The Official SVS Subwoofer Owners Thread

[cranksy]

I will be getting my sun SB-12 in three days and have no idea how to calibrate it with my system.

My system is a a average lounge (small-medium size 32sq) with
Marantz PM550 DC amp (old amp) without sub RCA output - only EQ or SPK out put to the sub.
KEF Corellie speakers.

What should I do first?

What happens to the sub adjustments when I want to listen to my music in different sound levels from my amp's volume control?

Do I have to keep changing my sub adjustment to suit my amp's volume settings?

[Dase]

Originally Posted by freestyle99

Hey brokenthumb,

I normally watch at -25 sometimes -22 or so. So I guess that does have an impact on things? I live in a condo and -22 is pretty loud!

Everything else speaker wise is sounding killer but for example I put on 300, and some scenes on there where my place would fill with bass like the 2nd chapter where he puts the helmet in the snow then the guys drop the spears now sound a lot less bassy. Not what I expected...Is this an example of the "different kind" of tighter less boomy bass the pb puts out? Or in underworld in the beginning where she jumps off the building, that used to rock my place too. Now its kinda underwhelming sounding. Is that the intended way?

I keep feeling like I want to turn the gain up some more!...lol

I did call SVS today to ask a few questions before I did the recal and did everything they said. I wish I could hear a properly calibrated pb13 in a system so I can gauge my sound.

Hey dase,

thanks for the post. I guess I could recal again and try it your way. Seems to make perfect sense.

One thing I don't feel, is what others have said....that I'm getting hit in the chest or body feeling the bass. I guess that is because I'm listening at the highest volume of -22?

What would I do in my situation, make the sub hotter to make up for my limit of -22 or so?

Well you're not going to get reference bass at -22db. At that volume if you run your sub hotter to compensate you'll end up getting bass that will way overpower the rest of your system. -22db is pretty loud and I'm not suggesting that you need to watch everything at reference either, but I believe most members listen between -10db and -20db. There are only a few soundtracks that I go higher than -10db on, but they are mixed softer than others. In addition, I run out of headroom with my NSD. It's a great sub, but it's not going to get to reference in most cases before it bottoms out or runs out of gas. I understood that when I bought it.

Experimentation is key though. You are in possession of one of the finest subs out there. The headroom issue will not be a factor for you. You should have PLENTY, especially if you're in an apartment. It may take lots of experimentation with placements, levels, and the like to arrive at where you want it. Just take your time and enjoy the process. You'll know when you get it right.

I would also suggest a manual calibration as well. It never hurts to level it yourself and see if you like the sound better without the processing

[Big Daddy]

It is quite normal for SPL meters to jump around when you are measuring the sound out of a subwoofer. Those nasty low frequency waves and their long wavelengths have a mind of their own.

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by -dase-

The way I got mine on what I think is just about perfect is:

I turned the gain knob on the back of the sub all the way down. I set the trim on the AVR to the sub at 00db. I set my SPL meter on a tripod at the listening position pointed at a 45 degree angle toward the front soundstage. I then turned on the test tone for the sub and adjusted the gain on the sub until my SPL meter read 78db at the listening position. The gain in my case is set at just shy of 10 o'clock.

Now the gain on the sub is properly set. At this point I ran the auto calibration (Audyssey in my case). After the calibration I double checked everything and the speakers are all right there 74-75db, but the sub was actually hovering at 80db. I backed the trim on the AVR down to -2.5db and taadaa! Done and done.

The way I was taught is if your trim is set higher than +6db then turn your gain up, if it's lower than -6db then turn your gain down. This makes sense to me.

I have room shaking bass with a PB12-NSD. I can't imagine what I would have with an Ultra, but I sure do want one.

There is a similar process outlined on the SVS website under FAQ's. They like to set the gain to reference with the trim on the AVR at -6db. I don't have the Ultra's headroom with my NSD so I used 00db instead and it works great. I also like this because when I watch LOUD I turn off audyssey altogether and this way everything is still balanced correctly with the room correction off.

Hope this helps.

Great post -dase-. I am saving that to my favorites. I am going to run a free program called REW when I get my cables from monoprice. I want to produce a chart of how my SVS (and speakers) interacts with the room, and see where I may have any kind of dropoff or peak and possibly I can find a way to level it off at that particular frequency. It's a really cool program, where I am using the inputs and outputs of my hard drive on my computer, and with some RCA cables and a couple of adaptors, it will send the test tones from the AVR, and the SPL meter will register the info and send that to the computer to create the chart to show how your sub (and speakers if you wish) interacts with the room. It doesn't do any kind of equalization, it just shows you how your sub/speakers interacts with the room's boundaries. I am hoping that once I see this info, I'll know what areas I will need to address and make the necessary corrections.

