New SVS SB1000 & PB1000 Subwoofers!! - Page 18

Nothing wrong with increasing the level after running Audyssey. Many people do it and you may have heard the term about running the sub "hot".

However, it would be useful if you had something like a SPL meter to let you know how hot you are running the sub. For example, you might have been running your Mirage hotter than the SVS, that's why it sounded louder to you.

I know how you feel. Just spent a wad of cash for an upgrade and having big expectations of being blown away... but not getting it.

As with all manufactured goods, there is a slight possibility of defects. Unlikely, but not impossible. Again here's where an SPL meter might be useful since it can help measure the sub's output to see if it is in line with expectation. I guess for the moment, just let the SVS break in then listen again. Do try repositioning the sub if necessary.

terrspin, It has been documented here to set the PB-1000 at about 2 O'clock. That is how I have mine set up.


At first i set it up as you did, at 12 O'clock. I do not have Audyssey on my AVP so I just set everything to
75. I had to set the AVP sub level to +10db !! I then set the sub to 1 O'clock and got it down to +5 DB. I then set it to
about 2 O'clock and its now set to -2 db. I still have to run REW to get it perfect. And I just got a used AS EQ1.

Have to clean up my Cabinet first. Wires everywhere.

So try it set to 2 O'clock.

Nashou

i am jealous of the eq-1 man

i checked some prices and omg they were high! wtf !

Ok, a quick update- the sub seems to be 'loosening up'- I have the Sub volume at 2 o'clock, and the audyysey settings at - Directv 0db, ps3 0db and ipod/usb/network radio at 1.5 db.

I did the tone test with and spl, and the sub was coming in at 63-65 db. To get it to 75db I would have had to crank the AVR to +10-12. That seemed a little excessive, so I just left them at 2 o'clock and 0db on the avr. Again, I have the Marantz 5007.

Thanks for all the input!

i don't understand. does this mean that your PB-1000 sounds better? are you satisfied now?

TeDev-

Yes, it is sounding and performing better. I'm just looking for input and feedback from you all of how you have your sub set up. Thanks!

how many hours did it need?

i am still waiting for my sub . it is in Denmark or Germany.

stupid ass cheap- couriers

Mine seemed to take about ~12hrs. Not long at all I thought. The biggest difference made was upping the gain on the sub dial to 2 o'clock. I then did a re-EQ with Audyssey and the sub trim was set to 0.5dB. With a reference offset of 10 for TV and 0 for BDP it is ideal. My sub is corner reinforced as this was the best crawl location I could determine with my aging ears.

I was used to "bass all the time" with cheap subs. Muddy and clouded during TV and BDP. I thought that was what it is supposed to be like. Now it is subtle when it's supposed to be and impacting when called on. "I've seen/heard the light" so-to-speak with a more quality sub like the PB! I'm also finding it really tight for music which I was surprised.

That's precisely what I had alluded to before; bass is not supposed to be there all the time, it comes and goes. At first it's a weird sensation to sit there thinking "man this sub is weak", only to have it roar back to life when called upon. That's pretty easy to get used to, isn't it? I prefer it myself.

Yes indeed, it is much more pleasant than what I had been hearing from budget subs over the years.

Another thing I love (and I'm sure one can chalk it up to my inexperience) is the PB's level when turning the volume up and down (on the AVR) for different sources....it actually works! and goes up and down with the rest of the system which imo makes it more seamless with the 5.0 system. I'm guessing this is called it's acoustic response? idk, but it's great
Edited by jbdan - 2/12/13 at 10:13am

i want my sub now!!!! anyone of you guys, have any connections in Denmark?

my courier left from there yesterday, and he hasn't checked in!

By any chance did you test the spl with a smartphone spl app?

jcohong-
Too funny, how did you guess? I used 3 or 4. The fronts were coming in around 80ish and the sub was lower (I bumped up front and surrounds after audyssey).

The giveaway was the 63-65dB you mentioned. The spl app on a smartphone is unreliable for measuring bass (I think due to the microphone on the phone) and usually reports it much lower (like in your case). I've had friends who've experienced this.

You'll need a proper spl meter if you wanna measure bass loudness.

jchong- Maybe down the road i'll invest in one. I figure after letting the sub loosen up a little, I would re-run auddy (idea from a post above)., So I did this morning-

adsy put the sub at -12db, the LFE xover at 120h and the fronts were set to small, but crossed at 40hz. After replaying some demos of music and a movie, I was wondering where the bass went? I looked at the settings, saw where the xovers were and adjusted the fronts to 80hz, and LFE xover to 90hz, and WHAM the sub came to life! So, so far so good (well, I did put sub at -6db for ps3/directv and 0db for music). So, I will say, I am happier with this sub. And I appreciate all the inputs from you all to help me get my expectations and educate me on a "real" subwoofer.

The Klipsch RW-12d still seems to be the better option.

Leave the low pass filter for the LFE channel set to 120 Hz. That matches the industry standard the sound engineers adhere to when mixing and encoding the DVD.

The big change you noticed came from bumping up the speaker/subwoofer crossover for the mains. A setting of 40 Hz should only be used for speaker channels which have both legitimate extension and high dynamic output at 40 Hz and slightly deeper. That excludes a great many slim floor standers with smaller woofers, which are better off set to a higher crossover frequency.

