Why is the bass less audible?

[ameshokostreet]

Treble always seems more audible than bass(the melody note is usually the highest). Why is that so? Is there some kind of explanation for this?

[SundanceChile]

The way our ears are tuned, we pick up frequencies associated with higher pitched instruments easier. Too high/low and we can't pick it up. By this logic, we have a harder time picking out bass frequencies as opposed to treble ones.

[HEIST]

Yeah, what he said.

The bass is meant to be felt

[MakiSupaStar]

It might be your battery.

[SuperDuck]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal-loudness_contours

Our ears are most sensitive in the 2-4 kHz region. Not coincidentally, this is the range in which most of the information of our language is produced, and it is the most critical range for retaining speech intelligibility.

edit: Or, depending on what question you're asking, most inexpensive consumer products/electronics have small, cheap speakers that simply aren't capable of producing much in the low frequency range.

[AlembicPlayer]

the girls like low end best..they try to sit on my cabs
any more questions?

[SundanceChile]

Originally Posted by SuperDuck

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal-loudness_contours

Our ears are most sensitive in the 2-4 kHz region. Not coincidentally, this is the range in which most of the information of our language is produced, and it is the most critical range for retaining speech intelligibility.

edit: Or, depending on what question you're asking, most inexpensive consumer products/electronics have small, cheap speakers that simply aren't capable of producing much in the low frequency range.

*high five

[Michael Jewels]

I've also heard that an announcement made by a female voice generally commands more attention than one made by a male voice because of its higher pitch.

Maybe a female voice gets more attention, because whether you're male or female, the first voice most of us remember is that of our mother.

Mike

[lemur821]

It's the way the bass is mixed. There's nothing that says bass, as an instrument, can't be audible on little tiny speakers or have lots of content in the 2-4 kHz range. It's just not fashionable at this time.

[bongomania]

Also it takes much more energy to project bass waves in the air compared to treble waves. This is why bass amps are often in the 300W to 1KW range, while guitar amps are often in the 35W to 150W range. When the bass is less audible one reason is that not enough energy has been provided to "power" those waves through the air.