Below 20 Hz

Below 20Hz - Is there a point in it?

Just curious after hearing your subs recently. Is this accurate? I read it online:

Q: Reproducing content much below about 20Hz makes no sense for a number of reasons and is a completely unnecessary and gigantic burden for both drivers and their amps so it actually harms real world sound reproduction. Of course there are zillions of people who don't understand this so there is a great reason to include correction capability for infrasonic content below 20Hz.

My counter-quote to that is, "Reality doesn't have a high-pass filter." Beyond that, it's well documented that human perception isn't limited to the conscious. People can learn to "see" with their tongues or their backs if an interface device is made to provide consistent, corresponding inputs. It's estimated our brains, aka our unconscious, is aware of 40 million elements in our environment at any given time, and that our consciousness is only aware of up to about 30 specific elements. To ignore the possibility, in fact the reality, that we can perceive things in our environment beyond consciousness, and that those perceptions influence our experience of our reality, is miserably inadequate.

It's not easy to produce those very low frequencies, and the ZV28 goest the lowest of any of the BASSBOSS subs. Going below 20 does require a lot of power, a lot of excursion, and can, if done with the same transducers, or insufficient quantities of transducers, compromise the clarity of higher frequencies, but a blanket statement like the one you quoted doesn't take those factors into account. If you don't do it right, it doesn't turn out right. Shocker!

To put that another way, it is a burden to reproduce frequencies below 20Hz, but it's also a burden to put up giant video walls and huge, decorative stages. People do those things to enhance the experience of the audience, ie to give them an experience they can't have at home or anywhere else. Essentially to create a sense of awe. None of those elements will create the sense of awe that a 10Hz sine wave would cause, especially because the sine wave would be congruous and in context with the music, not separate from it and involving a different pathway to the brain.


    • Related Articles

    • Below 20Hz - Does any music actually use it?

      Q: I see a lot of subs marketing below 20Hz but there is very little musical or movie information there correct? Your subs roll off at 27Hz or so. Is that due to driver selection or DSP limitation ? What dB are your VS21 or DJ118 outputting below ...
    • Is there a point in cardioid for just 2 boxes?

      In open space, two boxes in normal mode will provide more output up front than if one of them were in cardioid BUT if a reflection from a wall behind the subs was to cause a reflection that cancelled the primary output of the two subs, then placing ...
    • Video | Pure bass performance with DJ18S

      The DJ18S is a powerful, easily portable system known for its extremely deep bass and superior sound quality. Featuring Plug and Play usage, integrated DSP, a 2400 watt continuous amplifier, and a compact, lightweight design, it offers intensely deep ...
    • Video | Tackling ground loop noise

      Delve into differentiating ground loop interference from feedback within sound systems. Effective strategies for combating ground loop noise include outlet verification, grounding devices lacking proper grounding, and ensuring all equipment shares a ...
    • Is there a formula to calculate SPL loss in relation to frequency?

      Q: Is there a formula to calculate SPL loss in relation to frequency? For example, if a subwoofer can produce 140 dB SPL at 30 Hz, how many dB would it produce at 23 Hz? Alternatively, is there a formula to determine how much lower you can go in Hz ...