Subwoofer: How low should I go?


My B&W 683s are rated at 38Hz - 22kHz.

I've been toying with the idea of a small subwoofer to augment the low end a bit. My apartment is pretty tiny, and in a crowded NYC building so I don't have room for a big sub and don't need or want earth shaking bass, just a little more oomph.

The sub I've been looking at is the Velodyne Microvee. It fits the bill size wise. But it's rated at 38–120 Hz.

My question is, do those numbers mean the sub covers exactly the same low end as my speakers, making it useless? Do I need to go with a lower frequency sub to hear a difference?

Thanks!
rkny
YES: Eldartford has an excellent and correct point concerning the improvements a sub can have on your system. That's providing the subwoofer system has a means of subtracting the freqencies it's reproducing from the mains(especially if it relieves the main amps as well). I've been actively bi-amping for years(pro and home) for those reasons, but never used an add on like the Velodynes. Do they incorporate a crossover to relieve the mains?
Good point, if they don't relieve the mains, the benefit goes out the window. This approach to improving the sounds the mains worked in an obvious manner when I owned Vandersteen 3As and bought a pair of his power subs - the midrange improved in a very noticeable and appealing way.
Is this to say that anyone who is merely tacking on a sub to an existing 2 channel setup is doing their system a disservice? I can only imagine the number of people who have simply plugged a sub in.
They are not gettign the full benefit of using a subwoofer; it still might make for a system that sounds better to the listener, especially if the mains are truly lacking below 50-60Hz (small monitors).