Are big subwoofers viable for 2 channel music?


In thinking about subwoofers to get for a large future listening space (30' x 30'). So far there seems to be a lot of great options for smaller subs for music.. such as the rel s812. Now my main focus will be music but I do plan to do some home theater on the system and I do enjoy subs that reach low and have strong but clear sub-bass. Would a large sealed sub still be able to provide clean tight bass that digs low and thus satisfy both duties. Can it ever match the speed and precision of a pair or more of rel 812s? Something like PSA S7201 or Captivator RS2?

A realize a smaller sub has a smaller moving mass and thus for a given level of power would be faster than a bigger sub with a bigger moving mass (driver mass). But a large sub would have to move less to achieve the same SPL and would reach lower.

Anyhow what do you guys think? Thanks.
smodtactical
big_greg,

I have my V801's crossovers set at 100hz and as I said before they disappear when playing. It could also just be the synergy with my almost vintage Miller & Kreisel MPS 2510 passive studio monitors with 2 midrange woofers and 3 tweeters each speaker. I'm gonna set the sub that's farthest away at 80hz and listen for awhile. 
I don’t know about big Subwoofers, but my two little JL Audio Dominion D108 Subs certainly pack a punch and filled a big room quite nicely with my Goldenear Triton 5’s. They’re powerful little Subs.
Legacy Audio XTREME XD Subs in use. See my review at Dagogo.com 

I have at times used from 4 to 12 15" woofers employed in systems. It's fascinating to hear the gradations of power, dynamics, smoothness, ease, tonality, etc. that occurs in different configurations of large drivers reaching down well below 20Hz.  
Hello douglas_schroeder,

     I have never employed 4 to 12 15" woofers in my room or systems in different configurations of large drivers reaching down well below 20 Hz.  I've only employed a maximum of  4 10" woofers/subs in a single optimized configuration, that reach down to 20 Hz, but not likely much deeper, and were included in the Audio Kinesis Debra 4-sub distributed bass array (DBA) system I've been utilizing in my room and systems for the past 5 years.  
    Since employing the AK Debra 4-sub DBA system, however, I have become very familiar in experiencing and enjoying very high quality bass performance that you very aptly describe as having the qualities of "gradations of power, dynamics, smoothness, ease, tonality, etc."  I would only suggest adding speed, accuracy, detail and naturalness to your list.
     But your apparent endorsement of employing subs with larger woofers and in quantities beyond 4 subs to reproduce bass well below 20 Hz and even further improve bass performance, both surprises and somewhat confuses me.
     It's my understanding that reproduced bass tones below 20 Hz are not audible, mainly just vibrate things around the room including parts of our bodies, there are very few musical instruments that produce bass below 20 Hz with pipe organs being the only ones I'm aware of and there being virtually no commercially available music recordings containing bass frequencies below 20 Hz.
     I prefer bass that sounds and feels natural like when music is played, heard and felt live in person at smaller venues, not like over-amplified arena rock bass.  What am I misunderstanding about music bass below 20Hz?

Thanks,
Tim