2. misc-audio
  3. 1194904673

Bass--How much is too much?

I have been into this hobby for over 25 years and have many many systems, amps, speakers, etc, and the one common thing they all had was that low end bass was either non-existant or was very subtle. It seems with most high end systems, the goal is mid-range purity over the amount of low-end energy. In the past, I have had systems tweaked to the point which vocals were rich that brought on emotional connections with the music, but without low-end bass energy, which can bring on a physical connection as well.

My system uses the Celestion SL700 SE speakers with the Celestion SL6000 Subwoofer system. Listening to this set-up, I have so much low-end energy which I have never had in the past 25 years. The low-end is clean, it does not distort the Mid-range purity.

I am a member of the Bay Area Audiophile society and through there have been able to listen to a considerable number of other peoples systems. None of them had systems with bass which could be phyiscally felt, none had a subwoofer. Bass notes could be heard and localized, but not felt.

I guess my point is, that I have grown accustomed to high-end systems which bass was merely used to subtly fill in the gap. I keep asking myself if my set-up now with loads of bass which i can feel is wrong. I have had a few other audiophiles come over and listen and they too are not accustomed to the amount of low-end energy which my Celestion 6000 subs put out.

I have heard many audiophiles mention that because of the huge problems integrating a sub into a 2 channel setup, they tend to not use a sub, is this the reason why many forgo the search to integrate low end bass into their systems?
justlisten

Showing 1 response by mlsstl

mlsstl
1,468 posts
 
A lot of the too-much or too-little bass issue will depend on your reference point. If you listen to live acoustic music, it is very easy for a home system with a sub to have too much.

For example, I attend a large cathedral church and often sit about 15' from the organist's position in the sanctuary. This organ has 118 ranks with five 32' stops and 7,621 pipes in the church. While it can put out deep and powerful bass, it is nothing like the bass I hear from subwoofers. Same thing with symphony orchestras and jazz with acoustic bass if you are listening from a normal audience position.

On the other hand, if one listens to a lot of electronically amplified music, one has a totally different thing going and a sub may be quite helpful in giving you that concert experience.

However, only you can decide what stereo components do the best job of delivering the sonic info YOU need to create the mental image necessary to put you at whatever venue you wish.
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