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Has anyone added a small subwoofer to 2 channel and been thrilled with the result?

The subwoofer can of worms.
I’d like to add some bass to my otherwise fine 2 speaker setup and have limited space so perhaps a single 10in?
After a few weeks of research the only conclusion I can come up with is - everyone agrees they have to be setup properly. Every brand and technology has their own following and most recommend using 2 (which I don’t want due to space concerns). My room is 12 x 13 ft with box raised ceiling.
After much research, these are the subwoofers I’m trying to pick from, for various reasons:
Rythmik FM8  - lots of hifi fans
JL audio e110 - fantastic support
REL T/9i - sort of a gold standard
KEF R400b - interesting technology, makes me grin. 

I've never heard any of these.
System:
Hegel H160
SF Concerto speakers on stands.
Ben
casteeb
jl35
4,007 posts
 
Many recommend 2 or more subs, I know REL does. Some depends on how low main speakers go and room. Also debate about how directional our hearing is below 35-40hz. Bass guitar goes down to 42hz. So lots of debate, and different preferences. REL likes to demonstrate subs with female vocal and acoustic guitar...
wolf_garcia
6,704 posts
 
Bought 2 used RELs for peanuts (Ebay), easily helps make a good system great.
jl35
4,007 posts
 
which did you get wolf ?
casteeb OP
28 posts
 
I wonder how much difference you would hear between 10" and 12" subwoofers?
kahlenz's avatar
kahlenz
274 posts
 
stuff-jones:

At the frequency range the subwoofers activate the wavelengths are longer than your room.  That means the entire room is being pressurized with these low signals, so the sound from the resolved wavelength is coming from everywhere.

If you are sitting 10' from your speakers, frequencies above approximately 115 Hz will have wavelengths of under 10', so the direct sound (at 115Hz and higher) will reach your ears before any reflections.  As frequencies get higher, it becomes easier to pinpoint the direct sound from the speaker.

The reason for two subwoofers has more to do with cancelling resonance peaks and valleys than improved imaging.  You can set up one subwoofer to sound pretty good at a single listening position, but if you want the bass to sound better at multiple listening positions two subs, when placed properly, will be much better.  The sub frequencies will still be omni-directional, but will be distributed more evenly throughout the room.  Any directional cues are coming from mid bass tones and transient noises such as pick and finger noises.

One of the big advantages of subs is that you can move them around to adjust to your room resonance frequencies.  That is quite a bit more difficult with large, full range speakers that can handle sub-range frequencies.  With big speakers that can reproduce those sub-frequency sounds, you will need to resort to digital or acoustic room correction to level out room resonance peaks and valleys.
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