Tales of a new bass-a-holic (1 Viewer)

[MikeHU]

I liked my old Paradigm-10" sub, but what was I missing? All this talk about SVS, and anecdotes of happy customers.
Did I really need to spend more money, or was I just suffering a flare-up of "upgradidess"? Last night, I found the answers to all my questions. After much internal wrangling over cylinder vs cube, and + vs ultra, I decided on the PB2 cube. Placed my order last Thurs., and was promptly greeted by the SVS team. The sub shipped on Fri., and was delivered before Noon on Monday. If you owned a company, this is how you would want it to be run. Impeccable packing and a menacing looking sub. After dragging it into my family room by myself (not recommended), I hooked it up and calibrated. (thank you steve nn , and others who helped me learn some new terms and understand what I was getting into). I was in Shock and awe (sorry to borrow the phrase, but I think it fit here better than in the war conflict). Between Dori tapping on the tank (Nemo), and Monsters, Inc., my whole couch/room/house was shaking with clean tight bass. I readily admit that I know very little of graphs, peaks, etc., but what I felt was a total immersion into the movie experience. And to those of you asking yourself - do I like bass ? - that is my subjective response as to why I am a newly confirmed bass-a-holic. To me, it's like the thrill of a roller coaster. That perfectly timed LFE puts you into the movie itself, if only for a minute. I can't wait to try out some music. Keep up the good work SVS.

 

[ChrisKula]

Hi Mike, congrats on the new purchase!
I am also looking into purchasing a sub for my system and SVS comes very highly recommended on this site. I have looked at several subs (Klipsh, paradigm various models) and was wondering how your new toy compares to the Paradigm 10" that you have? A friend of mine has a 10" paradigm and it sounds pretty nice.
Thanks in advance for your opinion.

Chris

 

[MikeHU]

Chris, There really is no comparison between the 2, but your own circumstances may dictate which would be better for you. The SVS is head and shoulders above my old one. However, it is significantly larger and more costly. For me, it was definitely worth the money spent.
I have a large (25' x 15') room, with new Klipsch bookshelves (RB-35's, RC-35, RS-35's). I bought my Parad sub about 4 yrs ago and listened to a similar Klipsch vs. the Parad in a side by side, when I bought it. I liked the sound of the Parad better. It has worked nicely over the years (about 75% HT and 25% music) giving me room filling bass and good LFE's in action movies. I wanted a little more punch, and decided to get a larger /more powerful sub. SVS just kept popping up as a good buy with outstanding customer service, and an excellent product. I really liked the design of the cylinder models, but ended up buying the cube. ( I guess I thought my wife would just think it was a new coffee table). It is massive, so you need to have the room. The sound is incredible compared to my Parad. Last night was my first night to play around with it, and it could easily get my whole house a shaking.
I would not recommend it for an apartment or small room. I would certainly recommend it for a larger room and for anyone who enjoys a heart-rattling deep base and LFE's in movies. I am by far, not an expert in this area, but the bass also sounds more accurate and full range to me. But the most fun was just the earth-shaking, mind-numbing lows that rattled the house. It truly blew me away the firt time I heard it. It is probably 10x more effective in filling the room with LFE's. Not everyone subscribes to the more is better theory, but this is exactly what I was looking for! It really feels like you are in the movie theater. I am very happy with my purchase, and would do it the same. I would also highly recommend the SVS if you are looking for that same punch. I did not do any comparisons with new models of Parad. or others, but do not feel that I am missing anything with the SVS. I hope this helps you some. Good luck on your purchase. Mike.
ps. tonight I'm going to play some music and see how it performs.

 

[ChrisKula]

Thanks for the great response Mike!!

I will definitely put SVS on the shortlist!! Who doesn't like to feel like you are being shaken and punched by the bass! The room I have now is small so I am considering a PB1...but the appeal of a PB2 is there, so much more power. I will after all eventually have a larger room to fill with clean, loud, deep bass. Let me know how the music trial goes tonight....I am sure you will be equally impressed!
My only concern with an SVS is that I am in Canada, and the cost of these subs increases a lot when you consider the difference in the dollar and shipping.

