Official SVS SB-13 Ultra Thread - Page 2

Originally Posted by JonThor 

Subscribed.

I've had the SB13-Ultra for a few weeks now and can't stop playing my favorite discs all over again. The bass is so my better than what I was used to in my old system.

I have a single, and have no need for a dual setup. Yes, it would probably sound slightly better and of course look better ( front of room symmetry ), but the output in my 13 x 20 x 8 room is almost explosive with the right movie soundtrack.

Originally Posted by Cvetan1 

The sledge amps are both set at -3, I believe.... And, my Denon 4520 has the bass level set at like -8 or -10 with Audyssey. They are both corner loaded, so I get some great room gain as well.

Originally Posted by coolcat4843 

Dude, you'll want to go back and rerun Audyssey, if it set your sub levels at a very large negative number like -10dB.
But first you'll need to make some adjustments.

From Big Daddy:

1. On the back of the subwoofer, turn the level to around 50%.
2. Set the crossover dial on the back of the sub all the way up to its maximum point.
3. Set the phase to zero or positive.
4. Place the subwoofer in a corner about a foot or so away from the walls, preferably in the front. A subwoofer in a corner will be very loud. If you move the subwoofer away from the corner and to the middle of the room, you may not hear any bass.
5. After you have made all these adjustments, run Audyssey.
6.If Audyssey sets the level of the subwoofer to a very large negative number such as -10dB or -12dB, go back and turn the level on the back of the subwoofer down to around 30%+/-. If Audyssey sets the level of the subwoofer very high such as +10dB or +12dB, go back and turn the level on the back of the subwoofer up or move it to a corner.
7. After you have made any manual adjustments to the subwoofer, you must run Audyssey again.

Originally Posted by schm66 

I only had my SB-13 Ultra a couple of weeks now. It replace my old Mirage BPS-150 which started to bottom out trying to keep up with my PC13-Ultra. Used Audyssey on my Denon 4311 to calibrate both subs and other speakers 9.2. It had me set the PC13-Ultra to -29 and the SB13-Ultra set to -18. Only did a couple of test plays on it Hulk and Tron and it sounds great. A much better match to the PC13-Ultra than the mirage was. It also is only a little bit bigger in size to the mirage.

Originally Posted by coolcat4843 

Having dual subs will produce smoother bass response and address room modes (standing waves).
If you think your SB13-Ultra sounds good now, just wait until you add another one to the mix.
Every HT needs at least two subs, regardless of its size or shape.

Originally Posted by schm66 

I only had my SB-13 Ultra a couple of weeks now. It replace my old Mirage BPS-150 which started to bottom out trying to keep up with my PC13-Ultra. Used Audyssey on my Denon 4311 to calibrate both subs and other speakers 9.2. It had me set the PC13-Ultra to -29 and the SB13-Ultra set to -18. Only did a couple of test plays on it Hulk and Tron and it sounds great. A much better match to the PC13-Ultra than the mirage was. It also is only a little bit bigger in size to the mirage.

Originally Posted by schm66 

When I did the subwoofer level matching that is when it had me set the subwoofer volume on the PC13 to -30 and the -18 on the SB13 . It needs the subwoofer volume in the 72db to78db before Audyssey runs or will return an Subwoofer level error message. After Audyssey xt32 finished it's calurbration it had the subwoofer1 (PC13) at -6.0db and subwoofer2 (SB13) at -5.0db. I ran the base a little hotter by adding 3db to both subs so now they are at -3db and -2db. I seem to have plenty of bass and it shakes my seats when there is intense bass in a movie.

Originally Posted by jchong 

1. When u set the subwoofer volume before running Audyssey, use 78dB as the target (which is still within the 72-78dB range) instead of 75dB.

2. Then after running Audyssey if you want to run your bass hotter, do it at the sub (turn up sub volume by 3dB) rather than adding 3dB from your AVR.

Originally Posted by Mike Lindsey 

My question is do the amps for the subs have any kind of high pass and low pass filtering on them? From looking at the back of the faceplate it doesn't appear so. I have a Paradigm X-30 x-over I can use with the 2-ch rig if it doesn't.

The output (both single-ended RCA and Balanced) can have a High Pass Filter applied. The HPF Function controls the
High Pass frequency and the associated slope of the roll off for the output connectors on the STA-1000D.
From the IFC WELCOME screen, single-click the IFC knob and rotate the IFC knob one click clockwise so the display
reads “MENU/HIGH PASS”. Single-click the IFC knob to get to the HPF Function menu. If the HPF is disabled, a message
to that effect will be displayed.

If the HPF is disabled, turn the IFC knob clockwise which will display the High Pass Frequency submenu. To set the HPF
frequency to a value other than what is currently displayed, single-click the IFC knob and then rotate the knob clockwise
or counter-clockwise to set the desired frequency. Frequency choices include 31, 40, 50, 63, 80, 100, and 125Hz.
Single-click the IFC knob to return to the High Pass Function menu. Turn the IFC knob to move to the High Pass Slope
submenu and single-click to change the slope value. The High Pass Slope defines the slope of the attenuation
curve below the selected frequency. Two choices are available; 12 dB per octave and 24 dB per octave.

To disable the HPF, rotate the IFC knob until the message “HIGH PASS DISABLE?” is displayed. Single-click the
IFC knob to disable the HPF, and single-click again to get to the top-level menu. If the HPF disable feature is
selected accidentally, double-click the IFC knob to return to the top-level menu.

