SVS amplification questions... (1 Viewer)

[Chuck Bogie]

1) Thinking of getting one of their low-end passive subs - Thing is, I'd _like_ to get the Samson amp, and all that, but I'm gonna have to put that off for a while - the fun of buying in chunks, ya know? So, after reading their faq, I see that one can run 'em off of "other" amps. How much of a hit on quality am I going to take if I try using an old receiver? I know my old Marantz 2230 won't handle it, but I saw a "vintage" 100 watt Sansui the other day... Am I gonna hurt it if I just use one channel?

2) My sister's going to be setting up a large media room, likely spending what I wish I could spend... Would a pair of the SVS subs, splitting between the 46 and the 25, work okay together? I'm pretty sure they'll want a mix of volume _and_ depth...

 

[altan]

Chuck,

I don't really know the answers to your questions. However, do not hesitate to email SVS directly. They are very responsive and helpful.

... Altan

 

[keir]

having two 46's would give you volume and depth... mixing wouldnt be necessary and i doubt svs would recommend that option. the frequency response wouldnt be as linear most likely. but you should definately email them. they will respond quickly and you can get your answers straight from "the horses mouth" if you will ;P

 

[Eric C D]

Ditto on contacting them directly and on not mixing the two types, just get two of one type if you need more SPLs.

And this from their website re your cheap (OK, inexpensive - but believe me; I relate!) options:

"Nearly any good quality amp capable of supplying at least 100 watts into a 4 ohm load (nearly all commercial gear can do this) will do nicely. Even old high-power stereo receivers will work well."

There were discussions here quite a while back with specific cheap amp recommendations. I don't know if any search would be effective or not.

good luck.

 

[Robert_Gaither]

The SVS's should play flat but the efficiency might be thrown off a little due to alignment of the two different sub's tuning frequencies. Odds are that if your sister has never owned a sub the SVS's should really rock her world (most people who have never owned a sub will be impressed with even one 8" sub in a big room, as the sensation of even feeling a remote amount of bass in an environment that has never had any is a new sensation).

Concerning wattage, double the watts should only net a 3db increase in volume but it also seems that more powerful amps have a presence of a greater damping factor and seem to control the woofers action better from what I personally have experienced. Of course this is also dependent on the quality of the amp delivering the wattage.

 

[Ryan Schnacke]

I don't know anything about the Marantz 2230 but if its just sitting around then why not try it? I've got an extremely cheap 70 Watt/channel Pioneer receiver (bought it maybe 8 years ago for $70) and it pushed a Dayton DVC sub pretty decently while I was waiting for my plate amp.

 

[Frank Carter]

My brother powered a 16-46CS(original version) off a Yamaha receiver which stated 80w per channel and it did a mighty fine job. We even tried an Audiosource AMP5.1(100w) which did an excellent job as well. I've seen these amps go really cheap on ebay.

 

[Jeff Massey]

Email SVS and they will tell you if you old amp will work. I had a 20-39 cs plus using an old kenwood int amp and it sound great. The svs sub sound great and there customer support is as good as I have ever seen.

Good luck

 

[Chuck Bogie]

The Marantz is only 30 watts/channel (but they're HONEST and clean watts... something like 2.5 amps going in, as opposed to some of the new "amps" out there that say they're 600 watters, and use only 2-3 amps...)

I've been running a cheapo truck box sub with it as a stopgap. Works okay, but I want better stuff, and if I'm gonna rearrange furniture, I'd like the SVS - May end up with an Infinity tho - argh.

 

[Robert_Gaither]

Chuck, my advice if money is short is to build a cheap Sonotube sub if you can get a hold of a router, bits, and a hacksaw (for cutting the tube). Just building a 4 cubic foot (assuming the woofer's a 12", 10" and smaller you should be able to get by with about 2 cubic footer) in a sealed enclosure should do wonders for the sound of most woofers (most subs imho lack in cabinet volume and this can easily be saved and reused until you replace the woofer with something from Adire, Stryke, or PE).

 

[Robert_Gaither]

BTW, the only thing I'd disagree with Frank about the AudioSource Amp5.1 (I own this as well) is that the fan can be heard during silent passage. This is a great budget amp from the perspective that it can be driven into 2 ohm loads with very little problems (I've driven down to 1 ohm loads for back to back movies and the only thing that happened was the outer case was warm to the touch and this thing still put out nice tight bass!).

 

[Edward J M]

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshow...=300-794&DID=7
Parts Express 250W subwoofer plate amp for only $120.
This amp has all the features (phase control and rumble filter), inputs (high/low level with variable filter), and 4 ohm power (250+ watts continuous) to make a perfect match for one SVS CS series amp.
This is an unbeatable value as a subwoofer amp and would provide markedly better performance than an older 100W stereo amp that is in all likelihood rated for an 8 ohm load.
However, keep in mind the PCi only costs about $170 more than a CS and for that you're getting arguably a better amp than the Parts Express Unit, with 320W continuous BASH technology and similar features, and it is custom installed onboard.

 

[Guy Usher]

I run my SVS 2039 off a Pro-Amp that I bought for 200 dollars on ebay but not untill several emails back and forth with SVS. I started it on 1 channel of a Rotel 981 (130x2) and it did a good (not great) job. My used ProAmp is 400x2 at 4ohms and bridgable to 1600x1 but no need as it does super on one channel, matter of fact I think I will put another SVS on the other channel.
Lots of things to consider, I wouldnt put a receiver on one untill some discussion with the boys from SVS.