SVS AS-EQ1 SubEQ: World's most advanced bass room correction technology, made affordable.

I still want something that can handle up to four subs with XLR connections.

This looks very cool. When I get a second sub, I will definitely get one of these.

- Nick

This sounds like the same Audyssey as is found in the newer AVRs with more filters for bass frequencies. I wonder if it is able to time correct multiple subs relative to each other?

It is the same Audyssey found in the Pro version (not shipped with AVR). Only difference is it is modified to handle low frequencies better. You can take up to 32 measurements.

The EQ1 will first work on each sub individually, then it will work with them together.

looks okay but its pricey , a dcx2496 has way more control for under 300

How so? I'm not familiar with the dcx2496.

Since SVS's own product page hadn't bee linked to yet, here:

SVS AS-EQ1 subwoofer EQ

I emailed them and asked a couple of questions. I wanted to know if they planned on releasing one with balanced connections (despite the limited benefit), and if the PC connection via USB would allow firmware updates. No, they have no future version in the works with balanced connections, and yes, they plan to make firmware updates available on their website.

Having no balanced connections means I'll have to buy new sub cables, and I won't have the cool clicking when I connect them, but I'm still interested enough in this product to pull the trigger, I'd say.

Oh, and I should go into more detail about their response to the balanced connections question. Here's what they said:



I know RCA is the overwhelmingly popular choice for people with home theaters, but it seems like the percentage of people sporting XLR would jump up quite a bit when you're talking about people who would add an $800 sub EQ to their systems. I'm sure it would still be in the minority, but still, you'd think the figure would become significant.

That adds a fair bit of value, but I would imagine there is a limited market.

Costs as much as a lot of subs.

Operator Manual is now available at SVS website.

This thing would take all the fun out of tweaking with the BFD!

I might like one of these, however, it would be nice to have an Audyssey receiver also..

Aww, they changed the shipping date from April/May to early May. Also:



I would have put my order in earlier if my debit card hadn't gone missing. I got my replacement card earlier this week, and I finally got my new PIN yesterday. Anyway, it's ordered, so I guess I'll get one eventually.

I'm surprised to say I'm very interested in this product. Then again, I order audio components from a deaf monk in a hollowed out volcano. But I have been looking at an Audy AVR upgrade, and this would seem to give me 90% of that benefit with more control over the impossible to cure bass issues in a small room, while expanding the AVR list. And while it does cost as much as another sub, I'm guessing I would get more benefit out of clean bass from my current B&W sub, over the complexity of another $700 sub.

Very interesting. I don't think I'll joint the Beta group, but down the road, if the hype is matched by testimonials, I may have to get this. CV, keep us posted please.

I'm going to have to get new subwoofer cables to use with this device, since I'm currently using balanced cables. My first instinct is to go with Blue Jeans Cable, but I was hoping for some insight first. How are the connectors? Are they nice and snug without seeming like they're going to pull the jack from the back of the sub or receiver when removed? Anyone?

I have used a few different brands of cables such as Monster (it was free o.k), Blue Jeans and a few others. The Blue Jeans LC-1 had the highest build quality and provided the best connection with my subwoofers and receiver. The Canare connetions they use fit snug and secure without fitting too tight. I noticed you can disconnect the cable without worrying about pulling out the input your attaching it too. The MC cable on the otherhand I had the hardest time getting off the back of my receiver because it fit so darn tight, I was actually worried about ruining the subwoofer input trying to take it off. Blue Jeans cable gets my highest recommendation. Excellent company!

Thanks for the testimonial. I've bought HDMI cables from them before, but nothing RCA.

Charles, when I got my EP500 a little over two years ago my instinct(as always)was not to pay a dollar more than was necessary for a cable that would do the job of connecting it. So I ordered this cable from MonoPrice which was about $4 at that time(couldn't wait for the price to come down). I can confirm that the connectors are snug but not too snug and that in all other ways the simple job of hooking up a sub is done flawlessly.

I have both coax from monoprice and bluejeans, both are great quality. The bluejeans seems a little more flexible.

I use 2 of the LC-1 subwoofer cables shown on the product page and a digital coax (also shown) that use the same connectors. All fit exactly the same.

I also use their DVI-HDMI cables, locking banana plugs, optical cables and speaker wire...lol

Thanks, John and Randy.

