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I would try multiple subs, and hide them around the room so they're not visible. You could use something like the miniDSP DDRC88A with Dirac to integrate them. If you're just doing stereo, the 88A will automatically integrate, EQ(both individually and as a group) and time align up to 6 subwoofers. You can also you the BM software to optimize crossovers. Supposedly they have another bass management software now, though, that's more advanced, though I have no experience with that.
Getting the subs properly time aligned and integrated is hard to do manually, ime, and if you've got good tower speakers to begin with, you often end up with a worse sound than the towers on their own.
I have to sheepishly admit my failing on subwoofers:
I hate them. I hate the look of subwoofers, the added cables, the added hassle etc. I have heard many set ups with subwoofers and never felt a seamless blend. Whenever I say that I hear "oh, that means you haven't heard them done properly, you need to hear my set up." And when I hear it...I find myself aware of the subwoofer. (The most seamless blend I ever heard was actually my Gradient dipole subwoofer with my Quad ESL 63s...no other subs I tried blended).
But being an audiophile I finally gave in a couple years ago and sought to try subwoofers again. I listened to the reams of advice on AVS by the local subwoofer-heads there. To "do it right" of course it was advised multiple subs, good crossover, measuring gear, DSP etc. I jumped in, bought it all...did some initial experiments, and friggin' gave up. It was just way more work and hassle than I was interested in. It's like the folks who are really in to calibration for their displays and projectors. It's unbelievable the amount of work some put in to it and find gratifying. I don't. I don't like making such work in to a second hobby. (I pay a pro to do mine). Likewise with subwoofers. Plus it was tough getting the aesthetics to work in my room.
So the stuff has been sitting around and I was going to sell it all in the next few weeks. But I realized I'd be up to one more experiment. I'm going to put a sub behind my sofa and see if I can dial it in, including using an Anti-Mode dsp unit I have on hand, to do an easy integration step (running my speakers rull range, just adding sub for low frequencies, dsping the sub). Far from ideal, but again I've realized I'm just not in to what it takes for the subwoofer perfectionist. If it works, it works. If not, I'm done with subs I think. (It's not like I'm pining for more low frequencies when I'm listening anyway).
Seems like you are doing an awful lot of messing around without knowing for sure if there is much of a real difference.
No, I can hear the difference.
I would get a decent microphone and do some measurements, also record some music with the mic and compare with DeltaWave. You seem like the type of person who would also find reward in learning how to do this.
Actually...I'm too lazy See above.
Sometimes I can get fired up enough to put a lot of work in to something like this (as I did when designing my turntable isolation platform). But not at the moment. I tend to leave that to others more qualified to measure and interpret this stuff.