Which SVS to buy? (1 Viewer)

[AaronG]

Hi guys,

I'm finishing my home theater. It will be a 12x19 room (sound proofing with insulation and Z channels). I'm hoping to end up with a Denon 3802, Paradigm speakers, and, an SVS subwoofer. My question is: which SVS would be best for that size room and set up? I'd love to have amazing bass, but still keep my wife.

Thanks,

Aaron

 

[ColinM]

More important than the room, how do you like your bass?

Super Deep? = 16*46

Really Deep and Loud? = 20*39

Deep and Really Loud? = 25*31

I have (1) 20-39CS with 165W behind it in a 13 x 28 room. Best of both worlds, but I never play really loud. OK, I did this one time, in band camp, but it was sooooooo good!

Once in a while super-bass-heads want 2 to have a bulletproof setup.

Look at the CS+ if you are not strapped, or the other higher end models. All good.

Ask questions, have fun!

- CM

 

[John Morris]

Aaron: IMO, the 16-46cs plus is the current sweet spot for SVS subwoofers. For only a 30% premium over the regular 16-46cs subs you can get a sub which almost matches the Ultra in output above 25Hz while exceeding the Ultra in sub 20Hz reach. I have the Ultra and although I simply love it, if I was buying now, I'd get a 16-46cs+ subwoofer.

BTW, I have never heard nor seen a plus sub, instead I am basing my opinion ONLY on what TV has stated in previous threads on the plus. If you are a cynic, I'd wait till TV posts some waterfall graphs on the subs response and output levels.

 

[Salvador]

Aaron, i have the 3802 and the Paradigm reference 20's. Still tinkering around with it but so far so good. I'm looking at an SVS 16-46PC or maybe one of the plus models down the road. A rotel amp would also be nice but i could only choose one since i've exhausted all my funds already. Probably this summer or next christmas. All i have to say is this home theater Sh!t is truly addictive. Sad to say, i've entered the dark side!:frowning:

 

[David Giles]

John,

Man, I’m glad to hear your P.O.V. Maybe I’m not so crazy after all. I had a CS_Ultra and the 350-watt Samson S700. I’m planning on building a larger HT room soon where more power will be preferable, and my natural upgrade path would have been to spend a little over $900 to get another Ultra. But then SVS came out with the 20% discount for previous SVS customers on the new CS+’s, which ALREADY have a great price/performance ratio. So I sold my Ultra/S700 for $1,000. Now I’m getting DUAL 16-46CS+’s powered by the 500-watt Samson S1000 for only $340 more, including shipping!

Like you, I’m strictly going by what Tom has said about the CS+’s performance, but so far I have no reason to be cynical about his word. According to him, dual 16-46CS+’s powered with 500 watts will be roughly equal to dual CS_Ultras powered by only 350 watts in max SPL, and the CS+’s will have slightly better extension.

Sure I would have loved to have upgraded to the Samson S1000, and THEN got another Ultra, which would have given me a dB or two higher max SPL over the dual 16-46CS+/S1000 package (probably insignificant, but hey there's always bragging rights). But that would have cost me over a thousand dollars more, and I’m already stretching way over my budget for bass. Like you, I think the 16-46CS+ is really the sweet spot right now in SVS’s lineup, for extension AND SPL’s.

David

 

[DennisZ]

Rajee, I ordered 2 20-39CS +'s with the Samson S1000

Just getting ready to rock and roll

Denny

 

[Harold Leroy]

Two weeks ago I ordered the 20-39+, with Samson 1000 and ART 351. Can't wait to get them with my Divas.

 

[Gary Thomas]

John raises an interesting question...I just got a 20-39CS-Ultra. The total price w/ a Samson 1000 amp is $1400. The 16-46 + with the same amp is only $1050. For $350 less you'd get a sub that can go lower & have a similar output as the Ultra.

I hate returning things....but...you got me thinking...

 

[David Giles]

Don't forget Dual 20-39's plus series with soon to be available port blockers. You get the option of having the extra dB's with the 20-39's alone or if you want block off a port on each (lower tuning to about 16Hz), you will get virtually the same output as the dual 16-46+'s above 25Hz and lose only about 2dB of power around 15Hz compared to 16-46+'s. (My info is directly from Tom).

Yeah I know, it's a tough call. I just honestly feel that with the S1000 powering DUAL 16-46CS+'s, I'll have all the dB's I can personally stand. And since the 16-46's would still win down low, as compared to the blocked 20-39's, I just decided to go with maximum extension. But I can definitely see your POV also. It's nearly a toss-up, and I guess each lucky buyer just has to go with his own preferences.
David
P.S. Plus there's always the unlikely possibility that I might someday want to block a port on each 16-46, and REALLY have fun with the local seismology lab.

 

[David Giles]

Arrrrggggg, still pulling my hair out over these subs though.

Yeah, but you're lovin' every minute of it aren't you.
David

 

[Jerry T]

I'm waiting on my dual 16-46cs+ and requesting 2 port plugs to go with each sub.

Extention is where its at. Losing a few db is no big deal since my room is only 1700^3 ft. I can always turn the volume up.

Jerry

 

[Vin]

I hear ya. This choice of which SVS to get is such a nightmare. I too continually bounce back and forth between 16-46+'s and 20-39'+'s. Right now I feel more comfortable with 20-39's but tomorrow who knows.

