The Official SVS Subwoofer Owners Thread

[Halcro 1]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

See the review of SV Sound PB13-Ultra subwoofer in the Stereophile, August, 2008.

Conclusion:

Seamed like a so-so review .. I like music so for 1600 bucks I can alnost get a JL 113 .. Which Ive demoed and for music I thought it was so-so also ... I feel REL still makes the most musical sub out there ... Although I still like a BagEnd Infra18

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by Halcro 1

Seamed like a so-so review .. I like music so for 1600 bucks I can alnost get a JL 113 .. Which Ive demoed and for music I thought it was so-so also ... I feel REL still makes the most musical sub out there ... Although I still like a BagEnd Infra18

Stereophile staff are more music and two-channel oriented and sometimes they start nitpicking on trivial and unimportant things.

Many peole feel that the REL subwoofers are great for music and so so for movies. I believe they are good for both. I also think that the SVS subwoofer is a great subwoofer, so is JL and BagEnd. At a certain price point, they are all great subwoofers and it all depends on the person's taste. I am sure you know that ranking speakers and subwoofers is pretty subjective.

[Halcro 1]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

Stereophile staff are more music and two-channel oriented and sometimes they start nitpicking on trivial and unimportant things.

Many peole feel that the REL subwoofers are great for music and so so for movies. I believe they are good for both. I also think that the SVS subwoofer is a great subwoofer, so is JL and BagEnd. At a certain price point, they are all great subwoofers and it all depends on the person's taste. I am sure you know that ranking speakers and subwoofers is pretty subjective.

I like musical sub over a HT sub so .. But the bag end is real close to the SVS in cost and since most people are number freaks Bag End plays flat to 8 Hz Like I said I tried a JL113 and for music it was just a tad better than my Monitor

[jakool124]

Feel free to add yourself to the list on the map for all you SVS Owners. Click the link below.....

http://platial.com/mapv/SVS+Owners+Frappr/586206#

[-DLS-]

I just recently got the baby of all SVS subs(PB10-NSD) and was having second thoughts at first but after playing music for a bit and playing around with placement, the sound really started to come out. I'm really feeling it though I do have a second sub(bic-h100) it sounds real good alone but with both on I am very happy with what I get in My 14 x 14 room. For the cheapest SVS I think it is perfect for anyone looking around this price range with about the same size room as me, probably even a bit bigger.

[Dust]

Overall I'm really impressed with the sub and talk about DEEP bass!

The size and deep tones of this sub have been driving my wife nuts. She likes it, but still is having trouble getting over the size and power of this sub. She told me she dreamed last night that the sub was so loud it was opening and closing our kitchen cabinets. She came home and I was in the kitchen tearing all the cabinets apart because I was replacing the facia with some sort of special latch. She said saw dust was all over the place, the cabinets were all torn apart, and I was all happy because I figured out what that clanking noise was when we watched TV.

Dang, I never realized my sub could freak her out so much she is having dreams about it tearing up the house! lol

[saprano]

Originally Posted by Marine Mike

Like everyone else here that owns one of these subwoofers, it is enormous!

Good news though is that not only does it produce ultra-low tones, but also provides as a great side table!

I know that I only have the 10inch model and not a 12 inch, but for the size of my room, I don't think that I would need it. Heck, I haven't had to turn up the volume on it past 25% yet. Though I did experiment with it when I first got it as some of my shows didn't sound as bass heavy as they used too with my previous subwoofer. Then I realized after watching the movie Cloverfield on Blu-ray, that my previous subwoofers were subpar and was producing bass when there really wasn't. Its really hard to explain and I think that only those that have experienced low and high quality subwoofers can really comprehend the difference and why its a good idea to keep it at 1 set volume and let the movie dictate if it should have bass or not.
My advice to anyone that is looking to upgrade their home theatre with a new subwoofer or upgrade their current one, SVS is the brand for you. Eventhough I have only used this particular subwoofer, just based on how good this one is (pretty much cheapest option of their subwoofer), I can promise that any other subwoofer from them will sound just as good or better.

I haven't taken home theatre pictures yet because that means cleaning up living room to be 'picture perfect'.

Somebody said the exact samething but with an ED sub. said it wasn't as bassy as the old sub but when it was time to low, it got real low. can somebody explain to me why that is?

