SVS MTS Family - Page 21

I had the complete MTS system for my setup. MCS-01 is definitely awesome in performance even at loud volume. When I had mine, my Denon AVR-4310 lacks the power to drive the MTS-01. Splurged on XPA-5 to do the job. Now, it is singing.My MCS-01 is on the hi-fi rack. I was literally shocked when I first took delivery of it. Man, it's huge!

I am employing a port block for the MCS-01 while the MTS-01 is on -3db attenuation as I find it a tad bright when driven loud. Sign of inadequate power?

Looking to upgrade to MTS-1 (2.5-way) from Energy RC-50 (2-way). Anyone have an opinion on this? They are similar in dimension and stat. Would this be a lateral move? My other option is the swan 6.1 which is bigger and heavier. It is also a three-way so technically, it can play the mid clearer? I'm still relatively new to the audio world so any thoughts are appreciated.

As promised, here is the photo of my setup

^That is a nice looking setup. That Ultra looks real nice in the corner...makes me want one.

I'm a new owner of an MTS 5.1 kit:
MTS for front left & right
MCS for center
MBS for surrounds
PC12-Plus for sub

SVS was great to work with. An SVS employee lives a few miles from my house and he had me over for a demo of an MTS 7.2 system while I was researching and demoing speakers. They answered many questions via email, and ultimately persuaded me from a Paradigm Monitor system into the MTS line.

The speakers are all quite large; the MCS especially is relatively tall compared to other center channels in this price class. I had to wall mount my TV to make room for it on the AV hutch.

It's a great sounding system. I was worried about driving the 4-ohm speakers with my Onkyo 707, but there's been no problems. I'm not listening to it loud; my SVS contact came over for my setup and noted that, during the Matrix demo, playing about -10db off reference the receiver was clipping. So, OK. I can live with that in my $500 receiver.

If you're researching SVS for a full speaker system, the MTS lives up to its reputation.

I know that I am new here but I thought I would share my MTS-01 setup.

After a few weeks I finally got everything setup.

This is my very first home theater, and I can't wait to get an AVR or Pre/Pro to run it.

Unfortunately that is going to take a few more weeks, so for now they are just pretty to look at.

Ok, My Story
I have a Pioneer Elite VSX-23TXH with specs of 150 watts per channel @ 6ohms(which according to audioholics.com's review, is not exaggerated)
I can bi-amp the Front LR speakers and supposedly give each speaker a total of 300watts. I was thinking of getting an Emotiva UPA-1 (350w @ 4 ohms) to drive the center channel.

Right now I have the STS package and am not quite satisfied. I believe I received a damaged center speaker(which awesome SVS is replacing), and I will know more on Friday when the new speaker arrives. The STS towers are pretty good and provide a fairly clean, powerful sound. With believing my SCS center channel to be damaged and hearing distortion at certain frequencies, it does not give me the clean and powerful sound I am looking for. Hopefully this will change with a new speaker, but if it doesn't, I may want to upgrade.

My question is, by bi-amping my LR channels and using a separate amp for the center channel will I have enough power?

I would ask the guys over at SVS, they wont lead you wrong. But just my guess is yes that should be enough to power them as long as your receiver can handle the drops in resistance you should have more then enough power. If I'm not mistaken that receiver has the "ice" amps. If so that should be one very sweet setup!

The key question is, "enough power for what?". I run an MTS 5.0 setup off of an Onkyo 707 receiver. It's enough power for me. But if I try to play within about -10 dB of Reference, it's not enough power: clipping starts to appear in high-volume transients. If I wanted to play at a true Reference volume, I'd need an external amp.

So "enough power" depends on your desired volume (among other things). My experience is that the good people at SVS will encourage you to listen to your system as is and to demo with external amps to decide for yourself, against your playback needs.

How do you have your MTS system setup?
0dB or -3dB switch setting?
Tweeters outside or inside?
Open or bunged?
Crossover on your receiver?

I'm currently at 0dB, no bungs used, tweeters outside, and x'overed at 70 Hz. But this is an arbitrary setup. I think I'm going to swap the speakers to put tweeters on the inside, switch to -3dB (bright room), and then run Audyssey MultEQ.

Nice....Where is the sub?

Hi bflifp 1080,

in case you decide to go the Emo amp route, I'd suggest you getting a
XPA-3 instead to power up the front array though, but you know, YMMV

jjhall.

First let me say a very nice set up. I love how you have the speakers and nothing to run them off of. Shows that you are a true sound enthusiest in my eyes....and I know I cant spell.

Secondly, is there anywhere else you could move your setup? I believe havign them so close to that side wall will make for some very harsh reflections.

You could always do some room treatment...but many wives dont like that....

Kimeran,

Thanks for the compliment, I am currently taking my time and auditioning different AVRs before making any decisions on what to purchase.

