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Should I go with a SVS 25-31PC+ or a 20-39PC+ for a Hi-Res audio setup? (1 Viewer)

John Pine

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My setup is used almost exclusively (80/20) for music. Primarily I listen to Hi-Res audio (SACD/DVD-A), concert DVD’s and of course redbook CD’s. I listen to everything from Blues and Metal to Classical and Bluegrass. Volume-wise, I typically listen in the 90–100db range with an occassional 105 db peak. My mains are full size towers rated down to 37Hz, so the sub crossover will be turned down to 40 or 50Hz. A concern I have is my listening room is fairly large (23’x 18’ w/14’ vaulted ceiling). Which one would best match my needs? Any feedback? Thanks John

p.s. I asked Ron at SVS, but he wouldn’t commit on one over the other. He said either one would do nicely.


Toshiba 35"
Parasound HCA-2003(L/C/R)
h/k PA2000(rears)
h/k AVR 525(pre-amp)
Denon DVD-2900
JBL S310-II's
JBL S-Ctr II
JBL S36-II's(rears)
Velodyne CHT-12 (currently listed on eBay)
23'x18'x14' (LxWxH)
 

JohnSmith

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Since you don't play it that loud, I would think the 20hz tuned model seems more suitable, since it's tuned lower.

Depth over volume I say. :) I have the 20-39 PC Plus in a 1000 cu foot room, obviously not driven very hard.
 

John Pine

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John I might play it a little louder if my sub could keep up. I was also leaning towards the 20-39PC+. I like the fact that it comes tuned to 20Hz and it's nearly flat from 50Hz to 20Hz which is important for my application. My CHT-12 that I'm selling was good down to about 28Hz, but below that, it could not keep up. But, in fairness, I think the size of the room had a lot to do with it though.

I was just wondering if I'm giving anything up by going with the larger unit....such as, the more compact 25-31 offering a tighter more musical sound.
 

DavidNighorn

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Just a word of caution. I have the 20-39+ and it is nowhere near flat. That is due to room placement issues rather than the sub's native performance. What I am trying to point out is that buying a sub based on measurements will not necessarily accomplish your objectives.

That being said, I'd rather start with a known, high-quality sub like the 20-39+ when starting to tackle room issues. At least you have reduced the variables.

David
 

Jack Gilvey

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Unless you need the 1-2dB extra output in the upper bass, or the size/price makes the difference, I'd always go with the added extension.
 

JohnSmith

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yeah...I mean you could ask SVS to produce a suwoofer tuned at 60hz, and that'll go really loud- far louder than 16, 20 & 25hz models.

But would you really want to? :)
 

John Pine

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Jack: I agree, but other than volume, do you give up anything to get that added extension?
 

Jack Gilvey

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Nope. If anything, the lower the tune the "tighter" the sound as the group delay peak is pushed further away from the audible bandwidth.
 

John Pine

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Ohhh...K, I'll just act like I know what the heck you are talking about. :)
 

Greg Yeatts

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Low group delay means that the bass arrives on-time with the rest of the music. You have probably seen bass described as fast or slow. A sub with low group delay would be described as fast and a sub with high group delay would be described as slow.

Fast bass is really a misnomer because what we really want is our bass to be on-time with the rest of our system.

When you tune a subwoofer lower, this will increase its group delay at the lower frequencies around the tuning frequency. Group delay of a tuned subwoofer is frequency dependant. However, the group delay of the lower tuned sub may be lower at higher frequencies than the group delay of subwoofer tuned to the higher frequencies.

This means a sub with a lower tune will be "faster" on the bass frequencies used in most popular forms of music than a sub tuned higher.

Do you have a headache yet? This stuff is a little hard to get your arms around.
 

John Pine

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John: You think the PCi would have plenty of headroom for a room of that size?

Thx Frank!
 

terence

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I say go with the 20-39 PC+, it sits right in the middle of the road of the plus line. So you get the best of both worlds almost, think of it as a compromise between the 25-31 & 16-46 in a way. I like how the 20-39 handles music & movies and i don't think nor feel as though i'm missing anything.
 

Jack Gilvey

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As far as headroom, I'd e-mail Tom with your particulars. In that room, it certainly wouldn't do to reference levels with DD/DTS soundtracks, but music requires a bit more analysis. Most music bass, though, is over 40Hz, so you should be more than ok.
 

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