[MacDaddyOJack]

Originally Posted by Miller Lite1

Macdaddy,

How is your sub powered. I dont see an amp in your equipment listing. I am considering one of these since my current sub location is less than ideal because of space constaints. But without an amp i'm just confused

It's got an amp on the back

They also have passive versions that you have to power yourself, but mine has it's own 525 watt BASH amp flush mounted on the back. They are described well and include pictures on the site if you are considering the purchase of one of those bad boys

[aramis109]

Originally Posted by Dust

Overall I'm really impressed with the sub and talk about DEEP bass!

The size and deep tones of this sub have been driving my wife nuts. She likes it, but still is having trouble getting over the size and power of this sub. She told me she dreamed last night that the sub was so loud it was opening and closing our kitchen cabinets. She came home and I was in the kitchen tearing all the cabinets apart because I was replacing the facia with some sort of special latch. She said saw dust was all over the place, the cabinets were all torn apart, and I was all happy because I figured out what that clanking noise was when we watched TV.

Dang, I never realized my sub could freak her out so much she is having dreams about it tearing up the house! lol

LOL. So, where'd you end up placing the sub?

[Dust]

Originally Posted by aramis109

LOL. So, where'd you end up placing the sub?

I placed the sub here:



The wife likes the location because it is out of the way (or at least as much as the beast can be). Any women that has seen the sub is flabbergasted by the size and say it is so unnecessary. Any guy that has seen the sub has been in awe and has that look of envy in their eyes (especially when they hear it). Add this to the list of difference between men and women.

[Driver_King]

Originally Posted by saprano

Somebody said the exact samething but with an ED sub. said it wasn't as bassy as the old sub but when it was time to low, it got real low. can somebody explain to me why that is?

Another person who just got their eD was wondering why it didn't play until there was low bass and why it wasn't pleasing. Here is the answer:

Since lower quality subwoofers (Bose bass modules for example are perfect examples of this) are only physically capable of producing mid-bass frequencies, their internal crossovers are tuned (as well as their crappy ports and drivers) for those mid-bass frequencies. They are not true subwoofers. So, these low-quality subwoofers (or subs that cannot physically handle the lowest of low frequencies) are not tuned for lower frequencies as it would just throw off the whole design. The main problem is that certain mid-bass frequencies are exaggerated on these subs and, when compared to a real subwoofer that is capable of the lower frequencies, the better subs (like eD subs) are said to be light in bass or delicate. In reality, a solution to this is a quick fix of your equalizer (if you don't want a flat frequency curve that Audyssey or many auto-calibration systems offer) to help add to the frequencies that you were accustomed to. Many low quality subs will bottom out at lower frequencies whilst the higher quality subs will not (the port design). Sealed enclosures and PR subs are a different story but I'm just talking about ported subs). If you come from a car stereo system and, for example, are playing "Put On" by Young Jeezy, you will notice that a few of the frequencies seem attenuated compared to car sub systems until you get to the last frequency (which is the lowest.) I have seriously surprised friends who thought they knew the song back and forth sound wise. Many subs or stereo systems will simply not play the last frequency (also the opening frequency of the song) of "Put On". This is the difference. I hope that cleared things up. I tried making everything sound clearer and easier to understand and hopefully didn't become too repetitive. It's a lot to explain and hard for many to understand the whole story. Does that at least somewhat answer your question?

[Driver_King]

Originally Posted by Dust

Overall I'm really impressed with the sub and talk about DEEP bass!

The size and deep tones of this sub have been driving my wife nuts. She likes it, but still is having trouble getting over the size and power of this sub. She told me she dreamed last night that the sub was so loud it was opening and closing our kitchen cabinets. She came home and I was in the kitchen tearing all the cabinets apart because I was replacing the facia with some sort of special latch. She said saw dust was all over the place, the cabinets were all torn apart, and I was all happy because I figured out what that clanking noise was when we watched TV.

Dang, I never realized my sub could freak her out so much she is having dreams about it tearing up the house! lol

She's only predicting your future investment.

[Lanfear]

Originally Posted by Dust

Sorry 'bout that. Just fixed it.

http://picasaweb.google.com/dfennell...SPB13UltraSub#

Dustin, your daughter is so beautiful I almost didn't notice the sub

Seriously though, that sub is definitely going to be my next purchase. Did you have any trouble setting up the sub with the 3808CI? Only reason I ask is that I have the exact same receiver. What settings do you recommend? Thanks.

EDIT: Sorry, another question, does it come with the Avia II and SPL meter or was that a separate purchase?

[robchow]

It appears that the PC12-Plus is in back order. It must be one of their more popular products.

