Bass

The Goldilocks Phenomenon

Correct bass reproduction is essential to satisfying Hi Fidelity reproduction of music.

Low frequencies constitute music's tonal foundation and rhythmic anchor. Listen to the role of the bass in music fin this example.

The amount of bass in a musical presentation is very important; if you hear too much, the music is overwhelmed. Excessive bass is a constant reminder that you're listening to reproduced music. This overabundance of bass is described as heavy. If you hear too little bass, the presentation is thin, lean, threadbare, or overdamped. Unfortunately, bass is difficult to reproduce, whether by source components, power amplifiers, or—especially—loudspeakers and rooms. Bass is a Goldilocks phenomenon, like a beds that is too hard, too soft and just right!

Perhaps the most prevalent bass problem is lack of pitch definition or articulation. These two terms describe the ability to hear bass as individual notes, each having an attack, a decay, and a specific pitch. You should hear the texture of the bass, whether it's the sonorous resonance of a bowed double bass or the unique character of a Fender Precision.

When the bass is reproduced without pitch definition and articulation, the low end degenerates into a dull roar underlying the music. You hear low-frequency content, but it isn't musically related to what's going on above it. You don't hear precise notes, but a blur of sound—the dynamic envelopes of individual instruments are completely lost. In music in which the bass plays an important rhythmic role—rock, electric blues, and some jazz—the bass guitar and kick drum seem to lag behind the rest of the music, putting a drag on the rhythm. Moreover, the kick drum's dynamic envelope (what gives it the sense of sudden impact) is buried in the bass guitar's sound, obscuring its musical contribution. These conditions are made worse by the common mid-fi affliction of too much bass, which can be muddy, thick, boomy, bloated, tubby, soft, congested, loose, and slow. Good bass has been likened to a trampoline stretched taut and tight; poor bass is a trampoline hanging slackly.

An overly bass lean presentation robs music of its rhythm and drive—the full, purring sound of bass guitar is missing, the depth and majesty of double bass or cello are gone, and the orchestra loses its sense of power. Thin bass makes a double bass sound like a cello, a cello like a viola. The rhythmically satisfying weight and impact of bass drum are reduced to shadows of their former power.

Much of music's dynamic power—the ability to convey wide differences between loud and soft—is contained in the bass. A system or component that has excellent bass dynamics will provide a sense of sudden impact and explosive power. Bass drum will jump out of the presentation with startling power. The dynamic envelope of acoustic or electric bass is accurately conveyed, allowing the music full rhythmic expression.

The effort to get excellent bass reproduction is rewarding. A product with fast, tight, punchy bass produces a much greater rhythmic involvement with the music. Although reproducing the sudden attack of a bass drum is vital, equally important is a system's ability to reproduce a fast decay; i.e., how a note ends. The bass note shouldn't continue after a drum whack has stopped. Many loudspeakers store energy in their mechanical structures and radiate that energy slightly after the note itself. When this happens, the bass has overhang, a condition that makes kick drum, for example, sound bloated and slow. Music in which the drummer used double bass drums is particularly revealing of bass overhang. If the two drums merge into a single sound, overhang is probably to blame. You should hear the attack and decay of each drum as distinct entities.

Components that don't adequately convey the sudden dynamic impact of low-frequency instruments rob music of its power and rhythmic drive.

My DIY sub for home theater.

Enjoy your music more when the bass is just right.