The Aerial SW-12 sub nicely rounds out my nearly full-range Aerial Model 9s. Filling out the bottom octave adds a bit of warmth, fullness and does make a difference wrt to depth and drive on certain music, IMO. It is not just the frequency extension but the drive that a good sub can add because even speakers with specs extending into the lower registers are seldom able to provide the level of drive in those lower frequencies that is provided by a good sub.
One method that has worked for me in matching a sub with main speakers, is to initially set both the upper frequency and level of your sub(s) a little lower than you would think is needed, listen for a period of time (e.g, a week or more) and then listen without the sub. If you miss how it sounds with the sub in the system, then you are probably on the right track. You can always bump it up a bit and repeat, until you reach a point where the sub is interfering with the balance of your system, then you have gone too far. I suspect many who don't like subs in their systems for music either have them turned up to high, either the frequency, the level, or both, or maybe have a sub that is too slow to mate well with their main speakers. Placement can also be played with. A corner placement has worked pretty well for me. I would like to add a second SW-12 and I am curious to hear from anybody using the AudioKinesis Swarm sub array.
One method that has worked for me in matching a sub with main speakers, is to initially set both the upper frequency and level of your sub(s) a little lower than you would think is needed, listen for a period of time (e.g, a week or more) and then listen without the sub. If you miss how it sounds with the sub in the system, then you are probably on the right track. You can always bump it up a bit and repeat, until you reach a point where the sub is interfering with the balance of your system, then you have gone too far. I suspect many who don't like subs in their systems for music either have them turned up to high, either the frequency, the level, or both, or maybe have a sub that is too slow to mate well with their main speakers. Placement can also be played with. A corner placement has worked pretty well for me. I would like to add a second SW-12 and I am curious to hear from anybody using the AudioKinesis Swarm sub array.