50hz deep enough?

One rule I try to keep for upgrades is to not lose something to gain something else.

The rate of drop is just as important as the cutoff point. Ported speakers usually drop off much faster than sealed speakers. A ported speaker rated -3dB at 50 Hz would be down -12dB at 37 Hz, but a sealed speaker rated for 50 Hz would only be down 9 dB at 37 Hz.

If you put speakers near a wall or (especially) corners, you will get more bass, prob'ly at the expense of other things like imaging and soundstage.

I disagree with Hammy's assertion that big waves can't fit in a small room. I've heard this often. If this were true, car stereos would not be able to play below about 120 Hz. If you've ever sat in an IASCA car, you know car stereos can reach subterranean levels of bass. You can get bad reinforcements and cancellations that will make it difficult to get good even bass. Car folks use various forms of equalization to overcome this (some to very good results), but this is rare in homje stuff. If you're not sure of your room acoustics, it may be better to stay away from very deep bass, but with enough patience, money or luck, it can be done.

for a small room like yours, the model 1's will sound very nice for your musical taste except for 110db headbanging metal. i used to own a pair in my audio room that is only a couple of feet bigger than yours. you can always get a musical sub to compliment the model 1's. Rel and totem make excellent subs that would work. i don't agree with some of the threads above about bookshelf speakers are intended to be used only in smaller rooms. i upgraded from the model 1's to the totem mani 2's. these are a full range bookshelf speaker that sounds great in a small room as well as in a large room (i have a pair in my audio room (12 x 14) and another pair in my family room (16 x 20). the mani 2's are keepers no matter what size of room I will have, i just might have to compliment them with larger amplifiers for a larger room.
good luck!

Nickway: I ignore numbers Key Metric makes a lot of sense. The system synergy that gives you the most pleasure is the one you should buy. Bookshelves are never going to play the lowest most octaves and your room really isn't large enough to sustain the deepest bass. The question is how deep do you want your bass to be. I have had speakers wich are much bigger that supposedly cut off at 50Hz it never troubled me because I wasn't playing pipe organs or earthquakes. Most of the musical bass I look for is easily found above 50Hz plenty of slam just not a lot shudder and vibration boominess. I now have even larger speakers that claim 30Hz which occasionally sound too loose for me. I didn't appreciate the sonics when the really low tones are played. Truly deep bass is by its very nature less tight sounding and not always a good thing musically especially after years of enjoying slightly higher cut offs. I had to switch amps to avoid that wretched sub woofer vibration which can mask the vast majority of the music. What most average listeners likely call bass is way above 50Hz. All I can say is listen to an isolated 100 Hz subwoofer to get an idea of the tones that you think your going to miss. If you prefer that as a major element in your music then you need to consider it. Therefore don't worry about it unless you really love a lot of sound below 100Hz then you can always get a sub to augment that part of the "music".

I want to correct a misimpression that Rbstehno seems to have taken away from my (and perhaps other) posts: Bookshelf speakers can be quite apppropriate for larger rooms. But no speaker will give you as much bass in a large room as in a small one. So a speaker that gives you adequate bass in a small room might not satisfy in a larger one.

Mechans makes a good point about how low "low bass" is. Most pop music (even heavy metal) has little or nothing in the bottom octave, below 40 Hz. A standard electric bass only goes down to 42 Hz. (Acoustics, depending on size, may reach as low as 32 Hz, I believe.)

A bookshelf speaker that starts rolling off at 80 Hz is still going to output substantial energy an octave lower than that. With room reinforcement, you aren't going to miss much, especially in a small space. Plus, your brain hears the second harmonics, an octave up, and tends to fill in the missing information anyway.

Thanks for all of your guys responses.

I do agree with what Key_metric and Mechans said. I would rather have good synergy and have beuatiful mids and good fast tight bass than the deepest flabby bass.

As far as stands go. I have a pair or Premier stands which are spiked and filled with dry compacted corse sand, when I give them the knuckle test all I get is a dull thud. My speaker cables are Audioquest Hyperlitz Midnights (and older model but they were about $400 USD in their time).

What would you guys say regarding my above post about the two sets of speakers I am considering?

50Hz low end and great mids
or
40 hz low end a little worse mids?

I should also add that this system also is used as a HT about 10% of the time. I sacrifice all in favor of the music. IE. Only my audio gear is plugged into my line conditioner. TV/VCR/DVD are feed from a computer APC backup to avoid adding noise into the unit. I really am all about the music.

Cheers.