Opinions on Subwoofer to Match LSI9's

mwaarna

I have ordered a pair of LSI9's for my first home theather.

I am looking at which sub to get.

SVS PB12-Ultra (90)
SVS PC-Ultra ( no rating )
HSU VTF-3 HO (92)

Looking at Craigsubs ranking system:
5a. $899 Hsu VTF-3 HO w/o Turbo: 92 points
6. $1199 SVS PB12-Ultra: 90 points.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...0&page=1&pp=30

The Looks of the SVS subs are much nicer IMO in comparison to the HSU Subs. The cylinder is more space saving, but i do not know how it would perform in comparison to the boxed subs.

What do the Polkies suggest i get with my LSI9s?

mwaarna

i forgot to list my habits..

50% HT
25% Video games
25% Music

So i would prefer HT sub over a musical sub.

Thanks for the opinion.

RuSsMaN

I can't vote, I don't see any Polk subs in the list.

Cheers,
Russ

Ron Temple

You'd be very happy with either...If it were me, I'd wait for the new Ultra. Pricier, but it will be best in class and made in the USA.

mwaarna

Ron Temple wrote:

You'd be very happy with either...If it were me, I'd wait for the new Ultra. Pricier, but it will be best in class and made in the USA.

I am debating that fact now...

Was just looking at their news section..


13.5" woofer in comparison to the old 12.3" Woofer
525watt BASH amp vs 950watt Bash Amp <- Huge Leap.
tuning down to 16hz compared to down to 10hz
New Ultra can be sealed and vented vs vented only...

But what is the price difference supposed to be?

25% increase in price? and ETA as well??

sickicw

anonymouse wrote:

I would consider going with a sealed sub for musicality, none of which the above are.

I will second that. I sold my SVS because it sounded like crap and I could never get it to blend in. Then i bought a sealed Velodyne, and it sounded great no matter where i placed it in the room.

sickicw

mwaarna wrote:

New Ultra can be sealed and vented vs vented only...

Dont tell me you are going to "seal" it by stuffing the vents with foam plugs? That is hardly a sealed subwoofer.

mwaarna

The new SVS Ultra will can be either Vented or Sealed....

Maybe that sub will be much more musical.

No i wont be stuffing the vents...

look at the news release for the SVS SUbs

http://www.svsound.com/CES2007/SVS_PB_PCUltra13SubsSheet.pdf

Kelley_Moore

sickicw wrote:

I will second that. I sold my SVS because it sounded like crap and I could never get it to blend in. Then i bought a sealed Velodyne, and it sounded great no matter where I placed it in the room.

I think this is the first thread containing negative feedback towards an SVS product that I have seen. I'm not saying it's bad or you are wrong, I have just never seen one before.

Anyway, you got the sub you wanted and that's all that is important.

wingnut4772

I have an SVS PB12 Ultra/2 (as well as a PB12 Plus/2) and I can tell you that it is a very good sub for HT. I also find it to be very nice with music however I will agree that a sealed sub may be better for music depending upon the sub. If you are 50% HT though the PB12 Ultra is fine.

Sherardp

best bang for the buck PB12 plus 2, but thats not an option, lots of headroom with that sub.

sickicw

wingnut4772 wrote:

I have an SVS PB12 Ultra/2 (as well as a PB12 Plus/2) and I can tell you that it is a very good sub for HT. I also find it to be very nice with music however I will agree that a sealed sub may be better for music depending upon the sub. If you are 50% HT though the PB12 Ultra is fine.

My SVS was a major step up from what I had for home theater, however I could always tell where the bass sound was comming from. There was lots of it, but it just didnt blend in as well and was not as tight as my velodyne.

jm1

I listen to two channel music at least 95% of the time. I purchased two PC-Ultras when they were first released and use them in a stereo configuration. An active crossover is used between the pre-amp and power amp to supply the PCUs.

During the course of ownership of the PCUs, I have significantly upgraded the two channel system. In no way have I felt the PCUs were not adequate for the task. They provide very accurate and controlled bass that extends to about 12-13Hz (16Hz tune) in my acoustically treated audio room. I have also taken considerable time optimizing the entire system's performance characteristics.

