Music I listen to is very wide-ranging--from some opera and classical, to plenty of rock, some electronica, and a sprinkling of everything else.

When I say "thud" I could have been more specific--I meant that it (the small cambridge soundworks satellite system) was capable of producing bass response well below 100Hz. Frankly, better than I've gotten out of my system so far. The 1Pis are superior in just about every other area.

I think anything larger than a 2Pi is out of scope for me- small apartment plus neighbors. If I lived in a house out in the country I would have built something much larger first time 'round--this was my first DIY speaker so I figured I'd start small and work my way up.

My questions have to do with how much mileage I might be able to expect out of various options--I just don't have enough experience to know whether, for instance, building it into a tower would give a teensy little more bass, a LOT more, or something in between. I realize the subjectivity in the question, and don't expect magical answers, just opinions.

Regarding my musician friend's observation, he was complimentary of some things--he felt there was some nice detail along with the brightness--but the observation about standing outside the door was meant to convey some sense of a muffling that could be picked up in voices and in some other things in the midrange. I'm wondering whether cabinet volume or the addition of a second 8" driver would have any effect on that as well as the bass.