In 7 days, one must fall; SVS or HSU! If it were you... (1 Viewer)

[Barry_B_B]

My theater has been missing a quality sub for years, but next week barring anymore cash-sappers (please no) I should have it in time to play on my birthday. Sometime ago I posed the question on sub choices and after talking to folks here and the guys at SVS settled on the 20-39 PC-Plus for my 15x23x7.5 room. It has remained my first choice but I'm VERY curious as to how the unit compares with the HSU VTF-3 MK3 which has been getting a lot of press lately. The slender profile of the SVS is perfect for the LF corner spot in my theater but I could make room for the much bulkier HSU by moving my sats closer to the display and further from the wall. 90% HT use, I like to feel a good percussive hit in the chest as well having to worry about objects falling off shelves. Only going to run one sub and will pass on the HSU turbo due to even more bulk, for now

Has anyone seen or tried a direct comparison? Which will get closest to what I'm looking for? I'm sure I'll be happy with either, but if the choice was yours what would it be?

 

[John Garcia]

I have heard the 20-39 Plus and the VTF3-MK2 in similar size rooms. The Mk2 doesn't have the same output as the Plus, but that isn't a Mk3, so I can't say for sure. They both sound great, and both are more than capable for a room that size, so no worries on either front.

 

[Barry_B_B]

Thanks once again, John. Looking forward to FINALLY completing my setup; at least until the bug bites anew.

 

[JohnRice]

You alreadyy touched on the principal factor for me, which is the styling of the subs. I say over and over that you seem to get a bit more performance for your money with HSU, but the SVS look so much nicer and are built like tanks. So I lean towards them. You called the HSU "bulky", which is pretty much my assessment.

 

[Barry_B_B]

Have to stand by "bulky", at least in my space. I just measured for about the fifth time tonight and the HSU fits but its a little tight.

 

[JohnRice]

You want to be sure you don't constrain those ports either. Not a problem with the SVS cylinders

 

[Barry_B_B]

All things being equal I'd like to avoid rear-firing ports as my current sub has. Pulling it out and away from the corner is easy because of its small footprint. I toyed with the idea of the new Outlaw with ports oriented towards the floor but wonder if it could perform with SVS or HSU, even being their design.

 

[TimJC]

If it were me, ..... and it has been me in this situation before, .... the only thing you need to know is SVS. Make a call to them or send an email to dial in the exact recommendation.

Or, if you don't want to partake in the SVS / Hsu fight, get a Paradigm Servo 15v2.


Tim

 

[Greg Gable]

Get the PC; I am thinking of adding one to my set-up and putting it on it's side under an old antique stand that is in my listening area.

 

[Barry_B_B]

I'm not seeing much to change from my current choice. Just finished reading the comparison Sound and Vision did with HSU VT-3.3Turbo, Klipsch RW-12d, Outlaw LFM-1EX, SVS SB12-Plus (the new cube) and Velodyne DLS-5000R. To me it seemed a little biased towards the HSU, especially with the SVS representation chosen.

 

[JohnRice]

I don't know all those models, but it seems they are all "full size" ones. If so, you are correct that it is not right to put the SB12 in a comparison against them. The 3.3 Turbo CLEARLY should not be put up against it. I wonder if they were strictly looking at price point for models to compare. Sloppy work.

 

[Barry_B_B]

You hit an important point JohnRice, the article title is Shootout: Five Mid-Price Subwoofers but I still think another SVS should have been selected between $650 and $799.

We went over my wants/needs and the budget again last night so unless something drastic happens I'll be ordering the 20-39 Plus Friday morning. It just feels "right".

 

[Tom Vodhanel]

Hi Barry,

>>>I'm not seeing much to change from my current choice. Just finished reading the comparison Sound and Vision did with HSU VT-3.3Turbo, Klipsch RW-12d, Outlaw LFM-1EX, SVS SB12-Plus (the new cube) and Velodyne DLS-5000R. To me it seemed a little biased towards the HSU, especially with the SVS representation chosen

 

[Barry_B_B]

Thanks for taking the time to respond and your input, everyone; I just placed my order for the 20-39 PC Plus! There was a 16-46 PC Plus waving at me from B-Stock but felt my initial choice would still blend better with the small Atlantic Technology sats for music. Feel like dancin'!

 

[Tom Vodhanel]

Thank you very much for the order Barry! Please don't hesitate to email me ( [email protected] ) with any setup/calibration questions once the SVS arrives.

Tom V.
SVS

 

[JohnRice]

If you are using small sats I would say the 20-39 is the better choice. Be sure not to set the crossover too low. With the ATs it should probably be at least 100Hz, but I would start higher than that.

 

[Barry_B_B]

Glad I could finally place the order Tom, and thanks for the offer.

John, I have the crossover at 100Hz now. Some male voices can start to sound a little "chesty" through the center but pretty sure this is my current sub's fault so I'll check it out. Looks like Tuesday is the scheduled delivery day, but with signature requirement I might have to pick it up Wednseday during lunch. At least the UPS depot is close by.

 

[Barry_B_B]

Make that Friday since that's the only day I can take delivery, pickup is not jibing with my work schedule. Using the extra time to read the receiver and sub manuals.

 

[Barry_B_B]

UPS kept me waiting until 6:15 pm; if I hadn't taken the day off prior I would have been upset but it was hard to see the SVS name on the box and stay angry. It was all I could do to let my wife finish the show we were watching before yanking my old Sony sub out. Setup was painless, even though I was so excited I forgot to turn the SVS' power switch on :rolleyes

I only took the time to calibrate with receiver tones since my calibration/play day was shot. The Matrix, Jurrasic Park and Star Wars I scenes I tried were very good with deep, clear bass, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting.

Saturday I got a chance to calibrate with DVE.



The levels were much lower than satellite volume; after the adjustment, I discovered my theater has 'nads. Big ones. I immediately thought of the video on the SVS website. The 20-39 pounded through the U-571 depth charges, but when I heard and FELT the Ice Passage crunching on Titan A.E. with the DTS track, I was finally blown away. I expected it but didn't believe what was being produced in my theater! I couldn't wait to show my wife when she came in from gardening, she said she'd already had the demo outside. I made her sit through it again anyway.

I still want to go over calibration again, as 120hz is just a tad too much at crossover;110hz would be just about perfect but I'll probably stick with 100hz. I'm VERY happy with my choice and can't wait to check out all of the action movies in my collection to hear (and feel) what I've been missing.

 

[JohnRice]

Seriously Barry, don't set the crossover too low. This is something I never quite understand. While setting it too high is also bad, you bought a sub for a reason, so let it do it's job. Give 120 a try for a while. Also try to get the phase adjusted properly. It can make a real difference in incorporating the sub in the system.

One of my favorite demo scenes is the opening battle in Master and Commander.