How do headphones tackle the required low frequency wave length requirement?

[MetalNuts]

It is undisputed fact that lower frequency has a longer wave length and the room should ideally have sufficient length for the low frequency to sound what it should sound like. 

 

However, how do the headphone tackle it, the length between the headphone and the ears are far less than the speaker placement from the ears, yet it can produce to certain extent satisfactory low wave sound?

[Solstice380]

I’m not sure I know the answer, but almost everyone’s listening room isn’t as long as a low frequency note.  30 Hz = 37.6 ft.  Hope somebody who understands it jumps in here!

[Don Hills]

Your ears are sensitive to pressure, not wave velocity. There's no requirement that a room be large enough for a full bass wavelength. You'd never get good bass in a car if this were the case, and well all know how that goes. ☺️ The problem with rooms is that resonances build up when the bass wavelength equals one or more of the room dimensions, like sloshing water back and forth in the bathtub.  Headphones work well with bass because the space between the phone and ear is so small that there can be no bass resonances.

[sandyk]

16 minutes ago, Don Hills said:

Headphones work well with bass because the space between the phone and ear is so small that there can be no bass resonances.

 

 As well as which, headphones can have a much wider bandwidth, with a much lower LF cut off than most typical speakers.

My own ATH M70 are specified as from 5Hz to 40kHz (no limits specified at the top end) and they are far from the best available.  

[happybob]

Another aspect of getting good believable bass is "feeling" the bass, which headphones can do to some extent, but not in a "hit you in the chest". I've had really good results with a Subpac that attaches to my chair and delivers very low bass that you actually feel (there's also a backpack model for portable use). This really gives that added dimension of realism in the bass. This was originally designed for recording engineers who need to truly evaluate their recordings... 

 

https://subpac.com/

[MetalNuts]

Thanks, everyone