SVS Lovers (1 Viewer)

[Robert M H]

Hi Bill,
These are the subs I've owned in sequential order:
- Energy ES-10
- Velodyne CHT-12
- Wharfedale PC-DX12
- SVS PB1-ISD

Take note that each purchase was an upgrade, however going from the Wharfdale to the PB1-ISD was MORE than an upgrade! You can compare it to owning a Honda, and then upgrading to a BMW! If you are questioning the Velo to Wharfedale upgrade, as much as it is hard to believe, the Wharfedale beat the Velo in a 2003 "Bass Off" contest in California.

Robert

 

[Logan_B]

Charles,

I have a PB10 now and I'm planning on upgrading to a SVS within the next month. I'm pretty dead set on a 20-39pci, so I was just curious how you felt it compared with your PB10? What made you send the 20-39pci back? Were you just looking for similar output cabability to the 20-39pci with the ability to play lower or did you have a problem with the 20-39?

Thanks,
Logan

 

[Bill Blank]

Charles,

I'm curious as well as to why you sent the 20-39 back, please explain.

Robert,

From a Honda to a BMW eh? I hope everyone here is right, how can so many be wrong? Quite a rotation of subs through your system, do you think you'll be content with the SVS?

My Velodyne's been in my system longer than any other piece of gear. I traded up at Circuit City from a CT-80 and it was mated with a pair of Infinity Ref.3? then a pair of NHT SuperOnes, then SuperTwos, then B&W 601's, then the Vienna Mozarts it's currently matched with. It's served me well in the time I've had it but now it's time to move on.

I have a Paradigm Reference package on the way and I think the SVS will be up to the task of matching it in terms of performance and quality.

Bill

 

[Jeffrey R]

"What made you send the 20-39pci back?"

Not to put words in Charlie's mouth, but in case he doesn't check back, from the tone of his post it seems likely that he got the 20-39, was very impressed, realized he wanted more, and ordered the 16-46PC+ as he said. That would be a not-too-uncommon sequence of events from SVS owners.

If he didn't like the sound of the 20-39, then I would imagine he would not have traded it in for another SVS, and he likely wouldn't be looking to add another SVS. Just my .02 cents.

 

[John Tami]

The difference between the two is very mininal. The 20-39 is the sweet spot IMO. With the 16 you gain a little more extension, at the cost of SPL. The 25-31 is just the opposite. The 20-39 gives you great middle ground, almost the SPL of the 25, almost the depth of the 16. One of the reasons that tube is used for the Ultra I bet....

Note, SVS will tune a 20-39 to 17hz for no extra charge. Have to tell you, with my 20-39 I have no problems in my 20x15 (with 8-10' cathedral) shaking it down to the foundation.

 

[Robert M H]

Bill,
I am VERY content with my PB1-ISD!!! My Velo and Wharfedale were decent subs, but on top of hearing good bass, I also wanted to FEEL the bass. With that said, my SVS has exceeded all of my expectations!!!

Robert

 

[Phil Iturralde]

1982 = First Satellite & Passive Sub for 2-channel (Design Acoustic DA30) = 1981 (positively reviewed w/lab results by Julien Hirsch in the NOV. '81 Stereo Review issue)
.... since then, I've always had a passive / powered sub in the Music / HT mix.

Owned:
1) 10" - Design Acoustic Passive (my son now uses it w/satellites)
2) 12" - BSR Passive (sold)
3) 15" - DBX Passive (sold)
4) 8" 80w - JBL Powered-sub (sold)
5) 10" 100w - Sherwood Powered-sub (sold)
6) 15" 200w - AudioSource Powered-sub (@ my vacation house - great to knock off the spiders under the base boards!!!)
7) 12" 320w - SVS 25-31PCi Powered-sub - YES!!!!!!!

