An interesting thread for sure.
@mgrif104 - Great post & fully agree. I too worked in live sound most of my life.
In my main system, I’m using pro audio JBL 18" low frequency drivers. I bought JBL ASB7118 cabinets which were loaded with JBL 2269H 18" drivers. Those drivers were JBL’s best 18’s for maybe a decade or so and are only used in a handful of cabinets including the SUB18 studio monitor sub. I removed the 2269H drivers and had Joe at Stewart Speaker System redesign a pair of cabinets to house the 2269H drivers for a flatter response and in a walnut finish to eliminate the Pro PA look in my living room (see my system in my profile). With the new cabinets, the subs sound fantastic and are quite musical. I’m using JBL 4349 cabinets on top of the 18’s.
So, a good pro audio low frequency driver can make a heck of a home subwoofer. However, few people will wish to go through the hassle of having cabinets made, much less the design process to ensure the right cabinet is designed along with the need for external crossover, amplification, etc. My cabinets are huge for home audio, so not many listening rooms or significant others will put up with a pair of 18" sub cabinets. My setup is done around 32-35 hertz or so and can’t really reproduce down into the 20’s (nor do I really care).
A very good friend is also using 2241 JBL 18" drivers for subs and then a Danley Audio designed 3-way cabinet for the mid/high reproduction. Home audio components drive these speakers. It’s a very interesting listening experience since one can only get that impact from live sound cabinets.