Why the obsession with the lowest octave

A friend plays the pipe organ, I often attend his practice sessions. No reproduction even come close to the power of such an instrument, however-the organ produces enormous amounts of noise. There is the air rushing through the pipes, the sounds of the mechanical opening and closing of swell doors,not to mention the opening and closing of valves, the operation of compressors.....
An orchestra on stage is also the venue of extraneous noises. At a concert we ignore these noises, yet they can make up an important part of the experience we remember. Until recent years I did not realize how many of the noises were recorded and reproducible on modern equipment. Sometimes they add a great deal to the sense of realism- sometimes not. Those of us fortunate enough to not have to worry about our neighbors hearing our systems have a real advantage in this area.

Several posts up I think someone mentioned that larger drivers are not as effecient as smaller drivers which make them require a much larger amp.

I have always thought that larger speakers are more effecient, like compare a JL 8w7 at 82.7db to a JL 13w7 at 86.3db

Or a Exodus Audio 12in sub at 85.1db vs their 21in driver at 89.6db......

Seems like the days of effecient drivers are over

The larger drivers do have a bit more mass to get moving however they also do not have nearly as far to travel to reproduce the same sound of the smaller driver.

Just saw this interesting thread. Mechan, you are basically correct, as are Elizabeth and Shadorne (who I must agree with in particular - what way too many audiophiles call "deep bass" is actually distortion). The vast majority of music happens within what audiophiles refer to as the "midrange." Almost none of it, especially if we are talking acoustic instruments, happens below 40Hz. That said, Mapman and Tvad are also correct about the physical impact of an extremely low bass tone, for instance the organ at the opening of Strauss Also Sprach Zarathustra. In a great concert hall, this will have a very physical impact - even up in the nosebleed seats, in a hall with really good bass response. However, this experience cannot be replicated in a home system, no matter how good it is, or how low the bass goes - unless you happen to live in the concert hall. You have to buy a ticket to experience that kind of truly deep bass.

Great thread! I have heard deep bass live but not well done with home systems. The bass I have heard in home systems has been somewhat boomy and difficult to integrate. Also, the price for great home bass has always seemed prohibitive and difficult to crowd into a shared living room(WAF)and difficult to tune in.
That said, what drew me to audio was crystal clear mids and highs... and the stand up bass of Christian McBride and others and the kettle drum of Hotel California and a great woody cello of Bach's solo sonatas.
I have found that for me a 40-45 hz speaker like the Triangle Celius with a tubed amp can do great highs and mids and, for me, satisfying lows. I do turn up the volume if I want to hear the kettle drum, however. The novelty of gut thumping bass has worn off for me as I have gotten older (62). The pain of turning on and off a sub has become less interesting as well. (Thanks, Elizabeth). I may have become more of a romantic and will need to turn in my guy credentials but have come to love the mid and high registers of solo piano and violin.
I am satisfied for now. That could change but it seems now like too much trouble to try to reproduce the low end... and I have more money to buy good music and attend symphonies and live performances. I suppose it becomes more about contentment.
NRCHY once said here in 04/02/2005 "Perfect sound is not attainable. Many have written long posts on whether live music is a good objective standard. In my opinion it is not. The only time a system will sound great is when the owner/listener has determined to be content. The concept of contentment is a little esoteric or nebulous to many people. Contentment is a choice and not the result of a great system. People may choose an ideal they can never obtain while ignoring contentment which everyone can possess. The same concept applies to many facets of life... choosing an ideal not obtainable while ignoring contentment." ( Expensive cars, deep bass, relationships, physical attributes, and all the other things that have been listed.).
John

I disagree with Larryi, The trade off is what you hear without deep bass not what you hear with deep bass. Sure, you might hear some interesting detail in the mids and highs when the system is lacking deep bass, but is it right?

HiFi means reproducing sound as near to the original sound as possible. It does not mean reproducing sound without bass.