Bass rant


Does anyone else surmise that the minions weaned on exaggerated THX sound in sticky floored cineplex's, sold on window-shaking subwoofers in their motor vehicles, and subjected to hearing loss in loud stadium concerts - might have trouble understanding what constitutes an accurate bass guitar tone/timbre/volume? I read post after post on this and other forums of those decrying their systems lack of bass. While I grew up listening to a lot of live music in nightclubs and stadiums from Bobby Short at The Carlyle, to Yo Yo Ma and The Silk Road Ensemble, to John Fogerty at The Greek Theater, I believe I can differentiate the realism of an upright bass and one unnaturally amped (acoustic or electric), and yet I cannot understand all the bleeding over of the home theater systems exaggerated bass sound into many dedicated audiophile sound systems. Please educate me.
byegolly
Byegolly - I am with you 100%. I've been to quite a few club rock shows and the mixing (with the bass often being too loud) always left something to be desired. But that is apparently what is desirable since stereo equipment should reproduce the live event. And the plucked cellos/basses in many recordings sound much more vivid than live classical concerts. There is something strange going on in cultural terms with the reproduction of bass.
Different strokes for different folks.If everybody was the same,it would be a pretty boring world.If someone likes something you don't,it doesn't make them wrong or less informed.Folks like what they like and that's all that should matter.Everyone is entitled to their opinion and others should respect that fact.With the thousands of products available on the market today,everyone can find something that suits them.No,I am not a wall shaking basshead but I have no problem with someone who likes it.Just a thought.Enjoy what you like.
It might be the quality of the reproduction too. A mediocre amp might not drive a speaker well enough to get the slam or physicality at moderate volumes. I agree though, there are a lot of people who seem to equate 'Boomba Boomba' with good bass, and this is certainly not the case.

'Boomba Boomba' by the way, is a highly technical term.
When my son was thinking of becoming a stereo salesman he was given a book/manual from the 1960's or 50's which had a section that said:

When someone says the speaker/system/ has to much bass
you replay: Too much bass. No such thing