Official SVS Owners/Support Thread. - Page 302

Good night for me in Spain, good afternoon to you in the USA.

Tomorrow comes my way home my PB12-Plus DSP.
I look forward to your arrival, I can not imagine what it will sound amazing with my PC13-Ultra DSP. : D

I will put pictures when everything is integrated properly and if possible a measurement of the response in the room.

These days I'll be looking out the window at every truck that passes by my house.
Edited by Lecter83 - 11/25/12 at 3:56pm

Hey guys! i finally ordered my pb12 NSD from onecall! cant wait to receive it! upgrading from an eD A2-300. looking forward to see an improvement

Eventually you bought two PB12-NSD?

Congratulations, you will be very happy ... Shake the earth, deep bass!

no, only one lol i live in an apartment dont forget now i just need to sell the eD A2-300.. i mean im expecting a huge improvement in overall bass performance compared to my eD, the pb12 is supposed to be the best sub in the business for $700

and i did some research and it seems like that claim is true, if u were to build a pb12 by yourself, it would cost you around $700! no kidding, the woofer, the housing, the amp all together costs around $700, thats just to buy the parts! so svs doesn't make a whole lot on the sale of their subs, dont forget about shipping, they ship it to u for free .. just wow. thats how all companies should be.

Ohh Ok!

Well imagine I live in an apartment and I have a PC13 in a room 2.5 meters wide, 4 meters long and 2.5 meters high ... In brief accompanied PB12-Plus DSP ... lol

My neighbors have that hallucinate, some of them think that there are real earthquakes. One of them down to ask, what the hell I have subwoofer? I know what to teach and gone crazy, here in Spain is little known brand SVS.

I ordered a Hsu VTF-15H a week ago and will be getting it tomorrow. It should be here when i get home from work.

Hello.

Great choice, the VTF 15H is a real beast.
What wood trim you bought?

Unfortunately here in Spain, HSU is very expensive to bring, including the cost of transport and customs then, eventually the price soars.

The black. It was expensive enough without the extra hundred......lol.

It's expensive here too.....lol $139 for s/h. I know what you mean though. SvS ships for free here.

Good evening guys. A quick update concerning my brand-new dual PC12-Plus.

Well I'm sure I'll bee booed as weekends are kind of frantic these days, trying to help friends out with their new house, attending family stuff, going through hell because we got rid of my daughter's pacifier stash... I made lot less progress than I wanted with the two big boys.

On Friday night I managed to get both boxes home with the help of a friend and its truck. I think the two boxes would have fit in my hatchback, but if so, *barely*. And they're definitively easier to move as a team of two. We managed to get them home without dropping any The boxes were a tad bigger than I expected, but not that much.

I upacked the cylinders on Saturday. Well... they are indeed bigger than I thought, I'll admit that. I thought they would be a bit more slender. They basically look like they mean business, and I was afraid of what my significant other would say. She only shot me disapproving glares, but said nothing. I guess I'm kinda lucky

The things are heavy but they're not that hard to move around if you roll them on their base, as if they were gas cylinders. They look great; the velvet is deep-black, not gray-ish at all. For some reason I thought the grilles on top would be curved, but they're flat. I plugged them and turned them on. I know many people were put off by the one-button controller -- the IFC -- but I found it a breeze to use. The default volume was 0 dB on my units. I checked that all filters, PEQs and room compensations were disabled.

I then proceeded to set the 16 Hz tune -- I hesitated a bit between trying the factory 20 Hz tune first but I figured that it didn't matter much which mode I'd try first as I will certainly test both anyway. However I had trouble lifting the grille to insert the required port plug. Finally my girlfriend managed to get the grille off -- I thought the grille itself would come off but the trick is to pull on the rim: the whole assembly can be lifted as a metal cookie box lid. I put one port plug in each sub and set the 16 Hz tune on each amp.

