[jmh547]

I have a bad case of the upgrade bug....Currently I am running a setup withalpha B1 for R/L, C1 for center, Alpha A/V for surrounds, and no sub. Primaryuse is TV and movies with some light back ground music. I love the setup, however,I have two complaints. One being the lack of bass and the other being someissues hearing soft vocals. Because of the issue I have hearing vocals I amlooking at upgrading my front sound stage as my primary goal and the bass assecondary.

My first option is a new center and matching towers (Either PSB or Episode)and no sub. My hopes are the towers would give me sufficient bass. I live in asemidetached and really have no need for loud hard hitting bass just something togive sound track a bit more depth.

My second option is the same as option one but add a very cheap sub in $200range. I shy away from this because I used to have a $150 Sony sub with my Bosebook shelves. After upgrading to the PSBs I realize the sub sounded like mush.

That brings me to option three. Purchase a new center and matching bookshelf L/R (probably PSB XB) and a lower cost, but not dirt cheap, sub. Myquestion for the sub guys is, are there any decent subs out there for ~$400that produce good tight bass, I am not looking for loud. I got a suggestion inthe speakers section for a $650 Outlaw which is not out of the question but I wouldhave to kiss my wife’s….. I lot to convince here that I needed to up my budget.

 

[eljaycanuck]

The NXG NX-BAS-500 is a well-rated sub, available at Amazon.com for $270, shipped.


If you can spend a bit more than your price cap, either...
- the SVS SB-1000 (for a smaller space); or
- the PB-1000 (for a moderately-sized space),
...would be a solid choice.


Each sub is $499, shipped, with free return shipping within 45 days. Try one in-home and, if you like it, you're set; if you don't, return it and the in-home demo cost you $0.


(See also SVS "Outlet Specials" page, where you can occasionally get deals on refurbished returns that come with the same warranty as new.)

 

[jmh547]

Wow that was a quick reponse thank you. The room it is going in is 28'x15', however, the HT area is about half of that with the tv mounted on the 28' wall. With that said would you recommed the PB or SB?

 

[eljaycanuck]

PB-1000.


Given that your room is fairly large, another option - one that will provide more overall output but less extension than the PB-1000 - is the Premier Acoustic PA-150. It retails for $499, shipped, at Amazon.com, but reportedly can be had for a little as $350.

 

[jmh547]

Well I just ordered an SB-1000. Why the SB you ask? Well the PB-1000 is on back order so I figured I would get the SB, if I am not satisfied I will exchange for the PB. Man that free return is nice, especially on audio equipment. Thank you for your help.

 

[deepat04]

Well I just ordered an SB-1000. Why the SB you ask? Well the PB-1000 is on back order so I figured I would get the SB, if I am not satisfied I will exchange for the PB. Man that free return is nice, especially on audio equipment. Thank you for your help.

SVS has a SB12-NSD in their outlet for $479 shipped. If you like the SB1000, you should consider trading it in for the SB12NSD for the additional headroom and savings.

 

[NODES]

Well I just ordered an SB-1000. Why the SB you ask? Well the PB-1000 is on back order so I figured I would get the SB, if I am not satisfied I will exchange for the PB. Man that free return is nice, especially on audio equipment. Thank you for your help.

that room is quite large, close to what I have and the pb2000 is what i would recommend. I had The sb1000, sb2000 and the pb2000 in it.

 

[MIX_MASTER_ICE]

Well I just ordered an SB-1000. Why the SB you ask? Well the PB-1000 is on back order so I figured I would get the SB, if I am not satisfied I will exchange for the PB. Man that free return is nice, especially on audio equipment. Thank you for your help.

You'll likely be returning the SB1000. That sub isn't a good option for a 3,000+ ft^3room. Even the PB1000 isn't likely going to cut the mustard. You would need at least one PB-2000, maybe two PB1000's.

 

[jmh547]

Thank you guys. That is one reason I ordered from svs, I can try it out. From my car audio days I experimented with ported and sealed box's. I always liked sealed because they tended to be less boomy and more crisp. The trade off was volume. I have never been much of a loud volume person, I always leaned towards toward clarity and over all sound quality. I don't expect or want this sub to shake the walls I just would like to the the low end out of the main speakers so they sound a bit better.

