The Beast (PB2-Plus) has arrived!! (1 Viewer)

[Ben Stern]

And it lives up to the hype!! I don't mean to sound like another SVS cult member, but the thing is everything people say it is - and more. Since Craig and Edward have done the technical thing in extrordinary detail, let me give you my non-technical impressions. When it first came, the delivery man was struggling to get it off his truck. I helped him get it down and we walked it into my place. The box it comes in is HUGE and my girlfriend, upon seeing this thing, gave me her "Mona Lisa" smile, which is her way of saying, "You owe me big time sweetheart." I circled the box a few times and then noticed that one of the "feet" on the base was gouged out at the side, but it still was supporting the sub. My compliments to SVS on the strength of the box. I finally proceeded to open it up and slowly pulled it off the base of the box. The pebble like finish was tasteful and attractive - much nicer looking than the finish on my PW-2200. Hook-up was easy and had it running in just a few minutes. I set the subwoofer gain on my Denon receiver to 0 and with the help of my Radio Shack meter and Avia test disc adjusted the sound levels of all the speakers and sub. Speakers set to 75 dB and the sub to 77 dB. Then the phase was adjusted. Set to 180. The sub incidently is corner loaded in the right front,10 feet from my seat position. Now the fun begins and I listen to Saving Private Ryan, Blackhawk Down, U-571 and my all time favorite disc for a sub-woofer workout - The Haunting (DTS). I first listen at the 25 Hz setting. Then I plug 1 port and change the setting on the subsonic filter to 20 hz and recalibrate the sub level and listen. More impressive this way. Then I plug 2 ports, change the subsonic filter to 16 hz and recalibrate the sub level again and listen. This is even more impressive!! I have to increase the gain slightly, every time I lower the tuning point, but since my "home theater room" is only 2300 cubic, I still have way more headroom than I will ever use. For now I'm going the leave the settings this way. Since I'm off work today, I'm going to listen to Titan A.E. Again, my thanks to Edward, Craig and SVS. Now I have to get myself a BFD!!

 

[Edward J M]

Glad you are loving it. Yep, the detailed technical reports can ultimately be distilled and condensed into something like "this is one kick ass subwoofer".

I typically prefer the 25 Hz or 20 Hz tunes, but hey, if the 16 Hz tune floats your boat, then by all means run the sub that way! In your room, the 16 Hz tune will dig all the way down to about 12 Hz or so. If you ever hear port noise in the 16 Hz tune at really high volumes, you can always jump back to the 20 Hz tune and still get solid 15 Hz extension with considerably more airflow capability.

Your calibration technique looks solid; plugging a port usually requires about a 2 dB increase of the sub level to compensate.

Ed

 

[Allen Marshall]

congratulations Ben.

What's a BFD?

 

[JohnSmith]

Big ******* di**

 

[Craig Chase]

Does anyone else think Allen is wishing he had asked via PM ?

 

[Ben Stern]

This was the response I got from SVS:

In that small of a room…16hz is the way to go…you’ll get strong output down to the 9-12hz range and a clean 115-118dB of bass with no problem at all..

Thank you for the quick review, it is GREAT to hear the PB-2+ is working out so well for you Ben!

Tom V.
SVS

B.F.D. = Beringer Feedback Destroyer

 

[Robert_Dufresne]

Ben

Have you tried listening to something a bit more musical with your new sub .

 

[Ben Stern]

Have you tried listening to something a bit more musical with your new sub .

Diana Krall - The sub demonstrates it's versatility. It's quietly effective on her music, without calling attention to itself and brutally powerful on DVD's when it needs to be.

 

[Craig Chase]

I love the PB2+ for music... pleeeeeeaaaaase take the time to post a lot of findings on music.....

 

[Ben Stern]

I love the PB2+ for music... pleeeeeeaaaaase take the time to post a lot of findings on music.....


Most of the CD's we own are rock and pop and so the quality is not very good. I have to get some SACD's and DVD-A's now that I have a universal DVD player. I'm also going to look around for some serious organ music to test the depths of the PB2-plus in the 16 hz setting. Bach anyone?

 

[KeithY]

Metallica-Black DVD-A pounds my PB2+
The god that failed stands out as one of the bassiest tunes

 

[Thomas F]

Teldec's "Organ Spectacular - Famous Organ Works by Bach" is a good one, available on DVD-A. "Toccata and Fuge in D Minor", great for Halloween, is on track one. Another CD that I found that has powerful good organ music is "Pomp and Pipes".

 

[SVS-Ron]

Thomas,

Well normally we just would take candidate crushable pallets and strap them to a dummy sub (we load them with left over lead shot and clay pigeons to simulate real woofers!) and drop them off the roof of our two story factory. No actual pigeons are harmed in this UPS/Bax Global torture test! (Though one fresh egg is laid inside with only a single layer of .5" perforated Uline bubble wrap protecting it).

Of course you pick the ones that keep the egg intact.

Why all this? Well, simulations rarely capture actual real-world results validated by painstaking field testing. If landed properly, impact often attains 115dB at 25Hz (one meter ground plane) for .5 milliseconds and less than 10% THD.

Sadly, we've lost a few mics due to poor accuracy in the sub box launch off the roof, but we stop at nothing for our customers.

And THAT'S a fact.

;^)

Ron

 

[Ben Stern]

Congratulations on your new PB2+!. Diana Krall's DVD-A disks are really good. Her "Live in Paris" DVD has an excellent DTS track. Blue Man Group's DVD-A Audio disk is also a lot of fun.

Thanks Thomas. Gonna go to Virgin Records and J&R to check those and others out.

 

[Brian Fellmeth]

There is some rock and pop with enough very deep bass to showcase the SVS. On the hard side, check out Fear Factory, Marlyn Manson, Mudvayne, nine inch nails. All use synth bass that is 2 octaves lower than the bottem note of a string bass.

For something your wife might like, look for any of the most recent three CD's from "Everything but the Girl". Its jazzy, light and loaded with deep bass that is skillfully integrated into well written and mixed music.

 

[Ben Stern]

For something your wife might like, look for any of the most recent three CD's from "Everything but the Girl". Its jazzy, light and loaded with deep bass that is skillfully integrated into well written and mixed music.

Thanks Brian. I owe the girlfriend big time now. This sub is gonna cost me. This upcomming Saturday, we're going to Manhattan on a shopping spree - getting CD's, DVD's and lots and lots of jeans, dresses and shoes - for her, not me

 

[SVS-Ron]

Ben/All,

While somewhat dated, on the "pop" side of the equation, three disks I'm wearing out right now on my DVD-A player via a PC-Ultra or a PB1-ISD are:

DVD-A Fleetwood Mac "Rumors"
DTS-CD Sheryl Crow "Globe Sessions"
CD Rolling Stones "Bridges to Babylon"

All have lively bass tracks.

Ron

 

[Parker Clack]

Ben:

If you can find it also check out Flim and the BB's Big Notes. A lot of it was done on a computer so the bass can really kick. In particular Fun House will give you enough sub bass to make you feel like someone is pounding on your chest.

Also, for testing out low bass it is hard to beat the low notes of Keith Emerson on Brain Salad Surgery from the album of the same name by Emerson, Lake and Palmer.

Parker

 

[Ben Stern]

Thanks Ron and Parker!!

 

[jan/m]

ben; congrats, i know how you feel, just got mine and can't get enough! i second the nine inch nails choice for bass!