Get A Load Of This Subwoofer Shootout... (1 Viewer)

[John_Johnson]

The last revised version of Brian's text got hung up in the e-mail, so incorrect numbers on SPL readings for the various subwoofers were posted. The correct version is now published. Sorry for the error.

John Johnson

Editor

Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity

 

[BryanZ]

John,

Thanks for the info and for doing the shootout!

 

[John Kotches]

Ahh the beauty of the electronic press
Thanks for all the constructive feedback guys, even if we don't respond we do read these threads as you can see
Regards,

 

[Ray R]

The graph with all the subs on it was very interesting. You can see how the room influences the response; a hump at 30Hz and dips at 61Hz and 67Hz. Except for the SVS, all the subs began to roll off before the 30Hz hump saved them.
Looking at these graphs I am very happy with the results I have gotten with my PF15TL and a BFD in my 2100 cubic foot room. The bad news is I'll have to shell out over $2000 for an SVS to get any significant improvement.

 

[Bhagi Katbamna]

Wow, 118dB at 30 Hz is near the threshold of pain. You would need 3 and a half HGS 18s to equal the output of the SVS Ultras and at 20Hz, 2 HGS 18s would not equal the output of the Ultra package.(Please correct me if my calculations are wrong.)

 

[RichardH]

The bad news is I'll have to shell out over $2000 for an SVS to get any significant improvement.

Ray, that sounds like *good* news, not bad news

 

[Tom Vodhanel]

Note the freq-response seems to be taken with the subs at their maximum clean output levels.
This isn't quite the same as the typical(yawn)85dB output level most manufacturers use to *spec* their response performance.If 85-90dBs were used...the rest of the subs probably would have looked much better.
We *spec* the CS_U at 20hz...it remained relatively flat to 14hz in 3500+ cu-ft...at maximum output levels.
anyone want to rip their floorboards up?
TV

 

[Pete Mazz]

Why measure two SVS against only one of everything else? The article mentions that they can be ordered as singles. I think you could buy two of the "other" subs , as well.

Pete

 

[Jeff Aguilar]

Ron & TomV,

You guys should be very proud of the monster that you have created!!!

That article says a lot about your company and your products. Congratulations.

Jeff

It sure is nice to know that I have been such an avid fan of Home Theater since the age of 1 1/2!!!

 

[Tom Vodhanel]

>>Why measure two SVS against only one of everything else? The article mentions that they can be ordered as singles. I think you could buy two of the "other" subs , as well.

Pete

 

[Henry W]

I read the reviews and as best I could understand the Velodyne HGS-18 came in as best overall and the SVS second. The Velodyne was recommended for music and the SVS for volume. I don't need volume but sound quality is certainly important to me. I'm buying two subs now and am considering the following:

SVS CS-Ultra

SVS 16-45 Plus

Velodyne HGs-15.

Which is the best for sound quality (volume is not important?

Best regards-Henry

 

[Chuck C]

SVS was contacted and asked to submit out baddest subwoofer system. We did.

You could purchase 2-3 HGS18s or 4-6 of the RSW15s if you wanted too...sure.

muahahaha!

 

[Jim A. Banville]

PLEASSSSSSE!
Velodyne should've sent 4 sub's and said "it's our baddest system". It would've left the others in the dust (including the SVS)
I guess we could just add 3 db to the other subs' results to get an estimation of what 2 of them would do in a more equal basis comparison against the SVS pair.

 

[DanaA]

All I have to say to you SVS owners is you suck, suck, suck. I just bought a new Hsu VTF-2 and love it. I can't imagine anything better! But, when I hear you SVSer's, I drip with envy. It's making me ache for an SVS. I keep thinking that if my Hsu gets me motion sickness during a DVD, what's the SVS going to do. Now, I HAVE to have one! I want sooooo badly to be an SVSer myself. I just redid my bedroom system and was planning on buying new stuff for the living room in a couple of years, but now I'm having a hard time holding off. I know I could get just the SVS now and buy the receiver, speakers, etc. later, but that would be kind of like putting royalty in coach class. You guys are going to have to explain it to my wife.

Signed,

An envious old man

 

[Dan Malloy]

This is from the actuall reviewer from another forum....

I'm glad you liked the review. I contaced every manufacturer I could think of for this review (including Krell). Most of them returned my calls, but when I sent the list of the subs that had alredy signed onto the list, some became suddenly silent.

Sunfire, Krell, . . I tried to get them all.

The artlice started on the premise of $1000-$3000 price range, since a single SVS-Ultra was near the bottom, I asked for two.

If you have any questions about anything feel free to ask...

 

[Pete Mazz]

Tom,

I wasn't surprised about the SVS's performance, just thought it looked kind of curious seeing two of your babies up there, knowing one of them would've put up impressive enough numbers.

I looked at it from this perspective: Maybe others that aren't familiar with your product will take it as some sort of unfair advantage and they might think that you actually "need" two of your subs to get the better of one of "theirs".

Pete

 

[steve paul]

I had two 20-39 PC's and sold them due to my room width (10FT with a 100" screen and def tech towers..no room up front for SVS's) and I purchased a HGS15..had WAY less output than the SVS combo as expected, so I went to an HGS 18. Finally got everything calibrated and set up and the HGS is pretty nice. Not as loud as the SVS pair but oh so detailed and clean. I didnot have ultras but the regular series, and i prefer the HGS, BUT it cost almost double for what I paid for the SVS duo. I paid $2300for my HGS18, so its about the same price as a pair of ultras. Like the review said, if you want major output go with SVS, they do it well. I found the Velo tighter and more accurate with no distortion I could hear. I ran a sweep and at 20hz, the inside of my walls sounded like nails were coming out of the wood as the entire frame of the room shook. I do love my HGS18 with music and movies. Very nice sub. SVS are great as well, but kind of big.

 

[Tom Vodhanel]

Pete,

I understand...I thought it was a fair question.

Adding a second identical unit would give you a 6dB gain across the board.

So if you want to compare a single CS_U to the HGS18...just subtract 6dB from the output of the SVS.

I don't have any issue with that at all. We're still the flattest(+/-5db in room),most extended(14hz)subwoofer in the shootout...and still have the more potent low bass output too.As an added *bonus*...anyone with a single CS_U/S1000 combo could add 6dBs of more output for $959,...not $3000(retail)for the HGS18.

At $2295 and in an obvious package configuration...I don't how this would be considered the same as another manufacturer asking to send in $12,000 worth of their products in a

 

[BryanZ]

TV,

Wouldn't that require your sending in the SS package as well for review? (Even though you could get three SS for just under $9K.)

 

[Jack Gilvey]

This dual-SVS subject came up in another thread a while ago.

The dual Ultra/Samson is an actual product unto itself, it's sold as a "package", and since it's appreciably less expensive than that Velodyne 18, I don't really see a problem with comparing the two. Nothing unusual about the "package" idea, Dr. Hsu's first product back in the mid-80's was a dual tube subwoofer system.