Soundlab speakers with sub woofers?

That's funny that you mention Duke.... I did just talk with him the other day - great guy. And yes, he does have a great deal of experience with SL and he makes a set of subwoofers called The Swarm that he says works well with SL. There are a total of four sub woofers in The Swarm. I need to talk with him further, but with his experience I'm sure The Swarm would probably work great. Not sure the cost though.

My Soundlab M1PX's driven by CAT JL3 monoblocks (150 watts/ch)have very musical, spectacular bass. No subwoofer needed here!

In fact, when auditioning CAT JL1 tube monoblocks (100 watt/ch.) several years ago against my Mark Levinson 350 watt/ch. ss amp, the CAT’s increased control and drive in the bass region was the immediate positive sonic attribute that I noticed. In that realm, the CAT's did an absolute sonic tap dance on the Levinson! After a few more minutes and absolute disbelief of what I was hearing, I realized that the CAT's enhanced not just the bass, but the entire audio spectrum including the sound floor, harmonics and the note's leading and trailing edges! The differences were so stark, that immediately upon firing up the CAT's, NO thought was given to keeping my Levinson.

Thus, at least with CAT (tubes) vs Levinson (ss), I couldn't agree more with Atmasphere's comments regarding tubes and Soundlabs.

Atmasphere: The right amp is what makes for bass on a Sound Lab. Generally speaking, transistors are not a good match.

In fact, I recently was able to hear Ralph's, Atma-sphere amps (MA1's and MA2's) with Soundlab's. The result was very impressive. I was at an audio dealer's, not my home, so I really couldn't compare Atma-sphere's sound with my CAT's. But what I heard was more similar than different, and sounded just wonderful; so, much so, that I wouldn't hesitate to use Atma-Sphere's (tubes) with my Soundlabs.

If you're thinking of trying/buying Soundlab's, being worried about needing a subwoofer, would be the least of my concerns. IMHO, Soundlab's electrostatic bass is a huge positive and simply must be heard.

While I have no need to reproduce movie sound effects in my 2-channel only room, the canon explosions on Telarc's 1812 Overture are reproduced tightly and with authority and bass riffs (electric and standup) are simply outstanding. I can't imagine needing more!

With that said, I 2nd., soliciting -- frequent Audiogon contributor -- Duke Lejeune's input. As a Soundlab dealer and audio speaker and instrument bass cabinet builder http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=125121.msg1319009#msg1319009, he is in a perfect positon to provide uniquely experienced advice.

Two JL Audio Fathom 112 or 113's depending on your room size. If you have the room to setup the Soundlabs and have room for two subwoofers. The key to getting any sub to sound good is proper placement within the room. It also requires time to find the correct crossover point and slope. I am a former REL subwoofer owner used with at that time Martin Logan Odyssey's.

Mrmb when you were listening with the ma1 and ma2; did you hear a difference that would justify the extra cost of the ma2 over the ma1.
I am a owner of M2's with tordial upgrade and impedance mods and was just curious about how the 2 of these amps compared.