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SVS releases news on bookshelf & center (1 Viewer)

John S

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I like them... I would asume they will be rolling out products more mated for their higher end subs as well in the future?
 

SethH

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I hope they really dig to 68Hz (+/-3dB) like they claim to. That's pretty decent for a small set of bookshelf speakers.
 

John Garcia

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I would think so, but I'd wager they will want to see how these are received by the market. If that was the plan, I'd say they are likely well into the design phase if not nearing the end. I'm really curious to hear them.
 

SethH

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On their news page they say that we can expect higher-end speakers to match the plus and ultra subs in 2006 and 2007.
 

Lee-c

Supporting Actor
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Sep 2, 2000
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509
Yeah, hopefully they will be able to arrange with a U.S. manufacturer to make the higher-end
models if SVS would have trouble fitting the manufacturing facilities needed in their own shop.
It's understood that you pay more for SVS subwoofers because they are made right here in the
good old USA by the folks at SVS, SVS customers have always known that and many really like
that fact. So having the higher-end SVS speakers made here either directly or by another U.S.
shop would be a strong selling point for many SVS fans. :)
 

SVS-Ron

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Thanks for the comments guys. You can bet we pay close attention to what folks say here.

These speakers are made for you after all.

As we enter 2006 there will be more news about the other speakers already underway, and the first small SVS subwoofer too.

Ron
SVS
 

BradJudy

Stunt Coordinator
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Sep 25, 2002
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211
Glad to see this line become reality for you and the crew, Ron. Looks like you're set for just-in-time release for the holidays. Good luck with the new line. :)
 

MikeLi

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May 6, 2003
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Ron looks like you have your hands way too full but we love it. Keep up the new products and improving on the real high sellers you have. Some of those subs, I don't see how they could be much better for HT but thats just my opinion. Anyway just a thanks for all you have done and are going to do in the future for all of us fans..
Mike Lindsey
 

SVS-Ron

Screenwriter
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Brad,

Thanks, funny how that worked out ;^)

(Well, we'll see, it's not like we're doing QC just yet).

Sadly the set I had here for a quick photo session has to go back to Ohio to serve as a reference set till we can peel a few units off from main production in about a week. Talk to Warren, he got a chance to listen to them a few days ago, the only person outside SVS to do so so far.

Mike,

Well of course folks have found out our dirty little secret. Our subs and now speakers have long been fed a steady diet of music too and never ever would see the light of day if they weren't as "musical" as anything on the market. Fact is, for subwoofers, music is easy. Very low stress on a good sub generally. For midrange and up though, music is THE way to make sure your speakers are working right.

While we've pounded the SBS-01 set relentlessly with movies, I'd say more time has been spent with all manner of music on them during the protracted checkout period of the design. Bach, Beasties, Beatles, White Stripes, Miles Davis (thanks to Warren), Beck, Rufus Wainwright, and just for good measure Metallica (since their top sound man is an SVS owner).

People might sometimes forget that most the owners of SVS were building/breaking speakers of some sort before some around here were even IN Pampers. Sure it was just out of love for sound (and truth be told, a lack of funds) back then. No shock then, some of us go back to LP's, tube amps, and (gasp) "HiFi Mono" in some cases. My father had one of the first full "Quad" systems (complete with four channel phono cartridge) and I managed to blow up (and secretly repair) the woofers on the speakers he bought specifically for that rig. (OK, this is where some wise-guy says "hey, I have a collection of 78's here you whippersnapper!" To which someone else will claim to have "cut his teeth on Edison cylinders"... but I digress ;^).

So to say we're picky about music is an understatement (not sure any of us have ever accused each other of being "audiophiles" per se, we know each other too well) . Oddly enough, the development of the SBS-01 system over the last year had me hauling out cases of CD's and just switching things to "Stereo" for the first time in a long time. While I always ran the test set I had in synch with the PB10-ISD (and an 80hz crossover in the receiver), I was pleasantly reminded just how amazing plain old "two channel" can sound.

Now, where's that box with the Denon turntable, LP's and old Adcom pre-amp I have??? ;^)

People will probably more often buy the SBS-01 for full surround sound systems, and mostly watch movies on them. But when it came to what we poured into them (besides a lot of sweat, and enough custom parts to build FedEx a new air-terminal) ... music we haven't dusted off in years became the steady diet used to refine these.

Ron
SVS
 

Mike-G-H

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Sep 1, 2005
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Ron,

Am I going to want to trade my def tech bp-6's, clr 2002 and bp1.2x's for your new speakers coming out? I'll be keeping my PB10-ISD though.

I think I could get enough on ebay for the def techs to cover the cost.......

looking forward to see what everyone thinks about them
 

SVS-Ron

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Mike,

That's a very tough call. DT fans seem to love their speakers to death so it might just come down to subjective preferences. We designed these things to be very very accurate and true to the source. They are neither "bright" or "laid back" in my opinion ("laid back" or "warm" usually referring to speakers without smooth and extended response on the high end, "bright" typically meaning excessive treble response). Let's call them "very revealing, without accentuating any particular audio spectrum".

