WTF? AvP just melted my SVS! (1 Viewer)

[John S]

Alrighty then.. I gotta revisit Alien -vs- Preditor now at reference levels!!!!

I just don't remember anything in there tax'n my sub that hard. But maybe I wasn't listening loud enough, or maybe even obviously I wasn't listening loud enough!!!

 

[chris_everett]

I want to clarify that I'm not pissed with SVS over this. The sub's been good, sounds excellent, and has a great price. I did design my room for two, so if I need them, so be it. It would be nice to see some details on their website about any needed protective measures.

 

[Brent_S]

John S,

your Velo most likely has some sort of limiting circuit in it...cuts down on warrant claims. ;-) At some point, no matter how much you keep twisting the volume knob, it's not going to get any louder. The passive SVS subs have no such protection.

Were your 120+db peaks with the main speakers in circuit or out?


wbs

 

[Edward J M]

The SVS is designed to (within reason) maintain the same shape FR curve and low THD at all volumes within its safe operating range. It tends to give no obvious warning or indication it is about to bottom out - like rolling off the extreme lows, or overtly farting/distorting.

A good warning sign is that the sub just won't play any louder on a given passage despite increasing the Master Volume a few more clicks. The sub will start to sound compressed and the dynamics will become non-linear.

Eventually, you will start to reach the mechanical limits of the woofer suspension. The spider and the surround just won't be able to stretch any farther in both directions. And the voice coil former could strike the backplate of the magnet assembly with a loud clack (this is commonly referred to as bottoming out). This is not a good thing. A few times probably won't hurt the driver, but repeated bottoming will eventually ruin it.

If the sub sounds clean, unstressed, and dynamic at the highest volume you would normally play the most bass-aggressive DVDs you own, I'd be happy. If it starts to sound strained, compressed, or outright bottoms, back off a few clicks on the Master Volume and mark that setting/DVD combo as your benchmark for max playback.

There is one variable on the whole RL concept that isn't really discussed often, and that's the actual DVD mastering level. I wish I could say that setting the Master Volume to 0.0 after RL calibration with Avia always yielded sound pressure peaks of 105 dB in the surround channels and 115 dB in the LFE channel every time for every Dolby Digital DVD, but it just isn't true. Some DVDs are mastered very hot, and other ones are not.

So ultimately it's best to view RL calibration more as a standardized benchmark for enthusiasts to compare Master Volume settings on playback than to view it as an absolute playback level, because we can't control the mastering level in DVD movies.

The only way to really be sure you are playing back at true Dolby Reference Level is with an SPL meter at the seat (and correction factors if the meter is C-weighted). Most of the hot bass peaks on DVDs are in the 25-30 Hz region, so I would suggest using an average correction factor of 3-4 dB on C-weighted Fast. If you are hitting bass peaks in the 112-113 dB region on the meter, you are very close to true Reference Level - at least with respect to the bass level.

Bottom line - always judge Reference Level with the SPL meter, not the Master Volume setting.

 

[Tom Vodhanel]

>>>I want to clarify that I'm not pissed with SVS over this. The sub's been good, sounds excellent, and has a great price. I did design my room for two, so if I need them, so be it. It would be nice to see some details on their website about any needed protective measures.

 

[DanielKellmii]

Wow, SVS tech support is really good. Maybe they can help me with my SVS problem. I need to convince my wife that a 39 inch black tube is a good thing to have in the living room. Any suggestions? (And yes, I have tried jewlery.):frowning:

 

[John Garcia]

How about a box version

 

[Tom Vodhanel]

>>>Wow, SVS tech support is really good. Maybe they can help me with my SVS problem. I need to convince my wife that a 39 inch black tube is a good thing to have in the living room. Any suggestions? (And yes, I have tried jewlery.)

 

[Lee-M]

Tom,

I thought that was "WAF" (Wife Acceptance Factor)... "WTF" is probably what Chris said when his sub melted

 

[NickSo]

Did it literally melt? if so i wanna see some pics

 

[Tom Vodhanel]

>>>Tom,

I thought that was "WAF" (Wife Acceptance Factor)... "WTF" is probably what Chris said when his sub melted

 

[John Garcia]

I don't know, the first time you see one of those cylinders in person, I was more along the lines of WTF!? And if you don't tell her that it's coming, well WTF!*&$# is definitely what you will be hearing

 

[SVS-Ron]

Chris,

Anyone ever tell you that you might be a candidate for a second CS+ and an SVS-01 subsonic filter box?

After we get your first sub back up to snuff (CS woofer transplant record is about 4 minutes 25 seconds IIRC ;^), drop me a note. I think we need to talk 8^0

PS, for anyone that's been in this business (either as an OEM or an enthusiast, or both) you know that "WAF" and "WTF(!?!)" are two dangerously close principles at times.

The idea is to get the WAF under control (even singles seem to collect SO's at some point) before WTF(!?!) sets in.

It's easier said than done in some instances sadly. SVS is planning to set up a "WAF/WTF" Hotline (TM) soon with personnel, volunteers all, who are prepared to counsel those who sail past WAF and encouter the dreaded "WTF (!?!)" requiring intervention, or a place to sleep.

Ron

 

[JeffLambas]

Sounds like a good reason for an upgrade my man

 

[ScottCarr]

In my situation it has very rarely been a WAF but the GDY, WTF, HS, UFR and the worst is the shaking of the head with out comment

 

[John S]

"John S,

your Velo most likely has some sort of limiting circuit in it...cuts down on warrant claims. ;-) At some point, no matter how much you keep twisting the volume knob, it's not going to get any louder. The passive SVS subs have no such protection.

Were your 120+db peaks with the main speakers in circuit or out?


wbs"

Definely has limiting, definetly was measuring with all channels driven on real content. I think the sub had some more to give though. I have never really given the sub a proper audio shakedown though. I defiently have to do that one of these days. The way I was blowing subs before I got the Velo, that limiting might be just the thing my hot sub running arse needed.

I didn't get to really check out that particular scene last night though, but I will. I was actually sticking up for SVS subs in this thread, I hope I'm not comming off otherwise. It will be interesting, I mean, if I had the sub with the driver issue in question. Once I got the issue fixed, I'd be right back on Alien -vs- Preditor at an even higher output level. Just my nature.

 

[PaulT]

If I can translate from what I have heard at my house various times:

G*d D*mn You
What the F**k
Holy Sh*t
out on a limb here....U F**king Retard ???

I think the worst has to be:
Nothing is the matter !

 

[AlanZ]

FUN WITH ACRONYMS!

 

[ScottCarr]

almost Paul

UFR

Un F***in Real

 

[PaulT]

Thanks - I work in an industry where TLA's (Three Letter Acronyms) are the norm.