svs or elemental designs please help (1 Viewer)

Good day to all. I am ready to bite the bullet on a good sub. Getting away from mass produce ones. I am stuck between svs pb10-nsd and elemental designs A3-250. Both are 10" ported subs in comparable size boxes while svs sports a 100 watt increase for their amp. I like to hear as well as feel my bass but do not like it boomy. I listen to music and watch movies equally. My living room is 18x18. I have only one place to put the TWO subs I will purchase and that is up front in my entertainment center under my mains paradigm monitor 9's. Any and all feedback to which subs you all prefer is greatly appreciated. Are if there are better subs in the $500 price range please add those into the thread. Thanks in advance.

 

[Robert_J]

Why are you going with two subs? Are you buying one now and one later? If you buy a 10" sub now and an identical sub later, then you gain nothing but headroom. If you buy a single, larger sub then you can get the same potential output of a dual 10's as well as a sub that plays lower.


eD is a great company with a proven reputation (if you ignore a few guys in the car audio forums). Ben (the owner) is a member here and took eD from a dorm room to small business of the year in Iowa. The eD blog is interesting behind the scenes look at how the company is run.


SVS's history dates back to the DIY forum here when Ron wanted to build a sub and Tom helped him. A friendship and then a business formed. There are other members of this forum also working for SVS in different roles.


Between eD and SVS is a difficult choice but I'm going to give the nod to SVS. They have been in the home sub market longer and have come out with some more interesting products. Finally, their transducer engineer (the guy who designs the driver) is one of the best. He was formerly with TC Sounds when SVS used them as their driver supplier.

 

Thanks Robert. I was thinking of two to fill my room with quality bass without having to overdrive the one ten inch. I can't fit anything bigger than a ten in my entertainment center. The only other place to place a bigger sub would be along my back wall where I would be sitting 2 ft. from my sub and 8ft. from my mains (front). Do you think a bigger sub would drown out dialogue from the front with a big sub so close to my sitting area? As before your input is greatly appreciated. I was thinking of diy with the space in my entertainment center, but didn;t want to spend more money trying and having to buy subs after if it didn't work.

 

[Robert_J]

I thought you were going to co-locate the two subs. Putting them at different locations can smooth the bass response. Setup is more difficult but doable if you invest the time to do it right.


You could sit on top of one hundred 18" subs and they would not drown out the dialog if the system was properly calibrated. You would have a lot of headroom but it still wouldn't be any louder than a single 10" sub.


I understand that some people are a little unsure about DIY. Smaller DIY subs are rare because you can't really get the bang for the buck like you can with the massive subs. Which is odd because I'm going to start building some 10" subs.

 

[Parker Clack]

Sandi:


Why not save some dollars and just pick up one SVS and see how you like it in your room. That way if you like the overall effect you aren't out the extra money. If you decide you need more headroom just order the second sub. You might even be able to get the second sub at a discount due to the fact you already bought one from them. You could always call the guys at SVS and get their input. I would also give Ben at eD a call and get his feedback. Both companies are great to work with before and after the sale. This is one of the major reasons people keep going back to them. They don't just try to sell you something and then move on after you have bought it. You really can't go wrong with either company.

 

Thanks for the reply. svs has a closeout on the pb-10, I am afraid if I bought one and it was not enough, I might not be able to match it with another if it was no longer available.

 

[Parker Clack]

I believe that wouldn't be an issue with their subs but as I mentioned before I would give them a call at discuss this will them. Good luck, Parker

 

[DaveF]

SVS has outstanding customer service. I bought a big speaker and sub kit from them earlier this year. Great to deal with. Very helpful when I was just asking for suggestions what to compare from their line to options from other manufacturers.


And the tall, cylindrical sub disappears surprisingly well into the background. My wife wasn't upset with the crazy "water heater" I installed in our living room

 

[lvicious]

I have enjoyed my SVS speakers and sub (same cylindrical sub as Dave^) and love them all. Excellent customer service. The Sales Manager even called me to check on things on his own and walk me through setting it up properly. Look great, sound great and my new Onkyo receiver will really help make them shine. I look forward to purchasing 2 more speakers from them next year.

 

[John Garcia]

Having heard enough stories about the customer service of eD, I'd have to say SVS would be a safe bet and their products are definitely quality. I've owned a few and their customer service is absolutely excellent. That is not to say that eD makes poor products, but they are still relatively small comparatively and I have heard a few stories that really did not speak well of them from people who I have had discussions with on various forums for years. Another option you might consider is the Epik Legend, as it is right at your price point and you probably won't need 2. They are also a small company, but they are made up of people from a previously well regarded speaker company.

 

[Robert_J]

Epik is Chad Kuypers and his father Dale formerly of Ascendant Audio. Chad hasn't been around much but he was always a very helpful member here.


eD did have some growing pains since Ben started it in a dorm room. He has moved and expanded multiple times through the years. He was recently honored by the US Small Business Administration. http://www.newtondevelopmentcorporation.com/QuarterlynewsletterSpring2008.pdf They are open with their company all the way to the annual meet and greet with their customers. Even the smallest issue is public knowledge.


Just and FYI - AA is now the retail brand of Fi Car Audio owned by Scott Atwell. Scott and a guy named David supplied SVS with the NSD and ISD drivers. David, who parted ways with Scott, came by my house today to pick up parts to build me a custom 15" driver.