Do monitors size matter if adding a sub?

[Chiguete]

So I've been doing much research on what monitors to get and I was wondering, if you plan to add a sub anyway does the monitor size matter? I meen 5 inch monitors will have less bass response than an 8 inch monitor (some more than others) and a good idea is to add a sub to fill in the bass space BUT since 8 inch monitors don't actually replace a sub (just give more bass than an 5 inch speaker) then is buying a 5 inch monitor is the smartest choice for a home bedroom studio setup no?

 

[benvigil]

That might be the conventional wisdom that bigger is generally better (and might be true in a lot of of circumstances). However, keep in mind that sometimes the smaller driver might produce a better result at certain frequencies that matter to you.

For example, while some might prefer the larger/deeper bass of the JBL LSR308, others prefer the tighter bass response of the LSR305 -- less mass in the LF driver might give it better transient response. So pairing a sub with the LSR305 might be a better overall solution... if you need those lower frequencies. For guitar alone, it may not matter.

I'm interested in hearing others' opinions.

 

[vick1000]

Basically you have speakers, a.k.a. Drivers, that cover a range of frequecies. The sub driver only covers a certain narrow range, usually between 20hz and 200hz. As long as the other drivers cover the rest of the desired spectrum, you are OK. However, depending on the desired behaviour of the subs range, meaning what you want to get out of those freq., you may not be satisfied. A sub driver generally responds slower and has a lot of excursion, which results in a "boomy" nature to the overall tone. I add a little sub in my current setup, but just a touch to thicken things up.

 

[mr_fender]

Larger drivers will have more cone surface area and likely a slightly different dispersion pattern, so the way the sound is projected into the room might be a little different. One isn't necessarily better than the other, just a little different.