The B&Ws will be doing most of the work for the bass you like to hear but subs will fill in that lower frequency weight that subs do well. Stereo subs facing forward are the way to go if you don't want to spend the money on a set of woofer towers. It's up to you as the B&Ws are still pretty good with subs.
Do I need a subwoofer?
Hopefully I’ve framed this in a way to help people answer. Up until recently I have had a combo 2-channel/home theater system (Krell preamp with home theater bypass, Bryston 5 channel amp, PSB Synchrony 1s bi-amped speakers, Marantz home theater receiver, Power Sound Audio XV15 subwoofer, Oppo CD player). I wanted extra oomph for surround sound movie watching and occasionally some rock music, hence the sub. I was never really impressed with the XV15 sub (have it for sale now). It is insanely large and I wasn’t sure it was adding the oomph I expected, even after having a local hifi shop owner come out for a listen and tune.
What’s changed: A few weeks ago I inherited my late father’s B&W 801 speakers circa 1980, which I have put in place of my PSBs and am enjoying thoroughly despite the age difference.
My questions: (1) would a sub still be of value in my setup (I still like a lot of bass) and (2) what might folks recommend?
Thank you.