SVS PB2-Plus In The House

Dr. Spec

Well, this sucker finally landed yesterday. Shipping only took 20 hours door to door - amazing.

I tipped the freight guy $20 and a 12 pack of beer and he wheeled it throught the back yard and right into my HT room. Since it weighed 145 pounds crated, and I'm recovering my back surgery, the tip was WELL worth it.

The packing materials were fabulous, very thick and protective of the sub. I think it could tip right over in a truck accident and not hurt anything.

Well, the sub is just HUGE, but the overall dimensions are such that once into place it looks rather svelte in my HT room. I had a just perfect spot for it, though.

There is nothing subtle about the way this sub looks, feels, or performs. With twin dB-12 Plus drivers, three 4" wide flared ports, and 900 watts continuous BASH amp power, this thing flat out rocks.

It is so powerful in the stock tune with all ports open, the ship explosion in SW-AOTC "return to Corusant" knocked a small deer skull mount right off the wall in the BACK of the HT room. It landed on a CS-245i, but no damage to either, luckily.

In stock tune with all ports open and the SS filter set to 25 Hz, it lacks the ultra deep extension of the 20-39PC+. Leaving all ports open and dropping the SS filter to 20 Hz worked really well because it took advantage of room gain down low. I would say in this configuration, I had decent extension to 22 Hz at least.

In the true 20 Hz tune with a port plugged, it sounded identical to my 20-39PC+ in terms of deep extension, except still quite a bit more powerful.

You want numbers? In my 2000 ft3 HT room, try 117 dB on the Corusant ship explosion at 11 feet from the sub. Factoring in the C-Weighted scale, that's about 121 dB unweighted true SPL. It literally moves your clothing and hair if you push it hard enough. This sub is really amazing.

It passed the "ring drop" and "the cold" scene from The Haunting with flying colors. The 22 Hz 3 second note from "the cold" was so strong it shook the protective screen on the HDTV and blurred the image, and also pressurized the entire room and rattled everything within 30 feet of the sub. I was fearing for the structural integrity of the house, and I ALMOST lost a precious f/x 1000 on that scene; it moved about 3 inches off the edge of the shelf before I noticed it.

In a moderate sized room, this sub has almost unlimited headroom, and clean, deep, accurate, and undistorted output. It's so powerful, it's downright scary. And it's a downright screaming deal for $1,250 shipped.

Doc

hank1105

Doc,

Congrats, that Sub is huge. I thought my SVS PB1 was big. I was also very happy with the packing materials used for the shipment. Once in place, it seems just to fade into the whole HT system.

Last night I was watching the scene from Star Wars II with all of the Jedi's towards the end. That whole scene has some heavy bass, but sounded unreal. More on that in my reply to my previous post.

Hank

Dr. Spec

Originally posted by hank1105
Doc,

Congrats, that Sub is huge. I thought my SVS PB1 was big. I was also very happy with the packing materials used for the shipment. Once in place, it seems just to fade into the whole HT system.

Last night I was watching the scene from Star Wars II with all of the Jedi's towards the end. That whole scene has some heavy bass, but sounded unreal. More on that in my reply to my previous post.

Hank

Glad you are loving the PB1-ISD, Hank. It's a great sub and it's very gratifying to me you took the advice and went for the better sub. Frankly the PB2-Plus is being a bit underutilized in my HT room, but I couldn't resist. :cool:

Looking forward to your other reply.

Doc

tryrrthg

Nice Doc! Very cool sub! Wish I could buy one myself!

Back surgery? what did you have? I had a HUGE piece of my herniated disc removed last November. Worthless back and I'm only 25... I'm falling apart. You may kiss you back goodbye all together with that new monster you got there!

Congrats on the new sub!

hank1105

Doc,

I found my SVS being under utilized for my room also. My wife and I should be moving within 2 years, thus a larger room. I appreciate all the advise I received on the SVS recommendation.

Hank

HBombToo

Great job Doc! again you are the MAN.

