Do most people prefer tight bass or non tight bass?

I prefer a tight, accurate bass with texture (e.g., you can "hear the wood").  This is more a matter of the speaker rather than the amplifier, and I think that an accordion-edged woofer does a better job than a foam-edged woofer, regardless of size.

With respect to amplifiers, what most determines the "tightness" of the bass is the damping factor with the higher the factor, the more accurately the woofer follows the signal (i.e., is tighter). 

"Damping factor (DF) in audio systems measures an amplifier's ability to control a speaker's movement after a signal stops. It's the ratio of the speaker's impedance to the total output impedance of the system (amplifier, cables, etc.). A high DF generally results in tighter, more controlled bass, while a low DF can lead to a softer, "flabby" bass sound."

When looking at woofer specifications, a higher BL factor would infer a tighter bass, assuming a similar impedance.

"In loudspeaker engineering, the BL factor, or motor force factor, represents the strength of the motor structure in a speaker driver. It's a critical Thiele/Small parameter (T/S parameter) that directly impacts a speaker's efficiency, sensitivity, and bass reproduction."

Do most people prefer tight bass or non tight bass?

Almost all HiFi woofers suffer from this problem (woofer dynamic offset) see below:

''Woofer dynamic offset is a problem long known about but seldom discussed or treated. With high input power at low frequencies, many woofers tend to shift their mean displacement forward or backward until the coil is nearly out of the gap. This is most likely to happen just above each low frequency impedance peak of a system. The result is a high level of second harmonic distortion and subjectively a bass character that loses its tightness at high acoustical output levels [4]. The cure for offset, as shown by T, H. Wiik [6], is a restoring spring force that increases in stiffness at high displacement in an amount that counterbalances the reduced B field at the extremes of voice coil travel. Such a nonlinear spider will in fact reduce distortion and eliminate the tendency to offset.'' See full article here.

Mike

Most people prefer Non tight bass, especially at first listen. It sells better even though it's less accurate. That's one of the reasons bass reflex bass loading has taken over from closed box. Reflex loading has fuller , richer sounding bass but it is less accurate. Reflex loading can NEVER be as tight and accurate as closed box when closed box is designed for tight bass.

Why not look at the Focal Sopra-2,  I thought it would be bright - wrong it is coherent top to bottom , check it out and the reviews and very efficient.

So, the McIntosh has a damping factor of 40, and the Moon Audio has a damping factor of 800; hence, the difference in what you heard. I'll take the controlled, tight, more accurate bass of the Moon every time. Enjoy!