Having continuous control over the phase of a subwoofer is highly overrated in my view since you can only correct for one (or a few) points in the room. Ideally, you want to use a spectrum analyzer like TrueRTA and a calibrated microphone to achieve the flattest response -
and this is not necssairly with the subwoofers "in phase" with the mains. You can achieve "in phase" by using a simple 1 1/2 volt battery connected to the speaker but this is not necessairly going to achieve the best response in-room.
I have never found that control finer than + - 180 degrees to work any better toward the flattest response using an RTA than with continuous control over phase - and my subwoofer system is "rather substantial and complex"