Paradigm or SVS?? (1 Viewer)

[mr.H]

Hello Everyone!
I am a newbie here and need some advice. I am planning to buy a subwoofer and Paradigm PW-2200 is my first choice before, since i've been hearing many good feedbacks on SVS... specially the PB12-NSD/2 (which is now the apple of my eye) Don't know which one to choose. The big problem now is... I am living here in Taipei and we have a Paradigm dealer here but no SVS dealer. My investment will be almost cost double if i take the SVS online because of taxes and duties here etc... But i love it more than the PW-2200. Will it be Worth It? Everyone's advice will greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

 

[Arthur S]

BrianTwig should be around soon to tell you how awesome his NSD/2 is. You will likely have the subwoofer for a long time and not only will the NSD/2 blow away the Paradigm, averaged over the 3000 days you are going to use it, the extra money comes down to probably 3 cents a day. And, if you don't get the NSD/2 you will always be wondering what you are missing. If you love it, get it.

 

[AlanZ]

Yep, what Arthur said....I've owned all sorts of Paradigm gear, and I'm very fond of their products - except the subwoofers. I used to think they were pretty good until I got my first SVS....gave over. I know it can be a bit more trouble to get an SVS shipped abroad, but we're talking about a purchase that will last you years to come, and give you some amazing bass. I'm not really known as someone who is "brand loyal", but I've been an SVS customer for the past five years and I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon. Many of us feel it's the biggest no-brainer in audio these days.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[mr.H]

Thank's very much guys...Got your message! I'll go with the one I love most!...

 

[BrianTwig]

Arthur,

Here I am! While yes, I may go a little over the top and be very enthusiastic about my PB12-NSD/2, I believe my praise is warranted. Especially from a personal stand point. It is without question the best audio purchase I have ever made. I love it! Especially since it was the max I could afford and I purchased it with hopes that it would start to produce bass that was approaching what I was looking for. When it blew away my expectations I fell in love instantly.

Now, if I was living over seas, additional expenses would have put it out of my reach and I would not know how great it is.

 

[Arthur S]

Brian, as an SVS owner myself, I am not questioning your enthusiasm at all. I'm sure your sub is super. In fact, if you save up several hundred dollars more, you can get blown away all over again by upgrading to the PB-12 Plus/2

 

[AlanZ]

That's exactly why SVS is one of the biggest no-brainers in audio.....the expectations you have are quite high after reading all of the responses you get from satisfied customers, but those expectations are actually EXCEEDED once you get the thing hooked into your system. How many products out there can you say that about? Hell, I've owned a few SVS subs, and when I ordered the little PB-10 to hold me over for a while, I figured it would be good but nowhere near as good as it really is. There have been times at night when I jumped out of my chair to lower the gain because of how much asss it was kicking. And I'm not in a small room, either....it's 16x25.

SVS rocks

 

[John Garcia]

The 2200 is a good sub, however SVS will win hands down in the same price category. If ever there was a no-brainer, this is one of them

 

[BrianTwig]

At a party yesterday I had on my SVS "Wimpy Subwoofers Beware" T-shirt. Someone at the party who has heard my sub said to me "You even have a shirt with your sub on it? I replied, Damn right! It'll make small children cry! Which he laughed about because it did cause his 3 year old daughter to run in fear and cry!

 

[Seth=L]

when I was a kid the sunfire truesub scared me. My dad had the first model and would scare me into my room and then drag me crying like a baby into the living room and torture me with loud bass. I don't know if I will ever forgive him for making me obsessed with audio, I AM ALLWAYS BROKE!!!!

 

[Alan Pummill]

As many here can tell you, I had a PW-2200 for several years until someone brought their SVS 20-39 PCI to my house and let me hear it in my system. Shortly after that I bought a SVS PC -Ultra and sold the 'digm!!

SVS is hard to beat!!

 

[Jacob C]

The only paradigm sub that I liked was their signature series sub and I dont even know how much that thing is. The point? Dont buy paradigm subs. SVS, HSU, and many other companies make better subs for the money. On a side note, I love their other speakers.

 

[Terry St]

The PW-2200 was never really competitive with even the lower end SVS or Hsu subs. The Servo-15 is a completely different story though. A couple years ago it used to offer similar bang-for-the-buck as a SVS or Hsu sub if bought in Canada. (I personally had a shoot-out between a Hsu VTF3 and a Servo 15. They were almost the same price after shipping, but the Servo-15 blew the HSU away by significant margins in all categories, especially build quality.) Since then, the Canadian dollar has gone way up and Paradigm has jacked up their prices. HSU and SVS have also opened up Canadian branches so they're a lot more competitive in Canada too. The end result is that new Paradigm subs are a rather poor value at the moment, even in Canada. If you can get a good price on a used Servo-15 though, it's definately worth considering. Paradigm probably won't be competitive again until they both lower their prices and the Canadian dollar plumets back down below $0.70 USD. Neither seems likely to happen soon. Of course, if you want a sealed servo sub the Servo-15 v2 is still worth looking at even if it's not the best value...

P.S. The signature servo performs almost the same as the servo-15 v2, but costs a lot more. What you pay extra for is its looks, and it is a looker! It was never a bang-for-the-buck sub.

 

[Miles]

Agreed on this one... All the speakers in my main system are Paradigm, and while they are great, Paradigm's price increases have made their speakers much less attractive than they once were.

I do have the PW-2200 and it's a great sub, but if I had the $$ to purchase a new one today, I'd go with the SVS.

 

[PaulT]

Where did you get this information? Your comment about HSU is correct - but not SVS.

I will agree (as a Servo-15 owner) that the PS and PW series Paradigm subs are not up to the task compared to what can be purchased for the same money from other companies.

As with the problems (shipping, duties, taxes) listed by the OP, I eliminated SVS from my list when I purchased a Sub years back due to the doubling of price bringing it into Canada. I was easily able to buy the Servo 15 for what the SVS would have cost.

 

[Seth=L]

The Servo 15 can make your ears bleed.

 

[Terry St]

Hmm... I guess I was wrong. I probably read about HSU doing it and just figured SVS would keep up with the joneses. They really ought to open up a Canadian distributing center though. Cross-border orders are a PITA that most people just don't bother with. I bet their sales north of the border would quadruple.

 

[MikeLi]

I will chime in here quickly... SVS without a doubt. Worth every penny plus some. I have had several over the last 5 years and would not be without one.

 

[Andrew Pratt]

Agreed

 

[BrianTwig]

Seems it would be easy for SVS to set up shop in Canada. Especially considering all of their Amps are built in Toronto!