I can definitely relate! I'm moving my Velo CT-120 to another room so I need a new sub for the main set-up. Anyway, I've been picking TV's brain for a couple of weeks now and I still don't know which SVS to get! I started out considering the 25-31 or 20-39CS to be powered with an old Technics DPL receiver....for under $500 how could I do any better? But of course the 16-46 isn't much more so what the hell, that's what I'll get. But then again, for a little more I figured I could get a CS+....but then the Technics probably won't cut it so I guess I'll have to add a Samson 1000 to go with it.....now I'm up at >$1000! But after all, I'd be getting near Ultra performance and saving hundreds of dollars at the same time! How's that for logic?
OK, I think my mind is made up.....hmmmm, I wonder though, what are the surprises Tom and Ron have in store for us that they've been alluding to lately.....

 

[MarcVH]

My situation is similar to the original poster as far as receiver, etc. go. Which Paradigm speakers are you using? My mains are Studio/60s.

I'm currently thinking in terms of waiting for the 16-46PC+. I guess it will depend on pricing, though, but I'm assuming it will cost less than the 16-46CS+ with amp, and be more flexible (phase adjustment, possible to use sub instead of receiver to cross over if one wishes.) The downside would be if one decided to add a second sub later.

 

[Jerry T]

Rajee,

Go for the 16-46s, I know you'll lose a few dbs up top compared to the 20-39s, but I think you'll be hard pressed to hear a difference.

Think of watching the Phantom Menace, Haunting and U571 at reference levels and get the full effect and not worry about bottoming your subs.

Really, you'll have to base your decision on how loud you watch your movies.

Extension, extension, extension. Just cant get enuf.

I'm just trying to recruit you to the Dark Side.

My bad.

Jerry

 

[Mark Zimmer]

Jerry's right. If you're into HT, DVD has become a game of 'how low can you go.' If you don't get a 16-46 of some flavor or other, you risk missing out on that ungodly low extension. I've got one in a fairly large room and it's got all the higher bass I'll ever need.

 

[Glen_L]

Just to play the devil's advocate :
I've ordered a pair of 25-31CS+ subs. I too was originally torn between the extension/SPL tradeoff. After talking with Tom a bit, I found out that the 25-31 could be tuned to:
21Hz with 1 plug
16Hz with 2 plugs
With 2 plugs, Tom estimated that the 25-31 would give up 3-6dB to the 16-46 below 25Hz. So, worst case scenario is that the 25-31 pair would equal a single 16-46 when I needed it.
Since there isn't a plethora of material with bass information that deep (although the list is certainly growing), I'd rather go for max SPL most of the time and deep extension on demand . With my small room (11x10x8), I'm already getting quite a bit of room gain to augment the lower frequencies anyway.
Beside that, I'm partial to the smaller size and lower cost of the 25-31s. They measure just about the same height as the desktop (I'm using an HTPC) they'll be next to, so they won't look so much like missile silos in the corner .
Finally, after a head to head with an old 20-39PC (which is long since sold) to a friends 25-31PC with material like The Haunting and Toy Story 2, we were hard pressed to hear much difference. We were able to max out the RS SPL meter at 126 dB near-field with the 25-31, which we could not quite do with the 20-39.
Anyway, just my 2 cents. I've made my decision and am sticking to it this time.

 

[Salvador]

Glen, if you don't mind me asking, what kind of setup do you have? I have my audigy platinum connected to a denon 3802 through an optical connection. I'm just wondering how to get you pc to act exactly like a dvd player. I use powerDVD 4.0 but it does its own processing and the DTS light on my denon wouldn't go even when i enable DTS through the DVD that i am playing.

I just got my system about three weeks ago (3802, pair of paradigm studio 20's) and they are sounding better by the week but i'm skeptical on whether i hear the true DTS mixing or just the software in my computer doing its own DTS decoding.

thanks

 

[Glen_L]

Hi Salvador,
HTPC definitely isn't the route to take for instant gratification. It takes a lot of tweaking to get it set up just right. In the end, though, I think the results should be worth the effort.
My HTPC setup isn't complete yet, either. I'm presently using an M-Audio 410 soundcard, which has a coaxial out to an Integra 6.2 receiver, which I'm using as a pre/pro. It sends the signal out to a pair of nOrh Le Amp monoblocks, which drive nOrh 4.0 speaks. I plan on using 4 speaks down the road (no room or need really for a center), but am still working on my surround wiring logistics.
After I make the transition to XP from Win 2000, I'll start trying out Zoom Player as my DVD front end. I'm presently using the DVD player that came with my Radeon video card, but it doesn't allow for DTS. The Zoomplayer sounds really useful, as it lets you use your choice of video decoder (from, say, my ATI player) with the sound decoder (maybe PowerDVD) for the best combination. You can learn a lot more about it and HTPC in general from AVScience.

 

[Salvador]

thanks for the info. i'll fiddle around with zoom player and see what results i will get.

Don't get me wrong though, the sound i get now is great. It's definately better than the sound i was getting from the Klipsch 4.1 promedias that i had before. Even with two speakers, these Studio 20's bring forth detail that the sats on those promedias didn't deliver.

You're right about the setting up part. It is tedious and requires a lot of research. I just discovered how to output 96k sound from my optical connection. It got rid of the slight grain i was hearing at low volumes.

 

[David Giles]

I'd rather go for max SPL most of the time and deep extension on demand

Dude, you're going to have some SERIOUS SPL's with those bad boys in your small room! Of course I also imagine that the 20-39's or even the 16-46's would give you all the SPL's you could stand in that size room. But I totally understand the aesthetic thing, AND the cost consideration.

I'd probably be just about as happy with the 25-31's as I would the 16-46's that I'm getting. But I'd always be wondering how much I'm missing in the bottom end (probably very little most of the time). As I said, it just boils down to where your preference lies.

David