SVS Subs!!! Are they really that good??? (1 Viewer)

[terence]

I will agree with you here and say I am in fact sorry as I didn¡¦t intend to come off that way. Everything I have said is nothing more than opinions so please don¡¦t take it personal.

This is like saying i don't mean to be a$$hole i'm just rude.

your comments say other wise.

 

[JessPrice]

I think he is saying there are better products out there, you just have to pay a helluva lot more. Am I correct?

 

[terence]

Just because you paid more your gear does, not always mean they is something in the market place that cost less will not match or out perform it. It's DIY'ers out there that put some stuff together that will smoke a lot gear that people think is top notch.

 

[ChrisWiggles]

Yes I've heard a fair amount of madrigal gear. Lexicon is not Madrigal (yet). Both make high-end, high quality products. As I've stated before there's a lot to love. I would love to be able to afford that quality of gear. Unfortunately I cannot, and while speakers that are at the level of Revel are not found at my price point, some gear, such as subs, ARE, if you take the time to look around and are willing to sacrifice some things and take risks, such as looks, which is irrelevant IMO.

Please name ONE product from SVS that has not reciever critical acclaim.

Look, you are arguing about how great madrigal gear is. There's no argument there. These two brands are geared towards VERY different types of buyers and pricepoints, with one thing the same: great sound.

And there are also quite a few brands that compete with Madrigal's lines too. I for one, far preferred Dynaudio Confidence C2s run off Musical Fidelity amps over Revel Salons off Mark Levinson gear. That does not in any way belittle Mark Levinson or Revel, which both make great gear. The Dynaudios were very different, and I preferred their sound. FYI that setup cost less than half the Revel/Levinson setup.

Here you go again defending your products to the last, finding now weaknesses, no compromises, and use your "inherently" superior product to say that SVS cannot compete. You've not heard an SVS at a comparable price point, or any at all, for that matter. Why you feel the need to join a thread about SVS anyway is beyond me, since you have no knowledge at all about their performance.

As an owner I acknowledge weaknesses in ALL my products. I find faults in my speakers, my reciever, my CD player, and my sub. My speakers are great, are they THE BEST for the money? I dunno, for me they were and they were worth it. Is my Marantz reciever the BEST for the money? Depends on your priorities. It was right for me. My expectations on the SVS were high, and they were met, and it meets my needs. I bought it for clean, loud, deep HT bass, and that's EXACTLY what it does. If someone is looking for a music-only sub, then while it will do great in that mode, it's biggest strength is in movies, in which case it may not be the right choice. It depends on your priorities, but arguing one way or another about the qualities of ANY product based on your assumptions is ridiculous.

Not only THAT, your assumptions go totally against the many knowledgeable folk on these forums, which at the very least should open you to the possibility that SVS really might be a great product. You should never buy a product solely on reviews, but good reviews should point you towards considering a given product. I would not buy speakers online without having gone to an owners house to hear them firsthand, because of the very different sounds and tastes in speakers. Subwoofers are relatively easier to quantify as explained previously, and so I went out on a limb to try an SVS, thinking that at the very least, it would live up to the Paradigm subwoofer that I would have purchased for MORE money otherwise. That sub got NOTHING but great reviews, and guess what, the SVS beats it in every regard. Non-boomy, cleaner, tighter, better extension, and VERY loud capabilities.

Based on my experiences, I will not hesitate to recommend BOTH Paradigm and SVS, AND Revel, AND Mark Levinson, AND Dynaudio, AND Musical Fidelity, AND Lexicon.

My two $ents.

 

[terence]

I like Revel really nothing against them, but what i fine funny is how Eric has contradicted himself remember....

Svs can’t compete and it is simple logic. They use test methods that most other high end companies can’t even afford let alone svs. Revel is part of the madrigal group (now harman spec group) which makes most of the gear that is considered to be the best of the best period.

Im sure you can fine flaws in their products, because there are no perfect products like humans, and man made the products get the point. Just like i'm sure someone would not agree that madrigal group products will best their none madrigal equipment. Golden ears or not right?

 

[Eric_Strickl]

This is like saying i don't mean to be a$$hole i'm just rude.

You are silly. It is so easy to be an asshole and not notice it. More time than not when your an asshole you dont realize it until later. Your being one right now by trying to shoot down me saying im sorry.

