What is wrong with a sub?

Subwoofers are absolutely audiophile. I think at times they get a bad rap because people don’t take the time to set them up correctly and all you hear is bass that sucks the detail and music out of the lower octaves. A properly set up subwoofer should simply extend the bass down to the lowest frequencies and you shouldn’t “hear” it - it should just sound like your mains play deeper. It also adds a nice tactile feel to your music, which is present in the live recording session.

There are are many benefits of a sub and mains over just mains. First, few mains can get as deep as a subwoofer. Second, the optimal place for a sub doesn’t always correlate with the location of the mains. Third, you can relieve your mains of sub duty which can improve clarity and give that duty to your sub which is made for it.

PS: If you go with a sub, use DSP so you can adjust the curve to account for peaks and valleys in the sound due to room effects. Or better yet, use multiple subs. Two is great. Four is better yet. 😀

David, I am hesitant to use different makes and models of subs when putting multiple in the same room. I’m not saying it can’t be done or that it can’t sound great but I believe you stand a better chance at integrating them when they’re all the same model. If you already have multiple subs and want to try it out, let me know what your results are. 

As for DSP, it stands for “digital signal processing.” Some subs have it built in. With my system I added a MiniDSP inline with the signal going to the sub amp. It lets you tweak the signal in virtually unlimited ways based on what programs you upload to the DSP. I use it to cut and boost problem frequencies which are caused by my room modes. You can also adjust the phase, time alignment, delay, add filters, high pass, low pass, etc.