I then lost a few hours relocating my BFD and getting the wires tidy. (One of my 1/4" jack-to-RCA adapter broke off inside one of the BFD's input, and is now basically irretrievable -- I really hate cheap stuff. By chance the BFD has two inputs and two outputs). I used a rather cheap-ish male-to-female RCA splitter but it's the only one I found. I used my original 12 ft cable to one sub (on the front stage) and a brand new 30 ft cable to the other (close to the listening position), and set the BFD to bypass mode in order to first set the subs' volume.

In decided to opt for the level-matching technique since it's suggested in SVS's manual. I fired my AVR's channel level menu and set the sub channel's trim level to 0 dB. I turned off one sub and turned on the other. With the 0 dB trim level I had to adjust the sub's gain to -20 dB to get about 75 dB SPL at the listening position (same as the other channels). I then turned that sub off and turned the other on and repeated the operation.

I was really surprised that the volume was *much* lower on the second sub, even at the default max gain (0dB). Even with the AVR's trim level maxed (+12 dB) and the sub gain maxed (0 dB), the output was... well, audible, but nowhere close to 75 dB SPL. At first I thought my long cable was to blame, or the cheap splitter. But this afternoon I brought both subs side by side and used the power cord and cable from the "good" sub on both. I also checked that the amp settings where exactly the same on both subs. The situation is as described above even with the same power source and same sub cable.

It thus seems like I have a serious problem with one of the two subs. I tried feeling the cones with my fingers, gently tapping on them (they're kind of hard to reach between the base plate and the cylinder -- very well protected, I can't imagine something hitting the woofer unless done on purpose). On the working sub tapping it produces a hollow, resonating feeling -- you can feel the "thump-thump", even on the surround. On the problem sub the woofer feels very stiff, sounding like "toc-toc" instead. The sounds this sub produces from the pink calibration noise also feels less bassy, even considering the lower volume.

So I did not have time to test the working sub properly yet, and it's currently running a bit cold I think, without EQ nor volume calibration. I will thus postpone any first listening impressions. I already contacted SBA & SVS and I'm waiting for further instructions regarding the second sub.

PICTURES !!!

I have to post: in 24 hours I'll be enjoying my new SB13 Ultra! The anticipation is killing me!

Neutro, that's very weird about one of the two towers.... hopefully it will be resolved quickly.

TOLD YA! ya never realize how big they are until they are in front of you...i got the EXACT same reaction from the wifey about the pb12. Hopefully you can get the problems resolved and be in bass heaven shortly. I suggest once you do to watch Horton hears WHo with your little one. firstly Dr Suess cant go wrong, but its a delightful movie with GREAT picture, and even better bass (a 4.5 star movie) even at low volumes the couch rumbles with this one.

keep up posted!

awesome! anticiapation is almost the best part! good luck with setting it up. and let us know how it sounds

I just took this one this morning. But since the sun rises at 7:00 and is already set when I come back from work, you'll have to settle for the grainy, low-light, crappy cell phone camera result. Find both cylinders if you can


Hopefully, but it seems to be something with the driver, so chances are I'll have to return it. I hope SBA still have some PC12-Plus in stock...

Thanks for the Dr Seuss movie suggestion -- but that will have to wait a bit, we only use the TV sparingly with our daughter (max 30 min a day for now). I can't wait to watch whole movies with her but I agree that she should spend most of her time awake learning things by doing them, not merely watching and listening.

