How low can one hear Huh?? Say again

In order to "hear" 30Hz etc sound, you have to allow for the wave length: ~38'. Usually we FEEL the direct sound of 30Hz and we hear the reflected sound (i.e. somewhat later than it occurs).
As to the reviewer, I couldn't say. 30Hz is not that low, and there's some music content there, sometimes (not much, but still). Apparently, and fortunately, he's never experienced an earthquake. That's lower than 16Hz (a large organ will produce 16Hz).
Generally speaking we DO perceive low bass sounds. They are unpleasant (to me).

Regardless of whether any individual hears them or not, the equipment that produces these sounds is typically at its extreme edge of its performance capability to respond as low as it does. If it responds lower than we need it to, then theory would suggest that it would be more linear and within its capability to produce sound that is above its lower limits. So, in theory, it could be more linear and more in control, and better sounding in general, at frequencies above its lower limit, and thus could give better performance in whatever bass frequencies that we can hear, whatever those frequencies may be for a given individual.

How about that? An argument in favor of deep bass from TWL!!!

Gregm,
You don't need to have space to allow the whole wave length in order to hear bass. Otherwise, there is no headphone that can reproduce anything below 4-5KHz.

1. Even if you can't hear 20Hz, at reasonable listening levels a speaker with an F3 point of 20 Hz has much more perceived output at 30dB than one -3dB @ 30Hz. Perceptually that can correspond to more than a 10dB change at 1KHz.

2. With 10% harmonic distortion on a 20Hz tone the harmonics sound louder than the fundamental. Distortion can be a lot worse at those low frequencies.

3. The threshold of hearing goes way up at low frequencies. Below ~75dB you're not going to hear 20Hz even when your threshold of hearing hasn't increased with age or rock concerts.

In PSYCHOLOGY OF MUSIC,Carl Seashore states that the lowest audible tone is about 16 cycles per second. It is effected by intensity(amplitude) and the form of the tone. Someone with acute hearing can hear a "pure" tone(no overtones) at about 12 cycles. With an electrical spark(almost all overtones) the low limit is as high as 100 cycles .

The upper limit average for those under 40 is about 16,000 cycles. With age,it drops to about 12,000.(A cricket chirp is about 8,000.)

Also,remember the difference tones. The lowest tone a string bass plays is about 4o cycles per second but it sympathetically vibrates "undertones" at 20 and 10 and 5 and 2 1/2(etc.) So,the average listener can probably hear the first difference tone but the lower ones are as much felt as heard.

I can take or leave subwoofers, but the ones I've heard set up correctly(for my ear) have the volume set just high enough to be noticed-and then the volume is turned down a smigeon and the crossover is set so that cellos,trombones,and tympani come through the mid range drivers--their difference tones come through the sub(s).