Maggies and subwoofer integration

@margaretha         You hit your head on the nail.

What's the worst speaker or stereo set-up you've ever seen? Intergrate a subwoofer with maggies ;)

I’ll counter that 90% of the time I’ve heard subwoofers they were not well integrated, so of course I’m not surprised that adding a subwoofer to a maggie by most sounds bad.

The issue IMHO is the TCO (total cost of ownership) of a sub is a lot higher than expected. Placement, measurement and EQ as well as acoustic treatments are often all needed to get to done. Most consumers want to drop the subwoofer in a convenient place and set the volume and call it a day.

I will say though, that subwoofers are often the last step on a list, not the first, that audiophiles should consider. Make sure your room is as well treated as you can stand. Often this tilts the balance towards the bass and makes a lot of speakers sound much larger. THEN if you still want a sub go get one. You’ll be in a much better place. Be prepared to get bass traps in the corners or soffits, and have a flexible EQ solution for the sub, whether built in or by using a miniDSP.

I can’t repeat enough that good room treatment will make most speakers sound much larger and more dynamic.

@erik_squires 

+1

I completely agree that careful integration seems to be the exception. 
 

Also, I am always skeptical about integrating subwoofers with planar speakers. The planar speakers are so fast and most subwoofers are so slow. It would be really challenging to do it well. Doesn’t Didn’t) someone offer planar sun woofers? 

The planar speakers are so fast and most subwoofers are so slow. '

My HSU subwoofer is as fast as any planar, when well integrated.  When poorly integrated it's a hot mess and not worth the electric bill.