It depends on the location of your sub, the crossover (Butterworth/LR) and the distance from the satellites.
I was definitely able to locate the sub no matter what I did. I listen in a desktop environment with KEF LS50. I have about 80cm - 1m stereo triangle. When I had the sub off to the side or even under the desk, it was always noticable.
I eventually built DIY subwoofers as stands for the LS50 - this solved 2 problems in one. I have the tweeters at ear height and my subwoofers in front of me, directly below the satellites.
Moving from 12dB filters to 24dB also made a massive improvement. "You can't locate a sub" is definitely wrong. Currently, I cross over at 100hz, since I can afford to now.