[Mag]

Okay, I'm resurrecting this topic I posted several years back. Hopefully I'll get some feedback this time around.

My speaker knowledge and experience is limited. Haven't heard panels or electrostat speakers. So anyone with more knowledge feel free to amend the list.

Normal bass- ordinary bass that one can expect from a typical bookshelf speaker.

Accentuated bass- usually from a smallish speaker trying to sound large to compensate for lack of size.

Punchy bass- Bass that comes from a smaller standmount type speaker, can be very fast.

Hard hitting bass- Usually from typical speakers with 8" drivers. You can feel the bass.

Slam bass- Hits harder than hard hitting bass that hits you in the chest. Drums sound like drums with quick attack. Very fast and clean sounding.

Heavy bass- bass from 15" drivers that can knock you on your butt.

Sonic Boom bass- Usually from a powered sub. Very fast and clean, sounds like a sonic boom.

Sloppy bass- bass from a cheap sub, lacks detail, can sound boomy in the wrong room.

Boomy bass- bass from a speaker that's under powered.
Modify message

[NoDisco]

One More Maybe: Room Bass: The type that is limited to the type of room you have?

[FullRangeMan]

I always liked big cones for bass as 15''  so I thought the 18'' could even better but was disappointment, the bass was slow, cone heavy and too much power handling for hi-fi.

[WGH]

Natural bass - always there but not noticeable until that 15 Hz note comes alone.

[FullRangeMan]

Tangerine Dream Bass: only time I had heard 30'' woofers shaken for a month.

[Early B.]

Authentic bass -- 99% of 2-channel audio systems get it wrong. The fact that you defined so many types of bass sounds is indicative of this.

When you go to a live concert, a properly mic'd bass guitar sounds like...ummm...how shall we say it... a bass guitar. But when you come home and turn on your system, it can sound completely different, i.e. not authentic.

[AvsFan]

Authentic bass -- 99% of 2-channel audio systems get it wrong. The fact that you defined so many types of bass sounds is indicative of this.

When you go to a live concert, a properly mic'd bass guitar sounds like...ummm...how shall we say it... a bass guitar. But when you come home and turn on your system, it can sound completely different, i.e. not authentic.

It also depends on if you like that 'live" concert venue sound. Which I most certainly do. It's why I have been through so many amps, dac's, pre-amps and most importantly speakers. I have had a merry go round of speakers in my home. I FINALLY feel like I got it right! My ZU Audio DW's and the amps I have them mated to sounds like Les Claypool slapping the bass, Brad Wilk pounding away on his drums, it sounds real! Every instrument sounds vastly different. Authentic bass is what I like. I am there with you. Now obviously, rap, edm and so on is not "real" nor live sounding bass but it sounds good on my system. 

[Mag]

Listened to a concert dvd today, the recording was good but not transparent. So I had the volume around 10 o'clock position, not near as loud as I play excellent concert blu ray recordings, and both my amps went into thermo shutdown.

This tells me if my thinking is correct. That achieving concert realistic bass, isn't just a function of type of speaker/s and power. It also requires transparency or minimal distortion in the recording.

[Freo-1]

One needs lots of power from the amplifier to get bass to sound close to accurate. 


My speakers sport two 10 inch drivers, are 90 db/w, get down to 20 Hz, transmission line design, and are powered with mono amps that output 500 watts per channel. 


The bass sounds natural,  and has good proportion relative to the overall performance.  Drums and stand up bass sound correct.