Manufacturers should not only know the dimensions of your listening room, but about the furniture, carpet, drapery, exactly where you plan to put the speakers, and should also conduct a lengthy interview (perhaps in the listening room over at least a couple of days) with you regarding your personal taste, how much you care about the opinions of others, and, of course, examine your finances.
Also, I recently read an essay in some HiFi mag about high quality subwoofing. Although technically maybe there isn't much below 40hz or so that should concern you, the writer was listening to mandolin music with and without his REL sub. It sounded much better WITH the sub even though logic dictates it shouldn't. It seems that a well designed and properly placed sub seemingly "charges" the air in the room with energy of some hard to measure nature. Having done this experiment myself with my trusty old REL Q150e, I experienced the same thing. If I dial out the sub it seems to drain the natural life out of the sound, leaving me in a despondent state of woe not unlike the demeanor often displayed by subless minimonitor users shuffling around their tiny apartments in tattered tweed jackets pausing only to look out the window at a full range world.
Also, I recently read an essay in some HiFi mag about high quality subwoofing. Although technically maybe there isn't much below 40hz or so that should concern you, the writer was listening to mandolin music with and without his REL sub. It sounded much better WITH the sub even though logic dictates it shouldn't. It seems that a well designed and properly placed sub seemingly "charges" the air in the room with energy of some hard to measure nature. Having done this experiment myself with my trusty old REL Q150e, I experienced the same thing. If I dial out the sub it seems to drain the natural life out of the sound, leaving me in a despondent state of woe not unlike the demeanor often displayed by subless minimonitor users shuffling around their tiny apartments in tattered tweed jackets pausing only to look out the window at a full range world.