SVS? It's the biggest let down ever (1 Viewer)

[Brett DiMichele]

Ned,

LOL!

 

[Jeffrey Forner]

On the one hand...

...the SPL is impressive...

So, despite the fact that the SVS has an "AMAZING ability to push low freq's" and despite the fact that is a good, clear, and loud sub, it doesn't sound good, nor does it pump out any decent SPLs.
What in the fudge do want? I really do mean that. You're all over the map here.

 

[Brett DiMichele]

Travis,

I took the time to go back and read every subject and thread
you have posted since you registered here on the forum.

Know what conclusion I have come to? That you are new to
this whole Home Theater/ Home Audio world and there is
nothing wrong with that. We all started as newbies in this
hobby at some time or another. The problem I see is the way
you are going about things. Flaming a company like SVS and
calling thier equipment "junk" and saying it "sucks" when
in fact the real problem lies with you, well that bothers
me greatly.

You need to take the sage advice of the elders here and you
need to "listen and learn" before judging products that you
probably don't even have set up correctly. Don't take it the
wrong way because the truth is that we all make mistakes and
I am not infaulable either. Hell just last week I was messing
with my system and caused an ultrasonic oscillation that
took out both of my tweeters within a split second (thank
the lord for warranties!) I should have known better but in
my haste to "play with a new toy" I didn't do things by the
book and I caused damage by doing so.

My best advice to you before you go one step further is to
take 10 steps back. Before you can even think about making
an observation on any product you first need to impliment
said product correctly.

Sit down and read your Receiver manual front to back numerous
times. Get intimately aquainted with all of it's settings
and features, especialy the bass management section. Make
sure that everything is wired correctly and only then can
you move onto the next phase.

You need to buy some other tools, an SPL Meter (Analog from
Radio Shack) an Avia Test Disk and also study up on proper
placement of speakers (the golden triangle) and also on
Room Gain and Room Modes. You would be suprised at how much
effect a room has (good and bad) on the music that you hear.

Another thing to tip toe lightly on is the car audio thing.
Home Theater and 2Channel guys tend to be a different breed
than car audio people. There are exceptions to the rule but
generally speaking car audio is about making a scene and
making noise. Noise is the Home Audio guy's anti christ and
his goal is to make music and get rid of noise. I am in no
way demeaning car audio, I am still a car audio fanatic and
I realise there are sound quality competitions as well as
SPL drags.

I hope this post has been helpful in some way, any way..

 

[Tim Morton]

Gee...can't even begin to fathom a guess as to why the amp blew*LOL* Could it be that you have not CLUE about what you are doing??? First off...car audio is not LOUD because of sub bass...its lound because of MIDbass that is being played by the subs in combination with the transfer funtion of the car itself...does this make sense to you? No subwofer is going to play midbass in your home the way that it does in your car because you don't get the 60db transfer funtion at 110hz the way you do in a small car....naybe if you moved all your HT speakers into your bathroom and sealed the door shut you might get close. You sound like all the spoiled rich brats that used to compete in Iasca compititions with me. heres a clue for ya...sit down ..shut up..and listen to people for a change. You have an AWESOME subwoofer , but you have no clue what to do with it . I'm sure the amp was fine when you got it and i'm also sure it smoked because of you messing with it, and i'm also sure that SVS will replace it for you,(which adds to the cost for others because of your stupitidy) and if they don't i'm sure dad will...and through all this you will again learn nothing from it.I'm sorry if i'm wrong..and i apologize for the FLAME..but you dragged up a bunch af bad memories with your last post!!! I hope someone in this group has the ears of SVS..and when you call them today and make a case for them sending you a new sub, that they tell you that you have voided your warrantee and have a nice DAY!!!!

 

[Edward J M]

I was an early poster to this thread and hadn't checked it until this morning.

I woke up this morning thinking to myself this poster has gotta be:

1) a young kid;
2) new to HT;
3) prone to set-up errors;
4) never reads the manual;
5) is brash and rushes to judgment;
6) has completely uneducated ears;
7) is used to boomy inaccurate subwoofers;
8) is totally into car stereo with 150 dB subs.

