Adding a sub - what will I loose?

I would go with the Wilson Benesch Torus Infrasonic Generator.. There is no better way to get those low notes at electrostatic speed.. It will cost you about $10,000, and it is much better then the Rel..

or you could ask yourself a couple of questions?

1. Does my system totally involve me with its realistic and natural sound.
2. Is the presentation relaxed enough to allow me to listen for long hours.
3. Does my system sound pure? Or is it a little blurry?
4. Am I looking for more bass because I really can't answer yes to any of the above and I don't know what to do next?

Something to think about..

Jim

I'm with Bizango1 - it'll probably be a big gain. I run my mains the way you plan to, with a high-pass filter (in my case 60Hz). I go further and bi-amp the mains - I run a full-spectrum direct signal to the midrange-tweeter sections, and high-pass only to the woofers. I use a y-cable to split the preamp signal. The improvement in my system overall is amazing. I'm very happy with the result.

10 Grand for a sub,lol......more power 2 ya

What you will lose is realism, especially for the timbres of acoustic instruments...

IME, you will lose nothing - if you get it right - and you will likely gain a ton.

I've used a lot of combinations successfully, but the common denominator has been a sub controller. I think that getting seamless integration of your sub(s) is exponentially more difficult if you try to do it by ear. I also think that digital room EQ (at least for the subwoofer signal) is tremendously beneficial.

Until recently, I used a stand-alone Velodyne SMS-1 sub controller. Last week, I replaced my outboard x-over (NHT X-2), preamp (ARC LS 25), dac (Benchmark DAC-1), and sub-controller (Velo SMS-1) with an Audyssey XT32 enabled pre-pro (Onkyo 5508).

While I have not completely tendered my "official audiophile merit badge and ID card" (I still have the ARC gear and a bunch of Joule, Cary, PL, etc), I will say this system sounds awfully good to me.

Marty