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Is bass the most important frequency band?

One thing I’ve noticed when upgrading my audio system is that when I have really good bass, I’m happy. If the bass is top notch, I can overlook less-than-stellar treble or so-so midrange. The opposite does not seem to be true. Sure, I can get tremendous enjoyment out of a high-fidelity playback of a flute or other instrument that doesn’t have much bass impact, but when I switch to a track that has some slam, if my sub/woofers don’t perform, I’m left wanting, and I am inclined to change the track. When my subwoofer game is top notch, there is something extremely pleasing about tight, powerful, and accurate bass response that easily puts a smile on my face and lifts my mood in a matter of seconds. Maybe it all boils down to the fact that bass frequencies are heard AND felt and the inclusion of another sense (touch/feeling) gives bass a competitive edge over midrange and treble. I am not talking about loud bass (although that can be really fun and has its place), but the type of bass that gives you a sense of a kick drum’s size or allows for the double bass to reach out and vibrate the room and your body. I propose to you that bass and sub-bass should be optimized first and foremost, followed by treble and midrange in order to maximize enjoyment. Thoughts?
128x128mkgus
ebm
9,311 posts
 
Bass is the foundation however everything is important.
ghdprentice
6,471 posts
 
Musical enjoyment is a highly personal thing. Bass is a good place to start with a new set of speakers, yes. But you are implying that it is of greater overall importance. That is where it gets personal.


What I was looking for first in my pursuit of great sound has changed for me drastically over the last fifty years. In the beginning bass and slam were of great importance to me. My priorities now are in approximate order: tonal balance, great rhythm and pace, undistorted treble, mid range bloom, low noice floor, accurate bass… something like that. I want sound that is musical… I chased great slam for a long time and then realized it was artificial and was screwing up the bass. Treble fooled me for a couple decades. I heard high frequency distortion at live concerts, in cheap and expensive audio systems for decades. I slowly realized I was trying to get the distortion right (as in how I heard it in rock concerts in the 70’s). I started listening to actual acoustical instruments like cymbals and drums and to my utter surprise found out they did not sound like what I thought… cymbals sound like brass… a whalin trombone has a unique bite at the beginning of each note when heard live… which is now reproduced accurately in my system. Bass is part of the equation, no question, but for me just one of the pieces.


Btw, you can see my system by clicking on my user ID.
erik_squires
15,872 posts
 
It is definitely the hardest band to get right. 
knotscott
822 posts
 
While I enjoy good bass, somewhat sloppy bass or preferably "less" deep bass are much easier for me to tolerate than sloppy upper midrange or treble, so its the first thing I’d sacrifice if I couldn’t have full range high fidelity across the whole bandwidth. I’d take a nice clear little pair of Proacs or Rogers LS3/5As with limited extensio, but dynamic bass over a full range Cerwin Vega or some other boom box any day.  Most rooms don't handle massive deep bass very well anyway.

I hear a lot of systems with gobs of lousy flapping bass....especially in car systems, unfortunately that also have grundgy mids and highs, but as long as its loud and overpowering, plenty of folks seem happy and impressed with it. Just not my cup of tea. Boils down to preference.


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