I have not heard the other series of drivers from SVS so I can not comment on their performance related to the Ultra drivers. Nor have I heard the box version of the sub, so again I can not comment.

HT is also fantastic with the subs.


According the SVS news page, the new Ultra drivers will be powered by a 750 watt amp. They still have not updated the text in the linked brochure to the new Ultra series, so who knows what the actual amp will be.


PS. Forgot to mention I used the PCUs with the 9's for quite some time with great results.

Ron Temple

They are shooting for the $1500 price point with the PCU, but that will creep up with the premium box finishes. I think the release will be late Mar. The cylinder will come first and I believe it will be the 16-46 footprint due to the additional port volume requirement.

sickicw wrote:

My SVS was a major step up from what I had for home theater, however I could always tell where the bass sound was comming from. There was lots of it, but it just didnt blend in as well and was not as tight as my velodyne.

I did a fairly long comparison between the SVS 20-39+ and the Velo DD15. The Velo did blend better with my mains after lots of tweeking with the EQ. I got fairly flat FR from 15-100hz. It was a very musical sub and I had a hard time giving it back. But (big but), to my ears, the SVS was very close without EQ for music and exceeded the Velos performance for HT significantly. The price difference was also significant. Velo makes great subs, they are a client of mine. Had I purchased the Velo first, I wouldn't have switched and someday I may get an opportunity to own both. So I can see your preference...but I still think the new PCU13 will be a monster performer and a far better deal.:)

sickicw

True, the 15" velo is much more expensive, but to me it was worth it. Also, it fits perfectly in my entertainment center.

Also I would like to note, that jm1 already knows, if you treat your room with acoustic material it will greatly affect your bass response. I would say that a SVS with some bass traps around it (i would look into realtraps.com) would be the best bang for you buck. The bass traps are good at eleminating most of the boomyness caused by ported speakers especially if you place the sub close to a wall.

TennesseeOutlaw

It must be me, but I seem to like "boominess." Must just be my musical preference..

Monster Jam

Kelley_Moore wrote:

I think this is the first thread containing negative feedback towards an SVS product that I have seen. I'm not saying it's bad or you are wrong, I have just never seen one before.

Anyway, you got the sub you wanted and that's all that is important.

I'll second that observation. Most people are willing to wait in a line to die for SVS and HSU. Just an observation.

I run Velodyne SPL1200 Series II. Its my only experience with a sub, so I'm not really qualified to make comparative statements. That said, I voted SVS

mwaarna

I emailed SVS directly asking for advice on this matter, and they suggested i go with a PB-12 Plus/2.

They said that the plus2 will go deeper than any single ultra driver by itself, and has the expandability if i move into a bigger place.

I do not understand the differences between the Ultra and plus series, except they have different woofers(ultra obviously being better).

******The Ultra does indeed have a better woofer, but for your budget, application, and room size, the PB12-Plus/2 is a better choice. The Plus/2 will outperform any of the single driver Ultra products, and it will be a future-proof purchase in the event your new house has an even larger room.***********

PSOVLSK

There are many others here with more knowledge and more experience than me, but I have a PB12 Plus/2 with the 12.2 drivers and I can't imagine ever needing more. I have LSi 7's in front. I think you'll be very happy with this sub.

wingnut4772

sickicw wrote:

My SVS was a major step up from what I had for home theater, however I could always tell where the bass sound was comming from. There was lots of it, but it just didnt blend in as well and was not as tight as my velodyne.

I could always localize my SVS as well ...until I added the 2nd one.

mwaarna

I am still debating on which one to get.

SVS recommended i get the Plus2, i am looking at the bstock's to save money and it would come in regular black.

I dont think i would ever blast it to its full potential...

My hesitation is that i have the Samsung HLS 6187 tv which is pianoblack, and i have an AV rack which is piano black as well.

