Svs subs and new member

i think they gave good advice. I haven't heard the 1000 but I can imagine it not doing much in a room that size. You need power and if the Nsd is the best you can do, go for that and maybe get another later.

I'm sure others will chime in soon.

That's a pretty big room. If it were me, I'd do the PB12-NSD at least, and more likely the PB12 Plus or better if you want to stick with SVS. But if you don't have the funds, you don't have them.

The guys at SVS don't try to upsell you, and often times recommend subs which are less expensive if they feel that a bigger sub isn't required. So I'd listen to what they say.

I had a older, BASH-powered PB12-NSD in my ~3,375 cu.ft. basement (laminate-over-concrete) HT space and I was considering adding a second one (before I upgraded instead to my current subs).

In your 4,536 cu.ft. space, dual PB-1000s might work, but dual PB12-NSDs would be better.

If you can add $29 to the top of your budget range, get the PSA XV-15 ($799, shipped). PSA was founded last year by former SVS guys, and their subs are garnering excellent reviews. And the XV-15 will outperform PB12-NSD.

Either get the PB or the XV......I wouldn't fool with the Klipsch.

I agree with our canuck friend. The XV-15 is the way to go.

One can always go backwards to get ahead and purchase a pair of on sale at Newegg, Klipsch, RW-12d's as a price/performance compromise over that of a single SVS, PB12-NSD. Very often the RW-12d's go on sale at Newegg for a delivered price of $299.00. Due to packing problems during shipping and the need for additional shipment packing, Newegg may have increased the price and this is their new, shipped price.

I'd also go with your suggestion of adding doors to further compartmentalize your listening area.

I'd start by figuring out what your desired volume is. Do you actually listen at reference levels in that space? If not what level are you looking for?

I haven't spoken with SVS directly, but just received a SB12-NSD today, and I'm not questioning their recommendation, but I'm guessing it was based on the ability to provide reference level output, which you may not need at all if your listening at -10db max.

I'm a huge fan of SVS and their longstanding customer service. That's not to say PSA isn't a good company, I just haven't had any interaction with them. I've had a number of internet direct subs from Outlaw and now SVS, and have had good success with them all so far, including replacement parts. SVS also has a good sellable name that if you desired to upgrade later, you could likely sell your SVS for a reasonable percentage of the original paid price. You'll likely be blown away by whatever you end up purchasing. Eventually you'll miss that dramatic improvement of impactful sound and start considering an upgrade, especially if you spend much time around here...we're contageous in a bad way. Enjoy the process and enjoy the results - that's what audio and video is about - entertainment.

Correction: It's about Entertainment and being broke from being too entertained.

The switch from BASH to Sledge as I understand was for reliability and they got more power from the Sledge to boot. I've got one of each in my setup in my Ultra 13's (Sledge and BASH) and can't say I can tell a difference, but I don't compare very ofter. Plus they're in two different locations in the room which also affects sound. I don't think you'll go wrong with either manufacturer as they'll both outperform what you've tried so far.

My experience exactly (as I was inches from spending $400 more than I truly needed in my setup). I have had an online dialog with the staff at SVS for almost 7 years now. That kind of after the sale support is hard to come by now.

I'd go the PSA XV15 route over the NSD. The XV15 is is the equivalent of the pb12 plus. Should blow away the nsd. The XV15 won the Audioholics product of the year award in the subwoofer category as well and has been getting rave reviews from everyone who has one. The owner of PSA was one of the original founders of SVS so he knows his stuff. Read through the forum link below for more info.

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1372020/power-sound-audio-discussion-thread

I would bet the SW115 would have a substantial output advantage over the PB12 NSD. I certainly wouldn't trade one for a PB12 NSD. BTW, where did you get one for $500? I thought their price was more in line with 800. Anyway, if you want something that will be a upgrade to the SW115, I would go for a Hsu VTF15h, a PSA XV15, a Rythmik FV15, or a SVS PB12 Plus. My feeling is, based on the specs and how well the Klipsch RW-12d performs, the SW115 is one of the few B&M subs that could compete with ID subs.

You can see how the PSA XV15 compares to the PB12 NSD here. From 30 to 80 hz, the PB12 gets wrecked by the XV15, but at 20 hz they are even. If we take SVS's word that the Plus has 6 dB greater output than the NSD, the Plus would beat the XV15 at all frequencies except 40 to 50 hz, but the Plus would have a big lead at 20 hz. Given how flat the SVS subs measure, I can certainly believe that would be the case, so I don't really consider the XV15 to be quite on the level with the Plus.

Between the XV15 and the SW115, I would go with the XV15 certainly. However I would guess that the Klipsch sub would be better than the PB12 NSD sub because it is almost certainly going to have a lot more mid bass and upper bass output. I would guess that the PB12 NSD would have more 20 hz output, but the vast majority of sound content from movies, games, and music lies above 20 hz, so the majority of the time the SW115 would be hitting harder. Anyway that is just speculation, I have heard neither, but you could have an opportunity to hear them both and decide for yourself if you are intent on ordering another sub and are willing to onto the SW115 for a bit longer. Such a comparison would be a nice service for this forum, and I think it would serve as a good counter example to the norm where we expect ID subwoofers to be leaps better than store bought brands.

The PB12-Plus is a step above the XV15, XV15 is the PB12-NSD between PB12-Plus and, in terms of production. But then there are more factors, THD is probably the lowest in the SVS in the XV15.

The plus takes advantage of PEQ and tuning variable, 20Hz, 16Hz and sealed. It also has a more beautiful campus that fits best with your room's decor.

While the XV15 is still a beast for the price, you have to give up certain things (especially for aesthetics) I do not like, but here we are talking about personal tastes (which to me can be beautiful, for others it can be very ugly):-D. To be clear, the XV15 is one step ahead of the PB12-NSD.

a hug

I would recommend XV-15 over SVS PB-12NSD, which is an entry level sub (until a month ago) from SVS. More importantly your room is BIG

Did you consider other options like Outlaw Audio LFM-1 EX ? Down firing woofer and it is outlaw's top of the line sub.

Also, HSU VTF-3 MK-4 which is a very capable SUB (Side Firing, considered as an upgraded version compared to the above outlaw sub)

Velodyne EQ-MAX 15 which was being sold for $750 during holiday season. All the above are within your budget of $800

Raks


Edited by Raks - 1/15/13 at 4:55pm

PSA has "SVS DNA", and from everything I've read on this site, their products and customer service are second to none. IMO, there is absolutely no reason not to jump all over a PSA sub. (Unless you don't like the aesthetics of their subs...but since you're considering them, I think I can safely assume that the aesthetics are not an issue.) And - by all accounts - the XV-15 WILL outperform the PB/PC12-NSD.
Edited by eljaycanuck - 1/15/13 at 6:24pm