I just built my own using RG6 coax and some compression style RCA ends, they work great. I am, was, using this wire setup for my interconnects for the A1400 and my Denon as well, albeit much shorter lengths.

After being quoted anywhere from $70.00 to $100.00 Cn for a 30 ft sub cable locally, I hit the Web and checked out Monoprice from the recommendations of the forum here. I picked up a 35 ft cable(correction; I picked up 2x35 ft cable ) for less than $9.00 US each. The connections are tight, no problems, cable itself is RG6/U 75ohm RCA Coax...nothing fancy, just simple black coax with good fittings, a bargain compared with other prices I found.

Just a little update...

I emailed SVS to see if my unit would be part of the first shipment in mid-May. Their response:



I'm crossing my fingers, but if I have to wait until August to get mine, did any of you get an order in in time to secure one of the first batch?

Seems like waiting has become your hobby, Charles!
Best of luck to get it soon, but if you don't, you can at least console you that they are spotting failures before shipping!

What a great day it will be when I get my tracking number, though. Then I can watch my wait.

Where's Anti-pun_bot?

Speaking of SVS, it looks like they're going to be following in HSU's footsteps and making their upcoming sealed offerings wireless-capable.

New SVS sealed subwoofer in the AS-EQ1 subwoofer EQ PDF manual? (Eclectic Electronics)

SVS SB13-Plus SB16-Ultra sealed subwoofers (Eclectic Electronics)

DSP, too, and the magnetic grills were always cool.

Not that I feel the need for more subwoofers (for my main system, anyway), but it's always cool to see where the big hitters are headed.

That's logical.
Sealed = no openings.
No openings = no cables.
No cables = wireless (or cableless to be more accurate).

AVForums thread with a nice review of the AS-EQ1 by a UK end user

Thats a good review. Looks like its a winner of a product. Out of my legue though. I think I would spend $ on multiple subs first

Unfortunately, with any room eq, depending on your environment, the results can be varied. I recently bought a Marantz 5003 AVR that I am using as a pre-pro with outboard power amps. This has the Audyssey 6 point multi-eq I assume is similar to the new SVS unit only the bass eq will go lower. I also have an SMS-1. I wasn't particularly impressed with the results of the 6 point eq as in an effort to balance the response at the low end, they tend to cut the sub output back too much thus you don't hear much below 40hz. The SMS-1 gives me the option of increasing that REAL bottom end that in studies show our ears don't hear as well. I agree with fredk. Before you spend money on this unit, assuming you have the space, buy another sub.

Whatever eq process is used and no matter what the graphs show on the screen, I find, after spending countless hours playing around with this stuff, in the end, my ears are generally the best arbiter of sound preference .

Well, I already have my dual subs, and this EQ is going to be a fraction of the cost of those, so I'm able to justify it that way. For other people with single subs, I would probably make the same recommendation of going dual sub first. Since it'll be much cheaper for me to get this EQ than to get more matching subs, trying out this toy seems like the way to go.

I thought you wanted to be the first guy on your block to have quad EP800s??

Ha ha, that would be nice, but I would need to stumble into some money. It was hard enough getting the first two with the discount.

Aw c'mon. Your on a roll. Why stop now?

Just think after that you could switch to M80s all around. Anybody seeing your room would think they stumbled on the Audiophile version of Stone Henge.

As soon as I get filthy rich, I'll be all over it.

Audioholics First Look

It needs more lights...preferably blue.

Labatts?

Well, I got an email receipt today, so I guess that means I made the first shipment. Hopefully I'll have it soon.

Excellent!

Scheduled delivery is 5/28. Hopefully it arrives quicker, because come on!

Charles, when you talk to SVS customer service, do you get a flat response?

Man, I'm such a dummy. The unit is out for delivery today, and I realized I hadn't bought my new cables yet. Duhhhhhh.

This is not going to be a review, by any means. I simply thought I should check in since I have the unit and am running it now.

I got my cables today. I ordered from Blue Jeans since they're fast, also being in Washington. I'm happy with the overall build quality and the connections in particular, since they're snug without having a death-grip.

