SVS Subwoofers (1 Viewer)

[Ron D Core]

I was wondering about these SVS subs. Are they anything more than well built sonosubs with good drivers? Has anyone here had any experience with them and seen their anatomy?

 

[Brian Bunge]

Ron,
I haven't seen one yet, but yes they do appear to be "merely" well engineered sonosubs with quality drivers. Nothing earthshattering except the cost/performance ratio. That's why so many folks are flipping out over them. Although, there are those that seem to think they are the end all, be all of subwoofers, which is not the case.
I'm not taking anything away from SVS. It's time the sub market was "shaken up"! But a well designed DIY sub can best them just like any other sub. It's just a little more difficult!
Brian

 

[jeff lam]

Yes, SVS is a DIY design taken public. For the non-DIY type, they can't be beat for the price, especially with their new driver and amp combo(PCi).

 

[Patrick Sun]

I think you guys are selling SVS short. Not only do they implement the "DIY" tube/cylindrical designs, but they are also designing the actual drivers used in their designs. This is no Mickey Mouse operation, and should not be treated as such. Not only do you get a great product at a price that beats retail outlets by a nice margin, you get some really superb after-the-sale advice for calibrating/integrating your sub into your specific HT environment.

 

[Brian Bunge]

Pat,
I was speaking only of the products themselves, but would agree with you 100% on their excellent customer service. I also was not implying that they were a "Mickey Mouse" operation; nothing could be further from the truth.
Tom's abilites as a subwoofer designer are lightyears ahead of me and probably most of us DIY'ers here. Not only do they design their own drivers but are also using proprietary tubes for their subs.
Again, I was not trying to take anything away from SVS. They truly deserve all the accolades they get. I was just saying that they are not the last word in subwoofers. I would say that at a given price point there are very few subs that can give them any real competition. Only Adire or Hsu come to mind at the moment. There may be a couple more.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If I couldn't roll my own, SVS would be #1 on my list to give a listen to. Unfortunately, I'd probably have to hold out for the SS!
Brian

 

[jeff lam]

I also agree. I know Tom is a mastermind when it comes to sub design. To be honest, when the PCI was anounced I actually thought about dropping this whole DIY thing and picking up one of those. Unbelievable price/product!!!
I reconcidered after thinking about all the other things I will TRY to build in the future.

 

[Michael R Price]

Tom supports DIY, he even recommends it over his own products sometimes. He said something along the lines of 'with DIY you get 80% performance out of your components for 50% of the cost, and at SVS we get 100% out of the components.' Sorry if I misrepresented that comment.

But to me, I think the SVS subs are basically really well built 'Sonosubs' (the PC amp mounting system is really cool and probably can't be DIYed, though.) Usually DIY can beat SVS through more expensive drivers and larger enclosure sizes. (Example: For the cost of a CS sub you can use a 15" Tempest in your DIY box.)

And of course, I'm very impressed with the prices SVS achieved. Building a subwoofer takes a lot of work. If you charged yourself $5 per hour for work while building your sub, you'd go way over the cost of the SVS.

 

[Jack Gilvey]

He said something along the lines of 'with DIY you get 80% performance out of your components for 50% of the cost, and at SVS we get 100% out of the components

I wonder how you'd figure that percentage, and does it apply do all DIY designs?

 

[Robert_Gaither]

There really isn't any competition for the SVS to me other than Adire or HSU mainly because you are either going for a smaller size, sealed (Adire's case), or want the amp integrated for less than $500 (both Adire and HSU can be purchased with the amp included, SVS you will either have to buy one or use any other existing amps you currently have at home).
To be honest unless you already have the tools you might actually save money by buying a pre-made sub but if you intend to get 2+ subs, build other speakers, have access to tools (friend or family), or going in with a friend to buy tools (I highly recommend pawn shops as I've bought most of my tools dirt cheap from them: routers $20 {add + $10-40 if it's a plunge or name brand}, power drill $10, clamps $5-7, power screwdriver $5, and power sander $10). I recommend building a sealed sonosub for a first project as these are usually the easiest to build with the least amount of cuts (usually a router, circle jig, wrenches, drill, and measuring is about all you need) and material (usually at most a 4' x 8' mdf sheet {assuming you double thickness and bottom plate}, 2-4 threaded rod/washers/nuts/acorn nuts, terminal cup, and wiring with insulation optional; note build somewhat over size if you want to add a port include cost of two ports and PVC plumbing pipe).
Of course you might can post an "I want to buy your DIY sub" and specify driver size/brand and you might can pick one up for the price of material cost + shipping (we are a fickle lot us DIY with a constant "grass is greener on the other side" mentality, there will always be one of us wanting to repush the envelope again ).

 

[Michael R Price]

Jack, I personally think DIY can give you more than 80% of your components in almost any situation (especially subwoofers). I just think I remember Tom V saying that. Or maybe it was someone else? Don't know.

Anyway, I would say SVS, along with Adire and HSU, are in a league of their own as far as commercial subwoofers are concerned. I wonder if more typical companies such as Paradigm and Velodyne will try to catch up?

 

[Ron D Core]

Pawn shop, damn why didnt I think of that? Looks like I'll be doing some shopping today. As for my origonal question, I was just curious becuase they looked pretty cool and of all the things I read about them I figured I would test my skills at making something similar. Thats why I was wondering how they were built. If I wasn't bent on DIY everything I wouldn't hessitate to buy one.