BTW, I have been really flexing my new subs and all is well. I am not following the 85 dB convention at this time. Instead at volumes at or around 70-75 dB SPL I'll go ahead and crank up the sub volume to 90-95 dB and seems very enjoyable to me. I also have the output of the subsonic filter metered and never exceed +3 dBu. At this level I have never seen the Sampson Clip.

Also something snapped in my little noodle regrading turn on of the Sampson amp. Before I blew my subs I remember when flipping the Sampson switch on the subs would pop... not to load but they popped never the less. Now, I don't hear that at all.

Things that make us go Hmmmmmmm...

Thanks and Congrats again. BTW how is that back of your coming along?

HBomb

izafar

Doc,

Congrats on nailing this beast.

Frankly the PB2-Plus is being a bit underutilized in my HT room, but I couldn't resist.

I have 3000 cu feet room, that can do justice with this sub. Do you wanna trade with my PB1?;)

Dr. Spec

Originally posted by tryrrthg
Back surgery? what did you have?

This is my second back sugery. You think you have a useless back?

I had a 3 level spinal fusion from S1 to L3 with 14 titanium parts worth $18,000, the complete removal of two discs, and six bone grafts. I have no mobility in my lower back at all. At least my pain is gone; that was the whole goal.

Henry:

You have a very large room (7,000 ft3), even for twin Plus cylinders. In addition, you have a large null at around 56 Hz that throws off your calibration. These two things conspire against you. I say at this point, whatever sounds good to your ear and doesn't fry the VC's is where you need to be.

izafar:

I'm sure your PB1-ISD still beats strong even in a 3000 ft3 room. Yes, the PB2+ could stretch its legs a little in that room. In my 2000 ft3 room, it's loafing even at 113-115 dB peaks. I love it.

Doc

tryrrthg

This is my second back sugery. You think you have a useless back? I had a 3 level spinal fusion from S1 to L3 with 14 titanium parts worth $18,000, the complete removal of two discs, and six bone grafts. I have no mobility in my lower back at all. At least my pain is gone; that was the whole goal.

WOW! That doesn't sound like fun! My herniated disc pretty much KILLED my lifestyle. I still can't do most of the things I love to do (running, basketball, and just plain being active). It pinched a nerve off and caused my leg to go numb. I also lost about all of the strength in my lower leg, I couldn't do single toe raise. 7 months after surgery and my leg is still numb and about 30-40% of the strength has returned to my leg. so I'm hoping I continue to see improvement...

Good luck with the back! I'm sure you'll be watching PLENTY of movies during recovery! especially with the new toy!

I'll be looking forward to reading your review!

Grimster74

Hey Doc, I've been waiting for someone to purchase that sub to see how it performs. That the one that was recommended to me by the gentlemen at SVS. From what you just said I'm hoping to be upgrading my Dual PSW450's before the end of summer. Can't wait. Know all I have to do is convince the wife. I'll purchase then I'll tell her, seems to be easier that way.

Dr. Spec

Originally posted by Grimster74
Hey Doc, I've been waiting for someone to purchase that sub to see how it performs. That the one that was recommended to me by the gentlemen at SVS. From what you just said I'm hoping to be upgrading my Dual PSW450's before the end of summer. Can't wait. Know all I have to do is convince the wife. I'll purchase then I'll tell her, seems to be easier that way.

I remember that conversation we had about the dual 450's vs. the PB2-Plus. It won't even be a fair fight. Mike Tyson vs. Pee Wee Herman.

I'll be posting a full blown review over at HTF and I will post a link on Club Polk to avoid duplicity.

Doc

Grimster74

Looking forward to hear what you have to say.

Tour2ma

Sounds like you're going to need about a dozen rolls of truck tape and a box or two of blu-tac there Doc.

At least three strong 's in your mini-review. I can't wait for the full one. Give HTF the theatrical review if you must, but give us the music review... Deal?

Dr. Spec

Originally posted by Tour2ma
Sounds like you're going to need about a dozen rolls of truck tape and a box or two of blu-tac there Doc.

