Underwhelmed by SVS in new room (2 Viewers)

[Shane Martin]

I would bet it is a null. Try moving it around and see what you get.

 

[Keith Mickunas]

Play some test tones for the sub and walk around with an SLP meter. Sometimes you don't even need the meter, it'll be plenty obvious.

The physics of sound can be kind of interesting in the real world. You never quite know how things are going to interact. The difference in your walls, the placement of your furniture, all sorts of things can have a significant effect. I was shocked to find the change in the FR of my room after I replaced my loveseat and table with a sectional. I had a real bad dip in the FR at one point, and it just went away. The best I can figure is that the sound waves reflect differently with the couch in the way than they did with the table which was open underneath, and so I know longer have the valley that existed before.

One strategy I've heard before is to place your sub in near the seating position, then walk around the room and see where it's loudest, and that is where you should place the sub. I don't know how accurate that is, but it's a start. Otherwise just try and place it in each corner and see if that changes things up, then try the middle of the walls where possible.

 

[MikeLi]

Cement floors and walls are hard ones to get much rattle and roll out of for movies. I am with Steve above if you can afford it, build a 2X4 floor for the whole room and go from there. That will get you some feeling at the listening room that concrete won't do. I have a brother in law that lives in Scottsdale with an SVS PB2+ dual whoofs. When he had it in his family room upstairs it would destroy the house (his was a big house too). When he set up a theater down stairs on the cement floor which also the cement went up about 4 Ft. on most of the walls it just was not the same. It sounded good but most of the feeling was gone. My conclusion.. blame the concrete...

 

[Edward J M]

A wooden floor cannot transmit a significant amount of tactile energy without also being audible.

Due to this, I have never liked the sound of bass on a wooden floor. I'll take cement every time for the cleaner sound it provides.

I will agree that you will need more subbage to provide the same feeling as a wooden floor, because you are relying strictly on air pressure changes for tactile effect.

 

[MikeLi]

Ed.. I totally agree with your post. Great for music but not so great for HT... at least for what most can afford. I knew a guy that had two SVS PB4s in his concrete basement and he said he got the airmovement he needed but most of us can't afford 5K or more for a/pair of subs.

 

[BrianMe]

I got some feedback at Tom from SVS. One of the things he noted is that my seating position is almost exactly half way between the front and rear walls, and I may be sitting in a dead spot (a null I think you call it). I'm going to try moving around the room. If all else fails, I'm going to probably build a platform for the couch to sit on, and place the sub on that platform. I was thinking a 2x2 constructed platform with plywood on top and bottom. What should I fill it with? Just regular insulation?

 

[SteveCallas]

Is the bottom of the riser going to be against concrete or carpet? If it is going on concrete, put a line of caulk on the 2x2's before laying them down. And yes, I would fill it with fibergalss insulation.

 

[BrianMe]

They would be on carpet. My basement is fully finished. I don't want to mess with the carpet. It was expensive.

 

[Parker Clack]

Brian:

I corrected the title for you.

Parker

 

[Citizen87645]

Yeah, from the title I thought he bought an SVS knock-off by mistake. That would truly mean SVS "has arrived."

 

[JeremyErwin]

Homer: [gasps] Look at these low, low prices on famous brand-name
electronics!
Bart: Don't be a sap, Dad. These are just crappy knock-offs.
Homer: Pfft. I know a genuine Panaphonics when I see it. And look,
there's Magnetbox and Sorny.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Brian,

While their may be some truth in some of the suggestions offered about wood vs. concrete and a null (espeically if the room is square or rectangular and you’re sitting in the middle), the fact is it’s your sub strategy is that’s really at fault. Specifically, you went from a smaller room to a much larger one and then bought a smaller sub! No, no, no, no!!!

I couldn’t get the same impact as my 12” DIY sub when I auditioned a PB10-ISD in an 1800 cu. ft. room. There’s no way a PB10 (or any other 10” sub, I suspect) is going to carry the mail in a room over 3000 cubic ft – and that’s not even considering the “area in the rear that opens to the rest of the basement.” Not to mention, the PB10 has a built in limiter, which prevents the woofer from overdriving at the expense of dynamics.

If you were satisfied with the 20-39 PC+ in your other room, what you should have done is add another one, or upgrade to one of SVS’ higher-end models. Downsizing was the worse thing you could have done. I suspect only reversing that trend will solve your current problem.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[BrianMe]

I don't have a clue what you are talking about. I didn't get a different sub. i have a 20-39 PC+. The same sub I had in my old house is now in my new house. I'm sorry if you read somewhere that I got a smaller sub. I have the same sub.

I'm going to try some different things and see how it works out. Probably when I get time this weekend.

Here's the rub though. If it DOESN'T work out, I'm going to go from a very happy SVS owner to a less than happy SVS owner. When I bought the sub, I actually worked with SVS and asked them to size it with the assumption I'd be moving into a bigger place. I had asked for 20 x 20 x 8 dimensions, or 3200 cubic feet. Now, the new place is about 3500 cubic feet, but I still didn't expect this. I actually had the sub turned way down (-10 on the receiver, and about 1/4 on the sub), so I expected it to continue to rock in the new place.

 

[steve nn]

If you get a SPL gain by moving closer to a boundary, (you will) is your current setting eched in stone?

 

[JeremyErwin]

What kind of forum member would he be if he didn't have one? Though the Radio Shack model is less than sensitive to extremely low bass...

Perhaps SVS might have some placement suggestions

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Sorry, but that’s just not true. You’ve already noted that the room opens up to other areas. That’s all acoustical space that sub has to fill up.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[John_RO]

I have a single 25-31 PCi in my sunken den of a split level (on a concrete slab) and have never been unhappy with it's performance. Placement was tricky though. Corner placement resulted in a null at the seating position. I ended up placing it between my mains next to the entertainment center. Now, the null is in the far right corner of the room where nobody ever sits due to viewing angle. I do boost it about 10db over my mains to compensate for the reduced output due to the concrete sub floor. The sock explosion in Monsters Inc. rattles my windows at about 10db below reference. Here's a crude schematic.

M---Sub-TV---M

Hope this helps.

JR

 

[BrianMe]

Okay, then since my old place opened up in several places, I guess you'd say they are then equal.

Your point about having to add a subwoofer is noted. But please understand that I had the subwoofer sized for the LARGER SPACE when I bought it, and it is underperforming currently.

Yes, I have an SPL meter, but it's ina box that hasn't been opened yet. I'll be digging that out of course. I believe I have a null and am going to try checking that out first. I also don't have a copy of AVIA, which I need to get. Where can I get one for a decent price?

Brian

 

[SteveCallas]

If you go ahead and build a short wooden riser for the couch and sub, not only will you get more of the tactile impact you used to have, but you will basically eliminate any chance of being in a null since the sub will be right next to you in a somewhat open space. You also won't need to have the sub turned up as high as you would if it were say 8-15 feet away from you, which I assume it is now. To me, this seems like a no brainer.

I'd build the riser (should be less than $100), put the sub on it, and recalibrate.

 

[SVS-Ron]

Brian,

Where else ;^)???

Till you are able to calibrate (and I still have boxes from a move 2 years ago not open so let us know if you need another meter too ;^0) it's hard to say if your one PC+ will "get it" for you. Certainly it could be that despite performing correctly it'll still not quite be enough for your tastes and that somewhat challenging room.

Lots of help already above and options down the road should checking setup not achieve the results you were hoping for.

Ron
SVS