Bass--How much is too much?


I have been into this hobby for over 25 years and have many many systems, amps, speakers, etc, and the one common thing they all had was that low end bass was either non-existant or was very subtle. It seems with most high end systems, the goal is mid-range purity over the amount of low-end energy. In the past, I have had systems tweaked to the point which vocals were rich that brought on emotional connections with the music, but without low-end bass energy, which can bring on a physical connection as well.

My system uses the Celestion SL700 SE speakers with the Celestion SL6000 Subwoofer system. Listening to this set-up, I have so much low-end energy which I have never had in the past 25 years. The low-end is clean, it does not distort the Mid-range purity.

I am a member of the Bay Area Audiophile society and through there have been able to listen to a considerable number of other peoples systems. None of them had systems with bass which could be phyiscally felt, none had a subwoofer. Bass notes could be heard and localized, but not felt.

I guess my point is, that I have grown accustomed to high-end systems which bass was merely used to subtly fill in the gap. I keep asking myself if my set-up now with loads of bass which i can feel is wrong. I have had a few other audiophiles come over and listen and they too are not accustomed to the amount of low-end energy which my Celestion 6000 subs put out.

I have heard many audiophiles mention that because of the huge problems integrating a sub into a 2 channel setup, they tend to not use a sub, is this the reason why many forgo the search to integrate low end bass into their systems?
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Showing 1 response by jmcgrogan2

I guess I'll jump in here with a different POV. So far, everyone seems to like chest thumping bass. Now, I admit in my younger years, that heart pounding bass was a top priority. However, now midrange clarity is my top priority. My speakers go down to about 25 hz, and I've never been a fan of seperate subwoofers while playing music. IMHO, the subs are great with HT, and speakers with integrated powered woofers can sound good with music. However, almost all systems I've heard with seperate subwoofers have the subwoofer turned up too loud. Yes, kick drums have a punch, but the seperate subwoofer allows you to emphasize that kick. If that's your 'thing' that's fine. Most seperate sub owners over-emphasize bass though. This can 'over-power' some midrange music, which can ruin the sound for me. There are a lot of recordings where they already have the EQ up on the bass, so I don't feel the need to raise it even more.
IMHO, if you have a seperate sub, you should not hear it.
Yes, it will add to the bass, but quietly, not calling attention to itself.

All that being said, if you enjoy the extra bass, turn the subwoofer up and don't worry what your other 'audiophile' friends think. :)

Cheers,
John