will adding a subwoofer improve overall audio


hi. my question is: will adding a subwoofer to my audio system improve overall performance, soundstage, clarity, etc. my system is: jm labs focal 918's(8' triangle between speakers, and away from listening chair), bat amp and pre amp, rega saturn cd player, running springs power conditioner, jps audio interconnects, kimber kable speaker cable. i have a small listening room, and am thinking the sub would help. also, any sub recomendations? i'm thinkin rel, jl audio, or b&w. thanks for the input, gil
gilman6125
Unless your main speakers are capable of faithful ~20hz reproduction, yes a sub will help. In my experience imaging, and overall accuracy improves no matter the size of the room. A good sub can be tuned to fit, though selecting the sub with the room size in mind is a good idea. IMO it's more important not to have too small a sub, than to have one too large for the room. One that's too large can be attenuated using the volume knob.
In my experience a sub made a tremendous difference. I have large floor standing speakers but my setup is in a corner and the ceilings are lower than most. This is far from ideal but I'm probably not the only one with a less than perfect listening environment. So, I ended up putting subs, passive boxes, in the corner sitting back farther than the towers. They fire in opposite directions and perpendicular to the mains. Having this setup for a couple years I can tell you it is the solution for me. I feel that I have successfully changed the negative characteristics of the room and it really sounds great as a result. The overall sound is much fuller and balanced.
Only if it is a high quality sub, correctly installed and tuned, and matched with the correct speakers. No if one or more of the above are not met. A su is not magic, but has the potential to be. Jallen
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Heck, I was all set to write something and then I saw Bob's post. So I'll just second what he said.