Are subs worth the price for music?

Thanks Eric...........My room/bass is already pretty good and much better since I added panels, but they're not bass traps, per se. Three of the 4 corners in that room have open door ways, the forth corner is directly adjacent to a window, so the typical corner traps can't be done. I have 3 inch deep traps straddling the wall/ceiling junctions around the room and that did help a lot...................seems I read somewhere that an open corner/doorway IS a bass trap, probably more of a drain than a trap, so maybe I already have them :)................being an audiophile is a PITA......we're never really satisfied, always looking for MORE.............Maybe I should just stop and enjoy the music :)

@shadowcat2016 - what kind of music do you like to listen to?

The Vandersteen’s have a pretty good bass response.

The low B string on a 5/6string bass guitar is 31 Hz.

A low end of 26 Hz is in synth territory.

Below 26 Hz is more an LFE that A/V systems pump out.

So I have to ask - do you think the speakers are not perofrming to your satisfaction?

What speaker and power cables are you using? they could be a limiting factor for your speakers or worse your amp.

Regards - Steve

The need for subs is the room not the speakers . Power cords and speaker cables are not going to fix a room . Read Dr Earl Geddes white paper on distrusted bass . Yes subs are worth it if used properly .. I use 4 subs .Most people think I am nuts until the hear my room . 

Evening gentlemen.....or ladies, if that be the case :)

My musical tastes run from a to z, classic rock, oldies, blues, folk, classical, new age, world music, country ...depends on the mood of the moment.

Speaker cables are by Bryston. 9 or 10 ga., don't remember now, but beefy.    Speakers are horizontally bi amped. Bryston 4BST feeding the lows, Bryston B-100 feeding the mids and highs.........Bryston amps are known for being good bass amps, so I don't think that's an issue.

Enginedr

I've been reading about the advantages of multiple subs lately. Not sure I have the room space to accommodate that setup, but it sounds like the way to go if you do.

Again, not saying my bass is weak, boomy, etc.........not the case. It's deep, solid and to my ears clean.............Mostly just wondering how a sub or subs would improve/change what I'm hearing now since I've never experienced it in my system.

@shadowcat2016 ....

Mostly just wondering how a sub or subs would improve/change what I’m hearing now since I’ve never experienced it in my system.

Based on your musical tastes and your components/cables...
- if the subs are setup "correctly: - i.e. to augment the Vandi’s - then I doubt the subs would provide too much of an improvement, because "normal music" seldom has frequencies below 26Hz anyway
- however, if you are after "true realism" e.g. to hear the LFE’s of a truck rolling past the recording venue (sometimes present on live concert recordings) then the subs "may provide" some benefit.

Adding subs on a two channel system such as your own is all a matter of personal preference.

FYI - my speakers are rated at 28Hz and I hear the trucks rolling by on a couple of recordings, so I have never considered adding subs. I also like Pipe Organ music, which already shakes the walls, so again - no need for subs

LFE’s, which is what subs are really designed to reproduce, are not really present in most music - unless you like to hear the Digital Cannons at their absolute best on the Telarc version of the 1812 overture :-)

If I had an urge to see what LFE’s were present in music I would probably opt to upgrade to a speaker that can handle a lower frequency, simply because the designers have gone to the trouble of ensuring a flat frequency response. It saves me the time and effort of setting up sub’s, which, from what I have experienced and read,  most people find "challenging"

Personally, I would spend all that cash elswhere.

Regards - Steve