I am not sure if you are referring to the front or rear speakers when you are suggesting moving the setup around. Unfortunately for the front, the only space to the right of that wall is going to have a Pellet Stove installed shortly, so the best I can do is bring the right speaker forward to make the drivers flush with the corner.

In regards to the back, the picture really doesn't provide an accurate placement.

In regards to the right surround (gold Harley with wine pic), that speaker sits 20" away from the wall. The next stud available would place the speaker directly above the couch.

There is no wall next to the left surround (Harley with car picture), just an opening that leads to the breaker box, which is why I couldn't place the rears on opposite walls facing each other.

This is my first home theater attempt, so it's a learn as I go. I'm just glad the 24lb rears haven't fallen off the wall (LOL)

Always open to suggestions though, so feel free to repond with your thoughts

LOL.

Have to pay off the speakers first!!

Seriously, my plan is to pick up a nice AVR / PrePro setup and then probably pick up a sub toward the end of the year. Probably an SVS that will match, but due to space requirements, I will probably have to go with a PC-12 or PC-13 and place it behind the right front


Mortgage payments suck

I have the same receiver. Bi-amping the fronts using speaker B ports on the vsx-23 will get you no where near double the wattage. And even if the receiver could put out double the wattage by way of bi-amping, it wouldn't matter because the tweeter needs very little power compared to the mid woofers. Doing that won't get you anywhere near what a UPA-1 can put out. The VSX-23 btw is rated at 110 wpc, not 150, but I doubt that's with all channels driven.

Holy crap the MTS family is huge! I've been eyeing these since they were announced (love my SVS sub) but after seeing them and deciding I only 'need' small-medium sized speakers, I might have to consider something smaller!

Sheesh!

Finally got a receiver and amps for my MTS-01.

After listening to several brands and options, and reviewing my budget. I was able to pickup a second hand Pioneer Elite VSX-21 and pair it with two Crown XLS-402 amps.

I know this may not be proper Etiquette for Home Theater design, but after reading the success others have had with this amp configuration, I thought I would give it a try.

I have connected my MTS-01 L/R to one Crown XLS-402, and my MCS-01 center to the second Crown XLS-402, The nice thing is that each speaker now has it's own gain, which is allowing for more precise individual tweaking. I am running both amps in stereo mode, and they are plenty loud enough.

My rears MBS-01 L/R are running off the internal Pioneer Elite.

So far I am VERY impressed with the sound of the MTS. Especially the clarity of the Center channel.

now I just need the Sub.......

First time poster but frequent reader

Just got my MTS, MCS, 4 x SSS bipole speakers and 2 x PB12 nsd subs. Onkyo 1007 receiver. So far im very impressed. I was looking for a great theater experience and this set up is wonderful for that. I feel like im surrounded by sound. I'm a bit hard of hearing and figured that good speakers would be a waste on me and was more getting it for my friends and family. However since i've got these speakers I've noticed I actually can hear the movie better. The speech, music and sound effects seems more clear and distinct, making it much easier for me to enjoy the movie. I don't have to keep turning up the sound during talk sequences and turning down during loud portions (like explosion), I can set it at one level and stay the whole movie like that.
Before buying I had emailed SVS a lot and never did I feel like I was pushed into a purchase. However, everytime I went to a local store to look at speakers (B&W, Paradigm etc) I felt very pushed into a sale. Just seemed like a low stress purchase to me.
Sorry no pictures yet, however I did paint my room to match the rosewood on my MTS's. So once I'm done I'll post how it looks.

Wow, I didn't know the SSS-01 was out yet! Do they have the same removable grills? Is the pricing announced?
[Ed: nevermind, I thought you said MSS. Oops. I got SSS's with my MTS fronts too.]

I recently acquired an MTS-01 setup, and so far I'm quite happy with it. I still have some room configuration to do before the room is set up just right so the imaging is a little off, but that's not a function of the speaker. I find them less fatiguing than my old Paradigm Studio-60s although that could just be cognitive dissonance.

Hi folks,

I am not new to this forum, or to SVS. I am however new to the MTS Speaker line. I just ordered the front three MTS/MCS set. My main concern and question. Is there anyone here who is already running the MTS speakers using the Onkyo 5007? I am concerned if this AVR has the power to drive these babies without clipping. I would appreciate any feedback if anyone else is already running their MTS's with this AVR or a similar one.

More information about my set up that is germaine to the question.

I am running a 9.2 system. The rear surrounds are on a separate Amp so the AVR is really driving 7 speakers. FL, FR, C, LS, RS, (LH, RH, or LW, RW (Can only use Height or Wide, not both at once)).

