Why the obsession with the lowest octave

The same could be said for the highest octave. As for me, I disagree. Yes, I know most music (about 80%), is in the midrange, but I want it all, and miss it when it's gone. I suggest getting as much of the music that's on the recording as your budget and room permit.

My tweeter goes out to 60,000 Hz [I'll take their word for it] and there is no music out there either. Good subs make a difference even when there is no music supposedly below the range of the main speakers; once you hear it you will miss it when it is gone. I sometimes forget to switch on my subs; I don't notice it right away but gradually realize something is missing. An actual 28 Hz speaker is a rare bird indeed, I don't think the JM 1036 really goes that low if I remember the HIFI + test.

Mechans - Quality of the bass is more important than extension IMHO. My current speakers have larger drivers and more volume than my old speakers but extension is slightly worse. Dynamics, attack and decay of the bass, on the other hand, are much better. It has to do with tuning for the lowest distortion and not for the extension. Of course it is the best to have both but it also costs both - an arm and a leg.

Stan
All due respect but I had used a test tone CD which did show that they produces a low note at 28 Hz. Below that the tones made the woofers wobble in a frightening long excursion but made little sound. I will check again but these are the 936 Electra not the 1036.

Mine goes to eleven!

I'd agree that quality of bass, and control as well as balance, is all very important. Just because a speaker can reproduce down to XXhz does not mean that it does a convincing job in portraying those lower frequencies and the instruments that produced them. I think this is one of those things that reveal the limitations of graphs/numbers/measurements in telling the whole story. Here's where having two ears comes in mighty handy, and gives you a better idea of what the speaker in question is capable of. As far as why such a stress is put on it, one need only take a listen to a system that really gets that right can bring to the table, in order to understand why it is so coveted in spite of the fact that the majority of what we listen to exists on the middle rather than the extremes. It brings in one of our others senses big time (touch/feeling) and connects with us in an almost primordial way. I think it is also VERY difficult for a speaker/system/room to do well, so when that is done well, it's pretty amazing to experience.