Just upgraded my speakers - do I still need the subs

The above is exactly what l am saying ….

Read the original post. He is already running a stereo pair.

Suggesting a new expensive angle of buying new subs will just make the OPs final decision even more difficult. It was not what he was originally asking about, which was …”Do l need to keep the subs?”

You ABSOLUTELY need subs. Those with speakers costing 3 X the cost of your speakers have subs - most REL, BTW, understand that irrespective of the speakers one has, none can perform at such a deep level as a great sub and no subs are  as fast as REL- and the importance of subs relates to the entire spectrum. Bass is the very foundation of all octaves from the highest to the lowest, and without a proper sub, you will absolutely suffer degradation in both mid range and high range frequencies.

There is actually a terrific video you can find on YouTube you can search for with a title something like “is this the best hi-fi system of 2026?” It’s an interview of one of the most brilliant and  knowledgeable audiophile consumers in the world featuring 100k  TAD speakers and an array of a six pack of REL reference subs. He will explain to you why you need subs better than I can here

@fritzenheimer 

Trust YOUR ears

Whichever sounds convincing to YOU-with/without is "best."

@fritzenheimer  Listen to @tcutter -- Subs have two basic purposes;  (1) Extend low frequency response for speakers (not necessary in your case) and (2) smooth room modes for low frequencies.  The latter is more important and applies even where you have "full range" speakers that might actually go lower than the subs. With just two speakers your room will have bass nulls and spots that are boomy.  Adding subwoofers will smooth these out and make for more consistent bass in the room.  You'll hear the difference when you shut them off.

@wyoboy +1

@fritzenheimer 

Below are waterfall graphs from my room which may provide a sense of room mode reduction. Frequency and amplitude (volume) are on the X and Y axes, respectively. The Z axis is the time the wave persists in the room as it bounces back and forth between the walls, ceiling and floor. You can see that "Subs on" is fading more rapidly than "Subs off".

Adding subwoofers creates additional waves that interact with the other waves by adding a peak to another’s null and a null to another’s peak. This results in a smoother response but also shortens the time spent reverberating because the wave has been cancelled or at least greatly reduced in amplitude.

There are still significant benefits of using multiple subs in a system that already has decent low end extension because you get a smoother frequency response and a shorter reverberation time. The bass will be better, faster and smoother.