Bass sensation like a loud car system in home?

@tony1954 -

My only question would be, why?
Unless I am watching a battle scene from Avatar or Midway, the last thing I want is bass that is disproportional to the way it was recorded.

I believe I understand what the OP is after, that "inside your head" kind of bass that’s produced in a car, and I find it is most closely reproduced with a mono-coupled DBA sub set-up in your home. I like it for what it is, many aspects actually, but ultimately I find the "outside your head" bass that’s created with stereo-coupled, symmetrically placed subs - usually a pair only placed fairly close to the main speakers - to be the more natural sounding. The real culprit it seems isn’t as much whether there’s stereo information in the bass below 80-100Hz, but that what’s effectively a pair of subs are placed symmetrically to the mains - i.e.: with equal distance to your ears - and that may put even a symmetrically placed DBA subs setup in a disadvantage. Some may want to convince (that is, ’correct’) us timing in bass doesn’t matter, but it absolutely does to those sensitive to it for whatever reason. In any case, that’s not what the OP is asking for, so: mono-coupled DBA from my chair.

The thing about "bass that is disproportional to the way it was recorded" is a bit tricky, if not easily misleading. If anything I’d say most hifi setups fall short of reproducing bass proportionately (i.e.: with proper energy and immersion), and moreover an addition in capacity doesn’t dictate for it to be dialed in overly "hot." That said cleaner and more effortless bass can (and usually should) be dialed hotter to recapture and natural balance and foundation in music (and movies) that a less capable bass system can’t approach without making itself too "visible" in the mix.

Get a rotary subwoofer and use it conjunction with a regular subwoofer

The question was simply whether having a powerful sub right next to your seating position will provide a similar effect to sitting in a powerful “ghetto blaster” car systems drivers seat at a more sensible volume then as loud as is comfortable.

This is for electronic and hip hop genres that are designed to be played back on systems with slamming subs.  Great info about subs has been shared but its mostly not relevant to the question.

Go see Yngwie Malmsteen, then ask his crew what they do . Big wall of amps , and what feel like Butt Kickers . Also saw a Sarah McLachlan concert that had significant bass . I think they just had huge sub array across the front below the stage and digital correction . Better start with some big dedicated circuits . Woo Hoo my uvula is jiggling . Regards , Mike .

Hi Yukispier,

I understand you and your question is valid. It’s quite possible to get astounding bass in your home that will surprise you. The devialet Expert Pro 220 with SAM engaged at 100% and DPM on, will produce massive bass response using the right speakers without a sub. Many full-range speakers are capable of prodigious bass, with the right source. In my opinion for bass, vinyl can produce massive and highly resolved bass. As the marvelous and gifted designer Bob Carver demonstrated so many years ago with his sound spectrometer - whatever its called - the waveform of analogue vinyl is different than digital CD or for that matter streaming. The analogue waveform is significantly wider and spread over time than the digital signal. One can hear it listening to a great vinyl system; that big, dense, tonally rich dynamic sound created so easily by vinyl is quite different that the digital we are used to hearing. I remember walking into discos in the late 70s and 80s where the vinyl front end was driving powerful class ab solid state amps driving a number of horn compression driver speakers and bass cabs. That sound would pulse right through you. Fantastic.

you can get an idea of this sound by listening to say house or disco music sets recorded from vinyl decks. Weird. Even though its been digitized, that waveform still comes through and one can hear the analogue vinyl signature.

but for all that, digital and vinyl alike, try a system like Devialet’s Expert Pro with their Digital Power Management (DPM) and Speaker Active Management (SAM) engaged. Even with a sealed box design like Magico S3, the mid bass bloom and richness and massive room-filling bass will be mesmerising.