Well color me a psychic.

Travis - go get yourself a couple JBL Pro Series 18" concert subs and a QSC 2,400 watt amp and bring the house down.

Leave the world class bass to those that can appreciate it.

 

[Tim Morton]

Brett: check out a NICE well put together car audio system someday...not one that is playing the one note BOOM that car audio is known for, but one that is put together by a true audiophile like myself...some of the best nusic i have heard has been played in a car...its not all BOOM BOOM BOOM...it truly can be an audiophile..and now a videophile experience.
http://www.sounddomain.com/member_pa...Ford%20Contour

 

[Chu Gai]

PLEASE READ MY POST NEAR THE BOTTEM REFERRING TO MY BLOWN AMP

there may be local laws punishing such behavior with severe consequences.

 

[Mike Sloan]

Guys: Quit slamming Travis and let the great customer service at SVS solve everything....they always do...and they might even convert Travis in the process.

 

[elMalloc]

It's ok to have one out of a thousand people hate SVS, nobody loves everything =) I'm sure his other choice of SUB has a worse like:hate ratio than SVS.
-ELmO

 

[SVS-Ron]

Guys,

We're working with Travis. Not that we like public drubbings but it's clear, I think, that some basic errors were made, perhaps on our part too for not advising better in the pre-sale period (can't recall what we exchanged). We'll get him better, or get his money back.

Good natured ribbing of any "newbie" is expected I guess, but if I was 19 again, I can promise that first, I couldn't even afford great gear like this, and second, I wouldn't have read the manual either (now I write them, go figure ;^).

Thankfully my ears were ahead of my budget.

Car stereo customers are a different breed and it's up to our staff (and HTF by extension) to make sure the bridges are built, not burned.

Ron

 

[Dennis Reno]

Brett took the words out of my mouth. Great post btw.

Give the guys at SVS a chance Travis. I've owned several of their subs and they have never let me down. If you still don't like it there are numerous HTF members who would be willing to relieve you of the burden!

 

[Scott_Jua]

Ron, as another failry new customer I don't have to tell you that your statements, and Tom's, are the most reassuring one could ever hope for. MY opinion on Travis and his actions thus far is neither here nor there, but the conduct of the SVS crew in a situation like this is amazingly heart warming. You even take the blame, try to understand, and work with him, where most other companies would say tough sh!t and be done with it.

Amazing...

I am overwhelmingly satisfied, even with the set up and receiver problems I am suffering(working with Tom on this one as well), I can't say I've heard a better sub to this point. My 25-31PCi is clean, tight, and so powerful that in my HOME I cannot turn it up in fear that I may not have a home much after watching a single scene in a movie.

Thanks Tom and Ron...and as for Travis, I belive with their help and the help of some of the members here...he can achieve a great performing HT experience.

 

[Dan Hine]

I've got to second Mike's post. Not a single person here got into this hobby knowing everything. Many of us still don't know anything when you consider how much there is to know. I DO agree that Travis went over the top in his blaming the problem on the SVS. But it's not the first "not impressed with SVS" thread I've seen (interesting how almost all of them are some kind of user error also. ). Travis just got a little overly upset..comes with the age. And that is NOT a knock. When we're young we often feel like adults do not take us seriously and that we won't be paid attention to unless we make a scene or at least exaggerate the point. Let's all be mature about this and teach him, not berate him.
On that note, Travis, slow down. Read your manuals and do some searches on the board about proper calibration of your setup. You have one of the best customer service teams working with you as well as one HELL of a great HT subwoofer. You won't get car spl levels in your home unless you go with pro audio subs (and even then you'll need about 4 of them. And unless you spend about $8-10k they won't go very deep so you'll miss a lot of subsonic low bass that is in DVD soundtracks these days. So relax, get used to the differences in HT vs Car audio and learn to enjoy what you have.

