I write and speak a great deal about subwoofers because I believe they are the missing element in almost every system I encounter. And that's always been a mystery to me.
My guess is that a good 90% of systems haven't the advantages of greater presence, air, low extension, and life a subwoofer brings and it probably has to do with the way it's always been presented—as an optional add on.
Imagine if tweeters were optional add ons. "Have a hankerin' for some of them high notes? Just add yer'self one of these here tweeters and make like a bird."
Perhaps the reasons are simpler than what I am making fun of. From the very beginnings of stereo, speakers were "full range" single-box entities. They had all they were going to have and add ons, as subwoofers have always been seen as, were about as necessary as super tweeters.
It is fascinating to me to be known as a "bass freak" because I don't want a system that isn't full range.
For now, I'll just add this great mystery to the stock of others that I accumulate.
Now, perhaps someone will explain to me why frozen bread toasts up so much nicer than fresh…
