Sub for center channel only

[lanion]

So I have an amp with about 190watts per channel into 4 ohms for my Polk LSi series, which is a good amount but not quite enough for my center channel.

I was wondering if anyone had experience with using a smaller sub (say an STF-1, an MBM-12, etc), just to use for the low frequencies of the center channel only. The purpose would be to take some strain off the amp driving the center channel and add some extra oompf to that channel.

[Lwang]

I used a Hsu HRSW10v for my maggie center channel because it only went down to 150hz or so. I used the Hsu external amp's active HP/LP crossover at crossed at 160hp/125lp. Due to the high freq of the XO, the sub had to be very close to the center speaker or one would start to notice the bass is coming from somewhere else.

Magnepan's recommendation,for if you only have 1 sub, is to run the main LFE out to one channel of the sub, and have a splitter on the line out of the center channel and have one of that output go to the other channel of the sub and the other output to the center channel amp's input. Balance the center channel sub level w/ the sub amp's gain, and balance the LFE out with the LFE gain.