Why the fascination with subwoofers?


I have noticed many posts with questions about adding subwoofers to an audio system. Why the fascination with subwoofers? I guess I understand why any audiophile would want to hear more tight bass in their audio system, but why add a subwoofer to an existing audio system when they don’t always perform well, are costly, and are difficult to integrate with the many varied speakers offered. Additionally, why wouldn’t any audiophile first choose a speaker with a well designed bass driver designed, engineered and BUILT INTO that same cabinet? If anyone’s speakers were not giving enough tight bass, why wouldn’t that person sell those speakers and buy a pair that does have tight bass?
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@kennymacc but many people are limited by their wife or girlfriend to small speakers.  Lots of skinny floorstanding offerings too that are not true full range.  thus the demand.

Hi @kennymacc 

    Just curious, why don’t you like them? I have 20.1 Maggie’s which are “full range” but they can’t touch my system with my fully integrated subs. It’s breathtaking, visceral, and seamless. I will say that before I had four and used multi sub optimizer it was a challenge to try to integrate just two for me. I had room nodes so bad my Pass X-250 would draw so much current trying to play the subs “loud” enough that I’d blow the fuse, lol. You can’t overpower science. . . The advice here and the effort is well worth it to integrate subs into any system in my opinion, even if it is just to offset room issues. 
 

Thanks,

Steve 

hifidream.  I don't literally hate integrating subs, I just prefer not to.  Heck, one of the best systems I ever heard was at a High End Audio shop in San Francisco which was comprised of a pair of Magnepan 3.7i speakers with a pair of high quality subs.  This system just swept me off my feet.