 

[Edward J M]

Guys: Quit slamming Travis and let the great customer service at SVS solve everything....they always do...and they might even convert Travis in the process.

Sorry Mike - with all due respect (and I think highly of you), he is richly deserving. I'm amazed Ron and Tom grin and bear it so well sometimes.

No amount of CS can salvage someone who posts such uninformed contradictory garbage, and makes such patently ridiculous statements like desiring 200 dB sound pressure levels. This kid obviously failed Physics 101 if he ever even took it. I don't suffer idiots well, and neither should any other self respecting and informed enthusiast who wants to keep this forum at a high quality level of information exchange and learning. If you're young and new it's a simple formula - be humble, learn all you can, read more, and post less.

Anyone who has raised kids or lived with teenagers knows their insensitive MO all too well - open mouth, insert foot, damn the consequences. I'm sure Travis has no idea how extraordinarily damaging a Post like his can be to a company like SVS.

This company lives and dies in the forums. Sure, most of us who have been into hi-fi for years see SVS for what it is: A most unique American audio company whose world class products and amazing CS have brought new meaning to the term bang for the buck. They've raised the bar so high in three years that the competition is literally reeling and they've done nothing but pour their lives into this company with the singular goal of impressing the living heck out of every professional independent reviewer and bringing a smile to the faces of thousands of informed audiophiles and HT enthusiasts whose high expectations are not only met but often exceeded.

I for one recognize the value of that and I'm not about to let someone like Travis skate when he posts such ludicrous, idiotic, and totally undeserving garbage about a product that has received nothing but glowing reviews from highly respected reviewers and enthusiasts who have forgotten more about audio and sound quality than he will ever know.

 

[Phil Mays]

WOW,
I have read (skimmed) this post. I too have a KSW-15 that I think rocks for both movies and music. I used to have the KSW-12 that I enjoyed far better as it was less boomy. I have been considering a new sub(s) for sometime. I have always appreciated the positive comments from the SVS users but do not feel all together comfortable ordering over the net.
I had narrowed my choices down to the Klipsch RCW line or a B & W sub.
After reading this post I will more than likely purchase SVS. It it indeed rare to find such personal service as what SVS has displayed here. Their responces were carefully worded and well thought out keeping the customer in mind, even if there is user error.
Great job guys, your the kind of company I want to do business with.
Lemons out of lemonaide!!!

 

[Brett DiMichele]

Tim,
Just as an FYI you don't have to prove to me that car audio
can be clean I know it can be, I have been in car audio for
more than a decade and I know what it takes to make a top
notch SQ install. I am not that hardcore into car audio
to compete but many of my friends have been throughout the
years and I have heard many great setups.
The sad part is that 70% or more fall into the one note
bass category though, you are a rare breed in the car audio
world.
But this isn't about Car Vs. Home this is about trying to
educate someone who needs it..
P.S I am going to check your install out, I will get back
to you.

 

[Frank Carter]

After you get your replacement amp make sure you calibrate and experiment with placement. In my old room I experienced a 30db dip around 56hz and after I moved the sub, the difference was dramatic.
Phil,
I don't know where Chatham is in VA but I'd be willing to let you hear my SVS CS Ultra. I live in Springfield, VA which is in the DC Metro area. I wish I could have found somebody to let me demo their SVS, I kept spending money on subs that didn't satisfy me. Finally my single Ultra does it.

 

[Geoff L]

Just simply unbelivable.....!

You cannot have the good BASS,
till you grab the stone grasshopper..!

Man he's gona be grabbing at it for a while.....

200-db of clean bass in room, what are you smoken....

 

[Phil Mays]

Thanks Frank! Chatham is about 4 hours south, just North of Greensboro. Don't know if I'll get up there soon but I appreciate the offer. I feel extremely confident that I will enjoy the SVS line as I (almost) never read anything negative about them.

 

[Bob Saylor]

The outstanding customer service of SVS shows up again. :star: :star: :star: :star: :star: