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Simons Brother's review of the B4+ (1 Viewer)

Justin_Brown

Auditioning
Joined
Dec 12, 2003
Messages
3
Hello all this is my first post on this awesome forum. I've been visiting now since my Brother Simon pointed it out and we have both garnered a lot of useful information.

Firstly a brief introduction. My nick is BladeRnR (Real name Justin). I'm 6 years older than Simon and I'm the person you blame for his Hi-Fi obsession (Passion? - everyone has to have one right and Hi-Fi is cheaper than keeping a woman - trust me ;) ). Many years ago I handed my Hi-Fi hobby over to Simon so I could concentrate on my passion - Computers. Simon's system (With much advice from me) has gone through many iterations in the last 8 or so years. I think he started off with my Yamaha 7-amp DSP-2090 (I loved Yamaha for many years). The biggest advice I can give anyone starting out in Hi-Fi is READ EVERYTHING and visit forums such as these. Simon's current system:

Rotel 1098 Pre/Processor
Denon A11 DVD Player (Known as the 5900 in the U.S and has just been released)
Rotel 1095 200Watt 5-Channel Amplifier
Rotel 1050 70Watt 2-Channel Amplifier
Crown K1 1500Watt (750Watt Bridged) Sub Power Amp
M & K S-5000 Ultra 5.1 Speakers
SVS B4+ Subwoofer
Audioquest Interconnects/Optical/Speakers Cable

I'm sure many enthusiasts here have added a new component (Be it Speaker cable, Speakers, DVD Player etc), played familiar material and been stunned by the revelation it offered. I'm in the fortunate position to have experienced all of Simon's upgrades so I've heard his system evolve to what it is now - sonic perfection. Ok enough - onto the B4+ review.

As Simon's other posts atest the B4+ came in a massive crate along with a separate box containing the Crown K1 Amplifer and assorted interconnects. 5 weeks ago Simon and I were relatively happy with the Whise Profunder Sub we had in the system but as is always the way I sowed the seeds of doubt in Simon's mind when I told him how annoyed I was with a couple of scenes clipping the Sub. Now the Whise Profunder is the best Sub made in Australia and I will say it's a beautiful speaker but for our Bass hungry needs it didn't cut it (It did 95% of what we wanted put it that way). I went searching for an alternative and ALMOST convinced Simon to get a Velodyne 18" (Wow I'm so glad we didn't pursue that route). I'd never heard of SVS before and as is my way once I found them I did all the reading I possibly could. It was a HUGE gamble importing this Sub site unseen (And indeed unheard). On specs alone the B4+ was certainly impressive and (should) hand the Whise it's ass.

Firstly the B4+ is BIG. I measured it's footprint when I was first investigating it on the Web but that didn't prepare me for what I saw in the crate before me. It was quite a struggle to move this monstrosity let me tell you!

Sound. I'm a confirmed Bass Nut - if I don't hear a Bass saturated track I'm not a happy camper. I used to think the best things to come out of America were Californian Blondes with large assets and degrees in Nuclear Physics, Big Block V8's and Star Trek but I digress :). All of the reviews on the B4+ simply did not prepare us for what we heard. This is without doubt the most POWERFUL Sub I have ever heard and believe me I've heard MANY Subs in my time. The sound is DEEP, PUNCHY and makes no excuses as it SLAMS you with Bass Wave after Bass Wave with no beg your pardons or lame excuses. This Sub is like having Arnie behind you kicking you in the ass to do one more set in the gym. It has HUGE presence and saturates the listening area with such total Bass authority that I felt I could cut the air with a knife. In the two scenes we've had clipping trouble with (Star Wars Episode 2 - assassination attempt and Matrix Revolutions where the ship lands at the start to transmit) the B4+ just shrugged and said 'Is that all you got?'. We've listened to all our Bass heavy favorites - Titan A.E, Terminator 3, Xmen 2, LOTR - TT, Matrix Revolutions. In Xmen 2 where the dam breaks I swear I thought our listening room was going to cave in! The B4+ is ridiculously powerful yet so SMOOTH - it's pleasure and pain in equal measure. In Terminator 3 where the beer bottle sinks under water and the Hunter Killers swoop over the battlefield of the future I had to hold onto my couch! And it's just so EFFORTLESS. The B4+ never sounds strained no matter what we've thrown at it and it's running -7dB to get it at 75dB reference at our listening level. Quite frankly after 2 days with this beast the Whise sounds like a toy by comparison.

Music. I'm stunned - please commit me because I've started to jabber like a deranged fool. Pink Floyd SACD with the B4+ is a religious experience. This is not only the finest recorded album I've heard but it's the best RECORDING I've ever heard. The B4+ shows that it's just as adept with Music as it is with Movies and that really surpised me.

Finally I suggest you all go and buy the Denon 5900 (A11 in Australia). Sell your wife, your kids, your car. It has made such a MASSIVE difference over the Denon 2900 it's just not funny. I always complained to Simon the Denon 2900 (And his Denon 3800 before that) was too bright and my ears felt fatigued after long listening sessions at reference. Oh dear - the Denon 5900 is like eating honey from a jar. SMOOTH, SWEET without a hint of sibilence. You won't need Cinema EQ with this puppy. It has such incredible picture detail (And that's just an Interlaced Rear Projection TV) I can only imagine what Progressive Scan would be like on this thing.

Summary. Buy a B4+. Believe the hype and everything you have read thus far. I am possibly the biggest Bass critic I've ever known and I can honestly say the B4+ is the first speaker that has FRIGHTENED me. SVS you have changed our home cinema forever. Nothing from this point on will be compared to anything else I have heard to date because I know whatever attempted to steal the B4+'s crown would have to be a scary unit indeed.

And I STILL can't get this grin off my face :D

Thanks for persisting with this long post and Happy Holidays to all

:star:
 

Edward J M

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2002
Messages
2,031
Great review, Justin. Did you honestly expect anything less from The Bass Authority flagship?

Kick-ass rig BTW - Rotel, Denon = DROOL :emoji_thumbsup:
 

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