So after over 20-years of having a sub(s) in my Stereo / HT setup mix, powering up and sampling my first SVS DVD demo after I REF Calibrated the whole setup using Video Essentials dedicated LFE test tone, ... I knew that this sub was special and was staying!!! That was on April 11, 2002 and after watching my last few blockbuster DVD's @ -10 dB below REF Level**, ... I still have this grin that first developed last April 2002!!! It's the very same, first day impression that says ... "I have an SVS" grin!!!

**Approx. 105 dB to 106 dB in my 20' x 30' HT/family room!

Once you get that SVS grin, ... you'll never look back but just look forward to hearing your newly purchased audio reference quality blockbuster DVD's, ... while trying to find time to revisit your library of blockbuster DD/DTS-5.1/6.1 DVD's once again!!!

We SVS owner's just love the REFERENCED Calibrated ... floor, air, wall, couch, pant-leg (SVS trait) sub-sonic moving LFE (at all my seating locations) - when the blockbuster DVD calls for it!!! (Jurassic Park III; Toy Story 2; Pearl Harbor; Star Trek - 1st Contact & Nemesis; Armageddon; Titan A.E.; The Hulk; Atlantis - The Lost Empire; Monster's INC.; Finding Nemo; etc.)

As far as music is concerned, playing the latest Gordon Goodwin - The Big Phat Band DVD-Audio titled "XXL", and hearing 20Hz to 20 kHz / 5.1 surround demo highlighting ...Tenor Sax (Michael Brecker), Clarinet (Eddie Daniels), upright bass, drum solos and voice tracks by Brian McKnight & Take 6, ... this is the Jazz DVD-Audio to get!!! It's music like this that highlights the SVS ability to musically distinguish the sound resolution between the bass drum, electric bass and upright bass harmonics!!! - "XXL" is highly recommended - as well as the band's debut recording "Swingin' For The Fences" (Silverline Records), which received two Grammy nominations and is a best-selling jazz item in the DVD 5.1 surround-sound format.

Like other volunteered experiences, my email questions were quickly answered by Ron & Tom, so I pre-ordered my SVS 25-31PCi in early March 2002 (SN #00034). Before they started shipping , I received an email status update by Erik K near the end March, ... then I received my UPS tracking INFO on April 5th and on April 11th, I took a few PTO days to immerse myself in SVS bliss!!!

Phil

 

[Jesse Sharrow]

I do not have a sub at all right now. I ordered a 20-39PC+, simply because I couldnt afford the Ultra, and ron said I would be more than happy. I know I will. But the thing with me is I Have heard everything from a $20 Apex HTIB sub to a $3800 Martin Logan Decent! When I went to ron's to hear my first SVS.... Simply blown away! I cant wait till thursday/friday!

Phil: I have an Alpine DVD-Audio demo disk. It has that Big Phat Band... one song of their's on there. I will have to give that a shot.


Well anyways... Im really really really phsyched to get my 20-39PC+!!!!!

 

[Ralph B]

owned a JVC 12" 120w sub.

bought the SVS cause of the reviews like evryone else. went with the 25-31PC+ instead of the 25-31PCI cause more power, better driver and ability to tune but that is really not helpful cause of my cellar.

I will say I enjoy my SVS more with music over theater, it just sounds great wioth music.

 

[Edward J M]

Phil - your posts always bring a smile; you have such a unique style.

Sorry for the commerical interruption - carry on with your regularly scheduled program.......

 

[Steven Simon]

I had a Paradigm Servo-15. Then switched to twin SVS- 20-39's... Blew it away!!!!

 

[Blake G]

I owned an M&K 5000THX, along with dual Klipsch KW-15 (I think -- a 15" sub before this current ref line) moved to a smaller joint and got dual cs20-39s. Wanted to downsize even more, and got a PB2+. Now I have moved to a larger space again, and just ordered my second PB2+.

Blake

 

[Jimi C]

"Please list what sub you had prior to buying your SVS and what SVS you ended up buying and why. i'm debating whether or not to go from my Velodyne CT-120 to an SVS PC+ 20-39.

