level up...

personally i find most hifi systems play to much treble but for the systems owner its perfect.

ultimately do you want an accurate system playing exactly as the records were recorded or a fun one that plays music you like the way you like it ?

 

[jonathanRD]

Are you asking a question?

No, sorry, just edited my original post, had 'do you' but should have been 'you do'

 

[jonathanRD]

Yes, he is. Do systems seem to lack bass because what is sought isn't there in the first place?

I didn't intend to ask the question, but I do agree with the point in question.
Yes, maybe some do require the bass that is simply not there, but they don't realise it.

 

[Jimboo]

maybe some people have hearing loss and therefore can not hear the bass notes as loudly ?

the sex pistols cd / album had very little to no bass on my past systems - only enjoyed it if i could turn the bass level up...

personally i find most hifi systems play to much treble but for the systems owner its perfect.

ultimately do you want an accurate system playing exactly as the records were recorded or a fun one that plays music you like the way you like it ?

Um, I think the whole point from the artist/producer/engineer/mix is to hear it as they intended if possible.
I don't know what the hell you mean by a fun system

 

[Deleted member 188516]

Um, I think the whole point from the artist/producer/engineer/mix is to hear it as they intended if possible.
I don't know what the hell you mean by a fun system

fun system - one you enjoy listening too...

 

[Jimboo]

Again, struggling to understand. Is that a system that is faithful to the recording or just listening on the radio kinda thing?

 

[Deleted member 188516]

Again, struggling to understand. Is that a system that is faithful to the recording or just listening on the radio kinda thing?

fun system - one you enjoy listening too.
harsh system - one that gives you ear ache !
dull system - one you can easily ignore...

the only way you can hear what the artist intended would be to be sat in the chair in the mastering room in front of their monitors.

(i have been told this by the various artists i have contacted regarding this subject. it also makes sense to me at least...)

no hifi system will accurately reproduce this as they all colour the sound in some way - fact.

plug a cd / amp combination by rega, naim and arcam into the same speakers and play the same record and you will get a slightly different sound.

which ones "correct" ?

none of them !

why ?

its because all hifi systems detract from the "master" recording. some people like more bass, more treble, more dynamics etc as we all hear differently.

its why (i believe) you have so many different sounding hifi brands with their staunch supporters / fan bases.

there is no right or wrong - if your system makes a sound you enjoy be it with added bass, less treble etc that's all that matters...

 

[TrevC]

I struggle to hear any differences between any competent hifi gear apart from speakers and cartridges, and getting back to the bass thing on some records I cannot tell if the sub is on or not. If it is set up correctly all bass should sound like it’s coming from the speakers even when the sub is on.

 

[Deleted member 188516]

I struggle to hear any differences between any competent hifi gear apart from speakers and cartridges, and getting back to the bass thing on some records I cannot tell if the sub is on or not. If it is set up correctly all bass should sound like it’s coming from the speakers even when the sub is on.

ok then use the same cd / amp combination and try 10 different sets of speakers with the same record - will all sound different !

which is correct / accurate ?!

 

[TrevC]

ok then use the same cd / amp combination and try 10 different sets of speakers with the same record - will all sound different !

which is correct / accurate ?!

Yes, they will all sound different. Speakers are easy to tell apart sound wise. The best is what sounds good to you.

 

[Deleted member 188516]

Yes, they will all sound different. Speakers are easy to tell apart sound wise. The best is what sounds good to you.

+1.