 

[ChrisWiggles]

First, you made the ASSUMPTION that because SVS is an internet-direct brand, that a buyer then has a "vested interest" before they ever even hear the sub. Based on your love-fest with madrigal, I say you are very heavily brand-biased, far more than most of the SVS crowd.

Second, you STILL have NO IDEA what you're talking about. As far as you are concerned, SVS could sound like an aiwa stereo. It could sound like a 5 Revels. Yet you STILL stand by your ridiculous assumption that SVS is automatically, by default inferior than your equipment, because they don't have the design resources of a high-end brand behind it. Because the designers MUST be less knowledgeable than those at Revel. Because subwoofer X is more expensive and comes from an expensive brand. Because you refuse to believe, that SOMEWHERE, out there in the black beyond, that maybe there is a superior piece of equipment that is cheaper than yours.

And about it ripping all the comp to shreds, I will say this AGAIN, since you STILL don't seem to understand: how in the WORLD would you have ANY IDEA what SVS sounds and performs like in comparison to it's competition. Your argument is moot from the beginning.

But since you've invested so much effort behind a "look how much better my brand is" argument, I at this point doubt you'd even give SVS a fair audition. Please prove me wrong. :frowning:

 

[MikeLi]

Time for a chill pill guys!

 

[Troy R]

Since I live in the same city as Eric someone loan me some money so I can buy a PB2+, PB2 Ultra, or B4 and show us both what SVS is all about, since I haven't heard one either...

I will gladly accept donations on me and Eric's behalf.

Then maybe we can put this argument to rest. I've got Dynaudio's too so we could have the Dynaudio vs. Revel war too!

Does SVS allow tours in their Ohio shop? maybe we could hit that up!

 

[Jeffrey Forner]

...I demo all of my gear in home for at least a week if not more. If I can’t hear it I don’t want it. Would you buy a car without test driving it first???

Eric, please clarify something for me. On the one hand, you say that ordering a subwoofer online is a bad idea because you've never heard it. On the other hand, you would not buy a product that you could not test in your home for a certain period of time. However, SVS does allow you to return the sub within 45 days if it does not satisfy your expectations. How is this any different than taking a subwoofer from a B&M store, using it for a week, and then returning it?

 

[Carlo_M]

I think he doesn't like the return shipping cost (it's a long thread, but I think that was from way back there).

And I think another point in favor of SVS is that no one here has jumped up on the other side of this argument. Usually with products du jour, there will be a loyal fan base, a dissenter or two who then get hammered by the fan base, and then more dissenters who were quiet but are now sticking up for the guys getting hammered because no one wants to see that.

But in this case, I just don't think there are many out there who feel as Eric does (despite never hearing an SVS).

Personally I have just heard my first PB1 and all I have to say is holy s#@t! We ran it through equal parts movie and music, and this sub handled both fantastically. Made going home to my Energy sub a disappointing ordeal...just don't have the cash to upgrade just now.

 

[Reginald Trent]

Maybe Eric should have read this before he typed his initial post.

http://www.hometheatersound.com/equi...2531pcplus.htm

AND THIS.

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...hreadid=143338

But maybe I'm a little biased since I own a 16-46pci

 

[JerryCulp]

I can't argue with the experienced guys here about how good an SVS sounds in comparison to other subs.

What I can comment on is Customer Service. I have pestered Tom with questions and he is always reponsive, knowledgable, and polite. that is even after the sale! How they manage to answer all the emails and still get the subs shipped out is a wonderment to me.

I can count the number of companies with comparable customer service that I know of with 2 fingers.

 

[MikeLi]

JerryCulp hit it on the nail... The customer support means alot!

 

[steve nn]

(Customer support means allot) I definitely agree with that conclusion. I know the product has to perform or the customer support part of the equation is nullified.

Example>> I was having a hard time integrating my AV15 along with my duel 25-31CS+'s so I gave Tom V a holler. He got back to me and told me I had a polarity problem (after a few mails)and to reverse the wires on the back of my QSC to one of the subs. Wallah! That was the fix! I had been fighting this issue for 2-3 weeks and thought maybe I needed to buy another amp? Something didn't seem right. Where others quit Tom persisted. I was getting a -5dB affect with all three in the same corner individually calibrated. I was definitely miffed. Long story short I have what I consider perfect bass now and I attribute that to Tom V and SVS.

