Do you think you need a subwoofer?

Here's my system:

Bryston amp 4B SST C-Series (2-channel)
Bryston preamp sp 1.7
Paradigm Reference Studio/40 v.2 (front speakers)
Paradigm Reference Studio Center Speaker CC / v2 (Center)
JBL PB12 12" inch Powered Subwoofer
Cambridge Azur 540D the CD/DVD Player

I listen to music 95% of time on 2-channel stereo and I don't like the bass on my music at all. The JBL sub did not blend well with my speakers. I am looking for more "tight" and "deep" bass for the music. What I noticed was that if I select the front speakers as "Large" and turn off the sub then the bass sounds better, but it is less bass and I wanted to be more.

The question is:
1. Should I upgrade my front speakers and get rid of the sub or should I replace sub for a better one?
2. What type of speakers sounds well with my Bryston amp? I like the B&W speakers, what do you think if I upgrade my speakers to B&W?

Thanks.

Vu,

Describe your listening room including size/approximate dimensions please.

Thanks.

Dear Vuluongchitam: IMHO your Studio 40 are good speakers and IMHO too it is on the subwoofer side where you have a " trouble ".

First, for listen music I don't recommend one subwoofer ( for very good reasons that you can read in this thread. ) but two units. Paradigm has very good options that can blend with your speakers better than the JBL but the word " blend " is the main subject here.

I take almost a year to stay where I'm today on the subwoofers overall subject inside my system, not an easy task where we not only need patience but good know-how about music and how music sounds " out there " ( live ).
Your speakers are " ideal " to be mated with subs: great combination if you take your time.

Please read what ( and other posts related. ) I posted in this thread that can put some " light " to you on the subject:

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?eanlg&1117893153&openflup&27&4#27

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?eanlg&1117893153&openflup&31&4#31

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.

Everyone would benefit with a powered sub....amps run cleaner just having to power the mids and highs, and the sub can be tailored for the room

I agree with Stringreen and Raul. You can get an all passive full-range loudspeaker system to give you all the bass extension and coherency you could want, but it's difficult, very expensive, and the speaker remains room-dependent. Pick instead a speaker with built-in active sub like the GoldenEar Triton 2 and you get a similar level of performance for much less money *and* have the ability to adjust the bass level to the room and the speakers' positions in the room.

I just added a very fast, small sub (Mirage MM8) to my Mirage OMD-15 floorstanders. The OMD-15s have decent bass, but it's much better with the sub. If I had the coin I'd probably have a pair of JL Fathom F112's, one sitting right next to each OMD-15.

This is also a killer way to get the most out of a pair of Magnepans. Add some fast lively subs to some 1.7s or 3.7s. I heard a pair of Maggie 20.1s set up with a pair of JL Fathom F212s a couple years ago. Awesome sound and very easy to listen to on a wide variety of music, and very competitive performance-wise with any $24K pair of conventional speakers. Or consider a pair of 3.7's plus a pair of Fathom F112's. Total price is $11K and a value leader at that price point.

The really good active subs with continuous crossover and phase controls can be seamlessly integrated into a system. You have to work at it a bit but it's worth it.