Thinking of adding a subwoofer for more bass.

The reason why I asked the question is because I was worried that the output frequencey of the amplifier was the problem because the Vandersteens go down to about 37hz.

Is this what you measured in YOUR room, or is this the spec that vandersteen publishes? If 37Hz is the response you get in your room, then I doubt adding a subwoofer will give you much other than bass bloat. What you are probably looking for in that case is bass slam/dynamics which is something else altogether.

Indeed. If bass slam and/or dynamics is what you're looking for, try different speakers and/or different (less compressed) music.

Martykl said, "In other words keep tweaking for flatter response and I'm confident you'll hear a difference."

Better advice has never been given.

Bob

Get a decent sub and see how you like it. It is definately worth testing. A good subs can be had for under $500 as well, such as ones from Hsu or SVS. Experimenting is a good thing.

Bob,

Glad you approve of the advice, but it's usually an excersize in frustration! Utilizing PEQ below 200hz is the only effective method I've found to consistently and EFFECTIVELY "tweak away" the bass response issues that Marantz describes. There may be other approaches, but I couldn't find one for my room. Some folks get lucky with room/speaker mating but others (like me) are stuck with hostile environments.

Marty