Since you are familiar with the PB10-ISD sub, I'd say in many ways you are already familiar with these matching speakers in terms of transparency, linearity and output. The SBS-01 package (with the PB10-ISD) was designed to let the music or movies speak for themselves without imparting any real sound of their own (though I know saying that means they do have "their own sound" ... there's not a lot of speakers out there as "flat" and neutral as these).

Quasi-anechoic frequency response measured with our last engineering checkout speakers should get posted later this weekend, and you'll be able to see visually just how my own (admittedly biased) subjective impressions track with what's probably the single most important objective quality that can be measured.

Of course we are never going to tell anyone to buy speakers based on a chart alone, but if there isn't a FR trace on your speakers, you might ask why. Moreoever, anyone with good, basic measurement gear and a modicum of expertise will be able to validate our charts (never mind, no test rig will ever match another with total precision).

We're never going to try and tell anyone they shouldn't like "bright" or "laid back" speakers either. No more than we'd tell someone that they should much rather enjoy drinking a bottle of fine red wine, versus say well, insert your favorite beverage here _____________ . We can make speakers accurate and dynamic and powerful as anything in their class, but we can't ever make anyone like their sound. Some will not. Most will find them easy on the ears I believe, yet not lacking on the top end like "warm" speakers might be.

If you try some, and after a time to break them, and your ears, in to what might well be somewhat different sonic characteristics, and you don't like them? We take them back, done. We work hard to make sure no one is ever saddled with SVS speakers or subwoofers they don't like. And while we're OK with the idea that you should "listen before you buy", it's also true that only YOUR room really counts when it comes to evaluating a speaker. The fact UPS picks up as well as delivers means it'll be a more pain-free experience than schlepping to a store in many ways.

PS I'm no "golden ear", but I've got hearing off the charts for a 44 year old guy (hearing protection is the key, especially if you are firing off howitzers in a prior life), and have had all manner of speaker brands over the years. And like many folks here, I have been beating on good and not so good ones alike. If I didn't like these speakers I wouldn't be typing this response (instead, I'd be huddling with my partners probably trying to find a way to dump them on E-Bay or something I suppose. Our logo wouldn't ever go on them if we didn't like the sound for sure). Pulling the plug on this would have been easy.

Instead we're BTTW on at least two other configurations worthy of our Plus and then Ultra subwoofer lines.

I think I can speak for Tom, Erik and the rest of the staff on what we've come up with. We're really pleased with how these turned out(not that it was an accident, engineering has been grinding away for over a year) and are confident a new direction for SVS has been struck.

Ron
SVS
 

Mike-G-H

Auditioning
Joined
Sep 1, 2005
Messages
12
Thanks Ron for your response. I do like my DT's but I'm very impressed with my pb-10 and the effort you put into your products to make them such a great value. From reading your posts here it's obvious you've put just as much effort into this new line.

Just might have to give them a try when they come out. Since you'll take them back if we don't like them makes it that much more tempting, but if they perform along the lines of your subs, I doubt you'd get them back.

Mike
 

Robert_Gaither

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Mar 12, 2002
Messages
1,370
Uhm Ron, I think you SVS folks forgot something, since you're offering 7.1, 5.1, 5.0, and 2.0 packages why not a LCR package? I usually recommend to most people how important it is to get the front three to match and was shocked this wasn't offered at all. Just a suggestion for a pre-order or standard option.
 

SVS-Ron

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Jun 2, 2001
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Robert,

We wanted to limit the number of "SKUs" at the outset. We may offer a center only SKU at some point, but because we agree with you (mains should all match, and with the surrounds if at all possible) and we do want to try to maintain our material manager's sanity, I doubt there will be a LCR package alone in addition to a Center only.

We want to encourage people to get the full 5.0 which would include those three speakers already of course.

Hope that makes sense. If we DO offer a "center only" in 2006, anyone could assemble a LCR just with the 2.0 stereo pair naturally.

Ron
SVS
 

Kevin C Brown

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Aug 3, 2000
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I *don't* like the fact that the center channel is the universally bad midrange-tweeter-midrange design. Poor off-axis response due to comb filtering from the two midrange drivers.

But I *do* like that SVS placed the mids as close as they can, which does minimize the problem.

Ron- Any chance a higher end center would be a woofer/tweeter-above-midrange/woofer design? :)

What is the crossover freq for this one? I.e., the lower it is, the better for off-axis interference. Or, do you send a different set of freqs to each mid?

And, I understand why you went with the finish you did for these, but hopefully the higher end speakers will have wood veneer finishes? (Oak, cherry, maple, etc.)
 

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