I have been reading various threads where people have expressed views like there is no such thing as "too much" sub. However, in my particular situation where I have smaller satellites (Era Design 4's) as my mains, I am kind of unsure if the sub (HSU 3.3) that I am planning to invest in will drown my mains?

Any thoughts?

That is why you use a SPL meter to adjust the sub to the same level as the rest of your system... Some like to run their sub a few db's hot... but it shouldn't overpower your mains if you don't set it up that way...

The bigger your sub, the more quality bass you will have and plenty of headroom if you so desire it...

Yes it can overpower your mains... but only if thats how you have it adjusted...

Sure it can or could.
Set it accordingly to get a balanced mix that pleases you.;)

Thanks for your quick responses...so looks like as long as I adjust the speakers to the same level, it should not be an issue. Helps ease my anxiety :)

Correct skghost.

The somewhat parallel, but different issue which can happen is for your mains to simply "run out of gas" while your subwoofer still has more to give. In reality this is not a problem of having too much subwoofer, it's one of exceeding the capabilities of the main speakers once given more headroom in the subwoofer region.

The point to be made is that while more capable speakers might enhance the experience even more, a lesser subwoofer with the current speakers will in no way improve things, and likely not be as impressive. With a more capable subwoofer I do recommend experimenting with higher crossover settings if your receiver/pre-pro allows. I say experiment as the room acoustics and placement limitations will determine if this is a workable option. With a higher crossover setting you are effectively leaning more heavily on the subwoofer and a bit less on the speakers and main amplifier. In this case you should observe greater headroom, dynamics, and clarity during busy or complex events. The trick is of course to not trade off significant sound quality. This is much easier to do when you employ some form of EQ & measurement, but can work well if you are fortunate with room acoustics and subwoofer placement.

My IB system does for sure!!! Never get a great quality sub unless you are ready to upgrade the rest of your system :eek:

As long as you keep the gain down, the crossover not too high, and be careful with corner placement, should have no problems. One of the best things about powered subs, is you control how much or how little bass you want.

Correct skghost.

The somewhat parallel, but different issue which can happen is for your mains to simply "run out of gas" while your subwoofer still has more to give. In reality this is not a problem of having too much subwoofer, it's one of exceeding the capabilities of the main speakers once given more headroom in the subwoofer region.

The point to be made is that while more capable speakers might enhance the experience even more, a lesser subwoofer with the current speakers will in no way improve things, and likely not be as impressive. With a more capable subwoofer I do recommend experimenting with higher crossover settings if your receiver/pre-pro allows. I say experiment as the room acoustics and placement limitations will determine if this is a workable option. With a higher crossover setting you are effectively leaning more heavily on the subwoofer and a bit less on the speakers and main amplifier. In this case you should observe greater headroom, dynamics, and clarity during busy or complex events. The trick is of course to not trade off significant sound quality. This is much easier to do when you employ some form of EQ & measurement, but can work well if you are fortunate with room acoustics and subwoofer placement.

Repeating what you said, just to make sure I understood it right...

Setting a higher crossover should free up my main amp for the high end and thus adding to the headroom from my mains (to match the extra headroom from the sub)

My Design 4s (I would say) dig down to 50Hz. Setting a higher crossover, I fear, might make the sub localizable. How high would you suggest going?

As long as you keep the gain down, the crossover not too high, and be careful with corner placement, should have no problems. One of the best things about powered subs, is you control how much or how little bass you want.

What issues do you foresee with a corner placement? The front left corner is the only option available to me. I had checked with Dr. Hsu and he seemed ok placing it there - though he added to keep the woofer a couple of inches from the wall with the front facing the TV/system.

A larger problem one runs into when matching too much sub with small satellites is a hole in the Hz. If your satellites "dig" down to 50 Hz, that is quite impressive. Don't go on speaker Hz measurements alone. Most 6" drivers run out of gas or drop 3dB or more at 90Hz. There aren't many towers, let alone satellites boasting woofers over 6" anymore.

A good example would be taking something like eD's dual 18 inch "casket" sub and pairing it up with HSU's Ventriloquist satellites. One of the reasons HSU came out with the MBM (mid bass module) was because of this ever present "frequency hole."

Corner placement of a sub maximizes the efficiency, but also may create a "booming" effect. Bringing it out from the wall, or making sure it's not equidistant from each wall in the corner will lessen the boominess.