I'm one of those that went the other way as well. I had B&W CDM1 with Velodyne servo sub purchased in mid 90's. Before the fero-fluid dried up in the monitors, the system had a lot of detail and the sub could play low double-bass notes. However, I was constantly messing with the sub setup: use the sub-crossover/don't use it, tweaking crossover point, adjusting volume. It kinda got old, and it took up a lot of space. It's not really true that you can just put a sub anywhere in the room.
About 18 months ago, I replaced monitors with Totem Sky monitors - huge soundstage and unbelievable detail. Also, big bonus for me - they sounded best in my room only about 10-12" from the wall. A couple months ago, I replaced Totem and sub with Forte III's. They are also great in my room - I can have them about 9-12" away from the wall in my room for optimal bass and soundstage.
No more messing the sub, don't miss it one bit. Nice full, big sound, plenty of detail. The Forte III's don't have the soundstage of the Totems but overall a much better user experience - set and forget. Wish I would have bough Klipsch Forte or Cornwall 25 years ago instead of messing monitors/subs. If a local dealer had any Totem towers to demo, I think I likely would have bought them to get the two-channel (no HT in man cave) bass I wanted with the great detail and soundstage, and ditch the sub.
Having said that, being a bass guitarist and my brother having been a drummer, we both feel like what was lost in terms of the massive Totem soundstage was made up for in "realism" in the Klipsch - I hear the tone of the bass such that it sounds like my Fender and Rick bass guitars I have in the room, acoustic guitars sound just like my Gibson J200, the snare and cymbals sound like my brothers drum kit - unlike any other stereo speakers we've heard. For us, that's a special kind of fun.
About 18 months ago, I replaced monitors with Totem Sky monitors - huge soundstage and unbelievable detail. Also, big bonus for me - they sounded best in my room only about 10-12" from the wall. A couple months ago, I replaced Totem and sub with Forte III's. They are also great in my room - I can have them about 9-12" away from the wall in my room for optimal bass and soundstage.
No more messing the sub, don't miss it one bit. Nice full, big sound, plenty of detail. The Forte III's don't have the soundstage of the Totems but overall a much better user experience - set and forget. Wish I would have bough Klipsch Forte or Cornwall 25 years ago instead of messing monitors/subs. If a local dealer had any Totem towers to demo, I think I likely would have bought them to get the two-channel (no HT in man cave) bass I wanted with the great detail and soundstage, and ditch the sub.
Having said that, being a bass guitarist and my brother having been a drummer, we both feel like what was lost in terms of the massive Totem soundstage was made up for in "realism" in the Klipsch - I hear the tone of the bass such that it sounds like my Fender and Rick bass guitars I have in the room, acoustic guitars sound just like my Gibson J200, the snare and cymbals sound like my brothers drum kit - unlike any other stereo speakers we've heard. For us, that's a special kind of fun.