 

[jmh547]

I got my sub today!

Generally I am very happy with it. Build quality is right were I would expect it to be for a $500 range sub and sound is tight and low... really I am impressed for the size of the box. I under stand where everyone was coming from when they said it wouldn't be enough for my room. There isn't enough there to "feel it in your chest" but there is deffently enough to rattle the pictures on the wall and tick off my wife, yes I got yelled at within 20 minutes. I am going to run it through it's paces over the next couple weeks to make sure I am happy with it but my gut feel is that I am going to keep it.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

 

[TomC1315]

I have a bad case of the upgrade bug....Currently I am running a setup withalpha B1 for R/L, C1 for center, Alpha A/V for surrounds, and no sub. Primaryuse is TV and movies with some light back ground music. I love the setup, however,I have two complaints. One being the lack of bass and the other being someissues hearing soft vocals. Because of the issue I have hearing vocals I amlooking at upgrading my front sound stage as my primary goal and the bass assecondary.

My first option is a new center and matching towers (Either PSB or Episode)and no sub. My hopes are the towers would give me sufficient bass. I live in asemidetached and really have no need for loud hard hitting bass just something togive sound track a bit more depth.

My second option is the same as option one but add a very cheap sub in $200range. I shy away from this because I used to have a $150 Sony sub with my Bosebook shelves. After upgrading to the PSBs I realize the sub sounded like mush.

That brings me to option three. Purchase a new center and matching bookshelf L/R (probably PSB XB) and a lower cost, but not dirt cheap, sub. Myquestion for the sub guys is, are there any decent subs out there for ~$400that produce good tight bass, I am not looking for loud. I got a suggestion inthe speakers section for a $650 Outlaw which is not out of the question but I wouldhave to kiss my wife’s….. I lot to convince here that I needed to up my budget.

I got my sub today!

Generally I am very happy with it. Build quality is right were I would expect it to be for a $500 range sub and sound is tight and low... really I am impressed for the size of the box. I under stand where everyone was coming from when they said it wouldn't be enough for my room. There isn't enough there to "feel it in your chest" but there is deffently enough to rattle the pictures on the wall and tick off my wife, yes I got yelled at within 20 minutes. I am going to run it through it's paces over the next couple weeks to make sure I am happy with it but my gut feel is that I am going to keep it.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

Congrats on the new sub ... I'm glad you didn't cut corners when it came to buying such an important part of your sound system

I appreciate what you said about the sub "adding a bit more depth" to a movie soundtrack ... that's enough for me as well. That was the impression my MartinLogan Dynamo700 and a couple of SVS audition subs (SB12NSD and SB2000 x2) gave me as well.

After spending most of the past year with SVS cylinder subs (the PC12+ and PC13ultra), I'm glad to have ended up with the SB13U. Sure, I'm not getting the LowFrequencyEffects (LFE) potential of the ported variety, but the extra little bit of detail and agility from my sealed SB13U is what I'm interested in.

Coincidentally, our living area is also 28' x 15' ... we moved here last October, with the PC13U in tow ... 5 months later, I used the SVS 1year upgrade policy and chose the SB13U.

While not quite the 'lowest octave beast' that the PC ultra is, the SVS SB13U easily fills our main living area (approx 5,500 cu.ft) with high quality bass and reaches most areas of our one-floor abode at least a little bit.

Maybe within this first year of being with SVS, you could manage an upgrade at some point ... 12 months to consider whether or not the SB1000 is the right sub for your circumstances and preferences.

There's a good chance that the SB1000 can be great for you ... SVS subs are sturdy - crank it up and see what it has to offer.

Remember also, to try the sub in as many different places as possible, to find out where it performs the best.

Keep us posted on how you feel about the SB1000's performance in a rather large space and otherwise, as well as where you went with the L C R front 3 speaker search ... you may want to look into MartinLogan Motion (including the great priced LX16 bookshelf) speakers ... mine go quite well with all the SVS subs I've auditioned.