More Power or use subwoofer to boost bass for music

Thanks for the recommendation.  I was looking at both REL and SVS.   I really like the REL feature.  It can accommodate both 2 channel music with a low pass filter setting, and Home Theater usage with a LFE input.   The information I found on their website is that the low pass filter doesn't apply to LFE.  It only applies to 2 channel input.   This is exactly what I want.   However, my only concern with REL is their passive downward firing drive.   I'm really trying to reduce any vibration onto the floor.

As with the SVS subs, they just seem to get a lot of good reviews, and reasonably priced.  So it seems to be a good option.   But according to the answer I got back from their support team, the low pass filter does apply to both 2 channels input and LFE - which is not what I want.

Hey @noble100 xcool means I used to be cool, but no longer.  But I'm older and wiser though.  :-)

Thanks.  I'll take a look at GIK acoustics.  I've always been intrigued by the idea of room treatment, and know very little about it.   Also, I think my options might be limited.   My listening area is near a stretch of windows with no curtains, just shades.   I always think there's very little to do about it unless I put up thick curtains, but I'm not willing to do that.   I just need to strike a balance, I supposed.

BTW, what are bass traps?  Are they for enhancing the bass, or calming down the excess bass?

Thanks.

Thanks George.   Thanks for the information on Parasound A31.   That is good to know.   Maybe I do need more power to drive those B&W.   I'll checkout the review.

Also, many thanks to others for information on room treatment and multiple subwoofers.    One thing I should have mentioned in my original post, is that I live in an apartment, not small, but average size.  I don't have a lot of options to accommodate multiple subwoofers.   I actually do have a subwoofer now.  It's a very old Def Tech subwoofer from the 90's.   It doesn't have a whole lot of connection options.   I only use it for movies.  I was looking to replace that anyway.   

I do like the option of adding some acoustic panels, and will look into that further.

Thanks!

Reason for A31 is because I only run a 3 channel (L,R,C) home theater.   I don't have room for surround speakers.   I have the Marantiz 8802A preprocessor for both movies and music (via Pure Direct mode).    I'm also looking for a stereo pre-amp right now.  I'm considering Parasound JC-2 or Mcintosh C49.  I actually had another post in this forum about that.

i don't remember what the dealer use.  It was actually in Magnolia shop of Best Buy when I heard them for the first time.  I think they might just be using a Rotel integrated.

Hey @audiokinesis thanks a lot for your suggestion, and also everyone else for such a colorful discussion.   :-)  

There are a lot of good information here.  One thing for sure though is I don't have the space for 4+ subs.    I definitely have space for one sub.  That is to replace my old one that I only use for movie right now.   It's sitting in the corner of my room, but partially obstructed by piece of furniture about 1 foot in front of it.   So the location is not ideal.   It will be a challenge for me to try to fit a 2nd sub in the room.   BTW, my speakers are already very close to the back wall - right around 1 foot away.    So technically, I'm already placing my speakers at a good location from the bass perspective.

Anyway,  I think I might give a new sub with EQ a try, and get myself out of this 'purist' mode :-).   Will also do some research on room treatment.   

Actually I might start with a new dedicated stereo preamp for my 2 channel music and work from there.   

There are definitely a lot of moving parts in this hobby, and a lot of trial and error to pursue the best sound.  But it's all fun stuff.  :-) 

Hi @jl35 that experience of hearing punchy bass out of the B&W 804 D3 was almost 2 years ago in the Magnolia studio of Best Buy.  I wasn't super serious at the time of buying a new pair of speakers, but just happened was able to listen to them that day.   Actually, overall it didn't sound that great in the Magnolia show room.  I thought the speakers were very bright, but it did leave an impression of good bass.  I vaguely remember it was driven by a Rotel Integrated.  I think the source was my iPhone playing 128 kbps AAC files.   Wonder if the compressed AAC music actually generated some good bass.  :-)

I eventually bought the speakers a couple of months ago from a local dealer after auditioning them against a pair of Sonus Faber Olympica Nova II.

Hey @noble100 no need to apologize,  I appreciate all the suggestions and opinions offered by many of you,  and learned quite a bit from this thread.

Cheers!

Thanks @jl35 @bonsai15 for suggesting REL subwoofers. I just checked out their website and they seem very nice. I was thinking about trying out SVS SB16-Ultra. It seems to get a lot good review. But somehow REL got mentioned quite a bit in this discussion, so I will trust your recommendations.

One thing about REL that might be a show stopper for me is the down firing passive driver. Let me just share a quick story with you guys. Just a couple of days ago, I decided to give my old 1990’s era DefTech subwoofer (250 watt & 15" driver) a try and hook it up to play music with my B&W speakers, and I also pushed the subwoofer farther into the corner of my living room. I was messing with the gain switch a little to get some good thumping out of it. Later that evening the building manager sent out an email to all residents that he received a complaint from some residents that they hear very loud bass music coming through their wall, and reminded us this is against condo rule. I’ve been using my subwoofer for TV and movies for years and this is the first time I get a complain so I need to be very careful going forward. I think pushing the subwoofer farther into the corner might be the main culprit. Anyway, I immediately ordered a pair of SVS SoundPath Isolator from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NCSQ5GK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Does anyone have experience with these? Do you know if they work?

Anyway, back to the REL subwoofer, I’m afraid the downward passive driver might be a problem in my situation. Unless maybe I can stack it on top of my old sub.

Hi Duke, thanks for the suggestion on Auralex SubDude.   I wonder how they compare to the SVS SoundPath Isolator that I just ordered.  They are both highly rated in Amazon.

Also they both seem to reduce vibration to the floor.  I wonder by reducing that, will it also reduce vibration to the wall.   Do you have any suggestion on reducing vibration to the wall behind and to the side of my subwoofer?  Would acoustic panel or bass trap help?

Thanks.