In my days working in Hi-fi I came across a couple of classical music aficionados that ended up buying subwoofers so that organ pieces such as Saint Sans could be produced accurately without overworking the bass units of the main speakers, they would typically have a very low crossover to the sub though, around 60Hz and those frequencies would never reach the crossover circuit of the speaker.
The biggest benefit of a subwoofer if setup correctly is that all of the work the sub is doing, your speakers are not doing, this allows for more precision and detail in the lower mid and upper bass.
Unless a well designed transmission line speaker. I have a pair of (now slightly modded) IMF TLS80 II's I have had since the mid 80's that produce bass you feel rather than hear.
Makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up with a good quality (especially vinyl) recording.
And yes, it was organ music that was the turning point for me back then (had a series of JBL's before that).
They remain impressive albeit with an 80's signature (less forward mid range) and rather large (
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?p=5895056) compared to contemporary stuff.
On my highish end stereo they never fail to make an impression on visitors.
Just listening to Sergio Altumura on them as we speak.
My stereo system:
IMF TLS 80 II, all drivers refurbished with OEM parts, redesigned and scratch built X overs with air inductors and low tolerance components (originals are rather fragile with under done current capacity on the PCB and iron cored conductors poorly positioned so as to interfere with each other), cabinets re braced, re - and bi wired, bi amped
Two NAD C272 amps
Nakamichi CO3 pre amp
Linn LP12 with Ittock (currently awaiting $$ for upgrade)
Koetsu Black goldline cart (2nd series)
Handmade transformer step up based on matched Peerless 4722 microphone transformers,
Handmade speaker cable and interconnects with mixture of silver and O2 free copper (depending on application).
Rotel RCD 970 BX planned an upgraded for a modded clock and DAC but waiting for $$).
Nakamichi BX-300
I'm probably a bit purist, but surround sound in a HiFi thread? Oh well I guess it is an MTB forum after all.
Probably reflects my thoughts on the subject:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-20102207-47/hi-fi-vs-home-theater-speakers-whats-the-difference/
I'm not a complete ludite and we do have a couple of home theater setups (Harmon Kardon, Marrantz, Yamaha, Peavey, other stuff I cant remember) put together by my son and they are great for movies, not my preference for serious music though.
The HifiZine Mini Convertible speaker looks interesting though and maybe scblacks setup is also a practical compromise if you like your music.