Low Pass Filter (LPF) Adjustment
The LPF Function sets the frequency and slope for the low frequencies that will be played by the subwoofer.
From the IFC WELCOME screen, single-click the IFC knob and rotate the IFC knob two clicks clockwise until
the display reads “MENU/LOW PASS”. Single-click the IFC knob to get to the LPF Function menu. If the LPF is
disabled, a message to that effect will be displayed.
If the LPF is disabled, turn the IFC knob clockwise which will display the Low Pass Frequency menu. To set the
LPF frequency to a value other than what is currently displayed, single-click the IFC knob and then rotate the
knob clockwise or counter-clockwise to set the desired frequency. Frequency choices include 31, 40, 50, 63,
80, 100, and 125Hz.

Originally Posted by Mike Lindsey 

Thank you for the quick response. Is there a way to set the high pass solely for the RCA input, since I will be sending a full signal from my 2-ch system? The Anthem will be controlling the signal sent in the HT via the XLR cables.

Thanks,
Mike

Originally Posted by Mike Lindsey 

Thank you for the quick response. Is there a way to set the high pass solely for the RCA input, since I will be sending a full signal from my 2-ch system? The Anthem will be controlling the signal sent in the HT via the XLR cables.

Thanks,
Mike

Originally Posted by Mike Lindsey 

Thanks Ed! Not sure if you saw my original question so I'll rephrase now that I know they come with electronic filtering.

I just ordered a pair of the SB-13 Ultras and want to share the subs between my HT and 2-channel systems. The HT uses a Anthem D2 pre-pro that I will connect via the XLR inputs, and the 2-ch system uses a tube preamp that I will connect via RCA splitters to both subs and mains.

Is it possible to set the low pass filter for when I am only using the 2-ch system using the RCA inputs?

Thanks,
Mike

Originally Posted by luketo 

Mike,

If I read the manual correctly.....LPF on the SB13U will affect both RCA & XLR inputs..........and the HPF on the SB13U will affect the outputs. What I would do in your case is get a miniDSP 2x4 and put that between your tube preamp and SB13U.

Check it out here:
http://www.minidsp.com/products/minidsp-in-a-box/minidsp-2x4

Originally Posted by luketo 

Mike,

The X-30 would work....I didn't know you already had a external crossover. The SB13U comes out of the box with no processing enabled.

Originally Posted by Mike Lindsey 

OK thanks. I actually did look at the manual and saw that after I posted. I guess that means when I use the Anthem for HT that I need to turn on the processing, or is it possible to do all the processing from within the Anthem (which I would think is possible) so that I wouldn't have to do anything with the subs when flipping back and borth between the 2 systems? If the controls were on the front of the subs like JL Audio that wouldn't be such a big deal, but I don't want to have to muck with this every time I go from one system to the other. I really don't want to have to move the subs once I have them in place, and thats what I would have to do in order to mess with the settings.

Mike

Originally Posted by luketo 

Mike,

You don't have to flip back and fourth. Let the Anthem do your bass management for HT. Anthem has a very good Auto Room Correction system in it.

Originally Posted by Mike Lindsey 


I just ordered a pair of the SB-13 Ultras and want to share the subs between my HT and 2-channel systems.

Thanks,
Mike

Originally Posted by Willland 

Mike,

I demoed a used SVS SB-13 Plus(95% same as ultra) this weekend and it looks like I may be pulling the trigger. Seller is holding it for me until I come up with all the $$$(who does that?) and we will meet half way between Kissimmee and Jax for the hand off. My wife and son and I went to Atlantic Beach this weekend to visit my sister for Easter and as a side trip I intended to demo a Velodyne HGS15, but instead went to listen to the SVS with a pair of KLF-30's. I was totally sold on this sub. Mint condition in American cherry with box and all contents. I sold my Acurus 5 channel amp(still have A200/A200x3) this weekend so I am getting pretty close to having the funds.

Congratulations on the purchase of twin SB13 ultras. You will not regret it for music and movies.

Bill

Originally Posted by jchong 

I think you have the procedure right and did the Audyssey calibration correctly.

Both your subs have the Sledge amp right? If so, then I recall that Ed Mullen said the gain structure is slightly different from the previous BASH amp, with the result that it can be advantageous to turn up the volume on the sub. What this means in practice:

1. When u set the subwoofer volume before running Audyssey, use 78dB as the target (which is still within the 72-78dB range) instead of 75dB.

2. Then after running Audyssey if you want to run your bass hotter, do it at the sub (turn up sub volume by 3dB) rather than adding 3dB from your AVR.

Many people prefer to run their subs a little hotter than reference. That's fine but remember to make the adjustment in the AVR or PrePro trim settings and not on the sub itself. This makes it easier to return to a known starting point if you decide to go back later. Adjusting the trims does not in any way invalidate the calibration but it may affect the way Dynamic EQ works (see elsewhere in this FAQ for more info - link below).

You may want to consider this comment from Ed Mullen, Director of Technology at renowned subwoofer manufacturer SVS:


"A general rule when level matching the subs and the speaker channels is to run the gain hotter at the subs and the AVR sub trim level cooler. That keeps the AVR sub signal clean and allows upward adjustability to run the sub hotter if needed."



In other words, when setting up the subs and adjusting the sub gain control with a view to getting the AVR trims where you want them, it may be better to turn UP the volume control on the sub so that the AVR sets your trim lower (i.e. to a bigger minus figure). Once adjustments have been made which bring the AVR trim into (broadly) the +/-3.5dB range, then all further adjustments should be done in the AVR, as advised in the first paragraph above.