Thanks again for the input!

 

[Philip Hamm]

heh heh heh subwoofer good.....

Next step: a built-in Infinite Baffle unit. Holy cripes does that rock.

 

[Philip Hamm]

oops double post!

 

[KeithY]

Mike,

Great choice!!

I went from PDR10 to PB2+ and now the PB2ultra, your
right about there being no comparison.

 

[frank manrique]

KeithY,

Have two questions:

1.- Why is the small monitor (transducer) atop a speaker stand with the tweeter tilted to one of its sides?

2.- Are you......the one Keith Yates of subwoofer testing fame?...

-THTS

"...hi, my name is Frank...and am an SVS bassaholic..."

 

[KeithY]

#1. It was turned like that to humor my wife, told her I
would try it to see how it sounded. She didn't like the
the speaker overlapping the mantle. That position lasted
for about a month, then I shortened the stand and stood
it upright again.

#2. I wish...:b

 

[kyle ^_^]

Damn that sub is huge... i didnt know they were that big... How tall is that thing?

 

[KeithY]

PB2+ 25inches, PB2ultra 26inches tall

 

[ChrisKula]

That sub really is huge!! Tough sell getting the girlfriend to agree to something like that in the livingroom! Good thing I like a challenge

 

[KeithY]

It wasn't easy convincing my wife on that upgrade,
especially since the PDR could be tucked in an out of
way position. There's no way I could hide the 2+, it's
constantly in the way...not mine, hers

She's always commenting "if that big a$$ sub wasn't there
I could put a nice loveseat in that area"...and I just
shrug my shoulders and

 

[MikeHU]

Hey Chris, I tried some music selections in a variety of areas. Cuts from the following: Norah Jones, Moby, US3, Eagles, Windham Hill - various artists, Classical (Tchaikovsky/Mozart/Beethovan), Pink Floyd. This sub is certainly a Chameleon. Roars like a tiger on the action movie LFE's, but purrs like a kitten on the musical selections. I had to stay away from the Kid Rock and Rush selections because the kids were all asleep and if I woke them I would really be in hot water with the wife. But, I can tell you that the sub performed marvelously. Really, for the first time in a long time, I heard true bass and enjoyed the music. Instead of booming/muddy thumps, I heard a range of low bass tones. It sounded like a bass guitar and quality amp playing right along in my room. Part of the problem may have been my prior set-up
(ie. not calibrated, and old sub probably running too hot), but I never heard deep, rich bass like this. It blended well with my Klipsch bookshelves, and was not at all overpowering. A very gentle but fulfilling sound. I was very impressed and delighted with what I heard. I can't wait to put it to the test on some other old favorites. I am very pleased with the sub being able to generate soothing tones for music,and at the same time, roar like a tiger for movies.

 

[steve nn]

I am very pleased with the sub being able to generate soothing tones for music,and at the same time, roar like a tiger for movies.



Really like your assessment MikeHU. Your choice of words say it all and would be quit challenging to improve upon. I also humbly Thank you for your kind words.


To me, it's like the thrill of a roller coaster. That perfectly timed LFE puts you into the movie itself, if only for a minute.





And to those of you asking yourself - do I like bass ? - that is my subjective response as to why I am a newly confirmed bass-a-holic.

We welcome you and it's great to have you aboard. We don't plan on any B/A meetings in the future that I know of, so I hope you can live/put up with it?

 

[ChrisKula]

Congrats Mike!
I am glad to hear that your new toy is exceeding your expectations!! From what I hear that happens a lot with SVS subs. Thanks for the opinion..it is nice to hear a good plain review that I can understand...being new I don't understand all of the HT "lingo" yet. The more I hear the more I want one of my own!
Have fun and turn it up...