It's funny how new audiophiles come into this hobby dreaming of subwoofers.It is a wonderful kind of bass you don't get out of a sub in how clean and integrated it is.
And once we're in the hobby for a bit we dream of simply not needing them.
edit: Obviously, some things are not achievable without subwoofers. Depends on how important that lowest octave is to you and the material you are attempting to reproduce. Remember, the lowest string on a bass guitar with standard tuning has a fundamental frequency of approximately 41hz, and most popular music has been recorded and mastered to sound great on systems that don't even dig that deeply.
If you want pristine waterfall graphs down to 17hz you'll need to break out the wallet, the DSP, and a small army of subwoofers. I am not suggesting anything controversial or unconventional; nor am I contradicting our lord and savior Dr. Toole.
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