Should I bother to try a subwoofer?

"Oh. If you do get a sub or two: find drag racing on tv, turn stereo up as high as courage allows, listen to them launch.
It is really cool the first time."

LOL!!!

Integrating a sub into a two channel system is difficult, but does not have to be. I use a Velodyne SMS-1 equalizer with my system and have great success playing all types of music. I do not have bass boom, droning, or one bass notes that some people are experiencing. It takes a lot of time and effort to get the correct volume, phase, and EQ set properly to listen without having to adjust any settings. Regarding having enough bass, someone is asking for a sub to go with a pair of Wilson Audio Maxx III's in anoher forum. Once you do have a sub setup properly, you can always turn up the bass volume for parties, jamming out, and other reasons to play loud.
Ciao,
Audioquest4life

So...I am auditioning an old REL Q150E over the weekend. It's and interesting process if I don't get to manic about it. Lots of knob twisting and changing of music. I'm honestly not sure I like what I hear all of the time. It seems I keep lowering the sub volume and the crossover frequency. Pretty soon I may have eliminated the sub altogether!

It's a side-firing speaker and I found it to sound very directional in spite of what everyone says. I turned it backwards in the corner and that made a huge difference--night and day, really.

More later. Thanks to everyone who has offered their two cents worth.

Tostado,

Audioquest provides an excellent idea. The Velo SMS-1 sub controller will help you get the set up right. It's a 180 degree difference from set-up by ear.

The cost is +/- $400, in-home money back trial period. If you decide against a sub - return the SMS-1. IME, it's a mistake to try to judge your subwoofer set up 'til you've used a tool like the SMS-1.

Marty

I'm sure the Velo electronic setup is great, but it's a bit of a budget-buster for me.
I've spent parts of three days listening and tweaking and am happy enough with it that I decided to take the plunge and buy the REL. I'm sure I'll continue to make adjustments hear and there, but overall it's been educational and fun, if perplexing at times. Bottom line is, it's a significant overall improvement and I'm a born-again audio freak. I'm digging up a lot of material I haven't heard in ages, and it's never sounded so good. Maybe I'll upgrade the CD player down the line, but for now this is really satisfying.