Different subwoofer settings for different albums?

@redwoodaudio  No need to PM. The fact that it was a private conversation definitely means that it should not be broadcast.

My only point was that as an expert, indeed a professional who makes money based on this expertise, his advice should be able to stand the scrutiny of others. He's telling you something privately that is easily contradicted both by customers with experience and by many other experts. If he's willing to make money from you by telling you these things, he should be more than willing to listen to and respond to counterarguments.

But, again, I agree that being unexpectedly broadcast to a forum is not quite fair pool.

If it were me, I might say something like, "I have been discussing the idea of no-subs in a variety of places, and there's a fair amount of push-back from amateurs and professionals alike that subs can be quite a healthy part of a system" and see what he says.

All in all, if this was me, I think he's "outed" himself as much less of an expert than one might have thought, and while he can continue to be the functionary who takes a cut in the sequence from producer to consumer, he'd be on the way for me as someone to get advice from.

redwoodaudio, I think you might need a new dealer. If subs are set up correctly that is nonsense. I never feel the need to change my subs in any way. The correct set up of a system is the right set up for all music with the exception of balance. Balance does change slightly from one record to another so you might have to adjust the balance a dB or two to get the image perfect.
The subs are either integrated correctly or they are not. The problem is in most cases they are not. One of the major attractions of swarm systems is it is easier to get an acceptable result. Integrating subwoofers without measurement tools can be a real frustrating endeavor and many systems are worsened by their addition. Yes, you get more bass at the expense of detail. Many subwoofers are still quite audible in the lower midrange. You can't make their analog filters steep enough even with silly low crossover points.  

@hilde45 and @mijostyn, I appreciate your feedback to my question and I agree that this dealer is not quite the all-around audio expert I was hoping he was. Fortunately, I could reality-check that questionable advice on this forum. I've relied on expertise in this forum much more than I've relied on any one dealer in building my system, which is cool to acknowledge. 

I agree with the others here.  Going to bass limited main speakers (down to about 40Hz) and adding two subs was a major improvement to the sound of my system.  Two subs was a significant improvement over one and the only other major improvement I would consider at this time would be to add a third (or fourth) sub.  Fortunately, my subs can be adjusted by remote volume control so I have their level and phase set up for 80+ percent of the recordings I listen to but have the ability to easily adjust volume if necessary for certain recordings or if I am playing my system at a lower or higher volume level than typical.

@whart , Yes, a big subwoofer system for movies is a riot. I got my new laser projector calibrated professionally last week and the tech wanted to see a Blu Ray movie when he was finished. I just happened to grab Star Wars. The beginning of the movie is very quiet until you get to the fighting scene in the rebel starship. When the shooting started he was really startled. I had a great laugh. 

I agree whole heartedly with what you are saying. I would like to make just a few additions. Analog equalizers are difficult, even the Cello. They are very capable of making an image that was very life like, very two dimensional. This is not the case with digital equalization which can be use to improve the image and get a system to sound exactly the way you like. Done at high bit rates digital EQ is invisible as you noticed with Steven Wilson's remixes. This tech is available for home use. 
Subwoofers add greatly to the realism of most performances. When Stanley Clark thumps his bass there is a very low frequency transient that systems without adequate low end gloss over. Transients like these are common with many instruments and percussion. When they are present it adds greatly to the sense of "being there." 
Some of us want to stay pure analog I guess because it is tradition and very nostalgic and I understand that. But, there is so much you can do in the digital world that is virtually impossible on the analog side. The benefits can be simply amazing and IMHO outweigh the problems.

Nice system whart. I'd love to hear it some day.