Do you think you need a subwoofer?


Why almost any one needs subwoofers in their audio systems?

I talk with my audio friends about and each one give me different answers, from: I don't need it, to : I love that.

Some of you use subwoofers and many do in the speakers forum and everywhere.

The question is: why we need subwoofers ? or don't?

My experience tell me that this subwoofers subject is a critical point in the music/sound reproduction in home audio systems.

What do you think?
rauliruegas

Showing 2 responses by jloveys

Raul, that Soundstage article is the exact description of my own experience on integrating subwoofers with ESL pannels, thank you, relieves another myth from the global audiophile conciousness...something is hard to fight against even if your own experience proofs the contrary. This article gives me some fresh air and I feel more comfortable not beeing totaly wrong.
Again, contrary to common belief, those Quads 57 have plenty of bass, very well controlled but needs right room placement. What extra subwoofer ads is absolutely not "more" bass, but a 3D projected sound image of the whole spectrum, when switching off the sub this holographic sound collapses instantanealy in a flat ( still coherent ) presentation. What Gradient or Mark Levinson did with stereo dipole subs + supertweeters was IMHO to correct supposed defficiencies of the pannels instead of trying to make shining their qualities; are they sounding like ESL 57 anymore ? I doubt it. The sub integration must be done with a touch of subtility just enough to make that "soundstage" appear, the sub must "disappear". It takes me a few hours to set up correctly this integration parameter. So using a second sub or better as many as 4 is a good experiment to try , but I will do it with very small subs in srategic places of the room, with very very small amount of "sub" effect, just a tiny little to boost the stereoscopic imaging of the pannels a step ahead.