The front three will be MTS and MCS
The Wides are SVS STS-01's
The Heights are SVS SCS-01 "M"s
The Surrounds are Klipsch S2 Synergy
The Subs are Ultras

I ran the setup you are asking about for awhile. It's hard to answer for your situation. I had the setup in my living room, which is about 20 x 20 with two story ceiling and open to the rest of the house. I sit about 13' from the speakers. Under these condition you will reach the limits. I found -10 to be about the loudest I could go before the system would start breaking down. I do like to listen very loud. This is kind of an extreme situation though, so I'm sure it may be different for you. I did think these were great speakers. They just were not enough for my large room and loud listening habits. What kind of room are you putting the speakers in?

fatsow,

Thanks for your reply. So you have/had the 5007 AVR and drove a similar set up. The capability of the MTS speakers reaching desired SPL levels is not my main question. What I am really questioning is the ability of my AVR to drive them without clipping at higher levels (-10 or higher).

You said: "at -10 I will reach the limits" and "they were not enough for my large room" I am a bit confused so please bear with me. In the first part, did you mean the limits of the Speakers or the AVR began to clip, same question for the later part.

My room and setup seem to be like yours in length and width. I use half of it as a Home Theater. The room is 26' x 26' x 12'. I use an area of about 13'x 26. I sit in the middle at about 12-13 feet from the front 9 speakers (7 speakers, 2 subs) and TV.

I hooked the MTS/MCS speakers up today. After calibrating them I started to watch some HBO programs and had the volume on the AVR up to -10. This was more than loud enough for me. So far so good. I watched the New Star Trek Movie at -8 to test things out and see if after some time the AVR would heat up and start clipping. I noted no noticeable distortion. These babies sounded cleaner, clearer and more powerful than possibly anything I have ever heard before. During the Movie demo the AVR remained fairly cool, reaching a maximum of 108 degrees F during the high action battle scenes. I used the internal temperature display mode to monitor the temp, and double checked this data using a "General Inferred Thermometer".

I was forewarned by SVS that I may find it necessary to hook up a separate AMP to drive the MTS/MCS speakers cleanly. So far I am happily surprised.

For the next few days/weeks I intend to go easy on the speakers and AVR to make sure I don't push the AVR too hard and damage my new speakers.

I'm glad to hear you are happy with them. Like I said they are good speakers. I guess what I was try to say is that in my room -10 was the limit as a whole. With the listening distance, sensitivity of the speakers, and max power acceptable, this is where it broke down for me. The amps would clip. I also ran the set up with seperate amps(outlaw 2200 monoblocks), and found that -7 was the limit. Of course every movie or sound track can be a little different, and I like my music and movies loud, so these are just general observations. I hope you post your opinion of them for music, because I think this is where the excel

fatsow,

Wow are you saying that even when running the MTS-01's on the 2200 Outlaw Amps you were clipping at -7db? From the specs page of Outlaw they will deliver 300 Watts at 4 Ohms. What was clipping the Onkyo 5007 or the Outlaws?

Please describe your set up. What speakers on what channels and what speakers were you running on the 2200 outlaw?

From what you say, upgrading to the Emotiva XPA-3 (same power specs as the Outlaw, except 3 channels) won't drive the front three to reference levels without clipping?

SVS website has been updated with the M-Series/02's. Has anyone heard these yet? Really curious how the redesigned "02" units stack up to the M-01's with their impressive set of components, i.e. ScanSpeak AirCirc, etc.

The plan is to purchase a new 5.1 system in the next month or two, and the new SVS M/02 kit is on the short list.

Methusaleh - I picked up the new MTS-02 just a few weeks ago. I never heard the MTS-01. The only issue I have had so far is the Audyssey setup on my Denon 3808 but I am pretty sure there is an issue with my Denon currently. So I just used a SPL meter to calibrate the system. The speakers are beautiful beast and I don't have any plans on sending them back. I was also able to go to reference level with my Denon while watching Transformers and it was amazing, very easy to listen to for long periods of time and I don't have a treated room. I may try to go out and listen to other speakers but I think it would be pointless.

Pretty darn sure!

Maybe, audiowise, is not all that, BUT videowise... having Megan Fox on the screen all the time, is a totally different matter, isn't it??

Glad to know you're enjoying your new toys; congrats

hello,


I have almost sold my system (see sign.)

Now i"m looking for new speakers+pre/pro
(already bought the emotiva XPA-3)


does anyone hear the Emotiva ERT8.3 vs SVS MTS-01/02..??

because i dont have the possibility to hear them both(live in germany)

(my setup: LCR without a sub,50%music/50%movies)

Hello y'all. I have a Klipsch synegry setup (F-2's) 7.1 running and svs pb12nsd sub. And now it is time for me to upgrade. I really love my svs sub. Which made me want to look at the svs mts speakers. Would this be a lateral move or would I notice a great difference? Also I do plan on getting an emotiva XPA-5 amp at the same time I purcahse new speakers. Would there be any other speakers that I sould look into?? I use the system 45/45 movies/games 10 music.


Thanks for the input,

James