Will an SVS 16-46PCi be okay in..... (1 Viewer)

[Phil de Bruin]

I am in need of some good advice/opinion.
I am looking for a good sub - and am seriously considering the 16-46PCi. It's a little more difficult for me because I live in the UK so cannot demo before I purchase (as there is no UK outlets so I'll have to get one shipped accross).
I am after a very low, flat, subsonic and overwhealming clear bass - which is why I am looking in the 16-46 direction.
My main concern is my room. It is approximately 12x12ft.
You know how really low bass sometimes can't be heard that well when you're too close - or sounds so much better when you're further away? Well I am wondering if my room is going to be too small to achieve a good sound from a 16-46PCi... (?).
I have email SVS-Ron a couple of days ago and am still waiting a reply, but I would very much appreciate an independent view (not that I doubt the integrity of SVS staff )
Any views/advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Chris Tsutsui]

I read somewhere that the room dimensions won't factor in the bass you can hear.
So you'll be able to hear even the lowest frequencies in small rooms.
This convinced me into buying a 15" adire alignment tempest for my 10"x10" room. I'll find out soon if I can hear 100db at 20hz.

 

[Ned]

Cars can do 10hz, small no? How bout headphones, thats a pretty small "room". Don't worry about the room being small (actually a benefit for output). If your room really is 12x12 exactly then you're gonna have some room mode problems.

 

[JohnHN]

Of "low and flat" the low part won't be a problem but the flat will be. You may have resonance problems. So you should equalize.

 

[SanfordL]

Phil, I own a 16-46 PCi and love it. The small size may be an issue with standing waves etc, but one that you should be able to fix with bass traps, eq'ing and whatnot. You might try emailing Tom too, as it might be that Ron is running himself crazy right now (vnedor issues?) gearing up for the PCi+ release. I emailed [email protected] with some questions about sub placement in my room, and TV and Ron both were right back to me within a day. I sent them a drawing of the room, and Tom made some great placement recommendations that have worked in our room.
You might hold out for the PCi+ as that is going to be one sick

tube once they are released. Only if you need all that bass, which I assume you do.

 

[Bradley Schmidt]

My 16-46PCi is in a room 11x11 with a 6.5 foot ceiling. It sounds (and feels) terrific. Tom recommended that I try moving it around the room, and that makes a big difference. It's actually sitting about a foot from me. I've mentioned this in other posts, but you'll really be impressed at the visceral feeling you get from the low bass. It's not anything tacky, but very distinctive.

Whether or not you wait for the PC+ is up to you. I think you'll have quite enough bass with the PCi in your small room. I run at level -20, and my chair almost moves around the room during depth charges, pod races, and T-Rex attacks.

My e-mail responses from SVS have always been very quick, so I suspect that your message may have disappeared while crossing the pond.

My 16-46PCi is the best thing I've ever bought for home theater.

 

[Joseph_ P]

hello phil, i have a 16-46cs+/samson1000 in a room thats
16'6"x14'5" and it is very powerful. youcan feel the
the bass. it WILL play bass that you wont hear but
you definately feel. it sounds great with music and
is awesome with movies.i would recommend it.

 

[Tom Vodhanel]

Hi Phil,
Sorry about the missed email...if you don't get a reply from us within 24 hours, there is about a 99% chance we never saw the note(it got lost in cyperspace somewhere).
Always feel free to reach me at
[email protected]
What receiver and full range speakers are you using? Is the system for HT use only, or will you be listening to some music on it too? If it will be used for music too, are you a pipe organ fan?
TV

 

[SVS-Ron]

Phil,

You should have had mail as of yesterday. Post here if nothing shows. Various ISP's zap mail from various others now and again in a anti-SPAM effort. It wouldn't be the first note that fell into that box.

Ron

 

[Phil de Bruin]

...lots of very positive feedback regarding the 16-46
A big THANK-YOU to everyone who has taken the time to reply
Hi Tom -
I'm using:
Denon 3802 AVR
Ruark Prologue Fronts (120W RMS)
Ruark Dialogue Centre (100W RMS)
Ruark Epilogue Rears (100W RMS)
http://www.ruark.net/
...yes I certainly will be using the system for music - I consider my taste in music to be broad - though I wouldn't describe myself as a pipe organ fan...
Bradley - have you found that you can 'locate' where the bass is coming from? - seeing that you have situated the cylinder only a foot away from your listening postion...?
Thanks again

 

[Tom Vodhanel]

Hi Phil,
Have you predetermined how you will setup the bass management setup? For example, will you set the mains to small or large? Will you use the subwoofer preout of the Denon to patch in the subwoofer(linelevel) or will you insert the subwoofer between the receiver and the mains via speaker level connections? If you use the subwoofer output jack on the Denon(which tends to work best) do you have a preference for the bass being *subwoofer only* or set to the Denons *super bass mode*?(both the mains and the sub getting the bass).
Or...rather than having any predetermined plans for any of this...will you just experiment with all options until you find the setting you like best?
TV

 

[Bradley Schmidt]

Phil,

I can locate the high bass sometimes, but not usually. The low bass is never localize-able. (?) Setting my other speakers (Diva 2.1 mains, Diva R3 surrounds) as "large" also helped. My Denon 2802 has an option to send bass to both the mains and sub. I only have two useable corners in my room, and the other one is in a locker with a louvered door, down a very short passageway. The localization was more noticeable there. I may try it again, however, now that my other speakers are "large". I may try a non-corner location again, as well. I'm also adjusting the crossover among the 80, 100, and 120 Hz options. It is very important to try different locations for your sub, and different options (as available) on your receiver or prepro.

 

[Chuck C]

Wow, I'm amazed that you guys are getting such huge subs in such small rooms! I just got my 20-39PCi in my basement which is roughly 12x21' with 8' ceilings and a six feet opening into a bedroom sized office. I don't even have the sub past the 12 o'clock position (also, calibrated with AVIA to 85dB), and it's like nothing I've ever heard. When I write a review (as so many HTFers do), I am going to describe how "confident" the bass sounds. In other words, it plays low, loud, flat, and it doesn't feel like it will strain with some bass crazy material.

 

[Phil de Bruin]

Thanks for you mail Ron -- my reply is on it's way over!
Hi again Tom,
I haven't any pre-determined plans, although I was intending to use the subwoofer preout on the Denon to hook up the sub...
I will experiment with just about all options and see which sounds the best to me. I was suspecting however that setting all the Front & and Centre speakers to Small and leave the the low notes to the sub would produce a cleaner sound due to bass coming from one source only (no frequencies canceling each other out?) and relieving the pressure from the Fronts. But - as I say, I will experiment... - why do you ask?