Power Sound Audio Discussion Thread! - Page 6

Yes! Ports facing in relation to TV

Home made isolatosr.
I reused the pads that come with the subs, glue to the wooden plank, and work like magic.
Or you can use the gym pad, double, trible the pad if necessary.
Gym pad absorb vibration much better.
Edited by av addiction - 9/5/12 at 7:39pm

AVAddiiction,
Very nice and expensive speaker stands. It sure makes the VTF3 look small.

Nice, I did the same thing with some of my other subs, made 5 isolation platforms for about $30.

You better watch you don't knock that tv on the floor with the ports facing the tv

It is startling to see the 6 inch port on that sub. I was looking at the ports up at their shop. I could put my arm through it with no problem. You could lose a cat or small dog in there, maybe it should come with a screen!

Thanks
This is the last upgrade for my audio hobby

6" is big. Small dog could slip thru easily.
The TV's stand so flimsy, vibration from the bass shake it like crazy.

Riiiight, that's what we all say...

^^
+1. I see a new avr with dual subs calibration upgrade in a near future for you, AV. That's the fun part with this hobby.

Now we have the new svs sb13 I'm wondering about the dual xs15 pack in comparison? However we still await UK news??

There are some interesting times ahead for the sealed market!

You can almost be certain that the SB13 is a tremendous sub -- think SB12-NSD on steroids -- but it pretty much goes without saying the PSA pair will trump it. Dual 15" versus a single 13"? And two of the XS15's still cost less then a single SB13? Game, set and match I'm afraid. For someone looking to get a small sub with gorgeous cabinetry the SB13 will definitely have that audiences attention, but under most other circumstances the PSA pair will rule it seems.

1 SB 13 ultra = 2 XS15 pricewise
1 13" driver vs 2 15" drivers
The SB13 receives very good review from PBC here but i find myself hard to spend $1500 for a single 13" driver.

Hi Jim,

I'm confident you'd find a single XS15 is a good match here(no need for DUAL XS15s).

Tom V.
Power Sound Audio

Hi AV Addiction,

Thank you for taking the time to post your impressions of the XV30s! I'm glad we finally got the setting worked out(emails)..


Tom V.
Power Sound Audio

I wasn't necessarily intimating you would need dual XS15's to equal the capability of the SB13, only that you could purchase them for the same price if so desired. The fact that a single XS15 could potentially equal the SB13 is certainly a compelling argument in PSA's favor though.

So now that the Power X series has been out for a weeks, what's next from PSA? Care to divulge anything? You can tell us, we won't mention it to anyone else. Honest.

Based on the CEA-2010 measurements, it looks like the XS-15 and SB13-Ultra are more or less matched below 25hz, while the XS-15 starts to pull away slightly above that (2db or so). Obviously with the SVS you're paying more for the fit/finish and tweakability of the amp, etc. If you don't need that and/or like the look of the XS-15, it looks like an awesome offering at its price. Also, based on the FR graph provided, it appears the XS15 drops off at a natural 12db per octave starting around 40hz or so, whereas the SB13-Ultra is EQ'd to a deeper frequency and doesn't start falling until about 30 some odd hz.

Two of the XS-15's would be awesome in a medium sized room with good room gain below 35hz. You know, like mine. Anytime you want to send one over Tom ..

Actually the XS15 has a lot of FR shaping via DSP so there is no common 12dB/octave point. From 30-40hz it is roughly 6-7dB/octave. And under that is roughly 9-10dB/octave(at least down to 12-14hz).

With the DSP built into the amplifiers we had no limit on FR shaping so we just kept trying little changes until we thought it sounded best. We could have made the FR look "prettier" to be sure(in fact we did)....but at the end of the day....its about the sound not a graph. Another way of looking at a FR graph in relation to expected "room gain" is finding a real +/- 1dB spec....and then find the -3, -6, -9dB points. Looking at the XS15 it is +/- 1dB(88-90dB on the graph) from about 38-150hz. Using that as a reference, the -3dB point(85) is 26-27hz. The -6dB(82) is about 20-21hz. The -9dB(79) is about 17hz.

