Neil's kick drum immediately took on a bit more punch, weight, and definition.perfectly complementing the rest of his drum sound without overwhelming it. With the sub, I could easily hear and follow every note and slide. I could guess what the bass was doing, but I couldn't quite hear it. Without the sub, parts of it sounded like a low mumble before. Geddy's bass guitar part during the guitar solo immediately assumed much more clarity. But listening to cuts like Rush's "Limelight" was a delightful surprise. I thought to myself, "I can't even *hear* the sub". Mission 751 speakers (small, but very nice) I just picked this sub up ($320 CDN, or a shade over $200US). So, take it from me, for the money, some of the supposed better 10'' and 12'' subs can't touch this piece of equipment! Between the Mirage and the factory Bose sub, my system rattles the windows! I am pretty much a Bose and Boston Acoustics fan as far as speakers go. I have be honest, I have never even heard of Mirage. The Boston Acoustics was nice but also more expensive and did not sound as nice as the Mirage. However, when I heard the Mirage FRX-S8, compared side by side, all other system components, amps equal, it ROCKED! For half the price this 8'' thumped! So much in fact that I could not justify an extra $300 to go with the Klipsch as much as I wanted to. I would have forwned at the salesman if he were to suggest an 8'' sub to me at first. The Klipsch definitely performs if you can cut loose of $650. I walked into Hi Fi Buys and listened to Boston Acoustics 10'' and 12" as well as the Klipsch 10'' and 12'' and the Mirage FRX-S8. I was NOT looking forward to paying $400-$700. So naturally I did what any sound nut would have done and that is set out to but a 10'' or 12'' Klipsch. I decided to bite the bullet and invest in a sub worthy of this Bose system. provided you have enough available ports in the back. Fortunately, this sweet little system is quite versatile allowing you to add speakers, subs, amps, etc. The highs and mids sound incredible, however, the sub compoent on the system is a little weaker than I expected. I own a Bose Lifestyle 8 system that rocks.