Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Advice on SVS subs

In the last couple of months I have upgraded my entire system (almost). My current setup includes Denon 3802, M50s up front, VP150 center and QS4 surrounds. The only piece I have not upgraded is my sub (Sony WM40). I think the sub sounds okay but I have been reading quite a bit on the SVS subs and the rave reviews owners have given them. I have had my eye on the 25-31 pci, but I am wondering how much improvement can I expect from upgrading my sub? Anyone who owns an SVS sub please give me some feedback. I want to know if I am really missing out on this aspect of my system.

Colesy

i dont own an svs but i can tell that upgrading to a sub of this magnitude would make a HUGE difference

expect bass you can feel in your chest, like at a dance club, and dont expect pictures to stay straight on the wall

for both ht and music you'll be amazed

i upgraded from the sony sawm40 to an svs 16-46 pci and the difference is pretty big. i think it would take 3 sony's to equal the output. besides the wall/floor shaking ability though, the svs is more accurate and much deeper than the sony. it made an easily noticable difference in movies and music. even if you dont listen to movies really loud it still sounds more powerful. the added deep bass really changes the feel. scenes like the cave troll attack in lord of the rings benefit greatly. i think adding something like an svs sub should really round out your system, right now your speakers are quite a bit better quality than your sub.

If you prefer the cylinder design, then the SVS is probably best. If you also consider box subs, I can tell you that I am very happy with my recent purchase of the Hsu VTF-3. It is slightly more expensive than the similar box model from SVS, but definitely worth taking a look.

What do you guys think the difference would be between an HSU or SVS sub and an Axiom EP-175 (which I have now but am thinking of upgrading). We listen to about 50/50 music and movies.

Thanks

In reply to:

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What do you guys think the difference would be between an HSU or SVS sub and an Axiom EP-175

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Well, it is quite simple in my view...

(1) The absolute bass extension -- in case of the Hsu VTF-3, it is down to 18Hz virtually flat, and well usable down to 15-16Hz where you cannot "hear" anymore. And it does it without audible harmonic distortion (2x or 3x overtones).

(2) The maximum playable sound level, without eliciting audible distortion.

For me (a classical music fan), the Hsu has been great in reproducing the bottom tones of string contrabass and bass tuba, organ pedal tones (goes down to 16Hz), the attack of orchestral bass drum and Chinese gong, etc. Also, it is great in reproducing LFE of movie soundtracks, which often contain rumbles below 20Hz.

But everything is subject to the law of diminishing return -- I guess your EP-175 already offers 90% of the needed bass. Only you can decide whether the added performance is worth the price of over US$700.