Quote Originally Posted by swarna
Okay. But since Bass is largely handled by sub-woofer, shouldn't the compact speakers do the rest of the job?
Thank you
If by "compact" speakers, you're referring to the tiny cubes or spheres that you see with some of these sub/satellite systems, they got problems galore if you value quality audio reproduction. First off, these tiny speakers simply cannot fully cover the frequency range down to where a bona fide subwoofer takes over. Otherwise, the common approach is similar to how Bose designs their Acoustimass system, in which they raise the frequency range that the bass module needs to cover. This approach negates the advantage of a subwoofer, which is to allow for maximum placement flexibility with the audibly nondirectional frequencies (below about 80 Hz or so). If the bass module has to go as high as 250 Hz (which is how the Bose AM systems are tuned), then it will sound very directional.

The best approach is to go with a decent bookshelf speaker that can honestly carry its weight down below 80 Hz. The subwoofer will then take over where the frequency response of the bookshelf speaker starts to tail off (80 Hz or 60 Hz or even 40 Hz in some cases). A sub allows you to place the unit where the bass in the room sounds the fullest and the most even. Typically, the best place for bass is not where the main speakers are located, usually along the middle of the front wall. That's the best reason IMO for having a subwoofer. But, you still need to pair it with a quality set of speakers, and that's usually not going to be with those "compact" satellite speakers. Those small speakers are decor friendly, but they are not geared for maximum performance. Unless you have design limitations, then you should go with the bookshelf models.