50hz deep enough?


I am looking at getting some new speakers and I am leaning toward a few differently bookshelf's.

However some of them only go down to 50hz.

Is this deep enough for music only? I am not a bass junkie. I just want to be true to the music. I know that there is information in the music I will be missing. However with a speaker starting to drop off at 50hz will I still be able to follow the rhythm of a bass guitar and large drums?

With my current set up I get LOTS of bass. My speakers are rated 34Hz +/- 3dB. Once I added my line conditioner and rega planet I found my bass really took a step up. or a step deeper I should say. Thus why I am wondering if a smaller monitor my be acceptable.

If you deem 50 Hz not deep enough, what would you consider minimum to be enjoyable and due justice to the music. I listen to everything except for Rap and country. I like rock, bluegrass, jazz, classical, vocal etc.... even metal on occasion.

Cheers.
nickway
I have a very elaborate subwoofer system that measures flat to 20 Hz...but...my Magneplanar MG1.6 speakers, when run full range, roll off at 40+ Hz, however they do seem to have very satisfactory bass for about 95 percent of the music. I believe the reason why Maggies limited LF extension sounds OK is because the response is very smooth: uniform without peaks. (They are planar speakers, so there is no enclosure resonance to cope with). Smoothness of LF response is a spec that is hard to define, and usually not mentioned. My advice is to listen to some speakers, without looking at their claimed LF response.
It depends on the speaker, the amplifier, the cables, the room and the stands. I auditioned a set of Linn Katan speakers which the manufacturer insists has a frequency range of 75hz to 20khz +-3db. I heard bass that was WAY BELOW 75 hz in a small room. These speakers has enough bass for me, and I like bass - at least down to the lowest note of a bass guitar or string bass. The B&W Nautilus 805 is rated from 56hz and does not seem to produce any usable bass below that value. This speaker does not have enough bass for me without a subwoofer. Very good, rigid and heavy stands can make a difference in the quality of the bass produced by "bookshelf" speakers.

Pick a few songs with bass parts that you like to listen to and try to audition the speakers you are considering. If you can, arrange for an audition in your home with the speakers you think will work best. If you are buying used on Audiogon, try what you think would be best and affordable form other's comments and your own experience. If they don't work, you can probably sell them for near the price that you bought them for and try a different pair.
I agree with Key metric on the stands. Will make (if they are quality stands) a significant difference in bass quality. Book shelves are no place for speakers. I don't care what they call 'em.
One rule I try to keep for upgrades is to not lose something to gain something else.

The rate of drop is just as important as the cutoff point. Ported speakers usually drop off much faster than sealed speakers. A ported speaker rated -3dB at 50 Hz would be down -12dB at 37 Hz, but a sealed speaker rated for 50 Hz would only be down 9 dB at 37 Hz.

If you put speakers near a wall or (especially) corners, you will get more bass, prob'ly at the expense of other things like imaging and soundstage.

I disagree with Hammy's assertion that big waves can't fit in a small room. I've heard this often. If this were true, car stereos would not be able to play below about 120 Hz. If you've ever sat in an IASCA car, you know car stereos can reach subterranean levels of bass. You can get bad reinforcements and cancellations that will make it difficult to get good even bass. Car folks use various forms of equalization to overcome this (some to very good results), but this is rare in homje stuff. If you're not sure of your room acoustics, it may be better to stay away from very deep bass, but with enough patience, money or luck, it can be done.
for a small room like yours, the model 1's will sound very nice for your musical taste except for 110db headbanging metal. i used to own a pair in my audio room that is only a couple of feet bigger than yours. you can always get a musical sub to compliment the model 1's. Rel and totem make excellent subs that would work. i don't agree with some of the threads above about bookshelf speakers are intended to be used only in smaller rooms. i upgraded from the model 1's to the totem mani 2's. these are a full range bookshelf speaker that sounds great in a small room as well as in a large room (i have a pair in my audio room (12 x 14) and another pair in my family room (16 x 20). the mani 2's are keepers no matter what size of room I will have, i just might have to compliment them with larger amplifiers for a larger room.
good luck!