My friends subwoofer sounds (feels) soo much better than my SVS! (1 Viewer)

[Sheldon C]

I apologize for the misleading thread title; just my shameless attempt for attention.:b

Anyway, here's the deal. I was over at a freinds house yesterday and he showed off a scene from Blade 2. I couldn't believe how much movement I was feeling from the couch, the coffe table, the floor, my chest, everywhere. I honestly have never heard a sub perform this well in my entire life.

Sometime last fall I convinced him to buy an SVS even before I bought one of my own (which I did as soon as I heard his sub). He ended up going with the 16-46 and I bought the 20-39. Until last night, I really hadn't heard or felt any difference between them even though his basement room was smaller than mine and had an "L" shape to it.

A couple months ago he bought a new house and his system setup is now in his upstairs living room instead of the basement. Yesterday was the first time I had heard his sub in this arrangement and I have to tell you that having his sub on a suspended wood floor made the most dramatic improvement in bass I have ever experienced. The thing is, he has it in a very large room too, I would say it's around 18' x 30' and it has some openings to other rooms. His sub was about 10 feet from me during the movie.

I am just very surprised that I have not seen it mentioned how much of a difference a suspended wood floor makes as far as really being able to FEEL the bass whip through the room and your body!! Wow! I was speecheless.

I've posted here recently that although I'm very happy with my sub right now, I am thinking of adding another and that made me want to upgrade today, as well as move all of my equipment upstairs!! (not that I'll do that, it just wouldn't work out)

 

[TommyL]

I have had them on both surfaces and properly calibrated, I still feel a damn good kick...basically, it is trembling the floor..which makes you feel it more...much harder to do on a cement floor..although, the B4+ does do it

 

[James Edward]

Sheldon,
Obviously you have not spent the time to read all of my posts- shame on you! My HT is on a cement slab, and here was my reply in a former thread, one of many lamenting my cement slab:


Miguel- Here is the bottom line: Which way the sub fires won't make much difference, but a concrete slab will never transmit the tactile feel like a wood floor. My only suggestion to you would be to get the biggest, baddest sub you can afford. I would also suggest that if you go with SVS or Hsu, get the lowest tuned sub you can. They seem to energize the air in the room, which is what you'll need, since the floor won't be vibrating at all.

My HT is on a cement slab, and the bass just does not transmit as well as with a suspended wood floor. Friends with half the sub I have get a more tactile feel because their system is on a wood floor. But that's life, so just beware that you'll need a powerful sub to go with the concrete floor.

 

[James Edward]

Another thread on this very topic:

HERE

 

[Sheldon C]

Cool, thanks James.

Tommy, do you have to turn up the B4+ louder on the concrete to get the same effect?

 

[Chris Sigua]

James

Have you thought about adding Bass Shakers if you really want that tactile feel?

 

[Kevin C Brown]

I just read a comment that concrete slab floors aren't the best for sound quality, and that putting a wood subfloor over it greatly improves thing.

If you go to http://www.avantgarde-usa.com/ and ask for their 31 Secrets to Better Sound brochure.

 

[Sheldon C]

Thanks for the link Kevin.

As far as bass shakers go, I have two aura shakers and I used them all the time when I first bought them. However, I soon realized that they shook the couch just as much for the soundtrack as they did for massive explosions. Now I only use them while listening to music and I have them set very low.

Also, my shakers didn't give me near the effect that my friends sub did. Sure the shakers move the couch but I didn't feel them in my chest like the sub.

 

[TommyL]

Sheldon...I just calibrate it 3 hot and she shakes the place...I believe I could pretty much blow my windows out with it..and this is in a new very well constructed house...it is in 4500 CF...I've hit some very high clean spls with it without a sweat...As Tom V from SVS put it to me when asked how far I can go "your amp (which is a Crown K1 bridged to 1500 W) will give out well before your sub" Good to know! One of these days I'm going to see what it'll do...I measure from about 10 feet. Big room, big sound...SVS all the way baby!

 

[Adam_Reiter]

My B4+ actually "moves" your clothes when the bass hits. As in, your clothes flap in the "wind of bass" comming off that sucker. HEHE. "BASS, how low can you go?...."

 

[Torgny Nilsson]

I have essentially the same sub you do and there is no problem with your sub. I had the sub in a 3rd floor condo with 24 foot high ceilings and it worked great. I felt like I was in the movies I was watching. Then I moved to a slab floor home. While I still get the sound, I no longer get the vibrations.

So, if you want the same effect as your friend, keep the sub and put in a new floor over your slab floor. There is no other solution I know of other than butt-kickers, which I don't really care for.