jbaggs said:
Why so I need a subwoofer?
Some people get confused about what a subwoofer actually is for in home theater. They tend to think that it's just there for the explosions or the noisy scenes, but this is not the case at all.
A subwoofer, when setup properly, is the backbone of adding powerful ambience to most scenes in a movie. The actual noise of a rocket taking off will use the sub, but it is the rumble leading up to the rocket taking off that you barely notice building in the room that is what puts you on the edge of your seat.
More subtle is the effect of standing on the bridge of the Titanic or sitting inside of an airplane. There is a low level constant rumble that the subwoofer injects into the room. Barely audible, and not something you really notice... until it isn't there anymore.
My brother asked the same question you did and I took him into a DECENT audio/video store and into a studio with a movie playing and the subwoofer on. It wasn't a loud scene, but I asked if he heard the sub... he said he did not. Then I turned the sub off. His response: "Wow!" He didn't really notice how much the subwoofer added to the impact of what he had been viewing, but the second it was gone - he noticed right away.
Yes, subs take a load off your receiver, yes they can really enhance explosions, but the best subwoofers can deliver high levels of very low bass without distortion or a 'boomy' sound that only enhance almost every moment of every movie you will ever watch. This is why people will spend thousands and thousands of dollars on just the subwoofer(s) in their system, and feel that it is worth every penny.
