Anyone with a high-end home theater sans sub?

Flrnlamb,
As you point out, the DSP8000s (like most full-range speakers) include separate drivers for various frequency ranges. If your implication is that any speaker that includes drivers that play the lowest octave automatically include a "subwoofer", then this discussion is moot. However, Quicke's initial post questioned the need for a separate subwoofer (not just full-range speakers) - note his reference to a "7.0" configuration.

For the record, I don't know how loud the DSP8000's will play an 18Hz tone, but they are measurably flat down to 18Hz for as loud as I can stand in my room, so they work for me. My previous post may have incorrectly implied 118dB at a single frequency. They are specified as within 3dB from 20Hz to over 20kHz. Maximum output >118dB spl @ 1m on music material (presumably a combination of freqencies). Honestly, I'll never be able to test them at that level.

No self-respecting HT afficianado would have a theater without a sub. :)

JOHNMCELFRESH, there is a VAST DIFFERENCE between full range speakers with large woofers, that play down to or bellow 20hz(+/-3db or better), and ACTIVE POWERED WOOFERS!!!...make no mistake! The control and power deliver, and thus efficiency of a woofer that's ACTIVE(meaning the amplifier is coupled dirrectly to the woofer, AFTER THE CROSSOVER,as opposed to the amp being INFRONT of the crossover, as in any passive full range typical speakers setup) is FAR SUPPERIOR and MORE POTENT than a typical passive arrangement, yes! (all things equal).
So, no I'm not implying anything remotely similar to what you are pressuming I stated! You're listening to me, but you're not hearing me.
So hear this...Bass is the single most demanding and difficult thing for speakers and amplifiers to reproduce and thus control! Ative, especially highly efficient woofer designs need control and high damping factors to properly due justice to demanding bass frequencies. IT's not like moving a tiny tweeter a few thousands of an inch!
And the only way to properly control a large bass driver, or even smaller one's, with impact, extension, speed, authority, and weight, even percision, is to get as much control of the woofer as possible. And that's best done by putting the amplifier dirrectly to the driver(s). There are other factors to be sure. But this is critically more efficient than running the passive route, like most full range speaker configurations...you just lose too much going through the passive crossover. That's exactly why crossing over higher in a passive setup, to active powered subs for movies is much more efficient and dynamic of a pressentation overall. (THX's implementation). Passive speakers need help.
So, no, I mean nothing of the sort Johnmcelfresh.
Infact, take a pair of Def Tech BPtowers, with active subs, and run em agains't a pair of, similarly sized(woofered as well) Paradims or B&W's, and play some movies or heavy bass demanding music full range through em. You'll immediately notice the power,extension, dynamic effortlesness and lack of distortion with the acitive woofer designed Def Tech's!!!
We're easily talking a 200% improvement in power and potency in the bass dynamics and weight,easily! Infact, it's not even close. You can fill a LARGE ROOM with powerful awe inspiring bass response with the better Def Tech's. While the others, and similar I mentioned, need you to definitely add some powered subs.
Same goes with Designs like the Infinity Prelude MT's, NHT VT powered sub towers, Old Polk RT2000's, and even, yes, Meridian 8000's!
Speaker desings that start to approach this in passive designs, are very highly efficient larger Klipsch speakers. Still, getting an active sub setup surpasses these easily in bass authority.
Also, very efficient "transmission line" desings, like PMC and Def Tech(at lest they used to), grealy helps the bass response. Still, you take better more efficient designs, and add "active control" to the setup, and it's still a huge advantage!
Any quesions?

Audiophiles and enthuiests alike will tinker, plot and plan HT systems around their full range two channel systems to no end! They'll even go "sans" the processor, do processing for DD/DTS in their dvd player, out of the analog out's of the dvd, into their high end CAT preamps and such, and expect it will get no better! Yeah, sorry, that ain't even remotely the case!

Flrnlamb,

Do you always communicate so condescendingly? You might have considered that someone who has invested the kind of time and money in audio as I have (over the past 25 years) MAY have done a bit of research. In fact, my DSP8000s are not the first active speakers I have owned. I am quite familiar with the advantages of active speakers - that's why I own them.

As I mentioned, the original poster in this thread seemed to be referring to seperate subwoofers (hence the comment about 7.0 configuration).

Your definition of subwoofers as active bass speakers (integrated or seperate from main speakers) is arbitrary and incorrect. There are a number of passive subwoofers available today, though I'll grant that active subs are more common. The passive ones are no less subwoofers, however.

I'd wager that the folks who own 1000W Boulder amps and Wilson Alexandria speakers would challenge your assertion that passive full-range speakers are incapable of handling home theater without additional subwoofers, powered or not.

I realize that this is an extreme example, but the subject of this thread is "Anyone with a high-end home theater sans sub?" and the post begins "Is anyone else out there enjoying a high-end home theater without the contributions of a subwoofer, e.g. 7.0?". Since the writer specifically asked about high end, it is reasonable to answer "yes".