Do you think you need a subwoofer?

After doing some research the past couple nights I'm strongly considering adding a pair of Genelec 7360s to complement my 8351Bs. I know Genelec recommends the 7370s, but I think the 109 dB SPL of the 7360s is more than enough for my needs (even 80 is pushing it for me and 90 is usually borderline painful--not sure how some of you do it!), and my room is on the smaller side. The 7370s wouldn't really even fit without some creative rearranging.

I'm not sure I fully understand the measurement side of things and whether it would be an upgrade in more than just the sub-bass with these particular monitors. I do have a couple bigger nulls in my GLM at 72 and 108Hz that the subs probably will help address.

Listened to some stuff with deeper bass the past couple days to refresh my memory, and I'd call my current setup nice and tight and reasonably full range but a little light on the deep tones you can really feel--no surprise there. Even looking at those Fats Waller organ records recorded in a church studio in Camden, NJ by Victor Records in1927, they have crisp, well-defined bass as low as 31Hz! Incredible! I think my monitors technically are capturing it, but I could see how a sub would be a more effective solution to reproduce this type of record, or any record, accurately. Would like to understand the numbers a bit better.

Dear @mke246  : Good. That " well defined bass as low as 31hz " yes is incredible coming for 1927.

Good luck with your 7360's.

R.

Dear friends: Along the other 2 Harman links I posted in this page this one could be interesting for almost all of us:

Harman How to Listen

R.

@mijostyn  : Balanced force in sub's is not something new, Thiel and ML did it along other manufacturer before.

" I am surprised that nobody is making cylindrical subwoofers. " , not today but in the past HSU was a proffesional proponent of that design and they manufactured subs's that gone as lower as usuable 4hz frequency.

In reality, it's almost nothing new about sub's but differences in its quality design implementation and digital crossover technology that in the past never been used.

R.

@rauliruegas I did not say it was new and I recommend ML subs all the time. KEF does it with the Blade.  Magico does it with their Q subs. 

I am not familiar with HSU, but good for them. You are also right that digital bass management with crossovers, room control and EQ have improved the situation greatly.

I have two Model 4 subwoofers up and running. They measure great with a slowly downward sloping curve from 100 Hz down. They are 3 dB down at 20 Hz. This is without correction, with the crossover deactivated. They do not shake or vibrate at all running a 20 Hz test tone and white noise at 90 dB which is as loud as I can go before things start falling off shelves.