SVS Black box? Anytime soon? (1 Viewer)

[DeanQ]

Any news when the black box will be out? I can take so much of the annoying humm of my radio shack mini-amp. And Im no gonna do the cheater pulg thing either. I just remembered a month ago they said it would be near ready. A month has been up and Im just curious of the status.

 

[Tom Vodhanel]

Hi Dean, we are expecting them to be delivered anyday now. I'll call Phil and make sure there is no hold up.(We spoke last week and he said they should be shipping last Friday).

TV

 

[rodneyH]

what is the "black box" sorry for being naive

 

[Brandon B]

And are they for sale as a standalone product, immediately or after fulfilling current SVS owners orders, or at all? And how much?

BB

 

[Tom Vodhanel]

Hi Rodney,

SVS has developed a little control box to help anyone who might have a voltage/impedance issue using the Samson amps with their receiver. We started out with a *gain* knob that increases the signal about 20dBs,added a 3 position subsonic filter switch(15,20,25hz)and then finished it off with a 0-180 degree continuous phase knob. The unit is built by Marchand Electronics...so you know it uses some very clean circuitry!

I was told the units shipped today, so they should be in stock by the weekend...watch for a SVS news update around then.

TV

 

[Greg Br]

Tom,

What exactly is a subsonic filter and what does it do?

I hope the Black Box can better this cheap RS SA-155, it has alot of little quirks that are not acceptable for a hifi system, namely increased amp hum. To be honest if you do not pay attention when turning your amp and this unit on then you could do some damage to your subs. Have you tested the prototype of the SVS box as of yet or will that be this weekend?

Greg

 

[DeanQ]

I was told they were gonna be $99.00 via email. Dont know if that price stands.

 

[SVS-Ron]

Dean,

Sorry the full retail price will be $199, though for the rare SVS owner experiencing difficulty in calibration with one of our amps we may be cutting some very good deals so we can quickly get some feedback from these individuals.

Given this is a low-volume device built in the USA by one of the top audiophile designers in the country, I think it'd be a bargain for its features even at full price. We hope to have it up on the site today. We got the shipment in a bit early, yesterday.

The "SVS Black Box" Will offer 18dB of low level gain/amplification (for amps or receivers that need the extra boost), adjustable phase and variable subsonic filter with 15Hz, 20Hz and 25Hz settings (Tom designed the filter to match well with our CS/CS-Plus, CS-Ultra and SS subwoofers). There are also dual outputs so the box can act as a splitter for amps that do not offer this feature internally (our Samson and Crown amps don't need this but many others do). Phase is fixed on one output and variable on the other so you can optimize two subwoofers when they are in different locations in the room (instead of together in a corner as we recommend, but sometimes is not possible to achieve). Obviously any passive sub, DIY, or another brand could benefit from using one of these when high output desires sometimes lead to overdriving a sub with bass below its tuning point.

We don't expect to sell many, most customers don't need it, but given this elegant high-quality unit provides everything a subwoofer owner or builder would want, without going to a full equalizer (which don't typically offer phase adjustment or this level of gain anyway) we think it could be the final level of "tweaking" one's subwoofer that will allow even more flexibility in placment and performance.

Pics and a place on our Accessories page coming very soon.

Ron

 

[MarkFrab]

I'm pretty sure I'm going to need one of these, and I'll probably buy two.
See, I've got a pair of Buttkickers being driven by my Sunfire Theater Grand II (via a Carvin DC2000 and a Bheringer Ultrabass Pro 1200), and I had to add an RS SA-155, cranked, to get any output out of them at all.
I'm expecting that when the subs are delivered and hooked up, I get no bass. :frowning:
At that point there will be a frantic call to SVS for an order for two of these bad boys. (Might as well get rid of my existing SA-155 while I'm at it, right?)
Ron,
Any opinions on that? Seems likely that I'll need one, right? And you'll sell me two, wont you Ron? Please? Pretty please?

 

[jeff lam]

I think I would like one. I don't need much gain but a little might help. Having a subsonic filter and variable phase would really help out the Pro Audio amp users.

 

[Matt Meyer]

2 questions, how did people come up with the conclusion that it was a gain issue, or how did you tell that you had a problem with gain on those selected receivers? And doesn't the eqs on SVS' website have some of the features of the "black box"?
Excuse my stupid questions but sometimes it is the only way I can learn.
Matt

 

[DeanQ]

Ok I see that the black box is posted up on the website now. How do we go about buying it. I was one of the ones who got in on the spot group buy and purchased a 25-31cs and samson 700 amp and is having a problem with the voltage from my yamaha reciever. You mentioned people who purchased both items and was having voltage problems would get a different price than listed on the website. I am ready to buy asap! I hate this rca POS!

 

[SVS-Ron]

Dean,

Just e-mail us. Those are retail prices. We may be able to cut you a deal of some sort.

Ron

 

[mctague]

And when are we gonna get pix of the black box??? I'm on the fringes of getting an amp for my CS-Ultra.....

 

[SVS-Ron]

Sorry guys, should be tonight. Got at lame line drawing now but Tom's sending me pics as I write this. Should have the page up this evening too.

Just a bit about pricing. This box is pure audiophile sex. Phil Marchland is a legendary US circuit designer and don't come cheap. And since we didn't ship the design off to China to be built in batches of 5,000, it costs a bit to make in low custom quantity. OK enough wining.

It's available to anyone, DIY, other passive sub owner, anyone at $199.

For validated SVS customers it's $159.

If you are one of the few we spoke with that discovered impedance/voltage issues immediately after the rollout of the Plus series please contact us for some additional infomation that might be helpful.

Ron

 

[EarleD]

Tom or Ron,

Is the gain on the black box adjustable or is it a set 18db gain?

Thanks

Earle

 

[Tam Nguyen]

Ron/Tom,

for sure i will need this box to boost the output voltage of my AV9000 to the s1000. Would there be any time limit constraint or i can order it at my convenience for the price you have quoted ($159 for valid customer)??

Thank you.

 

[SVS-Ron]

The $159 should be the going rate for a long time. And yes, the gain is variable with a max of 18dB. Tom will have to add the finer points of use, I'm still waiting on one too!

Ron

 

[Matt Meyer]

Ron do you guys have an idea of the number of confirmed models that cause this problem? Is a lot or a very few?
Matt
Oh by the way THANKS for the GREAT service and the GREAT sub!

 

[SVS-Ron]

Matt,

Frankly we never could pin down a pattern. Some folks with the same models even experienced this issue differently. We don't feel the Samsons vary much in terms of input, but to be honest the numbers of problems was so low that any sample size was far below any possible statistical significance.

A few folks have had problems with Samson amps and their receivers, if you are one of them, then the device we are now listing (Tom's doing a read of my page then we do final, probably late tonight or tomorrow).

The box has enough very useful features that anyone might want one with a passive sub setup, but don't get one because you think you MIGHT have a level control/gain issue. There is no doubt however that if you DO have a gain issue this box will solve THAT issue, and then some.

Ron