Who Knows Their SVS's? (1 Viewer)

[MichaelBarletta]

OK, so I have a dead DLS #300-630(original mity tiny). It was good for me and is still under warranty so I MIGHT keep it, but I think I want to shake the house a little harder. Question 1. Since I can only afford an entry level SVS, are my SVS choices limited to either the PB1-ISD 320w 12" box at $599, or their 25-31PCi 320w 12" cylinder at $549. Which do you like? 2. Is the difference between the DLS and the "economy" SVS going to TOTALY BLOW MY SOCKS OFF, SHIVERS UP THE SPINE, or should I get an intermediate brand at an intermediate price like $300-$400 to shake my room? Remember, the SVS will cost around $600.
THE ROOM is 13'x 13' on a concrete slab with wall to wall carpet and under pad. 7' ceiling and one small staircase opening far front & right.
THE SYSTEM is a Yamaha 5560 reciever, L & R Sonance 622t in walls w/a 6.5" driver & swivel 1" tweeter in each, a Sonance MC center w/2 5.25" drivers, 1) 2.5" mid, 1) 1" tweeter, dual front ported and mid and high adjustable. Surrounds are Sonance 622t in walls again, facing each other, 6' high & slightly behind seating. Very crisp and deep and loud (without the Sub), nice sounding speakers IMO. The Sub is at the front/left of the room, "cornered in" by the front wall, the left wall and the entertainment amoire to it's right.
I need to make a decision and am pretty new to HT. BTW, 70% music, 30% DVD, and I LOVE live concert DVD w/DTS such as Hell Freezes and the new Led Zepp for example, but do sit with the family for "Nemo", "Matrix" etc . . . Thanks in advance, Mike.

 

[Frank Carter]

You will notice a huge difference between the two.

BTW, I saw a b-stock 20-39Pci this morning for $549 I think.

 

[DavidVT]

Michael,

You'll be suprised on the amount of pure bass derived from the 25-31. I bought a used 25-31CS and drove it with a seperate lower wattage amp and it sounded superb. My wife bought me a second SVS, same model for my birthday. I traded in the lower watt amp for a Crest CPX2600 pro amp. Both SVS' are tuned at the factory for 22hz. Also, the 25-31 is capable of outputing the loudest SPLs of the cylinder series.

If you went this route, you'll be shaking the house with bass pure and simple.

For music, this sub blends seamlessly and is not boomy. It took me about a day or two to get used to the sub. My old Def Tech PF15tl+ output some serious bass, but was extremly boomy so this was how I thought BASS was supposed to feel. I was dead wrong... Now that I have the SVS' the bass kinda sneaks up on you and hits you... HARD, VERY HARD!

For movies, you could want for nothing in the bass dept. LOTR TTT (wall scene) literally scares the crap outta you and kinda sucks the breath right outta you as well.

For deeper bass, SVS offers other models in the series and from what I have read, they do a superb job at what they are designed to do. And, that is to go LOW.

You should check out audioenvy.com and see if someone in your area has the SVS you are looking at and will give you a demo.

 

[Edward J M]

You would be hard pressed to hear the differences between these four subs:

25-31 PCi (25 Hz tune)
PB1-ISD (22 Hz tune)
"22-31" PCi (a 25-31 PCi with a factory 22 Hz tune)
20-39 PCi (20 Hz tune)

They all employ the same driver, vent size, and amplifier.

The PB1-ISD and the "22-31" PCi will sound the most similar, since they have the same tune point.

The 20-39 PCi will troll the lowest, but it probably won't be obvious on most program material. And the 25-31 PCi will play the loudest by a small margin (maybe 1.0-1.5 dB) due to its slightly higher tune point.

The cylinders are a bit less expensive to manufacture, so they offer a slightly higher performance/$$ ratio. And they have a smaller footprint. The box is more traditional, and a box design is important to many prospective buyers.

Since they will all offer very similar performance, I think aesthetics and personal preferences will probably influence your final decision the most. And yes - any of these 4 SVS' will be a large step up in performance over the DLS.

Regards,

Ed

 

[steve nn]

I would go with the 20-39PCI in the B-Stock offering or a new 25-31PCI and never look back. You will notice a night and day difference definitely. You have a little against you being on a concrete slab but I think in the 1183 cubic ft HT you describe the 20-39PCI / 25-31 would serve you very well. If you went with a new 25-31PCI cylinder for $549 you would have the option of bringing the tune down with a port plug if you liked the 20-22 Hz tune better for some material.