[freestyle99]

Hey guys, here is a pic of my room. And where the sub is now. The length of the wall behind the couch with the arrow pointing right gets more bass than the middle of the room where the x is. Sometimes chairs are put there if needed during movies.

How can I go about fixing that hole where the x is?

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by freestyle99

Hey guys, here is a pic of my room. And where the sub is now. The length of the wall behind the couch with the arrow pointing right gets more bass than the middle of the room where the x is. Sometimes chairs are put there if needed during movies.

How can I go about fixing that hole where the x is?

It may be a bass void, and usually the only thing to take care of that is a second sub. It would balance the low frequencies out more evenly and possibly fill that void. If a second sub is out, probably some tweaking (Use of an SPL meter, a calibration program or an equalizer could make some improvements, which the equalizer wil not be cheap.) Keep playing with location...have you tried a lot of different areas? Have you done the sub-crawl yet?

[freestyle99]

Ha...another sub.....dam!....don't make me do it!...lol.........

I guess I will have to live with it for now! The only other place I could put that sub is on the same wall it's on directly across from where it is now, but in the other corner on the other side of the couch.

Maybe I will put it on large room setting and see if that does anything.

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by freestyle99

Ha...another sub.....dam!....don't make me do it!...lol.........

I guess I will have to live with it for now! The only other place I could put that sub is on the same wall it's on directly across from where it is now, but in the other corner on the other side of the couch.

Maybe I will put it on large room setting and see if that does anything.

Keep playing and tweaking, but it may not yield the results you want. Location may produce the best results, but you seem limited either aesthetically or because of the WAF..or both! If you can keep playing with location, and can move it to more places, you may get some better results...that's the best I can come up with, besides a second sub.

[freestyle99]

Thanks forsberg, I appreciate the help and advice!

One thing I was thinking tonight is, that I guess I have always stopped at -22 because my old sub was so boomy and it was kind of overpowering and loud. I can remember times where an explosion would go off and I would back down the volume as not to bother my neighbors.

Now, I think that this pb13 is putting out such quality bass that I can turn my avr volume higher as the bass isn't now overpowering and boomy. But it sounds like great bass should.

Then as I turn it up I will get the room shaking, tight, air moving stuff everyone loves. At least I hope so. I will have to try this theory this weekend.

I need to back off my db a couple more, but if the needle is fluctuating what is the right reading? Like mine is right now doing 80-82.

And one other question regarding center channels. Are any of you guys running your center a little bit hotter than the fronts and rears which are at 75db?

[brokenthumb]

I would think that if your at -22dB from a 75 dB reference on your AVR that your not going to get the kind of bass thats gonna move your remotes, even with an ultra. That is like 53 dB average, its kinda like a quiet street at night. A normal conversation is 60-70 dB.

I run my speakers all 75 dB except the sub 78dB. I would just try turning it up some until it sounds good to you. The Ultra can take the punishment with ease!

[freestyle99]

Thanks brokenthumb,

Yeh, I'm gonna tweak the sub to 78 and then try going to the negative teens for volume to see if how that sounds. Really, my old sub was the reason that I couldn't go that high with volume before.

I will say, that I am totally wishing I had a house instead of a condo right now!

I want to be cranking volume and fiddling right now!

[Dase]

Originally Posted by cranksy

I will be getting my sun SB-12 in three days and have no idea how to calibrate it with my system.

My system is a a average lounge (small-medium size 32sq) with
Marantz PM550 DC amp (old amp) without sub RCA output - only EQ or SPK out put to the sub.
KEF Corellie speakers.

What should I do first?

What happens to the sub adjustments when I want to listen to my music in different sound levels from my amp's volume control?

Do I have to keep changing my sub adjustment to suit my amp's volume settings?

Invest in an SPL meter man! It's really an invaluable tool and it's less than $50 at radio shack. You can use it to level and tweak, and it's fun to just play around with .

Originally Posted by forsberg21

Great post -dase-. I am saving that to my favorites. I am going to run a free program called REW when I get my cables from monoprice. I want to produce a chart of how my SVS (and speakers) interacts with the room, and see where I may have any kind of dropoff or peak and possibly I can find a way to level it off at that particular frequency. It's a really cool program, where I am using the inputs and outputs of my hard drive on my computer, and with some RCA cables and a couple of adaptors, it will send the test tones from the AVR, and the SPL meter will register the info and send that to the computer to create the chart to show how your sub (and speakers if you wish) interacts with the room. It doesn't do any kind of equalization, it just shows you how your sub/speakers interacts with the room's boundaries. I am hoping that once I see this info, I'll know what areas I will need to address and make the necessary corrections.