We allow watching the Gangnam Style video only if she dances along

I managed to listen to Bass, I Love You and also the Amazing Life THX trailer this morning before going to work (listening with my daughter, so moderate volume only). Mind you, the sub is corner-loaded, not EQ'ed and not even volume-calibrated yet. My first impressions are thus subject to change, but here I go: it seems to have more slam at the same volume than the SB12, but I can't say I discovered notes that I hadn't heard before. I'd say, tentatively, that the Plus indeed feels like it is very at ease compared to the SB12. It's barely being waken up by this demo, and the loud thumps when the mushrooms pop, which were very well rendered by the SB12, are effortlessly shoved at the listener by the Plus, as if it was saying "come on, give me something more serious to play with". It's a bit frightening because it's obvious that sub alone could cause physical pain and probably damage furniture as well in my room. For this reason, and because I lacked time, I couldn't do more with it. That being said, the way I had the SB12 set up, calibrated and EQed, I can't say the difference with the Plus is night and day at moderate volumes. It's a tribute to how good the SB12 is I think, at least for small rooms. Wait a bit and I'll be able to integrate the Plus better with my setup, and listen to more material, at higher volume. For now the words that describe the Pluses the best are "intimidating", "effortless", and, well, "black".

Update on my PC12 after a weekend of enjoying it. Seems like it needed some breaking in, i've had to keep turning it down as the weekend progressed, heh. Started with the gain around 11 o'clock, and it's now down around 9 or 10 (in addition to lowering the subwoofer channel in my AVR a bit), and it still might be a touch too high. I haven't run Audissey yet, assuming there would be a break in period, guess it's time to do that.

I watched an Avenged Sevenfold concert on AXSTV on Saturday, and it was absolutely amazing. I'd watched it before with my old subs, and it was just a wall of throbbing noise. This time, i felt every hit of the bass drum, i was seriously in awe.

they look great! honestly right at home in your room...bet your SO doesn't think so though haha

I agree with TV time,as being a teacher I know what we should be doing with the little ones 30 mins is a good number and right about where we stand with our little one except for before bedtime as he winds down, we give him one guilty pleasure before night nights haha

I think you might be right about the sb12 in small rooms. Since my rrom was a bit larger I think i am noticing it more. but to be honest the difference REALLY comes when you start driving the volume up. Even though I was watching Horton at low volumes the other night and the sound waves are just more robust even at lower levels.

so, so far would you say the upgrade is worth it? so far? or can you not tell yet? I know our situations are a bit different since my son will sleep though a hurricane (which he has twice lol) and his room is far enough away where I can watch movies at -10db and appreciate the volume. but I noticed the difference immediately and was blown away. I expect yours will get there soon

12 hours to go then? Please report as soon as it is unpacked and dialed in.

Cool I wonder about break-in... Maybe I should test my subs a bit more before describing what I hear.

Well they're surprising. Very big an imposing when you notice them, but it's easy to forget they're there. I could also place both of them on the front stage -- this is the recommended position for dual subs according to SVS's manuals. I think I have room to squeeze them in, and then they would really disappear. But I'm not sure that symmetrical position would be the best. Having one sub close to a corner, and the other about 1/3 on a side wall, close to the listening position, seems to make the most sense before taking any measurement. This way they would fill each other's gaps as they will likely excite different room modes, and having on sub close by will make it almost near-field.

Same thing here, although I keep reading that TV is not actually winding down but rather stimulating. We try not making an habit out of it but we frequently watch a 10-min episode of Fireman Sam or another kid's show after dinner. It's always cool when you find relatively good bass in a kid's show or movie I use Youtube (directly on HT) frequently to show her stuff that she finds interesting but that she has no immediate chance of witnessing by herself, such as trains, volcanos, various animals, and rocket launches (I found superb footage of a shuttle launch with great audio -- recommended ).

I listened seriously (that is, discounting background TV) to less than 10 min of content so I really feel I should just shut up and pop a blu-ray before commenting further. But I think you're right that the difference will be felt mostly at higher volumes, as I was able to EQ the SB12 to be very impressive anyway at lower volumes. One thing that surprised me is that -- for what it's worth, before calibrating and EQing -- the Plus seemed to me maybe tighter / clearer than the SB12 for music. But I strongly suspect that I'm simply having lots of mid-bass where I set the cylinder -- it's in a position I never tried before. This goes hand-in-hand with my previous comment about "slam". Also I found it easier to localize, which may again point to a mid-bass (maybe 60-80 Hz) peak. Yes it's crossed at 80 Hz..

