Here is what I mean:

Bass volume is self-evident, it gets louder. However, I playing with different speakers and amps and I swear some combinations seem to give a "wider" not louder sound. When I say wider, I mean more powerful, the vibrations seem to surround more but don't over power the way more volume would. When I compare it with a different set up, the bass is still the same volume, but somehow the first one seems to be a wider, more penetrating bass.

Any thoughts?

 

no, only depth and sometimes hight

 

bass it the ultimate soundwave because it's frequency is so low, and wavelengths are so long that you can almost feel the wave itself. that's why while playing loud bass it sometimes doesn't seem as loud in the car, but louder when your across the street. if you look at it graphically - yes, i guess the bass would be wider then speech sounds.

 

Every musical instrument plays a fundamental tone, with harmonics and secondary tones.
The harmonics make the difference between say, the sound of a bass synth, and a pipe organ, both playing a 40hz note.

The same sub/amp in your car will sound very different when you change your front speakers.
Try playing a sub by itself in the car....probably sound loud, but not very clean.

The harmonics of a 40hz note are 80, 160, 320, 640, 1280,... etc. and are required to realize the detail of the sub.
Different sub/amp/box combinations will have different roll-offs, low end response, transient response, and dynamic range. No two speakers sound the same. They all have a different "flavour", and satisfy different tastes.

 

The system that sounds "wider" has better mid-bass response, those first 2 or 3 octaves worth of harmonics are much louder and cleaner. This also gives extra 'punch' to tom-toms and other drums tuned higher than the big bass drum... [img]graemlins/thumb.gif[/img]

HTH

 

it could also be simply the ability of the sdystem to project the sound as opposed to the ability to get loud. The old Altec concert cabinets were famous for this, they could be heard from miles away, but not be loud. they could fill high school gymnasiums with 20 watts a pair, but not have the aweful reflections and echos that usually result.