All my bass are belong to me.

[alt_f13]

I love bassy music. My headphones are the size and weight of my own skull. My car audio system much more so. Same with about 70 other cars that pass my way every night. I love bass; my sister loves bass; my friends love bass. The subwoofer to people ratio amongst my friends is about 1.8:1

 

But, why is it that young people like big bass so much? And why do old people hate it?

 

I know we have a sample from both sides of the spectrum here, so lets hear it!

[Glider]

I don't think it's particularly older people who hate it. I suspect its more people who are forced to hear it every time someone drives by with subwoofers more powerful than their engine.

 

It's not necessarily the music they hate, it's the attitude that says it's ok to play it loud enough in public to be heard over half a mile away.

[bloodhound]

i dont know if the old people hate bass. they probably dont like listening to the genre of music that contains bass. i am sure they would be happy to listen to a classical or a jazz piece containing a heavy bassline.

[alt_f13]

oh yes? beethoven's symphony no 5 the remyxx?

My grandpa didn't like that one.

 

My main point was trying to get to why bass itself is such a huge thing for youngins.

 

You two seemed to hone in on the confrontational aspect of my post, which in itself is interesting... but...

 

Why do we like big bass? Why is the bassline the part of music we listen to? Why are there subwoofers bigger than the engines that carry them?

[bloodhound]

bass isnt a big deal for me. i like my sound well balanced as i am an audiophile.

 

I dont think all young people like bass. like i said it just depends what what kind of music they listen to. young pple nowdays are increasing into music gneres like techno, etc which specifically empasises the bass... so louder the bass the better the music sounds.

[Gilded]

Got to admit, I like bass, but in moderation.

Btw alt, what headphones do you use (you do make some interesting music after all )? Mine are Sennheiser HD 570, very good for listening to classical (or playing CS, which is quite right all I use them for :> ).

[Auburngirl05]

I agree that it probably depends more on the type of music, younger generations are more into the type of music that sounds good with deep bass.

 

My dad has blown out two sets of speakers in his truck in the last three years...

[badchad]

It also has to do with the individual and his/her personality.

 

Most "bass heads" are kids under the age of 25, who drive around in cars saying:

 

"Hey look at me, I have the world's most obnoxious stereo". I did it too, but I lost my need for attention right around age 20.

 

And also, as many have stated, it probably more the type of music rather than the bass its self.

[MolecularMan14]

I love a'da bass. I dont know exactly why, but it really really enhances the beat, and makes the rhythm recognizable. I try not to be obnoxious about it, but since my computer sound system has 2 subwoofers, I try to turn it down sometimes...but when Im home alone...the bass goes up and the houses nearby go down.

But like was said before, it really depends upon the music...I dont want to hear my mom's old hippy music with a few hundred thousand watts behind the beat, but I wouldnt mind something liks LPJZ on my stereo.

[alt_f13]

Got to admit' date=' I like bass, but in moderation.

Btw alt, what headphones do you use (you do make some interesting music after all )? Mine are Sennheiser HD 570, very good for listening to classical (or playing CS, which is quite right all I use them for :> ).[/quote']

They're Gamma LH 375s (yeah, I was like... what teh hell iz dis when my dad got them for me) and honestly, they are the best sounding set I've ever heard. Insane range, like 22k-10 (and I gast me a tone tester... but I can't hear that kind of range of course), not exagerrating, as that's what it said on the box. But my dad is a huge sound enthusiast so I wasn't surprised. They use coaxial drivers, which is nifty.

 

Can't wait to get some etymotics though As soon as xmas is paid off...

 

I love a'da bass. I dont know exactly why' date=' but it really really enhances the beat, and makes the rhythm recognizable. I try not to be obnoxious about it, but since my computer sound system has 2 subwoofers, I try to turn it down sometimes...but when Im home alone...the bass goes up and the houses nearby go down.

But like was said before, it really depends upon the music...I dont want to hear my mom's old hippy music with a few hundred thousand watts behind the beat, but I wouldnt mind something liks LPJZ on my stereo.[/quote']

 

Yah, I'm not obnoxious with it at all. I think you hit the nail on the head though. Modern music is based on beat, and bass enhances it.

 

But even when I'm listening to classical I want a huge low end. Dunno.

[bloodhound]

yes. i dont mind a huge low end in classical, but the sound has to be balanced. if the midrange is too weak, while the highs are screeching, then thats terrible. the problem is nowdays most music is based on strong powerful roomshaking bass. while little attention is given to the midrange and the highs. to a classical listener is gives the impression that u got ur audio setup all wrong.

[coquina]

I find it very annoying, and you know, you are ruining your hearing.

 

I am forced by OSHA to keep my shop within acceptable decibels, and provide earplugs. My worker's comp policy will have to pay if my employees get noise induced hearing loss. It pisses me off royally to pay for all the noise reduction equipment and then sit in my office and hear the bass on one of my employee's car when he turns into the driveway. Through a closed front door.

