Subs?

Subwoofers are still very difficult to integrate in a true HEA system. HT fans are less about seamless integration but praise the sound of jet engines/explosions and even dinosaurs walking through a jungle, not music to my ears! Dealers/sellers will almost always advocate the need for subs, now they push for two subwoofers, Why? Because it’s another component to sell. The budget Audiophile will put more importance on a sub then an amplifier or source component. The top level Audiophile might have FOMO over the lowest octave which could take his system a level or 2 backwards, even with near perfect integration its likely a sideways move.

@dayglow  There’s virtually nothing here I agree with.  Subwoofers are not that hard to integrate if you have any idea what you’re doing, and if you read Todd Welti’s research who’s a foremost authority on subwoofers he shows with measurements why 2, 3, or 4 subs are significantly better than one.  And that last octave is very worth being concerned with because as others have mentioned here having that can vastly improve imaging and 3D soundstage — it’s not just about bass with subs. 

Definitely at least two subs, and three or four is even better if you can swing it.  I’d go for 15” subs but no smaller than 12” because they’ll go lower and work more effortlessly with lower distortion than smaller subs.  I think Rhytmik subs offer the best performance/$ although they don’t as yet offer software to help dial them in, which is not necessary but can be very helpful.  Arendal subs have also gotten good reviews and seem to offer high value, and I’d also consider Paradigm and Perlisten.  B&W is overpriced relative to alternatives IMO, and JL Audio has had significant reliability issues that may be more prevalent in their lower-level subs but worth checking before going that route.  I want my subs to hit an honest 20Hz because there’s important information down there that improves sense of space/soundstage, and to get there with REL you gotta spend big bucks relative to these other excellent alternatives.  If it’s me I’d go with a Swarm from Audiokinesis, but if that’s not possible I’d go with a pair of 15” Rythmiks and take the thousands you’ll save and upgrade other equipment or go on a nice vacation.  Hope this helps, and best of luck.