Shootout, Music/Movies: SVS vs VELODYNE (1 Viewer)

[Will Gatlin Jr]

Hello...

My buddy has two 18' HGS Velodyne subs in his rig. His buddy just ordered two SVS subs with the big Samson amp. When he gets his SVS sub/amp (after breaking them in/How long should the break-in be?), he'll bring them over to my buddies house for the comparison.

Here's my buddies system:

Meridian 861

B&W N802 Front

B&W HTM1 Centre

B&W N805 Side/Rear

Velodyne HGS-18' subs (2)

Velodyne HGS-12' subs (4) Side/Rear

Aragon Mono Blocks, across the front three

Aragon 8008BB (2) for the side/rear

PS...For the max test, Do you guys think that the side/rear spks should be played without their subs? I'll report back after this interesting comparison. Thanks!!

 

[Danie_P]

DAMN!!!... I really hope he dont live in a flat!
If so I guess he´s neigbours dont love him... ha ha ha
very impressive set up....
Cheers

 

[ling_w]

Your buddy should get a couple more subs, one for the center channel, another 2 subs for music modes & leave the HGS-18 to blurt out LFE only. He might need some more analog boards for the 861. If he doesn't want to do that, scavange the subs from his side/rear setup. There is rarely enough bass coming out from them (in movies or various music modes) to justify the sub (this isn't the Lexicon processor with the wobbly bass feature utilizing side/rear subs,) unless he has the 800 processor to do DVD-A digital direct to the 861.

Plus those B&W/Aragons don't do justice to the 861, he needs the Meridian DSP8000 speakers.

 

[jeff lam]

6 HGS subs??? Is he nuts???

 

[Richard Burzynski]

Now THAT's how you implement bass in a HT.

Nice!

 

[Frank_S]

Ling, you are joking about the Aragon/B&W combo, are'nt you?

 

[ling_w]

Frank,

I am not. The Nautilus maybe. The N802 are decent, but they are no match for the Meridian DSP8000 (which comes in LCR units.) Plus they have a synergy with the 861 units.

Anyway, it is much more important to have a sub for the center, especially since with Meridian's implementation of DTS (as per DTS specification,) center low bass would not be rerouted to the sub no matter what speaker the speaker size setting. Plus many music modes synthesize a center channel based on the L&R sound. They surround are extracted ambiance, which rarely have any strong bass in them. The only music mode that might have significant bass in the surrounds is the ambisonic mode (and of course, DVD-A.)

 

[Frank_S]

Ling said; Quote"The N802 are decent, but they are no match for the Meridian DSP8000 (which comes in LCR units.) Plus they have a synergy with the 861 units. "
Ling, I assume you have this Meridian setup you speak of.
I have heard the DSP8000's with the 861 and other top of the line Meridian electronics and did'nt think they were worth the asking price, at least not to me, the complete setup was over $100k, I've always thought Meridian gear was overpriced, again just my opinion.

 

[Chris PC]

Hmmm too many subs equals interference and lots o peaks and valleys in bass response. Long wave lengths from more than 2 or 3 places don't mingle well in the same room. Ideally, put those subs side by side right?

 

[ling_w]

I don't have the Meridian speakers (I am planar man.) But digital technology allowed the DSP speakers to implement crossover & seperate DAC in the speakers itself. The only thing missing from those speakers is digital amplification.

Meridian is one of the few companies in the position to deploy something like this, since most super speaker companies are not in the digital field and most digital experts are not have strong speaker presence. Maybe Madrigal could team utilize Levinson and Revel's resource to come out with something, but from what I know, they are 2 distinct companies.

Chris,

Multiple subs randomizes the peaks and dips more. A single sub will also have long wave problems from the reflections. The purpose of the multiple subs (in the buddy of Will's setup) is to have a seamless transition from the speaker to the sub. None of the subs here are called to produce the same LFE/bass signal. Even the extra sub for music mode is utilized to re-enforce the mains when playing music only, not for LFE.

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Can we get back to the original topic?

Will - I wanna know when/where they are going to do that test. We should probably alert the local authorities or we might trigger some earthquake detectors.

 

[Dzung Pham]

Which SVS subs does your buddy have? CS? Plus? Ultra?

 

[Will Gatlin Jr]

He ordered the Ultra (2). I just found out that my buddy is selling his Meridian and getting Lexicon's MC-12.

 

[Chuck C]

 

[Gregg Hart]

Any chance your buddy wants to have me over for a demo? Assuming he lives in SF.

 

[Will Gatlin Jr]

Greg...

He lives in Carmichael. That's about 30 miles east of Sacramento. I'll talk with him about any invites.