SVS--Not that impressed yet (1 Viewer)

[Kenny Booth]

I got my SVS sub yesterday and hooked it all up last night.

I used the AVRs test tones to set the volumn and everything seems to be adjusted right. Ran thru the Avia disk and all sounds fine.

Put in a few DVDs and not that impressed. Tried Pearl Harbor, Vertical Limits, Braveheart, then music Steely Dan, Eagles, Sting.

I was expecting a nite & day difference between the JBL PB10 and the SVS but it's not there.

It sounds better but I'm not doing back flips and talking about structural damage yet.

 

[ColinM]

This is typical for middle of the road HT guys, like I was 4 months ago when I got mine. I wasn't amazed, either, and almost sent it back.

Then I tried moving it, giving it more juice, and it got much better.

Then I put the old sub back in and realised what the difference was. No contest. I just had to let my ears adjust.

Now reference bass really means reference bass. You notice it in all things, but especialy within 10db of ref. watching a DVD.

Old = Optimus 10", 120w

New = 20*39CS, old driver, 250w PE plate, ART351.

 

[tom j r]

Kenny,

I'm not familiar with your old sub, but give it some time for your ears to get used to the clean bass the SVS produces. At first I had some similar feelings, but as I listened carefully I started hearing nuances that enhanced the overall sound of my system. My ears had gotten so used to the rumble of distorted bass that it took some time to "calibrate" my ears.

If, after some time, you still aren't satisfied, by all means contact SVS tech support. Tom V. will work with you to get the most out of your setup.

Good luck!

Tom

 

[SVS-Ron]

Ken,

You have mail.

Note went to your default account listed here at HTF, let me know if you are at another today.

The JBL isn't a bad sub (I've had a good bit of experience with the 12" version) but if you aren't doing backflips there is something seriously amiss.

Give me a shout if you can.

Ron

 

[KonradN]

the pb10 and pb12 already produce some very clean bass. I think the biggest difference you will see is on material that goes lower than 30hz and once you turn up the volume.

 

[Kenny Booth]

This is kind of what I expected.

"middle of the road HT guy" "calibrate my ears"

This "if I'm not impressed yet then I must not know what I'm doing" isn't helping much.

Thanks Konrad for a reasonable answer.

 

[ColinM]

Read my post a bit more carefully - I was a MOTR kind of guy. No offense intended, but I was a Joe-6-pack and then BAM I got into it.

Nobody said you didn't know what you were doing.

I said within 10db of ref you really notice it.

Your ears DO need to get used to it.

- we are trying to explain it as best we can.

- C

 

[David Giles]

Kenny, I don't think anybody's trying to offend you or talk down to you.
Colin's remark "middle of the road HT guys," was followed immediately by "like I was 4 months ago". Tom remarked that he had to calibrate HIS ears.
Neither of them is implying that you "don't know what you're doing". Just that your opinion might change after possibly some adjustments to your setup, or maybe just a "getting used to it" period. Tom's "calibrating his ears" statement echos what many SVS buyers have gone through, after moving up from a lesser sub.
Konrad's answer is very reasonable though. Sometimes all the hype and excitement can inflate one's expectations beyond reality. The SVS's are simply VERY good woofs. As you already noticed, it DOES sound better. But they won't transport you to another dimension.
I bet though, that like Colin, if you wait a week or two and put the old sub back in, you'll really appreciate the difference then.
David
Edit: Oh, I see Colin already beat me to it.

 

[Dan Joy]

Kenny, It is nice to get feedback from the forum, just be ready to accept propposed offerings. My 25-31PCi was my first sub, had nothing to compare to. So when I got it, it was cool, but not up to my strong expectations. I, instead of asking forum members(no offense)went right to Tom and Ron and exchanged tag emails. After several days, I now am a happy camper.

Colin was trying to shed some light on the whole situation.

It is also my opinion that the more you listen, the more diverse source material you use. and the use of a SPL meter will greatly enhance your bass desire!

Good Luck!

 

[SanfordL]

Kenny, I think for me the biggest difference wasn't what I could hear, but what I could feel. I had a similar (I believe) but much older JBL than yours. For me, the difference was night and day with what I've played thus far. In the mid-bass performance, there was some extra bass, but the true difference was on the lower end like Konrad said. I got a 16 PCi, and on the lower side, it was night and day. I still wasn't able to get the sub into the corner I wanted (it's going to involve me drilling into our subflooring, running the cable, moving furniture, etc.) but the difference was amazing in my room thus far. I should be able to pick up another couple of DB's moving it into the corner by our heads. Grab Phantom Menace and switch your 2 subs and see if you don't hear a difference with the same placement and levels.

