From everything I have read, the 25-31pci just sounds like it will be a better choice, a little tighter sound, for music and the HT will still be excelent. I also read one post of two guys who did a comparison of the 25-31 and the 20-39 and they both prefered the 25-31. So I guess that is my reasoning.
... I want to get a good sub that will grow with me as I upgrade my speakers eventually. So which one?
IMHO - Either one!
My HT budget, by choice (like a game / hobby), ... required purchasing performance components @ bargain based prices. It requires a lot of research, reading reviews, and deciding what was the priority for my Music (during the mid 70s), to Home Theater (starting around 1997). So, since 1997, my priority became HT, Music second and purchasing was based on my musical experience.
As a semi-pro musician/composer/writer (more of a hobby now-a-days), I knew that my Dolby Digital Theater had to sound as close as, or as good as, some of the better Century Cinema Theaters in the SF Bay Area. During 1996/97, in every Theater where I thought it sounded excellent, before I left, I checked out what the speakers were, ... yep - JBLs. So, my 1st JBL J-Series purchase back then, up to my latest JBL S-Series purchase today, ... fullfilled my Cinema Theater sound recreation and overall, my HT sounded better (told to me numerous times since '97) than those Theaters and each progressive upgrade was a plus for the 2-CH musical playback aspect as well.
Every JBL set had a powered sub (8" to 10") to handle the bass, but in 1999, when I bought the AudioSource SW15, I finally added the missing sub-sonic impact that my JBL Series HT set was missing. My 20' x 30' HT/room turned out to be a rather difficult room environment to support the poor quality speakers let alone the bass foundations because the main 20' x 20' HT room foundation was solid cement, w/oak 6" square flooring, extending into the kitchen. The JBLs addressed the major frequency playback duties and my SW15 took care of the lower frequency duties.
With the AudioSource SW15, I could rock, shake, dust & even knock off my 1' fan off my triangle windows (near the sub corner) with this 200watt 15" sub, so for 2 years, my many Friday NITE DVD movie viewings w/my family & friends (had approx. 25 for VHS WS-Phantom Menace & Tarzan DVD), still sounded better than my local Theaters. All my regulars came back, knew what to expect and all volunteered to provide all the snacks and drinks- they all loved my HT System. The SW15 also seamlessly blended in with my 2-CH music CD's with a solid bass foundation - it was a excellent sub for the price ($199.99 CostCo)!
So why did I buy the SVS 25-31PCi? I've read most of the HTF SVS reviews for the last few years, but those testimonials didn't convince me that it was time to move my SW15 to my vacation house.
Well, four things finally did it, ...
1) Designed technology (i = "Improved" caught my eye),
2) Tom Nousaine SVS review ("The $ensible Sound" June/July 2001, Issue #86) and
3) Objective frequency graphs** / "waterfall" charts.
4) Lower cost!!!
**The SVS Frequency Chart (posted by Dustin B) highlights the fact that all SVS PCi subs are outstanding performers!
I decided, after reviewing my priorities again, that Music was actually played 80% of the time during the week and HT about 20% (once or twice a week) I picked what I believed to be the performance vs. price leader the lineup, SVS 25-31PCi.
So, prior to ordering the SVS 25-31PCi, I spent a week re-reading the previous SVS PC reviews @ HTF & SVS. Read about the 22Hz re-tune, I emailed Tom about it providing my present HT/family room details and accepted his recommendation to keep the default design! Am I second guessing my decision to follow Tom's recommendation?? Nope! No Way! Nada!!
From what I'm hearing, but more specifically feeling, ... Tom's recommendation was 100%, right on target!!!
I've seen all the Jurassic Park movies when they were released @ Century 22 in SJ (THX, DTS) and I thought their bass foundation support was outstanding, ... until I played back my DVD's (didn't buy JPII) on my REFERENCED Calibrated SVS 25-31PCi/JBL S-Series HT setup! The tactile feel of the movie took on a whole new level of sub-sonic sustained impact, never experience before until I added my SVS!!!
That same level of bass impact can be said with all my DDD quality JAZZ 2-CH Music CDs, but this time, ... the SVS refines the music w/smooth, extended bass foundation & impact.
This sentence @ SVS "How Did It Happen?" webpage sums up the SVS philosophical goal - "The performance, no matter what the price will exceed anything we know of on the market."
My SVS 25-31PCi is a KEEPER!!!
Phil
). In my mind, if one enclosure is all you want (or all you can get away with...like myself), I think the PCs are now a much better deal than the CS. I think they always were the best option for single-enclosure people, but you always knew you were missing a couple of dBs compared to the CS. That would have driven me nuts. Now you get more power and more features for less money (unless you have your own amp or buy a cheaper one), so I think the new breed of PC subs from SVS is really setting a new bar, even for them..
