Tested Paradigm Servo-15 today - Long (1 Viewer)

[PaulT]

Just checked the Yellow pages and confirmed with Paradigm website. Yes, Best Buy Electronics is at 2060 Harvey and they are a Reference Dealer. That should be South of the Mall, I'll check it out, thanks. I've been here 20 years and must have driven buy the place thousands of times and don't recall it. Ah, the foolishness of youth...

 

[Martin Rendall]

brucek,

Thanks for the insight!

I can't decide whether to order a kit and build, or just get the X-30. What I want to do is take full range left and right outputs from my stereo pre-amp (which has HT bypass wiring for my receiver), and use the crossover to send the bass to my sub, and the non-bass to my speaker amplifier. If I understand things correctly, the high pass filter becomes important in this scenario, right? I don't want bass doubling. Ideally I want to cross over at 80Hz, but I would also like to play around with lower crossover points. Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Martin.

P.S. Sorry for hijacking this thread. Paul, keep us informed on whether you get the sub, and what you think of it!

 

[Miguel Stanic]

This bass management is killing me. My new Servo-15 is not giving me the killer, clean bass that I suspected it would. The Servo-15 has only a volume control knob on the back along with a single RCA input connector from the PREAMP/AVM20. I have the volume knob, on the Servo-15, set to the 10 o'clock position. The bass is weak and hardly detectable.

All my speakers are set to SMALL, CROSSOVER at 80THX and ADVANCED SETTINGS OFF. I have the AVM20 set for a THX ULTRA2 SUB (even though it's not I guess). My Bass Peak Level, on the AVM20, is set to -35db's. At that setting the sub isn't even close to distortion but my room begins to resonate so I set it to a point whereby resonating of the room begins. Could this be limiting my bass output?

My sub is in the back of the room and I cannot move it. What about advanced settings? How do you play with Subwoofer Phase and Subwoofer Polarity. I tried INVERTED as my SUB is in the back of the room but it seems the same as NORMAL to me even though I did make sure to leave the ADVANCED SETTINGS TO ON in the Main Menu screen.

From the speaker level screen, the sub is set to 0db's and all speakers are SPL'd to 75db's. I have B&W CDM9NT's for L/R and B&W CDM CNT for center.

Can you guys help me get this right. The first scene in LOTR is devoid of bass with the way I have it now. Turning up the volume creates resonance...what gives? I know this sub is a lot better than it's performing now.

 

[brucek]

Martin,

P.S. Sorry for hijacking this thread.

[highjack on]
The X-30 will definitely do exactly what you propose, but I have personally never used the high pass feature, so I can't comment there. The crossover on the high pass is fixed at three choices, so I suppose you would use 80Hz@18dB/octave or maybe 50Hz@18dB/octave. One of the important issues of course is how good that high pass section is and how much distortion and noise floor it adds to your sacred mains. They claim an S/N of 100dB, but who knows. I'd want to borrow one and give this a test first. The X-30 makes a great sub controller, but for myself, I'm awful fussy about my mains, so I don't know how it fares in high pass duties.

The XM9L (at much increased price) will also do what you want and you can assume that the high pass section will be more transparent. It appears fairly easy to play around with the crossover point by changing four resistors mounted on an 8-pin DIP header plug. The XM9L has a damping feature too, that allows you to play with the amplitude at the crossover overlap. This would eliminate your concern regarding bass doubling, as you say. The X-30 accomplishes this by adjusting the variable low pass control.

I guess for the situation you describe I'd choose the XM9 because you want a top quality high pass feature.

There's also the possibility of spitting the output of your preamp and feed your power amp direct, thus running your mains full range and then use an X-30 as your sub controller and low pass filter on the other split output. You would adjust the low pass filter quite low in this case using the sub only to supplement the low bottom end where your mains drop off naturally. Then you would have no degradation of your mains path.
[/highjack off]

brucek

 

[Mifr44]

brucek,

Since the Servo-15 alone doesn't provide a phase control, without an X-30 you are out of luck. In that regard, for the people who drive a Servo-15 directly from their processors, how do they adjust phase? Are you sure that if you added 30 degrees of phase to your sub signal that it wouldn't sound better. You'll never know.

