Do you use a Subwoofer when listening to stereo?

I had only two subwoofers with full range speakers (Salk Songtowers) so can't speak to having 4+ subs.  When I finally finished treating the room and locked the position of the primary stereo speakers, I decided to go without the subs.  The Salks were now putting out, what seemed to me, palpable sub-bass. You know, the feel-it-in-your-chest...coming-out-of-the floor kind of bass.  The only thing was that it was soft.  It was big but softer compared to the subs.  But it felt more organic to me and I didn't have to concern myself about it when I changed records. I don't miss the subs...but I also don't know any better sub solution.

At some point, I just didn't want to keep concerning myself with bass all the time. I think before you get into multiple subs, you got to nail the mids and the highs...an by that I mean the imaging. Great imaging is way more rewarding than great bass. Sometimes I think we chase great bass because the imaging isn't doing it for us.

Anyway, I'm in a different house.  It's been a year and I haven't locked down the imaging yet.  It's not a dedicated listening room either which make it tougher.  But I will keep exploiting the room...

I've used sub woofers for probably 25 years or so.  I enjoy what they add to the "musical experience".

Having said that, if you decide to add a sub or two to your music audio system, please be patient.  Integrating subs can be a challenging and frustrating experience as the acoustics of the room they live in might require a lot of time and money to get the needed treatments.

In my last house, my 2.0 system sounded fantastic!  The bass that my main speakers had was excellent, just not as good as a sub would provide in the lowest two octaves.  I added a pair of excellent subs, which came with microphones and an internal app to "tune" them to the room, but the room would add a single bass note, regardless of what the bass player was playing.  I eventually bought a special microphone and a special piece of software to help me purchase and install 10 bass traps, to mostly control the errant response from the room!  I had challenges with other subs in other listening rooms, but nothing as frustrating as this.

We are three weeks from settling on a new home, with a dedicated listening room, fingers crossed that the subs will "behave" in their new digs.

@emergingsoul 

Im not sure you ever said whether the sound/bass you are getting from your mains is satisfying?

moving lower frequencies off the mains may allow you to play louder... may result in lower distortion... may or may not result in an audible improvement. 

Most likely a sub/subs will improve the slam factor if properly located and dialed in. 

So, it all comes back to the question... are you happy with your sound with no sub?

I’ve been spending the past couple days tuning a pair of REL S812s. It’s challenging because I have a mode around 60-70Hz, presumably the floor-ceiling mode. After a bit of tweaking, I think I’ve finally gotten the crossover low enough to avoid audible mode over-excitation. I can still see the mode on the RTA but I don’t notice audible distortion 

I set the crossovers for my usual listening SPL. I think if I played much louder, the mode would be more audible. 

Hello hsw,

     Are you stating that you're using a pair of subs and you're hearing or measuring a bass mode between 60-70 Hz at your listening seat? If so, this just means that at least one of your subs are positioned poorly in your room and in relation to your listening position (LP).  Apparently, your LP is in close proximity, or smack dab in the middle of, a bass room mode which is heard as a bass peak, dip or null.
     When utilizing 1 or 2 subs in a room, and the 'sub crawl' method is used to properly position them in the room and in relation to the LP, one of its major advantages is that this method ensures that there are no bass room modes in close proximity to the LP.
      I suggest you google the 'sub crawl method', utilize it to sequentially locate both of your subs.  Then adjust the volume and crossover frequency controls on both to the lowest settings you can while still maintaining bass performance that sounds good to you (it's solid, powerful, smooth, fast, detailed, dynamic, tonally accurate and it sounds natural).   Only once these steps have been completed,  would I recommend measuring your room to verify results.
     One or two subs in a room, provided they are optimally positioned in the room and in relation to the LP utilizing the sub crawl method, are capable of providing good bass performance, that is bass mode free, at a single designated listening position.  If you walk around the room away from the LP, however, you'll notice there are still numerous bass modes at specific spots in the room, heard as bass peaks, dips and nulls. 
    Utilizing 4 subs in a room in a distributed bass array (DBA) configuration in a room are also capable of providing good bass performance that is bass mode free.  But its main advantage is that it'll do so throughout the entire room and not just at a single LP. 
     If you walk around the room away from the LP after a 4-sub DBA  is installed, such as an Audio Kinesis Swarm or Debra DBA system, you'll notice there are no bass modes of any type perceived at any specific spots throughout the entire room.  

Later,
 Tim