Why so low?

Last night I was in a local pub(working, doing live sound, I even passed the alcohol test going home :) ).
 
During the band brakes the bar-owner used his sound system, nothing wrong with that, but there was so much low from the sub it hurts.
I think a sub should add something, not be in front anyway.
 
Is this normal nowadays? To sort of make up for the lows ppl are missing listening to their earplugs connected to whatever?
 
Could be I missed something, has happened before : )
 
 

I suspect the preponderance of poorly balanced satellite/sub systems, "mega-bass" boomboxes, and ridiculous car systems have led many to believe that "lots of random, severely unbalanced (and probably distorted) bass is a good thing".
 
We went from having little or no low frequency response available to the masses to having LOTS of narrow band, low frequency, boomy disasters. And lots of people actually are under the impression that the same stuff that sounds horrifying to me is actually desirable.

One thing I learned when doing my PhD work is that the brain actually uses the very high frequencies that we supposedly can't hear.  Of the many "experimental" devices that I've got to play with, one is an Echofone.  I know people who have used them to listen to classical pieces with MUCH better ability to immediately play the piece afterwards.  It's on my (long) list of things to try once I can get my studio and other stuff completely back out of storage and set up.  This device utilizes frequencies in the 100,000Hz range and was originally designed to help people trying to figure out how dolphins and porpoises communicate.
 
On the other hand, I've also read about experiments that Tesla (et. al.) have done with low and very low frequencies.  Most of these proved that they can be very destructive.  YMMV.
 
I think the current trend started due to the Fletcher Munson effect (which I just happen to have a document about right HERE ).  When playing music at lower levels, the human ear loses (not looses Steve  ) both high end and low end which is why they added that Loudness button to car stereos.  Unfortunately, stupid kids some people started using it even when they were already listening to the current trash music at ridiculous higher volumes and it caught on (probably because it annoys adults).
 
Another thing I've learned is that, even if a tune sucks, if it has a good beat that people can feel, they can't help but want to move (or try something approaching dancing) to it.

bapu
Mooch danced on his couch for the Coffee House when I spent the night there a while back.
 
I was playing an acoustic guitar.
 
Imagine what would have happened if I had been playing the bass.

Whoa!  You play bass???  Cool!

I playz da Alembic bazz

Sub is the new cool... a badge of honor.... " my sub's better than your sub".... it shows up on the geological survey department's seismographs and I'm halfway across the country....
 
It's been that way for a time with the sub systems in cars. You can hear the kick 2 miles away...
 
Sub is good when balanced.... perhaps even to error a few db on the heavy side is OK.... because I personally like the sub .... but yeah, there certainly is a limit to how much to error....

 
google: Meme

It took me a while to figure it out...
 
 
... but you are my kinda people Mosh!
 
all the best,
mike

A loud sub creates standing waves in your beer that will help to keep the foam/beer head up.
 
 

mike_mccue
It took me a while to figure it out...
 
 
... but you are my kinda people Mosh!
 
all the best,
mike