It was kind of a pain in the butt connecting the AS-EQ1 to my computer since my computer is in the next room. Of course, then it didn't even work, since my computer runs Vista 64-bit exclusively, and apparently there's no support for that yet. I had to borrow my mom's XP computer in order to run the SubEQ software. I wish it either communicated through ethernet or, better yet, didn't require a computer and had its own interface, because walking back and forth between the two rooms (well, I ran) got old. I didn't want to keep my mom's computer for too long, either. I ended up measuring only 6 positions (max of 32), and, unforgivably, I didn't even figure out how to do the direct comparison of MultEQ on vs MultEQ off until after I gave her computer back. I think I'll definitely want to pick up a cheap XP laptop to do further experimentation.

It told me to input the sub distance in the receiver as 30.4 feet, but my Integra only goes up to 30.0 feet. It's a big distance, but I was willing to accept the inflated figure this time since there are now two DSPs to go through (AS-EQ1 plus DSPs in the subs themselves).

I've only listened to select scenes in movies so far, but from what I've heard, I would say that the overall sound is cleaner, less muddied, but I'm not sure there's any more impact. Of course, since I didn't do the direct comparison of MultEQ on/off, I can't say how much is placebo. I won't be able to provide much more detail until I have a more convenient way to play with this new toy. Does anyone have recommendations for a laptop that will fit my needs?

I also didn't save the before/after graph that the software created, which is yet another reason I'll have to do this all again as soon as I can. In the Before graph, the lower frequencies were as high as 10dB over the baseline, though, and of course the After graph was almost perfectly flat through most of the range. I'll let other people argue about the smoothing that's used to create the graphs, since I'm not informed enough on the subject. Assuming the graphs are to be believed, and it correlates with the differences I believe I've heard, then I'll say it's going to be worthwhile for me. I wasn't expecting a magical transformation, but rather another reasonable step toward more accurate sound.

There's no way around the fact that it's a lot of money for what it does. In a couple of years, I imagine this level of low-frequency EQ power will be in the receivers and processors themselves, which will be much more convenient. If I already had a laptop (and requisite OS), the process would have gone a lot better, but since I don't, I can't say a lot for this initial experience.

I like the software itself, and the unit seems to do what it's supposed to do, but there is a lot of room for improvement. Support for balanced I/O, native GUI, and a better faceplate (one of the embedded magnets came out already--I'd rather the faceplate just flipped up or slid over) would be nice, but ideally this whole functionality would be part of the receiver itself.

I'll have more to share later on, after I get a laptop or find a friend who has one to bring over.

Thanks for the feedback! BTW, the computer is not as much for the GUI as for the calculations themselves. The main problem of receiver-mutli-EQ is the challenge to get them to some very ccomplex calculations (especially time-related) with very small CPUs and limited resources.

That just means you have much more fun ahead of you (doing and re-doing!).

As for the PC, you may want to look at net computers. They are a lot cheaper and will do the job. I guess it depends on how it will get used once you are through with the AS-EQ1.

If the computer is required for the calculations, then the price of the unit is even less reasonable. The CPUs in most of the computers that will be used with the AS-EQ1 are a fraction of the cost of the unit. And even if it takes a few minutes for the AS-EQ1 to perform the calculations, who cares? It's not like it has to do it on the fly during normal operation. It just has to do it during the setup. To me, if they can't arrive at the appropriate level of processing power when the unit is in the $700-$800 price range, there's something wrong. Of course, there's very little competition in this space. We'll have to wait for other better implementations to come around before prices start dropping to more mainstream levels. Many receivers and pre/pros, on the other hand, have even more inflated prices, so it's inexcusable if they can't build the processing power into them. Pre/pros, especially, which don't have an amplifier section yet seem to cost more, should be able to meet the challenge. Here's hoping a company out there can polish this tech and integrate it into a pre/pro sooner rather than later.

I'm sure I sound bitter, but I'm really not. This is just the reality of the business at this point, but I do want the technology to improve at a faster rate simply because I like having more options. This product is still an improvement in usability over what's been out before it (apparently, as I haven't use the other options), but there's even more convenience to be achieved. I'll enjoy the benefits of this implementation, but I look forward to the next iterations.

I'll have to see about net computers. They'll really do the job? I was also thinking I could take the opportunity to cobble together some sort of HTPC, just to have done it. I don't really know at this point.

Thanks for the conversation so far.

You definitely can't do an HTPC with a nettop or netbook--maaaaybe if it's an Atom with nVidia's ION chipset, but certainly not an all Intel unit.

