Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater SVS PC Ultra...........and why it has to go!

Rat....With the SVS cylinders it's about extension vs. SPLs. With the 25-31 you get max SPL but only down to 25Hz (typically a little more in room response). With the 20-39 you get 20Hz extension but a few less dBs. With the 16-46 you get the deepest bass but again a few less dBs than the 20-39. Most people find the 20-39 a good compromise because you get close to the level of SPLs of the 25-31 but you get the extension to 20Hz or more for movies. As far as the PCi vs. plus it's 525 watt amp vs. the 320 watt amp. I have the PB12-ISD (320 watt amp) in my 15'x15'x15' at 35% gain and I love it. It all depends on how big your room is (and you have a big room) and how much you really want to feel it vs, hear it. I would email SVS/HSU/Axiom with your expectations and room dimensions. All will be more than happy to assist you in getting the best sub for your needs.

I initially ordered a PCi but decided I wanted the box sub for *cough* decor reasons.
Typical guy response to tall cylinder sub: "That is WAY cool!"
Typical gal response to tall cylinder sub: "Get that water heater out of the living room!"

Had a cylinder sub...Rent house room 13 X 18 X 9 feet.

Purchased / built a new house.

Wife: "That black tube is not going into the new house! I want one that looks like a cherry end table."

Had a SVS 20-39 PC Plus...Big John now owns it.

New house room: 19 X 19 X two story vault (plus open kitchen).

Talked to SVS...Suggested SVS PB12-Plus/2 for new room.

Moved in...hope to order new SVS soon.

My .02.

WhatFurrer

In reply to:

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Had a SVS 20-39 PC Plus...Big John now owns it

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its working out very well for me..

but i cant wait to hear what that PB12-Plus2 can do in your new home!!

bigjohn

WhatFurrer, make sure to let us know what the difference in sound is between the old sub and PB12-Plus/2.

NeverHappy, I heard the Klipsch sub that 2x6 owns and recommends. I was super impressed with it - albeit in the small room it was in.

before buying my sub i looked over countless reveiws on hsu and other subs. what turned me off on svs one was the cylinder i don't like the look. the other everytime hsu was mentioned the svs owners and even the managment somtimes would reply to the threads and bash hsu. so i based my desion on hsu letting there product speak for itself which it does. my freind after listening to my sub got vtf2 the 10 inch model. his room is about the same size as mine and it sounds great. if you interested in it its a great sounding sub also. but your room is quite big so if you place sub close to where you sit it should do the trick. it would give you good bass and you wouldn't have to get another one. if you were thinking of getting two i would just go with vtf3mk2. both of theses subs have two different listening options. if you want deep bass switch the switch to max extionsion and plug one port. the other lets both ports open. both ways sound good its a personal prefrence. if you get the chance try a velvodyne out i was going to get one before i stumbled across hsu.

In the 10" range, I can think of 4 recommendations; 3 I have heard personally and although I haven't heard the 4th, I do own it's bigger brother.

1. You are already familiar with SVS, so you may consider the PB10-ISD (I own the PB12).

2. Wharfedale SW250. I really like this sub. Tight bass, nice looks (not your standard square box...it is teardrop shaped), and comes with a remote that allows you to switch between custom presets. I don't know about most people, but I wish my SVS had this feature. When I switch from DVD to music (or the other way around); I always have to get up and manually change the settings on the back (usually just the gain).

3. Paradigm PW2100. I find this sub marginally better than the SW250 in the HT department but it isn't as musical as the SW250. Both are very close, IMO. Paradigm also has the Seismic 10; which I haven't heard. It has much more power than the PW2100 and goes a little lower. If I am not mistaken, it is also significanlty more expensive than the PW2100.

4. Martin Logan Descent. I don't recall if you listed a budget; this sub is pricey. The box is very compact (22x20x18)yet contains 3 10" drivers in a pyramid configuration. This is probably the best 10" sub I have heard to date.

Granted, I have not heard them all; but out of the countless subs I have heard, these are my personal suggestions.

Good luck!

I did talk to HSU today, the doctor himself actually and he recommended one VTF-3 MK2 in my room. He also recommended something that caught me off guard. He wants me to get my sub out of the corner and behind my listening position. I watch from a couch that has a wall about 5 feet behind it. He recommended placing the sub directly behind the couch with the ports facing the back wall.

The reason we got on placement was I mentioned that I wanted excellent bass (Fast & Tight) when listening to music. Given that, I'm shocked on where he wants me to place it as it goes against most of what I know about sub placement.

I have been shopping around Canada talking to the HSU dealers and I'm fairly positive that I'm going to try some form of HSU. The prices I'm getting back are significantly cheaper then what it would cost me to land another SVS at my door..............I'm a die hard fan of SVS but a buck is a buck and I love trying new stuff.

I did get out today to a few shops and played around with some various subs including Paradigm, B&W, Energy, Klipsch, Mirage, JBL and a Sunfire.

To make a long story short, I thought the B&W was nice but way over priced. Didn't like the Energy or the JBL. The Mirage was nice but I got it to clip a little to easier for liking and on more then one occasion the limiters kicked in. The Klipsch was decent but I just didn't get the "Buy Me" now feel from it. My clear cut choice was the Sunfire. To my ears, it laid a beat down on everything else......but again, it's freaken expensive and I'm not willing to shell out that much money.

Yeah, Dr. Hsu is well known for his penchant for placing subs directly behind the listening couch. This is how he sets up his box subs in demo rooms at trade shows. The only problem with it is if the couch isn't near a wall, you'll have some creating routing to do for the audio and power cables.

I hear ya. I have a sub jack on the back wall with a plug in right beside it. Problem will be the wife and the kids. Will the kids trip on the two wires and will the wife turn a blind eye to them? Nobody ever walks behind there anyway but she still might not like the idea.