 

[Edward J M]

If you went with a new 25-31PCI cylinder for $549 you would have the option of bringing the tune down with a port plug if you liked the 20-22 Hz tune better for some material.

The PCi series is not tuneable - it has a single 4" vent at a fixed tune point. 25 Hz for the 25-31 PCi and 20 Hz for the 20-39 PCi.

The "22-31" PCi splits the difference at 22 Hz. This is quite a popular tune from my understanding, and you must specify this tune at the time of order.

Steve's brain has been addled by his massive array of 25-31 PC-Plus' with the tunable tri-ports - he just plumb forgot the PCi can't be tuned.

 

[steve nn]

Yikes! I'm afraid your right Edward. Thanks for clarifying. I do know better also.. But I keep reverting back to the Plus line in my thinking. :b This is what happens when I don't get my daily ration of pure SVS bass. This has been remedied since my last post and now I,m good to go for another 24 hrs.

 

[DavidVT]

Steve,

What is the SVS count to date? Three still?

 

[steve nn]

Hi David. Yes three is the count for now but I sort of have four in mind. Since I run them with their port blockers engaged I could add my 20.7 Hz tuned AV15 to the mix but this presents a problem concerning space and I would rather stay with exactly all like SVS subs. I think I'll do the H/k 325 receiver next week?? and then concentrate on my last 25-31cs+:frowning:... This could present a major problem for Ed though. He might need to clean up after me in my posts much more often:wink:

As things stand now I have my QSC set to full gain on both channels and my receiver SW gain at -10 to -7 for a +2 to +4 db corrected sub calibration. Being that My SW gain on my receiver has a range of -10 to +10 > I will need to start cutting back on the QSC next. I definitely don't need all the headroom but I like knowing it is there for those rare occasions.

 

[DavidVT]

I know exactly what you are preaching !!!

My Crest CPX2600 is 750w @ 4ohms per channel, I have the gain at about half for my twin SVS

 

[steve nn]

Hi Dave. What kind of SVS's do you have and what size HT do you have? Us dualies need to stick together you know!

 

[DavidVT]

Steve,

I have twin 25-31CS with the ISD and tuned to 22hz. Also have the ART 351 EQ which I have yet to hook up. My dedicated HT is approximately 18' X 20' with standard 8' ceiling. The equipment room is located directly behind the theater for easy access to the equipment

I just added a couple new pics of the ceiling painted and the dual SVS.

You can check it out by clicking the little house thingy above

 

[MichaelBarletta]

Thanks to everyone who responded. This decision is made, SVS! This one is not. Which one? Really the only thing that I have to decide is, 25-31PCi or PB1-ISD. It's a $$ thing, unless I see some better "B" stock SVS stuff. One other thing, DavidVT, why would one drive these subs with a lower wattage amp? Amazing HT room by the way!! Thanks again, Mike.

 

[steve nn]

DavidVT>> I want your HT. Very nice! I'm sure your very proud of it and took allot of work. Do you allow popcorn in your HT??:wink:

Mike I think your making a good decision myself. SVS will provide you a good sub in what-ever one you decide to go with. The sub is only half the equation though. Their service and care is the other half. SVS-Tom-Ron will not blink at stepping up to the plate if need be to lend a helping hand or possibly cover you on a misshape.

 

[DavidVT]

Thanks guys!!!

Michael; SVS unpowered (CS) subs are made so well, that you could run them with as little as 100w. In their FAQs, they relate that you can actually use an old stereo receiver to power the sub with no problems. Your decision to purchase a SVS is one that you will not regret, and Steve is right on the money... SVS Customer Service is the best in the business.

I on the other hand, will eventually upgrade to either the CS Ultra's or SS which will need some pretty big power to do them justice, hence the 750w per channel amp that I purchased.

Steve; LOL popcorn, ice cream and the like are perfectly welcome. Matter of fact, we just got done eating in the HT while watching a movie

The theater room itself actually did'nt take all that long to build, just the little things that eat the time up.

 

[BobAlbano]

I will drop a vote in for a 22-31pci! This sub is very hard to beat for the money! Good luck with your decsion!