Is there a doctor in the house? (Dr.Spec that is)

stevew14

Hey Doc,

I am about ready to jump into an SVS, and am trying to decide on the model. My company just laid me off after twenty four years and is giving me a big sub as part of my severance package!

My room is 15 by 33 feet and there is a 5 foot wide fireplace that divides the space into two areas. It is centered along the 15 foot dimension. The listening/viewing area is 15 by 20 with a 12 foot high cathedral ceiling. There is an adjacent opening into an entry way that is 6 x 8 x8 ft.centered on the 20 ft dimension. The other area behind the fireplace is 15 x13x8 and there is an opening there that goes into a kitchen/ breakfast nook.

I called and talked with Erik at SVS and he said the pb2 plus would be the best option for a room that size, but either the 20-39 pc plus or the pb2 isd would also probably do (just not as well). I like the idea of two drivers and the size of the box really doesn't bother me, so I am leaning toward the pb2. I was just wondering what your thoughts were on staying with the isd rather than spending the extra 300 for the plus.

Right now I am using a DefTech prosub 200 and the polk 202. I have the rti12s with 500wpc driving them. Music is good even without the subs sometimes, though the subs do go that extra little bit. Movies sound good as well, but I really want that extra depth that I know I am not getting with my current subs. You know what I'm talking about!

I've read many of the previous posts about the different models, and I think I have a pretty good idea of how it all works, but I want to get the powerful and DEEP stuff for the least money possible. So, based on the description above and for my room, can you comment on the ISD vs the plus?

Comments from all others are, of course welcome as well. Thanks for any opinions.

Steve

Dr. Spec

Very sorry to hear of your lay-off after 24 years. Wow.......what a way to go. I truly hope you find gainful employment and in the interim can survive and have a nest egg for the inevitable rainy days.

In that size room, PB2-Plus all the way. You will probably be driving it pretty hard and you will need all of the port area the Plus brings to the table. I would definitely run it in the 25 Hz tune (3 ports open SS/EQ filter set to 25 Hz). It is damn near bulletproof in that configuration.

The PB2-ISD and the PB2-Plus will sound virtually identical up to the clean limits of the ISD. Then the Plus will pull away with another 2-3 dB more clean maximum output. It could make all the difference in a room that large.

You won't see much room gain in that size room, so I imagine you will have a flat in-room response to about 23 Hz and then it will start to ramp down dramatically due to the SS filter kicking in to protect the drivers.

You won't have extraordinarily deep response in the stock tune, but it will definitely be adequate for about 98-99% of the DVDs and music out there.

For the rare DVD or music with true subsonic content, you can always tune the PB2+ to 20 Hz (2 ports open and the SS/EQ switch to 20 Hz) and get a flat in-room response to about 17 Hz and still retain decent port area.

FWIW, I run my PB2+ in the stock tune nearly all the time, and don't give it a second thought. In my room, it digs to nearly 21 Hz in the stock tune and has almost unlimited headroom. It is truly an impressive piece. Considering what you have now, switching to the PB2+ will almost be unfair - almost.

Here is a screen shot from my test rig. This is the actual in-room response of the PB2+ in all three tunes.

Doc

HBombToo

Originally posted by stevew14
My company just laid me off after twenty four years and is giving me a big sub as part of my severance package!

Sorry to hear about this Steve. 24 years of dedication to a company and they lay you off I just can't understand!

What is it that you do? I hope the industry your in can afford you a position.

Good luck Bud!

Henry

ken brydson

Must be that time of year. I was also laid off on 11/4 but only after 4 years. It still hurts, especially after being one of the co's top reps all 4 years and having NO warning. It sucks! And I didn't get a "big sub" included in my severence. Soak 'em for a REALLY big one. B4 comes to mind.
Good luck. I'm there with ya!

stevew14

Doc,

Thanks for the advice. I thought you were going to say that. I probably shouldn't be spending the money right now, but I lack the self control to prevent it. I am getting almost a year's salary as a severance plus seven days unused vacation pay. I figure the vacation pay will just about cover the sub and I look at it like this: I deserve a treat after the shock and despair caused me by my former employer. Boy can I rationalize or what!

Henry,

Thanks for your kind words. I certainly am not alone in this situation. There are many more that share my fate. It does kind of piss me off that after hanging in there for so long, they can just toss me out, seemingly without a care. I am trained in digital prepress and I think I'll be alright as I am in a city that has a lot of printing companies to utilize my skills. I have interviewed at a few already, and am now waiting to get past the holiday slump. I will probably take a good hit on salary however, as twenty four years at the same company apparently elevated me to a higher salary than the "real world" will accomodate. My severance should allow me to pay off a substantial amount of debt as well, so the lower salary might not be a big issue. The five weeks vacation loss on the other hand, will. I am thankful for all that I do have, and fully realize that it could be much worse!

Ken,

Sorry to hear you got axed too, I hope you make out alright. Thanks for your concern and hang in there.