Bass rant

I use 18in aura sound in big sub its good. Or 31.5in in our KCS subbass system. Or I use 4-15in per horn 8 total for hi-eff mid bass or 4-18in in dual giant bass horns. Nothing I heard is close to the bass quality provided by the massive 31.5in fostex or multiple bass horns. No free lunch. To me many audio complants are from folks expecting too much from wee little kit. They do all they can system wise but when it comes down to it in loudspeakers size maters. And shopping for loudspeakers based on low end responce is missing the point. You want a good sounding loudspeaker deep subsonic bass has effect on over all performance but its not that large compared to other aspects of loudspeaker design. And very costly to do right. Many times my monster bass systems reviel subway noise truck or bus motors as well as pressure produced by venue and instruments. When using such for TV viewing they seem to never filter true subsonics on TV, CNC always sounds like a UPS truck pulling into my driveway. Even my dogs bark thinking such. But on pipe organ, live music,pop rock etc the impact and pressure will raise the hairs on your body. I feel some of the excitment of hearing live music is the pressure of venue as much as the musical notes.

In my experience bass from small woofers, like what you find in most stand-mount two-ways, never sounds realistic. It doesn't matter how low the speaker goes, if there isn't enough surface area moving you won't get that rich and visceral sound of an upright bass or percussion instrument. For me at least I think this inherent compromise in many modern speaker designs leads to a nagging dissatisfaction with the lower frequencies.

At some point I suppose I'll just have to pony up and buy a speaker featuring big transducers and big cabinet volume.

Too much bass sucks BIG TIME. I hate car subs.. I would never be in a car with a big sub. (I have NO STEREO in my car.. I listen to the car, the tires, the wind..)
As for theater experiences.. I NEVER go to a public thearter anymore. The sound is about 30 dB to f@#king loud to tolerate. Even earplugs are not enough anymore.
As for anything besides classical, or jazz group (none amplified) no thanks.. I want to keep what hearing I have left.
(even today, I roared at the head cashier at the co-op because the "PING" from the #4 aisle check-out scanner was at maximum.. I swear it had to peak at over 110 dB at my ear. It was like a gun being fired every scan. I told them OSHA would fine them!!)(actually I would go to jail if I was the one who had to sit there all day.. I would murder the boss and claim temporary insanity if they refused to lower the volume.)

Ethanh - You won't have to pony up much because older designs that feature the design characteristics you outline are not much in demand. I used an old pair of JBL L-200 speakers as my woofer section. These can be found for $1000 to $1200 per pair and are the basis for a great system. If you do your homework and find some good horns with compression drivers for the top, you will be most of the way there. Look into it.

Elizabeth, I mostly agree with you. I do listen to news and sports on the car radio though.