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Great sound possible using a Subwoofer?

My speakers are flat to 38 hz but I feel I'm still missing impact, power and weight on most of the pop/rock CDs I listen to. I don't know if a high quality subwoofer would be a positive addition to my system or just add unrealistic bass and muddy up my midbass and midrange. If anyone has extensive experience with this dilemma please tell me what you think. (would better isolation of components, cables or power conditioner help the low end?)
nick41147be
avguygeorge
2,300 posts
 
Nick read"what freq.do tube amps loosen up in the bass?"
carl_eber
1,425 posts
 
Nick, play a test VCD with third octave pink noise, listen in the listening seat, and see if your pseakers really are flat to 38 Hz in your room. They might not be.
carl_eber
1,425 posts
 
That's CD of course, sorry for the typo.
rayhall
393 posts
 
If your speakers are flat to 38hz, you should have absolutely no problem with bottom end weight of your program material. There are really very few instruments which reach that low, anyway. Two are the piano and the pipe organ. If your system goes that low, it should be rattling the floor. Also, rock music, while often filled with a lot of bass, is usually not very deep. Most rock music is rolled off well before 40hz. A good CD for testing the bass capabilities of a system is Sarah McLachlan's "Surfacing". If track 2 does not shake the floor, your speaker manufacturer is lying to you, or you have some bass extension problems upstream in your system.
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