The very lowest notes on the clarinet are easy to play, but they can't be played loudly.

More appropriate is the term I'd used. It's generally easier to make a baritone saxophone blend well with two tenors and two altos than it is to make a bass clarinet blend will with these instruments, for example.

I find low notes on the bass clarinet really easy to play... especially blasting them =P Very fun to kill the oboes ears infront of me =D

poor oboes