 

[Kenny Booth]

After reading all the many posts about how this sub will knock the walls down, do structural damage, etc. etc. etc.

I know for a fact that my expectations were very high and to be honest they are still high. I've seen enough to know that Ron will help any way he can and with his help we'll max that sucker out.

But please don't tell me that you had to calibrate your ears or wait 4 months to get use to it. I don't except that.

thanks

 

[ColinM]

How long have you had it?

What do you have in your system?

Which SVS?

We like to help, really....

 

[Ned]

One question:

How loud are you listening at?

If you're like 10-20db under reference then no, you won't here a big difference. The really deep bass just isn't that audible at low levels. When you're in that last -10 to 0db range (full reference), that's when it really kicks you in the gut. You may have calibration and placement issues as well. Threads like this would be better received if they had a title like "need help with SVS setup, not getting full impact".

 

[David Giles]

Colin didn't say it took him four months to get used to it, merely that he got his SVS four months ago.

Specifically he said:

I wasn't amazed, either, and almost sent it back.

Then I tried moving it, giving it more juice, and it got much better.

Then I put the old sub back in and realised what the difference was. No contest. I just had to let my ears adjust.

I guess you could interpret his statements to mean that he just made all those adjustments and comparisons to his old sub yesterday, and only became happy with his SVS in the last few hours. But it seems obvious to me that he probably did all that before the return period was up. Otherwise, he would have returned it, right?

And maybe you would have felt more comfortable if Tom had been more long winded and said that it took a little time for his ears to acclimate to the cleaner sound (i.e. less boomy) of the SVS. But "calibrate his ears" is just an easier way to say it. If you just can't except that your ears may take some time to get used to a different sound, then maybe you should just go ahead and pack up the SVS. No sense in depriving some other lucky soul out there of a nice B-stock any longer than necessary.

Really Kenny, these guys that took the time to respond to your post are just trying to be nice and help you.

David

 

[Barry Barnes]

I got my SVS sub yesterday and hooked it all up last night.
I used the AVRs test tones to set the volumn and everything seems to be adjusted right. Ran thru the Avia disk and all sounds fine.
Put in a few DVDs and not that impressed. Tried Pearl Harbor, Vertical Limits, Braveheart, then music Steely Dan, Eagles, Sting.
I was expecting a nite & day difference between the JBL PB10 and the SVS but it's not there.
It sounds better but I'm not doing back flips and talking about structural damage yet.

I think part of what you are experiencing is that many folks tend to exagerate their experience just a tad. Claiming that the sub bass was "ripping up the floorboards" etc. Not exactly the real experience IMO, but "puffing" is part of the fun when people get jazzed about a product.
They are not *quite* as musical as some subs I have heard, and I did find a couple of minor annoyances with them in that some of the Bass notes did sound a tad muffled or congested to me. However. Having said that, I also need to say that I bought them mainly as a supplement for my Home theater, and in that scenario I feel they really DO excel in an amazing way. In particular with synthesized sounds and LFE. Try popping in a copy of Titan AE or the Blue Man Group DVD, if you really want to get a sense of what these brutes can really do. In this area they shine the brightest IMO. Producing waves of Bass energy without showing the least amount of strain. I found front placement worked best for me. They also need some time to break in and get a much "rounder" sound going for them once the cones loosen up a bit. While not being perfect at all things, I did find them to be great at many. FWIW, I have posted my full review here.

 

[Heath_R]

How big is your room? Where is the sub? Have you tried different positions?

How did you calibrate it? I like mine 4db hot. I have a 20-39PC and it took a little while to get it right. I had to mess with it over a couple of days.

What level do you listen at?

Everyone here is just trying to help you and relate their personal experience with their SVS. It would help if you could provide more information about your setup.

Or it my be that SVS is not the sound that you want, that is up to you to decide. If you really do not think there is that much of a difference A/B your old sub with the SVS and see.

 

[ColinM]

Nail on the head.
:star:

 

[Dave Schofield]

You know, if Bose salesmen used the "let your ears get used to it"-explanation we'd jump all over them...

Don't jump on a guy for being offended when a few people basically told him he was an idiot because he wasn't impressed.

FWIW, I believe that the 'low volume' explanation that Konrad, Colin and Ned pointed out is most likely the culprit.

 

[Greg Br]

Something is wrong, I mad that jump and the difference is huge, what receiver are you using, is it a PCI or CS/Samson combo. There is no way the difference would not be huge.

 

[Mark Zimmer]

About once a week someone posts something like this and it usually ends up they don't have their speakers set to Small, or have their LFE pad set wrong, or something like that. Have you eliminated all those possibilities?

After you have, turn the volume to reference and play the DD intro to Phantom Menace on each sub. If you still don't hear a difference on an SVS, something's wrong.