At least three strong 's in your mini-review. I can't wait for the full one. Give HTF the theatrical review if you must, but give us the music review... Deal?

My full blown review will have both HT and music. Including one of your favs: “Toccata & Fugue in d minor” (Organ Works of J.S. Bach, Titanic Records).

Doc

Tour2ma

Don't tell me you found a little bass there afterall...

BTW, welcome to the nite shift...

weavercr

DR. Spec

which one is Pee Wee Herman? the SVS or the dual 450's ?



I have dual 350's in my HT.

faster100

Originally posted by weavercr
DR. Spec

which one is Pee Wee Herman? the SVS or the dual 450's ?



I have dual 350's in my HT.

have you seen the svs pb2?? Ah he's reffereing to the polks as pee wee herman

Grimster74

He's referring to the Dual PSW450's. See, just imagine this. You take 2 450's and set them side by side. Then you take 2 more 450's (total of 4 450's) and stack them on top of the other 2 450's. That's close to what size this SVS sub is. Then you add another 600 watts to it. That's just to give you an idea of how large the SVS sub is. I can't wait to get my SVS sub. I'm just waiting for Doc's full review then I'm ordering one of those bad boys.

Dr. Spec

Originally posted by Tour2ma
Don't tell me you found a little bass there afterall...

BTW, welcome to the nite shift...

Couldn't sleep......and yes, all I had to do was lower the SS filter to 16 Hz and bingo, I found the 18 Hz segment in the first minute. Great stuff. Not too loud, but most definitely there!

Dr. Spec

Originally posted by Grimster74
I can't wait to get my SVS sub. I'm just waiting for Doc's full review then I'm ordering one of those bad boys.

I'm going for broke on DVD playback for the review just to show what this thing is capable of.

I just hit 118 dB 11 feet from the sub on the Pod Race at Reference Level in the stock tune with all three ports open. This thing is amazing; it flat out rips.

I ran 6 FR sweeps today and it's flat to 21-22 Hz in the stock tune, and in lower tunes it can stay flat to 15, 13, or even 11 Hz depending on how much max output you want to sacrifice.

Very clean, powerful and hard hitting. It makes your jaw drop on certain scenes.

For normal playback, I'll be running one port plugged and the SS filter set to 16 hz. This provides a nice peak at 17-20 Hz and very strong extension to 13 Hz. At anything less than max volume, this non-conventional tune configuration should be safe on the drivers. If I push it too hard, I could bottom the woofs, though.

Doc

polkatese

Dr. Spec,
Congrats on your new baby! questions for you:

1. What's your thoughts on mixing two different brand of sub in any given room?

2. Let's say, if I have a rather large living room, 40' x 18', and want to enhance my action movie experience, would you recommend adding another sub on the other side of the room?

3. From cost benefit perspective, would you go with PB-1 or PB-2, or it is more of individual preference? I like my sub to hit as low as it can be, and detailed on music, as to being able to hear the nuance of bass strings (hope it makes sense)

Thanks.

Dr. Spec

Originally posted by polkatese
Dr. Spec,
Congrats on your new baby! questions for you:

1. What's your thoughts on mixing two different brand of sub in any given room?

2. Let's say, if I have a rather large living room, 40' x 18', and want to enhance my action movie experience, would you recommend adding another sub on the other side of the room?

3. From cost benefit perspective, would you go with PB-1 or PB-2, or it is more of individual preference? I like my sub to hit as low as it can be, and detailed on music, as to being able to hear the nuance of bass strings (hope it makes sense)

Thanks.

1) Mixing subs that have different FR's and performance characteristics can be tricky. It can result in a bizzare overall frequeny response and one might bottom out before the other even comes close to its excursion limits, etc. It CAN be done, but it takes work, and SPL meter, an FR sweep disc, and possibly a feedback destroyer or a parametric EQ.

2) That is a HUGE living room. If you want to really fill that room with big bass, it will take some money. Adding a second sub anywhere but next to the first one can also take experimentation with placement to avoid creating nulls. Go here for more info on multiple sub placement:

http://www.harman.com/wp/index.jsp?articleId=1003
http://www.harman.com/wp/pdf/Loudspeakers&RoomsPt3.pdf

3) The PB1 and the PB2 are in different leagues cost and performance wise. The PB2 is really designed to fill large rooms and/or play at Dolby reference level. It can play about 10 dB louder than the PB1. It has about 300% more port area, power, and driver volume displacement. In your size room, I'd go PB2+ all the way.

Nuance, detail, bass strings - all no problem. Musicality is excellent.

Doc

Tour2ma

polka,

Interesting question... but 40 x 18 ain't a room, it's a Hall... Bet we are not talking 8' ceiling here either.

Raised this additional thought here..
Doc,
Would there ever be a reason to double filter a second sub at 30 Hz or so, so that it only kicked in on the very low stuff?

polkatese

Doc,
thanks so much for the info, it is very helpful, especially with the info on the potential pitfalls.

Tour,
I just took measurement of the room, it was a guestimate initially, it's actually 36' x 14', and regular living room height, about 8'. It's my living room plus breakfast/dining nook. The REL sounds great if I am sitting in the sweet spot/couch, but has less impact when I am sitting in the dining area, and the thought of getting another one from SVS wet my pants . Hence, the question..

Tour2ma

While sitting in another room...

Can the REL work with another sub like it does with your mains?

polkatese

I suppose I won't know that for sure 'till I have both in the house. On the REL web, they have some write up on having a pair of identical sub, and they encourage those for better coverage and all (obviously...)

wallstreet

Don't you drop the 1000's. They might get an attitude. Nice looking sub. I think that sub looks much better than the cylinders. I need a sub in a bad way!:mad:

Dr. Spec

Originally posted by Tour2ma
Doc,
Would there ever be a reason to double filter a second sub at 30 Hz or so, so that it only kicked in on the very low stuff?

In this case I would say no. He needs air moving capability in the 25-40 Hz region.

In your case, yes, it would be more appropriate. You might want to low pass a pair of 16-46's ahead of the SRS' or something like that. You set all speaks to small except the mains, set the mains to large, the sub to no, and then run the speaker wires to the subs and low pass them at say 40 Hz and then back to the SRS'.

Doc

Dr. Spec

Originally posted by wallstreet
Don't you drop the 1000's. They might get an attitude. Nice looking sub. I think that sub looks much better than the cylinders. I need a sub in a bad way!:mad:

I know....I was mortified when I saw it inching off the shelf.

I'll miss the cylinder, but many people like the box look more. This is no small sub though. My pics don't really show the depth of it - it's almost 3 feet deep. Once in place though, it really isn't overwhelming at all. It has quite modern design cues.

Doc

Tour2ma

Doc,
A blu-tac BB's under the 1000's feet on the shelf will hold it in place.

As for my 2nd sub question earlier, just to be sure we are on the same page, what I was thinking was:
- pass 80 Hz and under to the two subs
- use LFE into one
- use speaker input into #2 with filter somewhere in the 30 to 40 range.

If you calibrate the subs one at a time, I think you'd end up with a nice little boost below sub 2's filter point for HT **** and giggles, but be pretty smooth on sub 1 only for music.

Just thought it might be a solution for double subs that don't dig really deep.

Dr. Spec

Originally posted by Tour2ma
Doc,
A blu-tac BB's under the 1000's feet on the shelf will hold it in place.

As for my 2nd sub question earlier, just to be sure we are on the same page, what I was thinking was:
- pass 80 Hz and under to the two subs
- use LFE into one
- use speaker input into #2 with filter somewhere in the 30 to 40 range.

If you calibrate the subs one at a time, I think you'd end up with a nice little boost below sub 2's filter point for HT **** and giggles, but be pretty smooth on sub 1 only for music.

Just thought it might be a solution for double subs that don't dig really deep.

Thanks for the blu-tac suggestion.

Your method could work, but the only way to tell is to try it and run a sweep and see what it looks like.