SVS 16-46cs+ odyssey (1 Viewer)

[Jason_Ro]

Well I took the plunge and picked up an SVS 16-46cs+. I didn't really want to(I already had an SVS 20-39pci) but due to freak encounter with a $200 Samson s1000 amp on Ebay and a friend that really wanted an SVS but didn't have a credit card, I really had no choice. So I sold off the 20-39pci and ordered a 20-39cs+ b-stock. When BAX delivered my new sub two things were immediately apparent.

1.)It looked like some wild monkeys had raped the bottom half of the box.

2.)The box was taller than the box for my 20-39pci.

After documenting the damage I observed on the box with BAX I ripped the box open. This is where I saw that I didn't have a 20-39cs+ but a 16-46cs+. Unfortunently the base plate was cracked as well. After checking the invoice I saw that I was charged for a 20-39cs+. This was fine with me, I would have bought the 16-46cs+ if they had some in B-stock anyway. After a quick E-mail to SVS telling them about what happened they said I could keep the 16-46cs+ at no additional cost(Joy of joys). They then gave me a list of things to look for on the sub to make sure only the base plate was damaged. After a visual inspection that included pulling the cloth covering up(naked sub!!! woohoo!!!)I didn't see any evidence of further damage. Then I hooked it up to my Audiosource amp 3(samson didn't come in yet) to see if I could get sound out of it. It was all good. I assured the SVS guys that everything else on the sub was good and they sent me a replacement base plate and a free T-shirt. I took this opportunity to pick up the SVS bass interface box. Everything came in a matter of days.

So I replace the base plate and it now looked brand new. So I had the sub(check), bass interface box(check), bettercables interconnect(check), Samson s1000..... Hmmm, no Samson.... So I had everything except the amp by May 29th. I won the bid on the Samson over 2 weeks before that. Needless to say I didn't get the samson until about 4 days ago. What can I say, except USPS sucks in ways I didn't know the postal service could suck(In fact, I think they suck more than a baby hippo could suck).

I hooked everything up and calibrated using Avia and the Rat shack spl meter. First thing I threw in was the Korn Issues CD. It was odd. My 20-39pci hit me harder on that CD. I was kinda dissapointed. I just scratched my head and looked at the sub in a simian like daze. Tossed in some Nine inch nails, bass still didn't seem to be as hard hitting. This is where all the waiting finally pissed me off. So I turned everything off and played some Quake 3 to vent some anger. Afterwords I went back to play with the sub again. This is when I threw in Star Wars Episode 1. The bass beautiful(I wonder how lightsaber could possibly produce that much bass?). So I decided to try some more movies. Next on the list was The Iron Giant. Once again the bass was beautiful. This is where I checked my reciever to see if something was set up incorrectly. Everything was fine. So I tossed in Titan AE. The Icefield scene was awesome. Things just began to rattle all over my room, the bass in that scene actually made my bathroom door vibrate violently(it's on the other side of the wall) and got my next door neighbor to come over and see what was up.

This is where we busted out the Xbox games. Project Gotham, Jet set Radio future, and Halo. Of course I beat the crap out of him in every game but that's not the important thing. The sub handled all those games with ease. I must say it made Halo and Jet Set Radio especially enjoyable.

So I decided to test music again. Threw Korn in again and yep, the bass still didn't seem to have that impact that my 20-39pci had. Listened to the Rocksteady album from No doubt and the sub blended in seamlessly with my fronts. So I decided to throw Dido in. The sub played that nicely. And finally I decided to listen to some Moby and some Norah Jones. Sub still sounded good. I became a bit curious about the impact I was lacking so I turned the level up on the Bass module. The impact kicked in after I did that. Unfortunently I won't be leaving it like this since it throws off my calibrations, but it's nice to know I could do it if I really want to.

Needless to say, I've become attached to this sub. It definitely is a differant animal than my old 20-39pci. Which is better? I prefer my 16-46cs+ now. Of course my setup is used 80% for Movies/Games and 20% for Music. The thing that kinda irritated me on my 20-39pci was the port noise in some games(Resident Evil on gamecube). That's all gone now. Just nice clean bass. Highly recommended.

 

[Jeffrey Forner]

Jason;

Your experience with the 20-39 and 16-46 SVS sizes with regard to music match mine. My friend Ben got a 20-39PC shortly after my own 16-46PC arrived last year. Like you, we both noticed some unique sonic differences between the two subs.

Ben actually went with the 20-39 model because he was interested in a more "punchy" sound for music. You know that feeling you get when you play a techno album and you can feel the air moving with each pounding bass beat. That's what he wanted. I'm not so much into that. The 16-46 model is, for my money, a more pleasing sub musically. It's very smooth and easy on the ears. You can still hear the bass, but it doesn't thump the air like the smaller models do. There is a little more thump since I added the new standard driver, but not so much that it bothers me at all. Some people may miss that, but I've never been a fan of that kind of sound.

When it comes to movies, you and I have the exact same conclusion: Nothing beat a 16-46 model (in regular or plus model) for sheer extension. As you said, the bass is simply beautiful to behold.

I'm glad to hear you like the new sub.