Sorry...I've got the speakers. I've got a set-up video, that if I can figure out how to smash it down into a time-lapse form, I'll post. My wife is out of town with the camera, so no photos yet. And anyway, things aren't setup fully yet. I need to wall-mount the TV to get the center channel in the right place. And I'm dithering on what to do about the surrounds.
This is the MTS5.1 system: MTS towers for front L & R. MCS for center channel . Two MBS bookshelfs for surrounds. And the PC12-Plus for the sub. All in rosenut with the black accents.
This is a major upgrade. There is no comparison to my previous KLH bargain kit. The subwoofer far exceeds anything I need (I probably bought too much :). Talking with Ed, from SVS, I noted I'll never take it to reference level, leaving significant headroom in the sub, so he promptly bunged a port to tune it to 16 Hz
Even at modest volumes, the bass can be felt in some scenes.
The stereo imaging is the best I've ever had. Interestingly, it's not as good as I heard during my demo at Ed's. I attribute that to my lack of acoustic treatments and the wide separation of the front speakers. But it's still very good compared to what I've heard before.
Ambient surround effects are much more solid than ever before. The MBS were are cutoff at 80 Hz in the receiver, and I think they are spec'd to do an honest 80 Hz. I watched "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" last night, and even a sonically modest rom-com benefits: the crashing of the surf on a beach scene is lifelike, substantative.
The mains are cutoff at 70Hz -- at the recommendation of Ed / Chris. As I desired, there's no gap between mains and sub. Listening to George Winston play the "Linus and Lucy" theme on piano is a new experience; the lower piano registers are solid and rich.
I'll speak for Chris here: he's a more critical listener than me, owns Paradigm Monitors, and has demo'd Paradigm Studio and Signature speakers. Based on memory, listening to his music in my room, he felt that the MTS system (stereo) are wholly superior to the Monitors, probably a match to the Studio, and may even compete with the SIgnature line. In my experience, the stereo imaging crushes anything I've heard at retail stores. Audio quality is a tough nut to keep in mind, but I found them better than the Monitor line. (I never demo'd anything higher, like the SE or Studio line.)
I had anxieties about driving these 4-ohm speakers with my Onkyo 707, but so far so good. For most of my watching, it's not an issue. Ed observed that it was clipping during the Lobby scene in the Matrix, running about -12db below reference (75dB reference). (He noted that the sharp metallic ringing in gunfire is not the right sound, but indicative of amp clipping.)
In my comments on SVS speakers, my recurring critique is on the aesthetics. While I still think they prioritize sound and value over aesthetics, in person, these rosenut speakers look better than I expected. The build quality is exceptional. I think my expectations were a bit low as Ed's speakers were self-assembled from misc stock and while good quality, perhaps aren't quite as tight in the seams as new, for-customer, construction.
Going back to the beginning: OOBE (out of the box experience) is superb. It was only dampened by my rush to open and setup with two guests waiting on me :) The boxes -- double-boxed in case of MTS -- are oversized. The speakers are packed to survive the worst UPS could throw at them. Each speaker is in a soft white linen / cotten-esque bag, to protect the finish. Heave the speakers out of the box, open the drawstring and slip the bag off, and the speaker is ready. Also in the box is a freq-response chart for the speaker and, if appropriate, some mounting feet hardware.
The sub -- the PC12-Plus, a mid-size, mid-weight sub by SVS speakers, is something to see in person. But, key to me, it's shorter than the MTS fronts and shorter than my media shelf so it is not intrusive in the room.
There are some obvious anxieties about buying from an internet-direct company. I had the good fortune to get a demo. But setting aside acoustic matters; SVS is a top-notch company. They will provide extremely detailed information to your questions. They will work with you to find the right system for your room and budget. They will also, good naturedly, point out weaknesses in your total system and point out useful upgrade options -- using products from other companies, no profit to SVS. The construction -- these speakers look like they'll be unchanged in a decade. The shipping quality is superb. The speakers are ready for normal connections, bi-wiring, and bi-amping. They'll take bare wire, spades, and bananas. And you get a free SVS T-shirt with the system :)
I'll be back with more, later this week for sure :)
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). That should make the SVS seem as large as it actually is.
Nice, Dave! 
