oldschool1,
Also it’s important to have the sub the same distance from your listening position assuring there is no phase shift. A common mistake is stuffing a sub in the corner and their mains are 2-3 feet forward of them. This creates a timing issue as the mains will reach your ears before the sub.
....Too much overlap and it sounds like mud. Not enough and there’s a disconnect. Trick is to find that sweet spot.
But I think all that speaks to one of kosst_amojan’s point:
First, it a more technically complicated approach.
It really IS a much more arduous and involved process to seamlessly integrate a subwoofer. I and many others know this from experience.
One of the claims often made about subwoofers is that it is easier to set up for excellent sound since you can place the satellite - mid frequencies upward - where it sounds best, and the bass drivers - sub - where they sound best. Whereas with a floor standing speaker you are stuck moving both around at the same time, making it "harder" to integrate in to the room.
But while that contains some truth, it's also misses some truth: in one case you are finding the best spot for one speaker, in the other (subs) you have to find the best spot for TWO separate speaker systems. And finding the right spot for a sub is just as finicky as for placing a full range speaker anywhere.
As you say "trick is finding the right spot" for seamless integration.
I’ve placed a great many large floor standing speakers in my room and found beautifully integrated sound with little problem. But incorporating my new subwoofers has been a whole new ballgame and level of complexity. It’s not for nothing that many subwoofer fans say you’d better be using microphones, a computer, software etc to read and dial in subwoofers. Or you are doing the "subwoofer" crawl on your hands and knees hoping you find a spot your subwoofer can practically be put, and then adjusting phase, crossovers, etc.
Further, if you go with the idea that subs have to be near the mains, then you end up with TWO speaker systems having to be placed in the room near each other - a floor standing speaker, or stand mounted speaker, now with a big ol’ sub - or two subs...or more!.... right nearby. Aside from IMO being even more unsightly than a single elegant floor standing speaker, it essentially takes up even more floor space.
Can a sub be integrated really seamlessly to please the pickiest of audiophiles? Probably (though I’ve yet to hear it). And I’m hoping on that because I’ve bought subs and a crossover and I’m continuing to experiment.
But to really get the most benefit one essentially enters the realm of sort of becoming part of the speaker designing process - altering crossover frequencies, adding new drivers, etc. That’s not for the faint of heart and my ears tell me it’s often not nearly as successful as I’d like, or as I hear from any number of full range speakers where the designer has done all the work.