[galaxygirl]

I don't like music with heavy bass and I'm in the younger people catagory.

 

I read somewhere that males tend to listen to their music with heavier bass than females because there's something about their ears that don't allow them to hear bass as easy as females. I've also noticed that people who get migranes easily don't like to listen to "bassy" music.

 

As to why older people don't like to listen to music with bass, my guess is that it's a type of sound they're not as familliar with. People generally like to listen to music from their generation, so an 80 year old would me more used to classical and jazz, while someone my age is going to avoid the oldies station. Heavy bass is more of a recent thing, so older people are less likely to listen to it.

[bloodhound]

Intelligent and Sophisticated People listen to Intellingent and Sophisticated Genres like Jazz and Classical .. w00t

[JaKiri]

Also prog rock.

[alt_f13]

Intelligent and Sophisticated People listen to Intellingent and Sophisticated Genres like Jazz and Classical .. w00t

 

Neither do they feel the need to capitalize most of the words in their sentences.

 

:hahaha:

 

 

[edit]

 

I find it very annoying' date=' and you know, you are ruining your hearing.

 

I am forced by OSHA to keep my shop within acceptable decibels, and provide earplugs. My worker's comp policy will have to pay if my employees get noise induced hearing loss. It pisses me off royally to pay for all the noise reduction equipment and then sit in my office and hear the bass on one of my employee's car when he turns into the driveway. Through a closed front door.[/quote']

 

That's his choice though. We all have our own sinful pleasures... and he still suffers the wages lost due to overhead caused by those policies. Imagine if there was no overhead at all; what a wonderful paycheck that would be.

[UCF-Forensic]

I have a hypothesis to the bass infatuation.

 

I am part of the younger generation (19 years old) Although I do not have subwoofers in my car I enjoy a good sound system, that is, one that is equally matched for bass and highs, and not so powerful as to make my ears bleed. If you have the right music, i.e. some R&B or jazz, the vibrations feel good. To do this properly you must not have an obnoxious bass setting, and a few 10" or 12" trunk mounted subwoofers, and of course- tons of dynamatting. And by proper music I mean music that employs bass waves as actual notes, not as in the thumping associated with Trance, or other techno. That in it's own right is good music, but when you hear it for a few hours in a moderately good sound room / car, it gets annoying.

 

Back to the psychological aspect, I believe the vibrations impact the body and excite a number of different receptors that make the brain either relaxed, or stimulated. The same feeling can be experienced when you go to the sharper image and sit in one of those "Therapudic (sp?) vibration chairs". The vibration controls allow that you can experience a variable level of vibration in sectors of the body, and I must say, the differences between the two ideas are very very close, the only difference between them is that a sound system uses sound wave induced vibration, and the T chair uses motor-weight vibration.

 

Any thoughts???

 

~Steve

[Rasori]

UCF basically had my point.

 

My thoughts are that people can feel as well as hear the bass, which gives more input and thus more attraction.

 

Personally, I'm 14 and I listen to classical/orchestra music (I realized recently that a lot of my "classical" isn't classical but just instruments and no words (no synthesizers, or at least no syntesizers synthesizing anything but instruments)).

[Verusamore]

[Verusamore]

[concrete_hed]

if u like bass so much. maybe you can answer this question. Why is it that to get a loud bassy sound in your car, u need to have large capacitors in the circuit? I have seen some systems that have 1 FARAD capacitors in them.

[bascule]

Hi, I'm a bass player. So, uhh, obviously I'm biased. Bass kicks ass. I'm about to throw on my headphones (it's 1:30 AM here and I don't want to disturb the roomie) and bust out some badass slap. But here's what I have to say:

 

Bass is closest to the resonant frequency of your internal organs, particularly your heart (literally!). The bass is the most badass heartshaking instrument out there, so in that respect it's obviously intense. When I say that you really need to be part of the live experience, or have a kickass stereo. I don't really have an answer when it comes to bassy headphones, beyond that without the bass you'll feel something missing from the music, but seriously, bass should be experienced live

[Prime-Evil]

I thought bass was a fish.

 

Why is it spelled bass if it is pronounced base? That always bugged me.

 

I have another fun question, perhaps less picky.

I know the type of instrument "bass" is a noun. But when you are speaking of the range of frequency, is that a noun, or a noun used as an adjective, or an adjective in its own right, or something ambiguously in between? Can it also be used as an adverb, as in play that a little more bass?

[sunspot]

Bass is among the oldest of the primative manmades sounds, i.e., early drums, along with other percussion. It brings one to a primal place in the psyche. After one has been there for a while, one often move up the evolutionary ladder of music.

[bascule]

After one has been there for a while, one often move up the evolutionary ladder of music.

 

I'll be sure to inform Les Claypool