From 2 x original SVS CS subs to 1 x Rythmik FV18 (1 Viewer)

[Jeff Peake]

Long time lurker here, been away from home theater for a few years.

I bought SVS CS subs (serial numbers 75 and 76) over 20 years ago, when SVS was just starting out on this forum. I had a disaster occur a couple years ago (house flooded), and unloaded some of the undamaged gear including this pair of subs. I have been running without a sub since then. Paradigm Studio 60 v3 mains and CC470 v3 center. Studio 20s for surrounds.

I have a 20x17x9' room. Its open on 2 sides, windows on one side. Wood floors on concrete slab.

I am ready to get back in, but it appears SVS is no longer run by the same people, so I decided to try something different.

I have always preferred dual subs, but went with a single Rythmik FV18. It is unlikely but possible I would add another (hopefully one will be enough).

I have an old Pioneer VSX-1124 receiver which has room correction and the ability to EQ the sub.

Since I have been away from home-theater, it looks like room correction has come a long way. REW, MiniDSP, Dirac etc. Is my receiver, with sub EQ, good enough to get things dialed in?

The new sub is on a truck headed my way. Looking forward to hearing bass again.

 

[Clinton McClure]

From what I hear, you’ll probably be happy with the Rythmik. And while it’s true that SVS has different owners, the products have only gotten better and customer service has not decreased a bit.

 

[Jeff Peake]

I have received the Rythmik FV18. Its massive and heavy, was a pain to move around. Furniture sliders were a big help.

There are only 2 positions in my room that I can put the sub. In a front corner next to the left speaker, or in the rear-left corner.

I tried front-left first, and there were massive nulls at 60/80/100hz, along with some other issues. The sub didnt sound very good in this location, it was boomy on some scenes and too quiet on others.

Moving to the rear-left corner removed all the nulls. But the response was still not great. A big peak at 20hz, and another big boost between 40-60hz. Sounded better, but I was not happy with it.

I tried smoothing out the response using the 1-band PEQ provided on the FV18. It helped a bit, but 1-band isnt enough to smooth out the response across the whole range.

So I ended up adding a MiniDSP 2x4HD. This has transformed the sub. Took about 10 minutes of fiddling with REW and MiniDSP. The result is a very flat response. It is within +/-5db from 12-95hz, and within +/-3db from 13-85hz. The boominess is gone, it just sounds so much better.

I could probably improve it further, REW is pretty complex and I am not sure exactly how to set all the parameters when doing the EQ setup. But the result so far is very impressive.

I attached a screenshot showing the before and after results (measured with umik-1 / REW). Red line is before miniDSP, green line is after.

I am going to keep messing with it and try to smooth out the jitters between 60-80hz, and the slight dip at 35hz.

 

[theJman]

If that measurement is at the main listening position that's pretty darn good as it is. I think you'll end up liking the FV18, I reviewed one a few years back so I know the thing is a beast.

 

[John Dirk]

I'd echo @Clinton McClure 's comments regarding SVS but it sounds like you're gonna have excellent performance with what you've achieved with the MiniDSP.

Congrats! Nothing like strong, authoritative BASS!