
First, there's the cravings, the unfulfilled feelings, and the depression. Those who have ever lived with bookshelf speakers sans subwoofer know the pain and suffering that's involved.

Sometimes, you just can't include a subwoofer in your system (i.e., domestic harmony or space constraints simply won't allow it). However, while three-piece speaker systems can be great, they're not always the answer. The mere thought gets you all warm and goose-bumpy, doesn't it? Subwoofer/satellite systems have come close to producing such speaker nirvana-especially when you can hide the sub away and vehemently deny its existence until your buddies threaten to tear the place apart unless you come clean about the source of the bass. Rarer still is that mythical, mystical creation, immortalized in song and story and lusted after by speaker designers since the invention of the voice coil: the bookshelf speaker with bass.

Other combinations may be more desirable and more elusive: a multiterm politician with integrity, for example, or computer products that not only work as advertised but do so consistently (wow, what a concept!). There are some things you just don't expect to find together-say, peanut butter and foie gras or Anne Rice's vampire Lestat in a Garlique commercial.