Oh, I wasn't talking about making an HTPC out of a netbook. Two separate thoughts there.

Well, good news. They finally updated the firmware/software for the AS-EQ1 (including support for Windows Vista 64-bit, which is what I was needing), so I'll be able to play with it more this weekend, and maybe I'll finally have some real thoughts on it.

Details on the update if anyone cares:

Just in time for your upgrade to Windows 7...

I didn't set aside enough time to really get in-depth with it over the weekend, but I did update the firmware and redo the setup with 13 positions instead of 8. I was also going to try repositioning the subs to see what effect that would have on the results, but I was already getting annoyed with having to run back and forth between the rooms to do the setup. I think I need to have a friend around to help me with it.

Anyway, here is the graph it created:

Lookin' mighty good, Charles.

Based on that after graph what do you need a friend to help with except to bring you a fork to stick in it cause it looks done to me.

Seething, seething hatred, Charles.

Oh, that's disgustingly flat, Charles. I gotta get rich and get me one of these.

13 positions! Man, sit down and enjoy! Stop pacing around the room!

I agree with Mark. His wisdom on this one is like I climbed a volcano and realized he is all knowing.

Murph,
Apprentice CV Seether

Spread the Hatred. That's all we can do in this life.... spread the Hatred.

on the toast of life!

You could always sell or trade your Rockets for one of those fancy EQing processors, Jack.

Thanks for the support, guys.

The reason I wanted to play more is because, from what I read before, besides the smoothing in the graph, the after graph is an average of the different listening positions, and there isn't actually one place where it's actually that flat. At some point, I'd like to get a calibrated microphone and use REW to see what it really looks like at the main listening position. Of course, this is a huge can of worms.

Excellent point. Can you store configs? If yes, then you might want to try it again with only 1 position (sweet spot) and see (and hear) what happens.

I think there's a minimum number of listening spots you have to measure to satisfy it, but of course I could probably just run the same one multiple times. It doesn't let me store different configurations, unfortunately.

I've been under a rock and not even heard of this product until your post Charles. Thank you. I am very interested in this but will have to wait until I have the funds, or the price comes down... better yet BOTH.

No problem. And yeah, it would be nice if it wasn't so expensive, and it would be even more convenient if it was part of the normal Audyssey processing. Having it as an external unit makes it quite a bit more tedious.

Lies, Damn Lies and Graphs.

So... are you happy with your ruler flat response? Do hear a difference that you would consider worth the cost?

SSSSHHH! Don't ask those questions!

I haven't had the chance to do a lot of back and forth between having it on versus off. The bass does seem nice and neutral, but yeah, I need to spend more time comparing.

Looks like people have already forgotten that we don't use "ruler flat" around on this forum. Instead, you should say:

But, Peter, doesn't that somehow nullify the "biga$$" effect sought in bass reproduction?

Yeah, I'd have a really nice flat subwoofer, but without any speakers my system might be a little bass heavy.

As a reminder, here's the old graph which shows what the two EP800s with the older amps were doing:



Today, I have the single EP800 with the new amp in it, and here's how it looks:



I'm not really sure why the output drops off so much sooner than before. The new amp is at the 150 Hz crossover setting just like the old amps were. What do you guys think?

I also wish the Audyssey processing didn't sacrifice the little extra bit out of output at the lowest frequencies. After calibration, the bass does sound very even and clean, and the thunder in Kung Fu Panda was very satisfying, but I'm still tempted to bump the sub trim up in the Integra.

I'm going to guess that the new amp isn't actually extending as high as it's supposed to. There's no crossover in effect except the subwoofer's own crossover setting when I'm running the AS-EQ1's setup. Can anyone else with a new amp confirm this? I still don't like the way the dial for the crossover setting moves. I'd like cleaner-feeling clicks when turning to different crossover points.

CV I don't know what you are trying to ask. I don't find the dial movement when changing crossovers is a problem. I can tell when it hits a certain point. What is your reason for having a clicking sound? I have no way to measure how high the frequency goes with my amps so I'm not able to help there.
Paint me confused which isn't hard

I'm not talking about needing a clicking sound, just having the feel of it cleaner. Right now, it's effort to turn the dial, and when you reach a point where it's a different setting, there's no feeling of snapping into that position, just that it kind of arrived there. I have no doubt it's fulfilling its purpose. I'm just being picky about the tactile aspect.