Let’s start with some fundamentals about bass reproduction. In this “Guide to Better Bass,” we’ll look at how you can improve the bottom end of your existing audio system, explore different options if you’re just starting out or upgrading, and consider some general principles for getting great bass. The visceral, whole-body experience of a great drummer and bass guitarist locking into a groove-the kick drum’s transient and the attack of the bass guitar strings combining synergistically-is one of music’s supreme pleasures (at least for me). The bottom end forms the tonal foundation of some types of music, and in others bass is the source of music’s rhythmic drive, propulsion, and energy.

Consequently, many of us live with less than great bass performance.īut wonderful-sounding bass is immensely rewarding musically. The laws of physics make it difficult to achieve a smooth, extended, and articulate bottom end in our listening rooms. Accurately reproducing music’s low frequencies is the single biggest challenge facing the audiophile.

Sound trap sound control systems