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Bass, more or less?

Let me first say that I have a pair of Sonus Faber Guarneri that I have owned for several years now. I am driving them with a Mcintosh 2102 (100 watts per side). I recently read an interview with Sonus faber founder Franco Serblin in wich he made an interesting statement. He said "The search for perfect bass is futile, because if you want more you miss it and when you have it it disturbs you". Based on my experience I would say that statement is true, years later I have found my Guarneri still satisfy me. True when I listen to other speakers some may have more bass or more of "Something" else. But in the end it's the total sound package and signature that a speaker produces that will keep you happy. For me the closer a speaker comes to ideal midrange the less tiresome it is to listen to over time. Speakers that have a more extended bass response are somehow more frusterating to listen to. Just my thoughts.......
nocaster
alpha3
130 posts
 
IMHO, the only good bass is one that it is tight and dynamic with absolutely no resonance (critically damped). This will sounds like "less bass" to most people who have often been long exposed to one-note bass, however, you can actually hear more detail and articulation in the bass with this type design (instead of boom boom boom boom)

Very well said!
guidocorona
4,298 posts
 
For almost 20 years I belonged to the same school. . . ran Maggies 3As driven for at least half that time with the very hefty Rowland 7M monos. . . no, I did not need any deeper bass. . . I was perfectly happy with the silky mids of the Maggies, even if the bass tended to be anemic. Every time I auditioned other speakers with bass that I could even remotely afford I was confronted with a flawed bottom that was occasionally deep, sometimes punchy, other times bloated, and most of the times tuneless. Then I heard Vienna Mahlers with their twin 10" side-mounted subwoofers. . . fell in love, divorced the Maggies, married the Mahlers. . . and realized that for 18 years I had been living in denial, while suffering of. . . "bass envy." G.
celtic66
1,754 posts
 
I believe the room has EVERYTHING to do with bass support, absorption and deflection. I traveled for eight years as a contractor living in extended stay suites and setting up small systems. It was amazing how well most of these sounded considering they were by any standards minimal.

But they all seemed to shine surrounded by brick or cinder block structure. The bass was solid and did not wander. This came from Linn Classik/NHT SuperZereos, NAD L-40/Totem Mites, Onkyo CS 210/Totem Mites, Rega Brio/NAD CD/SuperZereos.
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,525 posts
 
Without bass, there is no foundation...no solidity to the performance. Yes, the bass has to be "right" ...clean, fast, not too much or too little...however, it needs to be there for me. Midrange is easier to reproduce, but one of the reasons I haven't brought Maggies into this house is because in the end..although the mids are great, there is no foundation.
plato
1,543 posts
 
I have been through a lot of systems, heard a lot of systems, and currently have 3 systems set up in my home. Having decent bass is important to me, I can't deny that. But I have found it is the midrange and high frequencies that keep me captivated and drawn into the music. I find poor high-frequency reproduction is especially irritating.

I have recently bought a pair of Magnepan 1.6QR speakers for my smaller-room system and believe it will be a "keeper." It has a wonderful midrange, but especially smooth, shimmering, and detailed treble, not to mention a broad soundstage that is unmatched by many other speakers I've tried.

Then I added a modest 12-inch active sub and viola!... now it has appropriate bass wallop too (and not the "one-note" type by any means). I love this system.

Getting back to the original topic, I enjoy great bass, but if it comes with less-than-great midrange -- and especially treble, then it's of no use to me.
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