[pmosher]

Just wondering what really would make a sub woofer necessary in a two channel music system?

[SteveFord]

It all depends on how far down your speakers go.

[rodge827]

It all depends on how far down your speakers go.

It also depends on the listeners preference.
Some are happy to have speakers that live in the midrange and upper bass, others want the full spectrum of sound.
I'm of the later, if it is on the recording I want it in my room.    

[JLM]

Not if you use headphones.   

Music (live/real) goes down to 32 Hz (except for pipe organs that can go lower).  That includes piano.  So 30 Hz is my rule for full range musical playback.

Your room is a big factor.  Note that small, squarish rooms can be bass nightmares (standing waves causing frequency response to vary 20 dB), and so might be best avoided if you're not ready to tackle the issues via multiple subs, room treatments, and equalization (highly recommended to be used in that order).  Keep in mind that any room can have it's "issues" that bass loading brings on.

Ideal speaker placement (for frequencies above say 140 Hz - varies by the room) is not the same as for bass.  Below that transition frequency sound propagates as waves versus rays.  So separate sub(s) can be located to best suit bass reproduction.  Below you'll find support for why multiple subs makes sense.

[decal]

A SW is only necessary if you think it is.

[jtwrace]

Just wondering what really would make a sub woofer necessary in a two channel music system?

It really depends on your measurements.  Most likely you need them and will need to work on the room. 

[oboaudio]

A subwoofer is needed if one likes pipe organ music
or electronic synthesizers, which have bass as low
as 8 hz!

[cheap-Jack]

Hi.

Just wondering what really would make a sub woofer necessary in a two channel music system?

YES, absolutely! I did not know until I add my 100W 10" sub & found I missed so much LF music from my vinyls, CD-audio, CD-rom, DVD-audio & DVD-roms.

Now I am a very happy camper as I can enjoy really full music spectrum (20Hz to 20KHz) acoustically. Thanks to my sub with proper stereo interface to my tube phonostages.


c-J

[Guidof]

Good points all. Another one -- often absent from discussions about subs -- is their effect on sound stage.
A good, well integrated sub has a significant positive effect on the three-dimensionality of the musical presentation. This enhances realistic portrayal of the spatial aspects of a musical performance.

Guido F.

[poseidonsvoice]

Good points all. Another one -- often absent from discussions about subs -- is their effect on sound stage.
A good, well integrated sub has a significant positive effect on the three-dimensionality of the musical presentation. This enhances realistic portrayal of the spatial aspects of a musical performance.

Guido F.

It really depends on your measurements.  Most likely you need them and will need to work on the room.

What these 2 fellas said. Once you go to a well integrated multi sub system, it only enhances the 2 channel experience, irrespective of what genre of music you listen to.

Best,
Anand.

[JRace]

A subwoofer is needed if one likes pipe organ music
or electronic synthesizers, which have bass as low
as 8 hz!

If your speakers are capable of hitting 32Hz in room, and the bass is well distributed and not exciting room nodes or nulls then yes, you only need a sub for the above quoted reasons.

How likely is that to happen?
Very unlikely.

A sub also allows one to reduced the amount of bass your mains need to reproduce, shich makes there mid-bass and midrange response even better.

The only way to know for sure is to measure your room properly.

[cheap-Jack]

Hi.

It all depends on how far down your speakers go.

Yes, "how far down" & how much acoustical bass power the loudspeakers can deliver. It means to get the right bass SPL, the driving amp will NEED to have adequate 'muscle' to drive LF (assuming low enough for the loudspeakers) to the right SPLs.

Like my 2-way KEF bookshelvers, already got a large 13.5" x10" woofer. But so what! My 35W+35W tube power amp fails to deliver the realistic low bass acoustical power out of my loudspeakers. I did not know until I added my brandname 100W 10" active sub which gives me back the long time missed LF music already recorded in the music! For a few digitally mastered
vinly recordings, I have to find my dropped jaw when the bass notes pumped out so clean, fast & powerful.

Never before without an active sub, properly interfaced with my stereo tube phonostages & properly positioned.

Pipe organ music & the like LLF instruments can go down to sub subsonic frequencies which can be produced by an active sub (after proper placement) withOUT sweats & withOUT overdriving the power amps.

By hook & by crook, I can now enjoy really FULL range music comfortably at not too high SPL with
LF bass pumped out realistically withOUT affecting the finest details of the HF & MidF of the music.

c-J