So the Ultra in Piano Black btstock 1099 is very tempting.
The Bstcok for the PB12 Plus/2 is 1149 so the price is essentially the same.

Looks + better SQ(minor) or More Bass with Dual Drivers?

Lsi9

I own what is perhaps the most highly regarded and still sought after HSU Research Sub the 1220TN. It uses a 250 watt outboard amp and goes down to 18/16 hz (forgot). For music I have yet to hear a better sub (doesn't mean there are none out there) I also have not heard more than 1 SVS. Judging a sub with movies is HARD IMO because of compression, filtering and so on.
I simply cannot and have not ever strained this sub. A few weeks ago Me and a friend were lisintening to Mickey Hart's Planet Drum cd track # 6/7.
It has some of the lowest cleanest bass that hits every 4 secs in the song, sounds like a huge japanese bass drum (i.e.KOTO) we didnt hear the drum, we felt it, point being it is a serious sub.
You cant go wrong with HSU Research, as good as SVS may be, I would stick with HSU if I needed a new sub.

edit: my sub blended very smoothly with LSi9's

mwaarna

Lsi9..

Your thoughts on HSU, i was serisously considering going with them..

I emailed both SVS and HSU.

I heard back from SVS immediately, and they have been very responsive to my emails.

I wrote a very simple email asking when they expected the VTF-3 HO to be back in stock, with no reply and its been 4 days.

ALso i prefer the look of svs subs to HSU subs.

Lsi9

Hsu is a small operation, I guess they should get their asses in gear (try calling them). But I would like to also state that Velodyne should be another contender for you, dont rush your decision and Have Fun at the same time

I use my sub as a pedestal for the one and only bronze sculpture I have made, it is probably almost as tall as I am (tall cylinder) so I am not sure if I would like the small cylinder look.

Axiom as a highly regarded sub for the price look into that also, my friend doesn't own Axiom speakers but he got the sub from them and it sounds fantastic.

mwaarna

PB-12 Ultra in Piano Black Ordered 1200 shipped :-) now a week of anticipation.

:-)

Lsi9

Congrats! welcome to the world of Low BAss

phipiper10

As you say Hsu is small but when I emailed them about 1 year ago Dr. Hsu himself (or so the email signature said) responded in 24 hours with recommended sub and room placement. I do believe he personally responded to inquires on a regular basis.

I was very impressed. Maybe they are getting bigger or there are just so many other factors when you run a small company that could have reduced their ability to respond immediately. I think they had prided themselves on service so no response seems a surpise to me.

Enjoy your purchase! ((((DDDEEEEEPPPP BAASSSS ROOOOCCCCKKKKSS!!!!))))))

jm1

mwaarna wrote:

PB-12 Ultra in Piano Black Ordered 1200 shipped :-) now a week of anticipation.

:-)

I don't think you will be dissappointed with the sonic characteristics of the Ultra driver. Have fun.

Lsi9

When I called HSU for the first time I talked to Dr. Hsu as well. He asked me what my equipment and room dimensions were, he seemed genuinely interested. I wanted to order the top of the line TN1220, he actually tried to discourage me and suggested the cheaper and smaller model!!
When I told him that I was eventually moving into a larger space he agreed.
Calling them direct wouldve probably yeilded better results

mwaarna

Minor update. I debated all of last weekend on if i did the right decision on gettting the single Ultra vs the Dual Plus model. I chose looks over performance. On monday I changed my order from the Ultra Piano black to the Plus/2.

I went with the recommendation from Ed at SVS.

One of the main things that got me thinking was.. i have dual 10" Alpine subs in my car, with 500watts, and i've cracnked that in my car. My car volume is about a 1/10th of my living room, so i went for more power.

ANd as far as SQ goes, going from nothing in the home to a SVS Plus series, will be a big step for me. I dont think i could have noticed a difference from the ultra to the plus.. Maybe later on in my sickness i can upgrade to the PB13 Ultra series..

Will post unpacking pictures once the stuff starts to roll in.

mwaarna

Starting to Post Pictures in the System Showcase

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=65244