Why are they scared of low end.

[k4flh]

That's so simple a question.
It's been my experience that most of these fuddy duddys who think bottom end is bad sounding are old. As you age the first thing to go in your hearing is what? HIGH END! So when we butter up the sound by adding some bottom they don't have any highs to hear to balance out the low end. Then to them we are "muddy" when in fact we are balanced and rich.
That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

[M0AOV]

So True.

[k4flh]

Maybe that's the same reason when your driving you see people going down the road for miles with the turn signal blinking!
They can't hear the indicator clicking because the click is toward the high end! Just saying..................

[KG2J]

Have you ever gone to 20 meters in the advance and extra portion of the band, You will hear dirty signals 10k wide pushing their amps beyond max and think that is OK to make a contact. 2.4 K roll off at 300.
I have made many contact on 20 meters at 6 and 4 k and all I have is complements about my audio.
If you want to be narrow fine, but be at least clean. Low end and body with a good balance is were it is.
You will make the same contact with ESSB as a narrow telephone sound from the 50's.

PETE LOVE ESSB KG2J

[WA2WHV]

Yes for the guys with the hearing loss and narrow band RX, I have a profile saved in my DEQ2496 that boosts the frequencies more between 2-3KHZ.

[!KANT]

I will agree that they are stuck in their ways of yester-years. Many many MANY stations have transceivers which are capable nice "comfortable" sounding audio, but choose to operate at narrow on FT-2K/5K/9K, TS-950SDX/990 and even SDR's. It's like having a Lamborghini on the interstate and driving 30MPH--listening to a guy RIGHT NOW on 40M with a FT-5000. Running a spectral and he's operating 250Hz to 2.6kHz. This is the way he operates [for years] and quickly denounces using any low end on SSB.