The order of getting more/better bass

The TAS article is OK but there are a couple of points I disagree with. The first is room size vs woofer size. An 8 inch sub is not going to go very low. It just can not project. Multiple 8 inch drivers may be able to get down to say 30 Hz but still they will not make it down to 18 Hz where the action is. It is those low frequencies that give you a sense of venue size.
In a small room you need at least a single 12" driver or multiple 10 inch drivers. As far as room size is concerned, you can make bass in a telephone booth. It is just hard getting in there with the sub woofer. Yes, larger rooms are easier to deal with but you have to work with what you have and I have heard some seriously good systems in 10 X 15 foot rooms. It is harder to get the bass right but it can be done just not in the short time you have to work with in a "show" situation. Next, a system Q of 0.5 is too dampened. You will never get the impact of really low bass.
I like 0.65. You get detailed bass and super low frequency impact. You get more impact if you go higher but you start losing detail. The home theater subs do this. You can accomplish the same impact and maintain detail by getting a second sub. I use 4 12 inch subs with a system Q of 0.62 (hard to get it perfect). The bass is very detailed and I can make your vision blur with bass drum strikes, the best of both worlds. You also have to be careful to use high powered amplifiers with very high damping factors 500 or higher with subwoofers like this along with very short low gauge wires 8 gauge or lower. Good subwoofer drivers have huge inductive motors and throw a lot back at the amp. 
People who are silly enough to read my posts like cleeds and geoffkait know that I am not crazy about bass traps. I have never seen them work.
Just place the sub is corners and if you can place a third or even fourth sub along the wall wonderful. You have just made yourself an infinite bass line source which will which seriously limits reflected energy to the ceiling and rear wall. The rest can be easily cleaned up with room control.
You might need 6 dB of correction here and there. Nothing crazy. 
Mr Hartley is certainly correct in saying the best bass is expensive. Erik, you make speakers! Sub woofers are easy. There are a gazillion great drivers out there now. I think Dayton makes the best for the money. My personal favorite right now is the Morel TiCw 1258 but it is 3 times as expensive. 1" MDF is not enough. The thickest you can get it is 1.5". I like at least 2" so I laminate two 1" panels together with epoxy (System One).
Glues like Titebond use water as the solvent and can make the MDF swell. You can make a real stiff and heavy enclosure because you don't have to worry about shipping and labor costs! 

Pardon my concentration. The infinite bass line source limits reflected energy from all surfaces except the ceiling and rear wall.

If you want to fill a large room with quality sound that you can play at a decent level, a 2 way stand mount speaker system with a sub or two will not cut it. Been there, done that. While you can convince yourself it is good, there is much better. Erik always mentions DIY, but many of us aren’t interested in that. It’s funny that all the BEST speaker systems are not 2 way speakers with subs. Just why is that Erik? Did you ever hear or read about the laws of physics? Those 2 way speakers will chug and distort when pressed to play loudly.

While the 2 way speakers and subs may play Jazz and Chamber Music well, a full blown symphony orchestra playing something like 1812 Overture or say some Pink Floyd will sound 100% better on a large floor standing speaker system. I don’t have a dedicated room for my main rig and I do not need room treatment like bass traps. My couch takes care of that plus all the other furniture in the room, plus the drapes, wall hangings, etc. Why would anyone want an equalizer in a high end system, that is nothing more than a band aid.

Doug Schroeder is correct in his post. I trust him much more than the O P as he has been in the industry for many years and has heard and reviewed many types of set ups. Erik, I hope my answer meets your criteria of an honest answer, weather you agree or not.

My first tip for beginning enthusiasts would be to totally ignore your original post!

  Typical, poorly thought through, poor advice

 I amazes me how some people can possess such ability to insult other people.

If you want to fill a large room with quality sound that you can play at a decent level, a 2 way stand mount speaker system with a sub or two will not cut it.

Please re-read my very first sentence, and pay careful attention to the audience I meant this post for.  Here, so it's not too hard, I'll repost it below:

Say you have a nice 2-way speaker system. Maybe you are starting in your hobby, and maybe you have decided the bottom octaves are a place to improve. What next?

So, this was not a post for those who can afford a home, build a custom listening room and whose rooms are designed or altered for large speakers.

Erik always mentions DIY,

Provably false statement. 

but many of us aren’t interested in that.

OK, but not sure what that has to do with anything in this thread.  Are your feelings hurt that I didn't post this about how to be an audiophile if you don't want to or can't buy the largest possible speakers and equipment?

It’s funny that all the BEST speaker systems are not 2 way speakers with subs. Just why is that Erik? Did you ever hear or read about the laws of physics? Those 2 way speakers will chug and distort when pressed to play loudly.

The laws of physics, measurement tools, and my own ears tell me that large speakers often sound like crap in the wrong room. Why do you think so many high end 2-way monitors are sold in the US?

What is on the cover of Stereophile or TAS after they've bought 30 full size glossy ads is probably not going to sound good in the beginning audiophile's listening room.  So, sure, pick out some $30,000 / 500 lb speaker and I can find plenty of places in which most of them would sound like utter crap and I could put a better 2-way with sub in, with some very noticeable and clever exceptions. :)

Best,

E