I will be interested in how that goes Fors. I have played around with REW a bit, and found what nulls and peaks I have in my room, but I did not yet want to invest in an EQ until I had duals or something comparable to the Ultra, the good EQ's are pricey. And at the time the new EQ from SVS wasn't out yet . Let me know how this goes for you. It sounds like you may be able to correct some of your response, if it even needs it , with that standing wave adjustment on your Pio. Looking forward to your results!

[freestyle99]

Alright guys, I did a total re-cal with my Sony. SVS customer service told me to keep the sub's gain at 12, even though Sony says to put "volume" at 1/3 of the way up. I listened to SVS...lol

So, it correctly set all of my speakers at 75db. I did an SPL check and they were all spot on. For the sub, it actually gave it +.05 @ combined with the 12 o'clock gain position. Not what I expected. I thought it would have gone way negative.

Now the sub measure with the SPL like the sony set it, was pinned right. I first made it -5.0 like SVS says gives the cleanest signal. Still pinned right. So I had to back the gain down to a little less than a quarter with -5.0 to get it to 78 db like suggested.

So, in theory it should sound killer! All speakers set to 75 and sub to 78. Everything but the sub sounds killer, at these new sub settings the sub is underwhelming.

But, once I raised the gain to 11 or 12 o'clock that gives me what I thought I would be getting. Bass that seems to be powerful and kind of air moving. Now this was at -22 to -25 volume.

So, what gives? Is my meter broken?...lol....Is the sub tone somehow tricking the AVR mic in recal? Why would the sony actually give it a +.05 at 12 o'clock? Confusing that when I set it to 78 it seems so low, like too low. But the Sony set it obviously too high.

I am liking the quality bass this thing puts out when I do have it at 11 or 12 o'clock gain. It's so realistic and room filling.

Anyone have any favorite scenes that I can gauge how much bass should be coming out of the sub or if it's too loud? Like bullets shots that come out of the sub or like for example in ratatouille when the critic drops the pen after he eats the ratatouille, is that soft bass or should it be impactful?

Dam all this is addictive, now I wanna buy a sub eq!

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by freestyle99

Alright guys, I did a total re-cal with my Sony. SVS customer service told me to keep the sub's gain at 12, even though Sony says to put "volume" at 1/3 of the way up. I listened to SVS...lol

So, it correctly set all of my speakers at 75db. I did an SPL check and they were all spot on. For the sub, it actually gave it +.05 @ combined with the 12 o'clock gain position. Not what I expected. I thought it would have gone way negative.

Now the sub measure with the SPL like the sony set it, was pinned right. I first made it -5.0 like SVS says gives the cleanest signal. Still pinned right. So I had to back the gain down to a little less than a quarter with -5.0 to get it to 78 db like suggested.

So, in theory it should sound killer! All speakers set to 75 and sub to 78. Everything but the sub sounds killer, at these new sub settings the sub is underwhelming.

But, once I raised the gain to 11 or 12 o'clock that gives me what I thought I would be getting. Bass that seems to be powerful and kind of air moving. Now this was at -22 to -25 volume.

So, what gives? Is my meter broken?...lol....Is the sub tone somehow tricking the AVR mic in recal? Why would the sony actually give it a +.05 at 12 o'clock? Confusing that when I set it to 78 it seems so low, like too low. But the Sony set it obviously too high.

I am liking the quality bass this thing puts out when I do have it at 11 or 12 o'clock gain. It's so realistic and room filling.

Anyone have any favorite scenes that I can gauge how much bass should be coming out of the sub or if it's too loud? Like bullets shots that come out of the sub or like for example in ratatouille when the critic drops the pen after he eats the ratatouille, is that soft bass or should it be impactful?

Dam all this is addictive, now I wanna buy a sub eq!

Have you moved your sub around the room and check what kind of low frequency response you are getting there? The location currently appears to be in a "cancellation zone" and it sounds like your sub is becoming directional. You could try a sub-riser, but your ultimate goal should be to try a different location. Although bass waves are non-directional, your scenario demonstrates just how bass waves can interact with the room's acoustics and create sub-par low frequency response.

[freestyle99]

Hey forsberg,

Thanks for the reply.

I don't have any other areas to really put this monster! And even if I did then I would need some super long cables!

From everything I have read about the new SVS eq that thing seems to be exactly what I need. I need to sell some stuff to grab that baby!

