bass

The real audio power comes from the low end, the bass. When you feel the rumble in your chest, that's bass.

Most of us want this at home, but with myriad subwoofers out there -- and even more specs and sizes -- what's the best choice? Though the simple "the biggest, most powerful you can afford" is easy to say, the correct answer is little more complex.… Read more

As smartphones replace portable media players, it only makes sense that their sound quality improves. Since phone manufacturers haven't stepped up to put awesome audio quality in every phone, Bass Booster - Beta app will be able to help. It gives your phone a powerful blast of bass and great equalizers, but it's best used by serious audiophiles. It's so strong that it could do serious damage to a rookie user's phone.

Finding the happy medium with this software isn't easy. Audiophiles who know what they're doing will be able to perfect their sound … Read more

There are a number of terrific small subwoofers on the market, but all of the best subs are big. The little ones can certainly make bass, but the quality and quantity of the larger subs' deep bass is considerably better. You can literally feel the difference -- deep bass is as much felt as it is heard.

I remember the impact a big sub made when I reviewed the Outlaw LFM-1 (now upgraded to the LFM-1 Plus, $549). The LFM-1 weighs 58 pounds and measures 21.75 inches tall, 15 inches wide, and a whopping 22 inches deep. It had … Read more

Joseph Kaminski, Ariel Nunez, and Richard Peterson all chime in as guest hosts on today's episode while Jeff fends off Kings fans at E3 this week, so don't forget to check out all of CNET's show coverage this week.

We'll wait on Jeff's return to go over all the gaming news going on, but in the meantime we'll check out a couple stories from today's rundown. Joey joins us today to lend his parenting experience to the rumor that Facebook might starting allowing kids under 13 to sign up for an account.

Kids won't be able to just do whatever they want, however -- they'll have restricted access that links their profile to a parent's so they can decide who gets friended, and who doesn't.… Read more

Keytars used to be cool. Then they were lame. Now they're cool again, thanks to Jeri Ellsworth and her Commodore 64 bass guitar.

The unique instrument debuted at the Bay Area Maker Faire over the weekend. It's essentially a bass guitar grafted onto a Commodore 64, creating an unholy alliance between the thudding bottom end of a rock song and the raw retro power of an iconic computer.… Read more

Merely buying a great subwoofer is no guarantee you'll wind up with great bass. There are too many ways to squander its performance potential. That's why putting in the extra effort to achieve proper subwoofer setup is crucial.

The No. 1 setup myth is: You can place a sub "anywhere" in the room. Well, of course you can, but chances are it won't sound very good.

The "anywhere" strategy might be an even more tempting option with wireless subs, which sometimes come with claims that they can be placed 60 feet from the … Read more

Onkyo's new "iOnly" family of iPod speakers has three models, iOnly Play (ABX-100), iOnly Stream (ABX-N300), and iOnly Bass (SBX-300).

I have the SBX-300 in for review, and it sounds pretty nice. The look is basic, but the black cloth speaker grilles, brushed-aluminum base and carry handle, and the retractable dock give the SBX-300 a nice sense of style. An LED display peeks through the upper right hand side of the grille and indicates volume and bass boost level. The Active Bass Control Circuit boost is available in two steps, via the small remote control. Power is … Read more

The Soundmatters FoxL v2 Platinum speaker already uses an apt-X signal to dramatically improve the fidelity of wireless sound from your smartphone or Bluetooth-enabled computer, but the company just announced its newest sidekick: a compact subwoofer with industrial flavor that injects your music with 25 watts of extra-tight bass.

Judging by the press photos (Soundmatters will show me in-person at CES), the FoxLo by SoundMatters isn't much bigger than the FoxL speaker itself, and builds in similar ports for USB charging, a knob to adjust the bass, and a 3.5mm audio out jack for hooking it up to non-FoxLo sources.… Read more

A lot of folks crave room-shaking bass, but some prefer it more tightly controlled.

Little speakers or subwoofers may promise deep and powerful bass, but truly deep bass only comes from big woofers. Speaker cabinet size also plays a huge role in determining bass quality and quantity, so go for big speakers if bass is a major priority. To a lesser degree the same logic applies to headphones: full-size headphones generate more bass impact than tiny earbuds.

Speaker and headphone designers know most people prefer a little too much rather than too little bass, so they usually add a little … Read more