noob sub-woofer question

Hi--

I have a Pioneer receiver attached to two Polk RT1A1 bookshelf speakers and (soon) a Polk CSi3 center speaker. I use this mostly for CDs and MP3s, secondly for TV and DVDs. (Not a multi-thousand-dollar set-up, true, but I'm saving for my one-year-old's college fund.)

My two questions: how much of a difference will a subwoofer make in my system, especially for the music? And, do I need to use a Polk brand subwoofer to go with my Polk speakers, or will something else do? Any recommendations?

Thanks in advance.

Thanks. I went for the center speaker over the subwoofer because, when I was watching TV or movies with the speakers, the dialogue seemed low down in the mix, or perhaps a bit off. Not out-of-sync, just sort of far away from the action on the screen. From what I had read, a center speaker is supposed to help with something like that. That, and I got a great deal on he center speaker I got.

The subwoofer will be my next purchase, when I can swing it.

Thanks for your help. I may ask around in the subwoofer forum as well.

In the room that I have my speakers and TV in, I can either set the speakers directly on either side of the TV (~2.5 feet apart), or place each ~6 feet away from the TV on either side. The room isn't huge, but contains a wood stove that makes the placement of things tricky (and perhaps effects the sound in some way?), and those are really the only two options. Closer together didn't seem like a great option for listening to music, but the way they are positioned now really seems to separate the sound from the TV. I'm hoping a center channel helps me out a bit here. I'll post back once it comes and I can set it up.

I've gotten the center speaker, and it makes a huge difference when I watch TV or movies. Dialogue is much more pronounced and doesn't feel far away.

My receiver is a 5.1 Pioneer VSX 819H, so I have the option of adding a subwoofer or rear speakers later. The cable box hooks up to the receiver with a HDMI cord (video and sound, not just pass-through). What's confusing is that there are about three stereo sound settings and a dozen surround sound settings, so I'm doing a little trial and error to see what sounds best. It's true that, with some settings, the center speaker becomes fairly useless (as do the front speakers), but I think I've found the right setting to take advantage of the center and front sound.

When I'm listening to CDs, I set the receiver to stereo. I can set it up to use the center speaker, but I prefer the stereo sound for music. I'm guessing most in this forum would agree.

My next step, somewhere down the line, is a decent subwoofer. I've read the above replies, and I'm sure it would make a difference. But since I'm not usually blasting music (I have a one-year-old, with another on the way), how big of a difference do you think adding one might make?

One thing I think I've noticed (and perhaps this is for another thread) is that with music made within the last ten years or so (or, at least music that appears to have been made with a serious production budget), the bass does appear to be slightly weaker. When I listen to older music, I don't seem to have this issue as much. Sure, I'm making a pretty gross generalization, but does anyone else think that more contemporary music has been made to take advantage of subwoofers?