Based on the technical specifications published here on Beoworld your s45.2's will outperform a Cona in the low end.     

Cona Frequency range +4 -8 dB 40 - 195 Hz

S45.2 Frequency range +4 -8 dB 38 - 20,000 Hz

Hmmmmm... Well that's interesting.  I'm just not feeling that much low end from my speakers.  Is it normal that on my receiver I have to set the bass level near the highest end (4-5) in order to get a sufficient amount of bass in my speakers?

I don't own a pair but it's been mentioned several times here on the forum that S45.2's are bass-light (just do a search).  Try placing them in a corner to maximimze bass response; turn on the receiver's loudness control; inspect the woofer for damage.  And when you're playing something that's bass-rich put your hand on the woofer's cone to make sure it's vibrating.  Maybe the woofers are dead - the driver magnets are known to detach easily, especially during transport.

I have  used s45's with a Beomaster 4000. You should have a reasonable amount of bass. I never had to really turn up the bass on mine maybe plus 1 tops.

I had a magnet slip while one of the speakers was in a fixed position. worked on Saturday, didnt on Sunday. Starting to become a real problem I think. I am reading/hearing more and morre about it.

maybe a filter problem, like a cap way off spec?

I own S40s, S45-2s, and M70s, and they all have bass response that's clean, musical and sufficient.  Very typical of a well-done closed-box design of that era.

Macguyft - beware here:

Turning the bass control to almost max. level will put the sound way out of balance (if the equipment is OK). The S45-2's are very well balanced, so unless you want to really "disco"/"heavey metal" that sort of adjustments should not be nessesary.

Also there is a risc of destroying the speakers, since they will receive a high level of low frequencies (some not audible) when you turn up both volume and bass. This can cause the woofer to move more than it's designed for (thus destroying it).

Maybe there is something wrong?

Suggestion: Compare the speakers to an other pair (about the same size) at a friend or shop - and the same with the Beomaster 4000. If the sound balance is very different, there might be a problem with one of the components. In this case let's hear more about it to provide help. If the balance is more or less the same, your system is probably OK - and the solution could be to change the speakers to a pair of S75's. They have more bass but in other ways are much like the S45's. A first move could be to move the speakers closer to the wall behind the (which will raise the bass level).

Thank you everyone for your informative and insightful suggestions and ideas!  It seems evident that my 4000 and the s45.2's should be providing a nice balance and bass.  I will work on these issues and suggestions and see what I come up with.  

Thanks again... I really appreciate your comments!

I have my S45-2s connected to a BM3000-2 and I think they produce plenty of bass with the tone controls (including loudness) defeated. I chalk this up the fact that I have a very small room, though. Before I started to refurbish my system, I used loudness during most of my listening. Now that I can listen to the system again, I find the loudness far too boomy. However, I still have some work and experimentation left to do. 

On the topic of positioning, all of the previous comments are great. Cornering is the easiest way to improve bass response. There is one more trick though... Place them on a shelf mounted to the wall. This will add a bunch of bass.

I have a lot of experience with Conas (I have two of them), and they are great for small speakers. I think a Cona would definitely help your situation, but only slightly. As Mr. Mediabobny showed above the S45-2 and Cona overlap completely. Why do I think the Cona can still add? It has two ports and has volume. Worth a try!