50hz deep enough?


I am looking at getting some new speakers and I am leaning toward a few differently bookshelf's.

However some of them only go down to 50hz.

Is this deep enough for music only? I am not a bass junkie. I just want to be true to the music. I know that there is information in the music I will be missing. However with a speaker starting to drop off at 50hz will I still be able to follow the rhythm of a bass guitar and large drums?

With my current set up I get LOTS of bass. My speakers are rated 34Hz +/- 3dB. Once I added my line conditioner and rega planet I found my bass really took a step up. or a step deeper I should say. Thus why I am wondering if a smaller monitor my be acceptable.

If you deem 50 Hz not deep enough, what would you consider minimum to be enjoyable and due justice to the music. I listen to everything except for Rap and country. I like rock, bluegrass, jazz, classical, vocal etc.... even metal on occasion.

Cheers.
nickway

Showing 1 response by honest1

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.