Ken,
I'm getting a second sub? Wow, how nice of you
. No, actually, I only got the one sub for now, but I'll just have to see what happens down the road.
So, my question is, do our systems need to play those lower notes just to add some fullness to the sound, or do we need them to punch us in the chest?
For me, I think it is the former. Yes, I like those big speakers that really pack a wallop at 20 Hz or so, but to do that really right requires a lot -- a lot of speaker, a lot of amplifier, and a lot of money -- if it is to be musical at the same time, which I think is the key.
I was quite pleased with the bottom end of the Sapphires when I sat down and listened, and as I turned to one of the folks in the room to ask which one of the ACI subs was playing, they said none were playing. This guy turned out to be double ugly and I thought he was just pulling my leg, so at the next break I asked Mike which sub he was using, and he said the same thing, then turned the sub on so I could hear the difference. What I heard was just a nice filling in of the bottom end -- no booming, in perfect integration with the monitors, and while pleasant, and great for a lot of situations, was not absolutely necessary for full listening pleasure -- mine, that is. I bought the sub anyway because I did like what it added, and my experiences with subs to date hasn't been terribly positive (not horrible, just took away more than it added.)
I also live in a townhouse and have neighbors on either side, and if turning off the sub at night allows me to still listen to a very decent portion of the specturm without it, so much the better. And if I can turn up something with Edgar Maier playing his double bass and can't tell the sub is on, better yet.
So, who knows, until I hear things here and have everything broken, and dialed-in, I won't be able to say for sure how much an additional sub would add, and if it would be worth the extra $900 or so.
And for my single driver/SET gear in the basement, I know I'm going to be getting one of Ed Schilling's Cubes to fill in that part of the spectrum that the SD speakers I can afford, just can't do justice to.
So bottom line, I like it full, rich, and musical, but I don't need to hear the canons on the 1812 overture push me back into my chair or hit me like a concussion grenade.
-- Jim