I posted this message on the AVS site in regards to adding the sub.

"I think a sub SHOULD be used in a blind test. You should listen to both with and without the sub, and both should be blind.

We're dealing with bookshelf speakers, and for the most part, in the real world, we'll listen to them paired with a subwoofer. Listening without a subwoofer is a good to get an idea of the characteristics of the speaker, but the real test is WITH the subwoofer - if that's how you'll be listening to it at home, no?

I did this very test at home myself. I brought home speaker A and speaker B. (Not using brand names, because it's irrelevent).

Alone with no subwoofer, A & B were very comparable speakers. Speaker A was a bit more detailed in the high end, but lacked much heft in the lower end. Speaker B on the other hand was much superior in the lower end, but lacked the detail of speaker A. Then I flipped on the subwoofer. With the added subwoofer, the difference between the two speakers was like night and day. Speaker A was clearly the superior speaker, as the clarity and details which were it's fortes, now blended with the low end of the sub, and made for a clear, full-bodied, rich sound. Speaker B on the other hand still suffered from the lack of detail in the highs, but now it's "superior" low end did nothing for it. It sounded "muddy" as though it were being played from behind a damp cloth.

My point is this. Without the subwoofer, I wasn't sure which speaker I'd buy, and if I didn't own a subwoofer, I may very well have purchased speaker B. But the fact is, I do own a subwoofer, as do most all of us here. Don't you want to know what the speakers sound like, as you'll actually be listening to them?"

Since this is the Axiom board, I'll let you know that it was the M22ti vs. Energy C-3, that I was comparing.

Though their "shoot out" was flawed, they did a commendable job considering how many speakers they were trying to listen to in one evening.

I'm hoping we'll be able to do a round two with just the Ascends, Axioms, and Aperions. This time blind and with the added sub. (yeah, I'm sticking to my sub idea!)

-Craig