If this was the end point of the upgrade I'd have to say that no, the upgrade was not worth it, alas, as while the slam factor is interesting, 90% of my usage will be at volumes that makes that irrelevant. However I'm pretty confident that between EQing and tuning I'll be able to obtain the same kind of response I had with my SB12, only more so (I should be able to extend that to at least 16 Hz, and if I feel this is a limitation, well, I can always try sealed mode!). Also one big part of my upgrade -- the second sub -- is out of order for now. But according to Ed's post on the previous page, I'm in for a treat when it's up and running. Another thing to consider will be the "night with the guys" test where we'll be playing video games and watching movies at full volume... I'm confident the Pluses will trounce the SB12 there

So while of course I would have like the instant wow-factor that you got with your upgrade, I think I just have to tinker a bit to integrate the dual Pluses in my setup. I'll report back with more extensive testing. Tonight though, on the suggestion of SVS's customer support, and barring any contrary opinion on the part of SBA (which is after all the party that offers the warranty on my subs here), I'll remove the amp and try to see if the driver moves when using a 9-V battery on the woofer leads.

Booo , you should have got a SVS sub.

I know, I know I went to the Dark Side.

Auditor, I know you jest and in all seriousness I don't think everybody in this thread is sold to SVS in advance. I for one find the VTF-15H interesting because at 879 + shipping, it's about $1k, a price point where SVS is more or less absent unless you consider the present discount on the PC12-Plus at $1100. The 15" driver and port tuning option is very interesting at a price slightly above the NSD series, if you don't want to step up to almost 50% more for the Plus.

The thing is, the PC12-Plus' price includes five years of warranty on the amp, and shipping. Living near the East Coast, if i add those to the cost of the VTF-15H, then it's another $240.

If the vtf15 was 879$ w free shipping. I wold own that instead

That extra $139 hurt since I knew that SVS shipped for free.

As mentioned above though. SvS has nothing in that price range. I would have had to pay a lot more to get SvS' closest equal offering. I don't see the pb-12 nsd as being in the same category as the Vtf 15h That is just my opinion.

according to Doug from SVS, The pb12 NSD is close to the Hsu vtf15 in terms of overall performance with it's in linear frequency response, the vtf15 has an edge in output and extension but nothing more than that. personally i also prefer the looks of the pb12.. thats just me though, if u do need the extra power then i see the reason to buy a vtf15 for sure.
Edited by lamonsasa - 11/26/12 at 7:51pm

My SB13 has arrived - it is indeed a sexy beast.

A quick question: Got Audyssey up and running, set the sub at -16db to get 75db. Post-Audyssey, the AVR shows +1 db on the LFE channel. Thinking back on recent posts here, should I reduce the gain on the AVR to bump the Sub closer to zero? If so would that be -15 on the AVR and then 0 on the sub? Perhaps i'm overthinking this... but I do like to get the best possible sound.

I will post pics in a moment (done!)




Edited by korn646 - 11/26/12 at 8:29pm

Not that I need the extra power. My current theater room isn't huge but it's better to have it and not use it than to not have it and need it at some point. Also, I like the look of most of the SVS subs but the pb12-nsd doesn't look that good without the grill. I guess it's a design choice but not one for me.

I don't think it's time to second-guess or "explain" why you went with that sub--it's very popular and deservedly so. What's lucky is that there are so many different varieties of subwoofer that everybody can buy into a design that suits him

It's really beautiful Korn

As for the sub trim level on the AVR are you able to set it to -15dB in the first place? They're often limited to -12. But yeah that was the idea... You could set the level to -10 as a compromise... This will affect the peak power the sub is able to deliver though, not really the sound quality.

Korn a bit off subject but where did you get your equipment rack/credenza? I love it...nice tv btw