Taylor R
Agent
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2002
- Messages
- 25
As you can see, I have only been a member here since March 20 of this year, and I have a grand total of 10 posts. But during this time, I had/have read with great interest about the SVS subs, as I had never heard of them. I had just sold my Atlantic Tech 350 system, with 2 350 subs, so I could purchase my new speakers, Snell XA1900's. But I was at a loss in regards to which sub to get - Velo, Sunfire, M&K, etc. The matching sub for the Snell's is $2500, which I thought was a little TOO much for a sub. So I read with great interest all the accolades that have been heaped on the SVS subs. I also read about the DYI subs and the HSU's, but kept coming back to the SVS website. Now it may seem stupid that I was looking at the budget conscious PCi line up after spending almost $5000 on my LCR's, but I had to "cut costs" somewhere, and, with the return policy, I figured it was a win win situation. Now, my Atlantic Tech system had 2 12" powered subs, and I was used to the sound that I was getting from them. But I decided to test just one PCi for the time being and then order another one if need be. I ordered a PCi 20-39, which I hoped would be the ideal set up for movies and music. I was quite pleased when my sub showed up just 3 weeks after ordering it. I opened the box, and was delighted with the build quality, looks and feel of the unit. I figured it to be a "budget" sub because of the cost, and that to create great sound, that costs had to be cut somewhere and that it would the be the fit/finish of the product. Not so. All the seams were smooth, the fabric was applied perfectly, no exposed fasteners, etc. Excellent. Now, the problem was I didn't have any other speakers. The Snell's were on a 4 to 6 week build time and I had shipped the Atlantics already. So all I could do was look with longing at the big brown box and wonder how the contents would sound.
My Snell's finally arrived, and I hooked up the whole system that night, finally redoing all the wiring at about 9:30 pm. This was the fatal mistake. I figured I would test some music first. VH1 was playing a classic 80's mix, and on came Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain" live recorded video. Now remember, this is 9:30 at night, wife is in bed, kids are sleeping. The next thing I know, the walls are shaking, the earth was quaking and I was laughing. My wife is standing in the doorway asking what the H*ll is going on out here, I'm trying to sleep. I was beyond amazed. Here was a "budget" subwoofer, throwing out so much bass, my neighbor came over, asking what was going on. Something else to keep in mind, is that my living room is my home theater room. It is 14' x 20' with the system on the short side, 8' ceiling going to a 14' cathedral, and a 6' wide open hallway out the kitchen. It is a difficult space to make work for sound.
I haven't calibrated the system yet with an SPL meter. I have just enjoyed it. My wife is completely amazed at the transformation the SVS sub did to our HT. And it isn't like I haven't played with other subs. My local HT store is exceptional, allowing me to take home several subs, including a Velo 12, a Velo 15, a B&W, a Sunfire and also the Snell. While all of them were impressive, they all cost several hundred, sometimes thousands, more, as in the case of the snell. I don't think the performance level of this sub can be matched for it's cost. Please remember this is a subjective "review", no hard numbers or charts to give you, just my thoughts. I honestly don't know if I need another one for my room. When the Pod race comes on, the couch shakes, and the pictures rattle on the walls. But just because I don't need another one, dosen't mean I don't WANT another one.
So if anyone out there is looking for a sub, PLEASE try out the SVS. It is an amazing unit. In my mind, it cannot be matched by anything out there, even by units costing 2 to 3 times more. If you live close to me, you are welcome to come and listen to it. My system is a simple ht setup, using a Rotel 980 THX processor, DD decoder, Rotel 985 amp. Nothing fancy, but it works for what I need. I hope you have enjoyed reading this, as it was meant to be a light hearted review while talking about a great product. Thanks for your time.
Taylor Richardson
Windsor, CA
My Snell's finally arrived, and I hooked up the whole system that night, finally redoing all the wiring at about 9:30 pm. This was the fatal mistake. I figured I would test some music first. VH1 was playing a classic 80's mix, and on came Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain" live recorded video. Now remember, this is 9:30 at night, wife is in bed, kids are sleeping. The next thing I know, the walls are shaking, the earth was quaking and I was laughing. My wife is standing in the doorway asking what the H*ll is going on out here, I'm trying to sleep. I was beyond amazed. Here was a "budget" subwoofer, throwing out so much bass, my neighbor came over, asking what was going on. Something else to keep in mind, is that my living room is my home theater room. It is 14' x 20' with the system on the short side, 8' ceiling going to a 14' cathedral, and a 6' wide open hallway out the kitchen. It is a difficult space to make work for sound.
I haven't calibrated the system yet with an SPL meter. I have just enjoyed it. My wife is completely amazed at the transformation the SVS sub did to our HT. And it isn't like I haven't played with other subs. My local HT store is exceptional, allowing me to take home several subs, including a Velo 12, a Velo 15, a B&W, a Sunfire and also the Snell. While all of them were impressive, they all cost several hundred, sometimes thousands, more, as in the case of the snell. I don't think the performance level of this sub can be matched for it's cost. Please remember this is a subjective "review", no hard numbers or charts to give you, just my thoughts. I honestly don't know if I need another one for my room. When the Pod race comes on, the couch shakes, and the pictures rattle on the walls. But just because I don't need another one, dosen't mean I don't WANT another one.
So if anyone out there is looking for a sub, PLEASE try out the SVS. It is an amazing unit. In my mind, it cannot be matched by anything out there, even by units costing 2 to 3 times more. If you live close to me, you are welcome to come and listen to it. My system is a simple ht setup, using a Rotel 980 THX processor, DD decoder, Rotel 985 amp. Nothing fancy, but it works for what I need. I hope you have enjoyed reading this, as it was meant to be a light hearted review while talking about a great product. Thanks for your time.
Taylor Richardson
Windsor, CA