Actually, in Miguel's case, he doesn't need the X-30 (although I have mentioned he could still get it and sell it to someone in California! ). The AVM-20 v2.x gives him three subout adjustments (not counting the THX Ultra 2 sub setting, whatever that does):

• Output level control (typical from a processor or receiver)
• Crossover setting (again, typical)
• Phase control, with settings from 0 to 180 degrees in 5 degree increments, and an invert setting to add 180 degrees to the phase setting

I must admit it is rather slick to be able to adjust the subout's phase with the AVM-20 just by using the remote.
Just an FYI.
Michael

 

[Martin Rendall]

Thanks again brucek! I'm very tempted to get the Merchand kit, but I'll look around to see what else is there, in this price range.

I've thought about running the mains full, and using the sub to supplement the bottom end, but I did some tests (using the BM in my receiver along with the sub controls), and the crossover had to be very low (30-40Hz if I remember correctly) to avoid a nasty bump due to overlap. Any higher, and I had to turn the sub down so much that I lost the bottom end. Anyhow, I couldn't get it to work satisfactorily in my room.

Martin.

 

[brucek]

Michael,
Yeah, I remember reading that somewhere about the AVM. Very neat feature for sure. Most subs come with phase, but lots of DYI sub makers need that feature and I like the idea of controlling it with your remote.
One of capabilities that's handy though about having phase on the external box like the X30 or SVS line amp is the ability to set up two subs using one fixed and one variable phase control. I admit to never having a lot of luck with two subs though....
brucek

 

[PaulT]

Martin, no worries about any hijack . I'm learning a bunch from all of this at any rate.
The sub will be for my 10th Anniversary in June (I have a great wife). I have decided 'yes' the Servo-15 is the one to get, now it's time to wheel and deal at the shops.
brucek - many thanks, the X30 will be with the package, perhaps a BFD later to tame my room.
Miguel, let us know when you get things sorted.

 

[Miguel Stanic]

Hey guys,

Thanks. I've gotten things sorted out. I had my BASS PEAK LEVEL set to -36db's on the Anthem AVM20. This was absolutely choking any bass from coming out. It's meant for subs and/or speakers that may sustain damage from very dynamic bass. Of course, since the Servo-15 has it's own protective circuitry, I don't need to worry about this. I just brought this setting down to 0db's and the "beasts from hell" have been unleashed.

So far so good as I continue to tailor. I've got the Polarity set to NORMAL as it produced more BASS than INVERTED on the Anthem AVM20. As well, I've set the PHASE to 15 degrees on the AVM20 and I am continuing to play with that setting. The volume knob, on the Servo-15, is set to the halfway position.

Music is very good as it seems to be making (as my tweaking improves) a seamless transition with my main speakers...very nice indeed.

Movies are also killer. However, I need to get it to as accurate a level as possible so as to eliminate any room resonance which is my biggest concern.

I'm glad I went with this sub. I am sure HSU and SVS would have been good choice but I could not justify not being able to trade-in my B&W ASW2000 sub not to mention that the Canadian dollar (fortunately or unfortunately) made the SVS and HSU subs less attractive.

Overall, thus far, a killer sub.

 

[Clinton McClure]

Right now I'm just running a PDR-10 sub, but mark my words... I will own a Servo-15.
My only problem with it is the price. While I believe it is worth every penny, it's gonna be hard to cough up $1500 for it. And to pour salt in the open pocketbook wound it will create, I'm also looking to get a BFD or a parametric EQ when I get the servo. Man, I'm gonna be broke for 10 years!

 

[Christopher Lyn]

Miguel:

The model on the back of my sub reads Servo-15a. Is this a model that has been modified since it was first released. Just asking...anyone know.

Yes, that is what it means. The Paradigm technical department stated that the "15a" has slightly upgraded drivers and circuits since the Servo-15 was first released. However, they don't consider it a major upgrade as to call it a version 2.0 or whatever.