To me, at least with the music I like, the bass line and kick drum are fundamentals..the core of it, I want to feel it to some degree. Doesn't have to be overpowering either, just a matter of dialing in the crossover point.
One could not have stated such so concisely. The best woodwind, string, brass, and keyboard instrumentalists on the planet tend to be supported by a solid bedrock of mid-to-lower bass frequencies unless a performer from the aforementioned instrument families is perfoming a solo. The presence of a taut "lake" of bass in my listening space can make even the worst album sound half-way decent and the great ones ethereal. I have three 12" subs "dialed in" at 60 Hz and simply can't get enough of just about each and every album I play - every day. As you stated in the comment prior to the one I'm replying to: "...
when the sub is dialed in it's sublime..when I turn the sub off..everyone looks at with a "what happened" look. Once you inegrate a sub properly you will have trouble going back." (emphasis per KDAC). That is an undeniable truth.
To mattdoo8: Get yourself at least a 12" sub, sealed or ported, housing a few hundred watt amp and "play around" with its placement in your listening space and its crossover frequency in relation to where bass is no longer audible to your ears at your typical listening volume from your main speakers (i.e. where bass sonically "rolls off" or is no long perceptible from your main speakers). That's the frequency at which you'll want your sub(s) to "come in." The experience of a well-integrated sub (or subs if you plan to use two or more...) adds a dimension of
full-bodied presence - whether via timpani strikes in classical, upright bass runs in jazz, blast beats in metal, concrete-cracking "drops" in rap/hip-hop, cartilage-vibrating kicks in rock, eardrum-rattling lows in dub/reggae/dancehall, full-bodied, rubbery bass guitar in funk/rock/jazz... you get the visceral impact of feeling the music, in many cases without having to pump the volume to deafening levels either. I'm no "expert," but I know that very few loudspeakers, bookshelf or floorstanding, produce the deep, impactful bass primarily between 20 and 35 Hz with the same authority as a decent powered subwoofer(s) at normal listening volumes, which I'd guess are between 60 and 90 decibels based on several threads regarding such on AK and elsewhere. If you find that a sub(s) don't work for you, you obviously can return it/them to the originating retailer or simply sell them. My best guess is that you'll experiment with one or a few, cross them over in your system to suit your taste, fall in love with sounds that were already there but simply not heard, and never look back. Best of luck on your search and let us know when your reach the audio nirvana mentioned in this thread.
A subwoofer can definitely put the bass there but keep in mind that you don't need to crank the bass knob or the volume knob all the way. It's not about showing the whole neighborhood what you got. 
