Great answers here, and I would agree with placement being very important.

One way to determine boominess or muddy sounding bass is by listening to Classic Rock or Motown. A lot of people think because this should be played loud, you should be able to feel a lot of bass. Not true. (Anyone that enjoys great bass playing by the way, listen to some Motown).

The bass players from the 50's through the early/mid 70's were mostly playing through oversized or multiple guitar amp speakers. Lots of tone, but not pushing a lot of air. If you're feeling a lot of bass coming from these recordings, it's likely going to be very boomy or distorted.

In the 80's, bass amps became much more advanced. Listen to Sting, Stevie Ray Vaughan, etc. or any decent blues records. If you have a decent stereo, you'll notice a lot more air coming from your woofers without the boominess.