Thanks,
Bill "


Why waste your time? just buy the SVS, you are going to eventually. i know none of you, yet i know all of you, you can never be completly satisfied, if you could, this wouldnt be a hobby, it would just be a purchase and end there. Ill even help you by letting you give me your Velodyne, then you will have no reason to procrastinate.


Btw, your welcome.

(hehe)

 

[ChrisBee]

I owned a stereo pair of passive 6th order series bandpass subs. 10" Seas units in 20" cubes. 20-120Hz(-3dB) Homebuilt for organ music to match my Linn Kans.

I replaced them with an SVS 16-46PCi running on high level input connections only to my Naim pre/power and Mission 753Fs.

I spend much more time listening to music. But enjoy lots of films on video and satellite TV. We even use the big sub & stereo system when watching TV. As it adds enormously to the realism of everything.

The 16-46PCi is a music lovers dream come true. Subtle as a breeze one moment and demolishing the house with brutal impact the next. It's low distortion, superbly controlled power is everything we could ask for. It has a unique ability to just get louder when the gain control is screwed up. But it doesn't screw up the music!

My wife loves its ability to make all music sound clearer and its effortless 100+ dB underpinning Metallica.

ChrisBee

 

[Garrett Lundy]

Oldest sub: Kenwood VR-407 HTiB subwoofer. Was "OK" when I had nothing to compare it to except brothers Aiwa HTiB subwoofer. But sub crashed & burned at LOTR:TFOTR "Ring Drop". It was replaced by.....

RCA WF-200AR. I bought this 200watt sub at Radio Shack for $170. I wanted a SVS at the time but couldn't afford one. (Before the box series were being sold). This sub didn't die, but the desire to own a SVS, a product I'd never even heard, was so strong I couldn't be happy with the RCA, even though it was a step-up from the Kenwood.

Jan. 2004: A huge tax refund allows me to finally buy an SVS! I was expecting the SO to insist on a box-series, but she actually prefered the look of the cylinder!So I ordered a PCi 20-39 (Didn't have the extra coin for a '+', the Ultra wasn't self-powered back then. And I figured the ,iddle-ground 39 was going to play "low" enough thanks to good pro reviews, and I don't listen to much very loud, so I didn't think I'd need the extra db's of the 25-31). Due to a backorder I had to wait the better part of a month, but it arrived and all was well.

The RCA is free to anyone who wants it. It would cost too much to ship so I won't bother with Ebay. The problem is that anybody who might be intrested in it is awestruck by the SVS and no longer wants the wimpy RCA. Oh well, It makes a fine end-table.

 

[Bill Blank]

I think Jimi's on to something...

 

[Jimi C]

really?

 

[ChrisDixon]

Used to own: Paradigm PS1000
SVS acquired: 16-46PCi (I actually won the non-powered version in a contest on this very site, and kicked in a few bucks of my own to upgrade to the powered version).

Needless to say, it was a great day when I got the e-mail stating that I'd won the sub. I got the PS1000 on the advice of the shop before I knew any better. It's a decent sub for movies, but music is very important to me and I was really growing tired of the boominess of the bandpass design. The step up to the SVS was most welcome: cleaner and faster bass with lower extension.

Chris

 

[ChadLB]

This was my 1st sub: Kenwood 8"
Then I upgraded to a Acoustic Research AR12PS
Then I found Hometheaterforum and read all about SVS.
This lead to my SVS 25-31PCi purchase which then led to my upgrade to the SVS 25-31PC+ which may eventually push me into something bigger yet.

 

[BryanZ]

Mine was an Audiosource SW-10. Couldn't even compete with the SVS 20-39CS. Upgraded the driver to the ISD. If I hadn't upgraded/added another sub I would have been a happy man. Now I run two passive subs. The first is the aforementioned SVS. The second is a VMPS Large Subwoofer that I got for too good a price to pass up ($181 delivered on eBay - won the auction with a bid of $102.50). To this day, even if I hadn't gotten the second sub the SVS would have been more than enough. As it stands now, aren't you glad your not my neighbor?