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by freestyle99

Hey forsberg,

Thanks for the reply.

I don't have any other areas to really put this monster! And even if I did then I would need some super long cables!

From everything I have read about the new SVS eq that thing seems to be exactly what I need. I need to sell some stuff to grab that baby!

If you got and are willing to spend the money for it, then by all means go for it. That thing is not cheap, but I bet it kicks butt. I'm sure it will improve the low frequency response, but just try to keep your expectations down a bit, because if the sub is in a cancellation zone, then moving the sub is your only choice for better bass response with your rooms limitations. I have four 25ft RCA audio cables that I have run around all 4 walls (I use 2 of them and I have 2 not being used, but are sitting there ready to be used), so when I need to move a sub, I already have the cable runs laid down. It was a pain to do at first, but it's done and makes moving my subs much easier now.

[aramis109]

Originally Posted by freestyle99

Alright guys, I did a total re-cal with my Sony. SVS customer service told me to keep the sub's gain at 12, even though Sony says to put "volume" at 1/3 of the way up. I listened to SVS...lol

So, it correctly set all of my speakers at 75db. I did an SPL check and they were all spot on. For the sub, it actually gave it +.05 @ combined with the 12 o'clock gain position. Not what I expected. I thought it would have gone way negative.

Now the sub measure with the SPL like the sony set it, was pinned right. I first made it -5.0 like SVS says gives the cleanest signal. Still pinned right. So I had to back the gain down to a little less than a quarter with -5.0 to get it to 78 db like suggested.

So, in theory it should sound killer! All speakers set to 75 and sub to 78. Everything but the sub sounds killer, at these new sub settings the sub is underwhelming.

But, once I raised the gain to 11 or 12 o'clock that gives me what I thought I would be getting. Bass that seems to be powerful and kind of air moving. Now this was at -22 to -25 volume.

So, what gives? Is my meter broken?...lol....Is the sub tone somehow tricking the AVR mic in recal? Why would the sony actually give it a +.05 at 12 o'clock? Confusing that when I set it to 78 it seems so low, like too low. But the Sony set it obviously too high.

I am liking the quality bass this thing puts out when I do have it at 11 or 12 o'clock gain. It's so realistic and room filling.

Anyone have any favorite scenes that I can gauge how much bass should be coming out of the sub or if it's too loud? Like bullets shots that come out of the sub or like for example in ratatouille when the critic drops the pen after he eats the ratatouille, is that soft bass or should it be impactful?

Dam all this is addictive, now I wanna buy a sub eq!

I think that you'd be much better off moving the sub than buying any kind of sub equalizer. You've more than likely got a null in your seating area.

[gates70]

I currently own a Def Tech Supercube 1 and want to change since I'm not that happy with the sound it gives me (vibrates a lot as opposed to going deep). I've been eyeing these SVS's and was pondering the PB13-Ultra but I think it might be overkill in my room since it's 25 feet long and around 17 feet wide. Since you guys are all SVS owners, which would be recommended for a room that size ? I also want to expand a bit one day so I want something that can do a 25X25 room.

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by gates70

I currently own a Def Tech Supercube 1 and want to change since I'm not that happy with the sound it gives me (vibrates a lot as opposed to going deep). I've been eyeing these SVS's and was pondering the PB13-Ultra but I think it might be overkill in my room since it's 25 feet long and around 17 feet wide. Since you guys are all SVS owners, which would be recommended for a room that size ? I also want to expand a bit one day so I want something that can do a 25X25 room.

I think the Ultra would not be overkill in a room that size. You should take a look at my gallery. It is a rectangle as well, about 12X25 (of what I use of my basement for my HT anyway), and by no means do I think my PC12-NSD is overkill. I know the Ultra is more powerful and you would have 3 seperate ports, but you would have the option to run none or all 3, which is pretty cool. But I would rather have the horses in the stable, even if I can't let them all run, then not have enough horses when I would need them (like when you move your HT to the bigger room.) All subs can be calibrated to a good degree to play nicely in a room, and I know even the Ultra can do that in your 17X25 room IMO.

[Hammie]

Originally Posted by freestyle99

Hey guys, here is a pic of my room. And where the sub is now. The length of the wall behind the couch with the arrow pointing right gets more bass than the middle of the room where the x is. Sometimes chairs are put there if needed during movies.

How can I go about fixing that hole where the x is?

Have you trying putting the sub next to the tower and the storage cabinet next to the wall? Basically, pull it away from the wall some and see how it performs.

Another option is to move the entire setup down towards where the plant is and angle the sub towards the center of the room some.