A post-Audyssey sub channel level of -12 is a red flag. That means the sub gain was set too loud before calibration and Audyssey could not level match it with the speaker channels (hence the -12 setting). While you are certainly free to run the sub channel hotter post-Audyssey, it does behoove you to ascertain the Audyssey level-matched baseline setting before deviating from that point. So I recommend lowering the subwoofer gain a notch, re-running Audyssey, and watch to make sure the sub channel level moves off the -12 floor. Any reading above -12 means Audyssey was able to level match the subwoofer with the speaker channels. Then you can deviate from that point and run the sub hotter if desired, knowing you can always return to the level-matched baseline if needed.
Edited by Ed Mullen - 2/15/13 at 8:28am

How's the review coming Jim. My trigger finger is itchy!

By the way the avatar is.........eyecatching.

Ed,

Thanks for the info! Yes, on the sub itself, I have the LFE dial at 120hz and the volume is at the 2 o'clock position (suggested from posts). My main fronts are Paradigm monitors, in which adysy put them at 40hz, which really surprised me. So after adjusting those on the avr to 80hz, the sub is thumping.

Ed- can you help me understand the Phase dial? I know the instructions state leave it at 0, and I will. I am more just trying to figure out what it means or does.

Thanks!

I suspect Ed meant the LFE setting in your AVR should be set for 120Hz, not the crossover dial on the subwoofer itself. That should be set for the LFE position.

Progress is being made, but there's still a ways to go.

Both subs are broken in, and I've used them in day-to-day situations so I'm familiar with their individual characteristics. I've performed the movie tests on both already, so that part is done. I have music left to do, pictures (which includes dissecting them), measurements and then I have to transpose my notes into the actual review. Doing all this on two subs simultaneously is definitely adding time to the process, but that was to be expected.

Was there something in specific you wanted to know? Perhaps I can answer that for you now, so you can scratch your trigger finger.


And controversial as well. I think 'hippo man' may not last much longer...

I thought the avatar was a take on a big bass speaker!!

My preference is the PB-1000 but the SVS-1000 may be the one that pleases someone here and the smaller size is the attraction. I just would like your take on how the 2 stack up and if the 13" cube falls that much short of the PB. I am actually conisdering ordering 2. One for the man cave might be the PB. I hate to say it's an obvious ploy because the wife is much smarter than that.

If there will be much HT involved the PB is definitely the better choice. It's quite a bit larger, but that has notable advantages in this case. Based upon my exposure thus far it's become obvious that the PB and SB are directed at different target audiences and usages. I suspected that before, but it wasn't until I got my hands on both that I came to understand it fully.

Can someone summarize what is the proper way to setup the sub? I am getting bits and pieces from different posts and then some confusion is added with sub running hotter but afterwards, etc. I ave never setup a sub, but while I am waiting for mine to arrive, I want to be clear on how to set it up. The things that I have gathered are the following:

1) In Audissey
- set all speakers to small
- crossover at 80Hz (standard)

2) On the Sub:
- Volume 12 o'clock
- phase 0
- Low pass (disabled all the way to the right?)

3) Run Audissey

4) Afterwards, if more bass is desired, turn the Volume of the sub to 2 o'clock


Is this a correct summary for the setup or am I missing something?

Sounds about right. But check Audyssey after the first run. if the sub is set too high, say over 0 then up the sub volume one click on the sub. Then re run Aud. and check Aud's level for the sub.

Also setting speakers to small depends on the speakers. if they can go down to lower than say 50hz with good output level. then set speakers to medium or large depending on your
AVR.

But the rest sounds about right.

Nashou

It's more like:

1) On the Sub:
- Volume 12 o'clock
- phase 0
- Low pass (disabled all the way to the right?)

2) Run Audyssey

3) After Audyssey, check for:
- sub trim not at -12dB (if at -12dB, turn down sub volume and rerun Audyssey)
- set all speakers to small (if not already set)
- crossover at 80Hz (standard)

4) Afterwards, if more bass is desired, adjust sub trim in AVR or turn up the volume of the sub

Thanks! I appreciate the help!

I am all over the place trying to decide on a sub. One of the ones I am looking at is the sb1000. My setup is in a 12x11x8 bedroom. I do 50/50 movies/music but lean towards the music (classic rock). There is one listening position 5ft in front of tv. I basically have 2 questions.

1) do you think I can put the sb1000 in my tv stand? picture below is of my stand. This is a stock photo from the Sauder website, not my actual room. The shelf (either left or right) is removable. Being a sealed front firing will there be a lot of vibration?
2) can someone with this sub give me the exact height. SVS lists it as 13" but not sure how exact that is.The opening of the stand is 13" in the front but since there is a lip on the top and bottom front edge it is actually about 13-1/4" if I go in the back.

This would be a tight fit with the top of the sub maybe even touching the shelf above it. The opening is 20" wide so there would be 3.5"of space on each side. I colud also keep the back panel off to leave the back open. The stand is 23" deep and is 5" from the wall so the sub would have 10" clearence in back.

Do you guys think this could work?. there really only one other place I could put this (against a wall partially blocked by a desk) as the bedroom is pretty filled with furniture. This would look pretty cool in the stand with the front cover off and facing directly at me from 5ft away.

Thoughts?
Thanks

1) Probably. Subwoofers produce low notes, so vibrations are virtually inevitable. The extent can't be determined without knowing how rigid and structurally sound that cabinet is, but it's hard to imagine there won't be some resonance.

2) 13 3/8th's with the feet is what I just measured. Since you want to install a subwoofer on a hard surface I would strongly advise you not remove them, otherwise the vibrations will probably untenable.

Thanks Jim. Upon closer measurement the open space is just about 13" exact so not sure if it would fit even without the feet. I may still give it a try if I can swing the funds. The compact size may allow me to place it under the computer desk where my listening position is.This would allow it to face directly at my feet from the left side about 3 feet away.
The feet are removable I assume. Not counting vibrations, are there any problems with the clearence spaces i've mentioned, as far as ventilation goes?