Do you think you need a subwoofer?


Why almost any one needs subwoofers in their audio systems?

I talk with my audio friends about and each one give me different answers, from: I don't need it, to : I love that.

Some of you use subwoofers and many do in the speakers forum and everywhere.

The question is: why we need subwoofers ? or don't?

My experience tell me that this subwoofers subject is a critical point in the music/sound reproduction in home audio systems.

What do you think?
Ag insider logo xs@2xrauliruegas
Dear Jloveys: Like in many other audio topics there are a lot of mis-understood on some subjects.
The subwwofer one is full of false myths and non know-how about and that's why not so many people can take the huge advantage of the subwoofer great quality improvement in almost any audio system.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
Dear friends: Well, here is where I read the subs re-wiring mod: http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?vaslt&1140494870&openflup&36&4#36

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
Dear Jloveys: I don't know if you ever consider to mate your Quad's with two subs in real stereo fashion. It could be interesting and IMHO it could give you a " natural " quality performance improvement.

f course that that is room/system dependent but maybe worth to try it.

What do you think about?

regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
Again, contrary to common belief, those Quads 57 have plenty of bass, very well controlled but needs right room placement. What extra subwoofer ads is absolutely not "more" bass, but a 3D projected sound image of the whole spectrum, when switching off the sub this holographic sound collapses instantanealy in a flat ( still coherent ) presentation. What Gradient or Mark Levinson did with stereo dipole subs + supertweeters was IMHO to correct supposed defficiencies of the pannels instead of trying to make shining their qualities; are they sounding like ESL 57 anymore ? I doubt it. The sub integration must be done with a touch of subtility just enough to make that "soundstage" appear, the sub must "disappear". It takes me a few hours to set up correctly this integration parameter. So using a second sub or better as many as 4 is a good experiment to try , but I will do it with very small subs in srategic places of the room, with very very small amount of "sub" effect, just a tiny little to boost the stereoscopic imaging of the pannels a step ahead.
Dear Jloveys: I Agree with you about that 3D sound image.

I take more than 8 months to integrate my subs " seamless " where I was looking not exactly for a better soundstage ( that at the end was an improvement too. ) but: better bass quality, extend the bass range and its quality performance, lower IMD to achieve better midbass/midrange performance, high frequencies with better natural transparency, better tonal balance and better " true ".

These targets ( and other ones ) can/could be achiving with that " seamless " subs integration.
Not and easy task, very time consuming where patience, know-how and good ears are desirible.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.