(How does SVS sound compared to other subs?)....I could really go on here. Let me just say imo SVS gives the amount and quality of bass/LFE for your $$ that cant be improved upon except by SVS them-self. I know I'm very opinionated but I feel as though I have paid the price imo.

If it were my decision to make in a HT room as you describe I would hold out for a 25-31 or a 20-39 SVS + and not look back. Go for it and be content is my recommendation for what it is worth.

 

[Robert_Gaither]

Eric, harman international (which owns Madrigal) isn't the only company that makes gear, companies such as eminance (many of Adire), Dayton (the driver's from parts express), and TC-sounds (SVS, Stryke, and Krell) so stating that some companies lack the resources (out source), talent (once one understands T/S one can simply order a product to spec), and confirmation (Dumax). Some of the before mentioned companies (SVS, Adire, etc) have rented time in anechoic chambers on posts made in the Diy section of this site so one doesn't necessarily have to own something to buy a great product.

In fact I have more faith in the Diy market products as most of us on the many forums have a "what did dumax state" or "where/when can I download the white papers" which is confirmed by a third party source. Lets face it when you look at the Revel sub you're using your prejudice about how much it costs, name (you keep referring to madrigal), and appearance with this assumption you are making a comparison to the subs offered by SVS (I could safely state the driver used in the Ultra series would be easily comparable to the driver offered in B15 for quality though their parameters would be based on the design intent of "box" volume, alignment, and eq in case of the Rel).

I personally have experienced the Revel products you cherish and definitely agree about their speakers (though I was more impressed with Aerial) but I wasn't impressed by their subs (agree about the "boomy" quote by someone else earlier but I dismissed by improper setup/calibration as most audio stores I've been to usually are, but then most subs I've heard at stores fit this description) but put it into the context that this was a store demo and won't make a disclaimer one way or another about how this compares with SVS, HSU, or VMPS (have not heard these brands in person but like a lot of the science each claim). But simply stating the SVS can't compare and never even hearing it, is simply foolish imho.

BTW, there are many good software sites made by many Diy's that can help calculate room modes, perform sweep tests, and where accoustic reflextion points so one can if one wants get this information (heck make a post with a floor plan in the Diy section and most likely someone there will do the work for you!). Trust me the talent is out there as well and shocking enough it's free.

 

[Rus Bowisc]

Oh, man.

Now I'm thinking of opting for a PB2+. See what you guys have done?

My wife is putting on her camo/night-vision gear as I type and the Apache is getting warmed up. Look out guys, she's going to come after you guys.

I will probably sell my CHT-15 by end of year and move up to an SVS.

Mama-mia!

Rus

 

[Jon Musil]

I've got yet another complimentary service comment about SVS and Tom. Yesterday I called SVS with a few questions that the "sales" guy felt wasn't sure about so he thought it would be better directed to the tech types in an email.

Well, exactly 20 minutes later I had a response from Tom V at SVS along with an offer to analyze my layout for an alternate/superior placement of a sub! So I faxed a fairly crude sketch of my "space" and I'm expecting a follow-up call from Tom this afternoon! Now that's customer service!

Frankly, I was considering an Hsu sub also, but I think this experience probably justifies the extra $100.

Jon

 

[rin]

I e-mailed SVS with some questions I had about upgrading the driver on my three year old 20-39PC. I even said in the e-mail that I was in no big rush for an answer as I am still very happy with my sub and don't have any immediate plans to upgrade-just exploring options. Tom V. got back to me within a matter of minutes with very thorough explanations of all my options AND a smokin' deal on a driver/amp upgrade. Thanks Tom! I really can't say enough good things about SVS. The people and their products are first class!
Thanks again SVS.

 

[terence]

I will co-sign on the customer service at SVS is outstanding and i think J. D. Power should add them to the list for excellent customer service! I had an issue recently that Tom V. was all over it, once the problem was solved i could only think........man do these guys even sleep? You can't by consistent CS like what they have, if you think about it, it's like a product or accessories that comes FREE with your sub. I'm a fan for life!