Less than $1000, SVS SB12 Plus or Martin Logan Abyss?

[quote=nombrecinq;12494764]I'm currently debating between the SVS SB12 Plus and the Martin Logan Abyss. I guess my priority is music, but it still needs to kick booty at movies and games. Which one should I get and why?[/QUOTE




This review sold me hands down!!
http://www.hometheatershack.com/foru...use-roars.html
i almost took the plung with the SB12 but wife didn't want any more speakers to be ssen so I opted for the 20-39+ clyinder with a slightly bigger foot print.

go for the svs and dont look back

I can second the go with SVS and don't look back comment, except that mine is in the back of my HT and it has me looking over my shoulder alot for fear of hte ceiling coming down!

SVS Rocks......

Is there a reason you are not considering a PB-12+ with custom finish @ $799?

For music only, I'd take the SB12 over every other SVS out there except the 13Ultra. For HT I'd take any other SVS over the SB12.

option1: $785 sealed
option1: big loud ported $1k+shipping

if you want the best performance for the money, you can forget about the rest, just choose between those two..
both are great at everything

Drop SVS a line, they may help you with your questions

I'm curious about the responses here. While the SVS is by all accounts a fine product, have any of you recommending it heard the ML Abyss? Or are you just knee-jerking, "This is good; buy it."? I'm closely looking at both of these subs as well.

I've come down to a few important comparison points - besides sound quality which I can't really compare first hand:
1) The SB12 has more input options with the balanced inputs.
2) The SB12 has the PEQ that looks very interesting, but the reviews and owner comments I've read say the knobs are very non-linear so it is a pain to get set up right. Has this been fixed?
3) The SB12 has adjustable room compensation. Again, how well does this work in practice?
4) The Abyss can be set up down or front firing.

From a "feature" point of view, the SB12 clearly appears superior. But features can get you into trouble if you don't/can't set them up properly.

Can anyone tell me how the SB12 is coupled to the floor? I like the look of the ML stand the Abyss sits on. Does the SB12 come with spikes or feet beyond the little rubber footies?

- Jasen.

I own both, and it's easy to recommend the SB12+ over the PB10 for music. The PB10 actually goes lower, but the SB12+ is excellent for music.

there are plenty of such subs ... but they're all sitting above a certain price bracket.

question is, what is your budget?

I've owned both, though I never had a chance to compare them directly. I took back the Abyss and ordered the SVS because it was cheaper and smaller. For music listening my recollections of the Abyss are similar to the SB12. I didn't get a chance to push the Abyss on movies, but the SB12 does very well for its size. Of course, the bigger subs that others recommended will destroy the SB12 in sheer output and sub 20Hz extension. The SB12 I think is the best sub you'll find at this size and price point.

1) I never use the balanced inputs
2) The PEQ is essential for me since I have a square room
3) I don't know of anyone who has ever used room compensation
4) For music listening, I don't think bottom/side firing makes a difference.

The SB12 has rubber feet. I don't think it comes with spikes, but I'm not completely sure.

I'll say it again, the SB12 is a *great* sub for music and extremely satisfying for HT in a small-medium room. It's at least as good for HT as any other sub in this price and size category.

Why is it so hard you ask. Because being "great for HT" is a function of moving air, and that is a function of driver capability, and power. If you want better, there is only one way to get both HT and music capability, find a sub that has a even more heavy duty driver (have you ever inspected the SVS Plus driver up close? You'll appeciate how much better it is than many of the competition's drivers) and stuff an even larger amp in it. Now we are talking Paradigm Servo 15, JL Audio, or Velodyne DD class subs at least 2X the price. If you want the most awesome 12" single driver small sealed sub, JL F112 can't be beat for sound quality AND awesomeness for HT.

I have heard the Abyss at the dealer and my impression is that it won't do anything the SB can't do already. It seemed to taper off below 25Hz at the same rate that the SB does, and I doubt it does any better at top SPL based on the specs alone. It did sound very very good, but again, no better than the already good SVS. So given that, I'd say that the SVS wins out based on its features, and known build quality.

Yes the PEQ is a pain to use, and only really recommended to be adjusted provided you have some software and time to spend, but it's well worth it if you are actually serious about sound quality. Using that, you can achieve results that allow it to sound better than other subs lacking PEQ until you get to the JL or DD series subs with their more sophisticated EQ's

Thank you TC and WD; those are the kinds of responses I was looking for.

I plan to use the LFE out from my receiver, so any other inputs will be wasted on me as well. (I was closely eyeing the PB10-NSD because of its simple input layout, but it is bigger than the 15" cube I'm trying to stay within for WAF and room usage reasons.)

I found a comment or two in the archives here comparing the Abyss favorably to the JL F112, so it appears to be at least a very good sub - with the caveat of being a few hundred more dollars than the SB12+. It sounds like the Abyss and SB12+ are pretty close to each other with the SVS having the bonus of greater tune-ability and lower price. (The top of my range is $500, but I'm not finding something that hooks me at that price within my size restriction.)

My room is ~1700 cu. ft. and I listen at <90 dB, so loudness should not be a problem at all.

I think that narrows my candidates down to:
MartinLogan Dynamo - small, but a compromise solution if I can get it on sale.
MartinLogan Abyss - if I can find it on a good sale.
SVS SB12+ - Keep an eye out for a basic black B-Stock.

- Jasen.

Hi Jasen. I just ordered an SB12+ from B-Stock in piano black. My room is a bit smaller than yours (~1300 cubic feet) and probably a bit "lively" so I'm hoping that the SVS will satisfy my needs. I found the U.K. forums particularly helpful, as their rooms are generally not as huge as those found in newer U.S. homes. The SB12+ seems like a popular choice over there.

I'll report back when I've got it set up.

Kristina

I think the SB12+ is great for HT too, with the exception of trading of some low bass for size and sound. I have a very open floorplan (about 3500 cubic feet open to another 5000+ cubic feet), and the SB12+ still gets down to 27 Hz at -3dB in the listening area.

The PEQ works very well- it took me reading the manual 5 times to make sure I knew how to make adjustments correctly, but worked wonders.