[Dust]

Originally Posted by Lanfear

Dustin, your daughter is so beautiful I almost didn't notice the sub

Seriously though, that sub is definitely going to be my next purchase. Did you have any trouble setting up the sub with the 3808CI? Only reason I ask is that I have the exact same receiver. What settings do you recommend? Thanks.

EDIT: Sorry, another question, does it come with the Avia II and SPL meter or was that a separate purchase?

Thanks! I think my daughter rocks.

I did not have any problems tuning it with my 3808CI. I followed the step-by-step instructions from this post on another forum: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...5#post14456895

I followed the step exactly as written and it has made a huge difference in the balance of my system (much better than it was before).

A few of things I've noticed since following those instructions:

• My center speaker is balanced really well with my mains.
• The sub doesn't seem to be driving so much mid bass, thus giving an overall cleaner sound to the entire system. I attribute this to the Ultra being a quality sub. My previous sub produced muddy mid bass that always seemed to be right there.
• Sometimes I wonder if my sub is even on, so I'll go manually turn off the power and I notice it missing. To me, this means my system is balanced really, really well.
• When there is a scene with deep bass (explosion, gun shots, pounding, etc.) there is NO DOUBT that I've got a sub that can go deep! You can feel the bass.
• The sound of my entire system seems to cleaner.

My sub is not over powering, but delivers plenty of punch when the sound track calls for it. The strange thing is I never realized how muddy a low quality sub makes your whole system sound. It was like the sub was always in your face and muddying up the rest of the sound track. That is no longer the case.

[Lanfear]

Awesome! Thanks for your impressions and the link. Much appreciated. Should be all I need when I get mine. Enjoy your sub

Originally Posted by Dust

Thanks! I think my daughter rocks.

I did not have any problems tuning it with my 3808CI. I followed the step-by-step instructions from this post on another forum: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...5#post14456895

I followed the step exactly as written and it has made a huge difference in the balance of my system (much better than it was before).

A few of things I've noticed since following those instructions:

• My center speaker is balanced really well with my mains.
• The sub doesn't seem to be driving so much mid bass, thus giving an overall cleaner sound to the entire system. I attribute this to the Ultra being a quality sub. My previous sub produced muddy mid bass that always seemed to be right there.
• Sometimes I wonder if my sub is even on, so I'll go manually turn off the power and I notice it missing. To me, this means my system is balanced really, really well.
• When there is a scene with deep bass (explosion, gun shots, pounding, etc.) there is NO DOUBT that I've got a sub that can go deep! You can feel the bass.
• The sound of my entire system seems to cleaner.

My sub is not over powering, but delivers plenty of punch when the sound track calls for it. The strange thing is I never realized how muddy a low quality sub makes your whole system sound. It was like the sub was always in your face and muddying up the rest of the sound track. That is no longer the case.

[browninggold]

Lanfear- You will enjoy the PB13 Ultra for music and movies. I also have a 3808ci. Very ez to setup with Audyssey. The capabilities of your 3808 means you won’t have to mess with the controls on the back of the PB13 much at all. Here's how to set the controls for Audyssey setup: Phase to 0, Gain 1/3-1/2, Crossover to "OFF", RCA high-pass to "OFF", Room Comp to "OFF", Subsonic filter to 20Hz (no ports plugged), and all three parametric EQ controls turned fully counter-clockwise. I went with no ports plugged. If you plug the ports make sure you have proper setting.

[DrasticPlastic]

I have a 20-39PC+ and a PB10-NSD for my bedroom system, and they both continue to impress me all the time.

[greatfoxmusic]

I just upgraded from a PB12-Plus/2 Box to two PC13 Ultras. They sound totally different. They seem to be localizing the bass more, making it match up with my fronts better. They seem to be tighter than the box was. Also, the box sounded sloppy compared to these.

Also, I can *crank* these and the woofers are just chillin' still. I can't imagine I will ever stress these guys out.

This is the 3rd time I bought from SVS and customer service, shipping and all that was fantastic. I ordered on a Sunday night and they were at my door that Friday.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by greatfoxmusic

I just upgraded from a PB12-Plus/2 Box to two PC13 Ultras. They sound totally different. They seem to be localizing the bass more, making it match up with my fronts better. They seem to be tighter than the box was. Also, the box sounded sloppy compared to these.

Also, I can *crank* these and the woofers are just chillin' still. I can't imagine I will ever stress these guys out.

This is the 3rd time I bought from SVS and customer service, shipping and all that was fantastic. I ordered on a Sunday night and they were at my door that Friday.

What is your crossover setting? You should not be able to localize the bass sound below 80 Hz to 100Hz. This is not dependent on the subwoofer.