"david h." wrote in message
om...
Is the bass that you feel from a speaker system a coloration? I might
argue that it is because only changing air pressure over time is
recorded on a sound medium, not tactile vibrations. Also, is bass only
felt because of vibrations from the enclosure coupling to the floor?
Are low frequency vibrations in the air perceptible on the skin or
chest cavity at less than marching band levels? Regardless if it is a
coloration, I would not enjoy many types of music as much without the
physical sensations.

David,
First, I would like to apologize for the insulting behavior of Arny
Krueger, who belittled your question.

The perception of bass is always colored, to a some degree, except in
the most carefully engineered listening environments. However, the low
frequency vibrations that are your interest are more related to the
recording technique. In jazz and popular recording, drums are frequently
"close miked", which means that the microphone, frequently a specialized
type, is placed within a foot of the instrument. When this is done, the
microphone picks up what is called the "near field".

The physical definition of the near field in audio is similar to that in
electrodynamics. It refers to the part of the pressure picked up by the
microphone that is not radiated further into the room, because close to the
instrument the air is still coupled to the diaphram of the drum. If you were
actually present at the performance, and the venue was a large room, and the
sound was not artificially reinforced, you would not hear the near field,
and most of the visceral impact would not be present. On the other hand, if
the venue was a small room, then it is likely you would experience the
visceral impact, as the drum would pressurize the entire room.

In physics, the difference between the near field and the far field is
modeled by the "retarded potentials", which take into account the finite
speed of propagation of a wave.

Once again, I apologize for Arny Krueger's uncouth remark.

Best regards,
Bob Morein