Now I'm NOT trying to change how the industry specs a FR curve.. But for me, this makes it easier to predict how the XS15(and any other sub with an accurate FR graph) will react in various room environments.

Tom V.
Power Sound Audio

Yeah, we've been shipping for almost a WHOLE month.....where's all the new stuff..


Tom V.
Power Sound Audio

Exactly. Where's the new subwoofer lineup, it's been a month!

Curious, why did you go to the down firing alignment on all subs?

Amen to that! I tried making that very point to a few people who think graphs rule all, but it fell on deaf ears. The bottom line is the sound, not the tech. Glad you pointed it out as well.

Slacker. I suppose you're getting sleep now as well? Sheez...

I wondered why they chose down firing also. I just love my XV15. My gf was commenting last night how awesome movies sound with that thing..

Hi Jim,

Well, when put in context I think one interpretation could be....If you apply the right measurement at the right time....you'll usually see a direct correlation to sound quality.

The graph being referenced was our 2m ground plane graph. The disconnect(you noted above) is sound quality would never be judged sitting in the middle of a field/parking lot where the 2M measurements are made.

To "reconnect" someone must look at the GP 2m graph and be able to predict how it will TEND to change once placed in the recommended room environment(meaning a small to medium room in most scenarios).

I believe our "in room versus ground plane" simulation shows this fairly well. (bottom graph on the measurement page).

Jim and I were never worried about winning the "test tone wars". Our primary concern was sound quality. Obviously we think highly of comparable output data(cea) as well---we post it for each subwoofer after all..

Tom V.
Power Sound Audio

Well, there was this response from you when I inquired about any plans for cylinder subs;



(That's OK. I'll patiently wait.)

Hi Tom, what tools or metrics do you use to design and judge sound quality for subs? To me, a FR graph alone doesn't tell you much about sound quality.

A small thing but... Is there a Power Sound Audio logo or nameplate on the subs?

There is on the amp section:

Just spoke with Tom V.
on the phone after going though multiple Emails about suggestions for my room,
Tom was great speaking with you and Look forward to placing my order on Thursday for (2) XV15's....

Going out on a limb here with the order, but have a feeling I won't regret it......(was going to order Dual Empires but with EPIK non Responsive....starting to have eD nightmares)

I mentioned to him I was coming from a MFW-15, and he felt even with a single XV15 I'd see a good improvement.....So naturally I need 2. Only regret is I'm not going with (2) XV30's...

Thanks again Tom for the input....Can't wait to get these next week!

Hi Jchong,

Ultimately the deciding factor is listening tests. But measurements play a very important role in product development as well. In my experiences the two tend to parallel one another in that the better something measures....the better it sounds. Now there are always "exceptions to the rule" but that is exactly what they are...exceptions noteworthy primarily because of their rarity. And even these exceptions have a basis in acoustics or psychoacoustics in my experiences. If you see FR/compression/THD and perhaps a waterfall to be sure there's no weird super loud enclosure buzz/rattle...that will tell you about 95% of what you need to know to predict how the subwoofer will sound.(imo). The last 5% is something most manufacturers are going to hold a little closer to the "vest" simply because you don't spend years and years building, measuring and listening...and then post *everything* you learned..


Tom V.
Power Sound Audio

Hi Goat,

Driver orientation is primarily an aesthetic issue. There is very little difference in the way the subwoofer will "sound" except incidentally to other considerations. For example, flip a down firing sub on its side and it may sound different but its only because the driver's acoustical center has now been moved enough so it will interact with the room in a slightly different fashion.

Tom V.
Power Sound Audio

Tracking received for Dual XV15's.
Thanks Tom!!!!!!

Once I get set up I'll post impressions of a single xv vs Mfw And the difference of 2.

Hi Tom,
I was wondering if you remember what the old PB12/plus/2 did for 2m GP compared to the XV30? I used to own that sub as well as 3 16-46CS + subs. I know you think the sound quality is much better but I am just talking output.