SVS Subs

bartimus

Ok, I am a die hard polk fan, but I love to try different things...I was originally sold on getting a Micro Pro 4000, but then happened upon SVS's website and I've gotta tell you, for the money, they look like REALLY nice subs and have great reviews. I am really interested in the new PB12 Plus in rosewood to match my RTI A9's cherry finish. Anyone have some real experience with these subs?

kuntasensei

I've been using a SVS 20-39CS+ for a few years now, and recently upgraded the woofer to the dB12.3. Couldn't be happier with it, and I would never go back to a Polk sub after hearing/feeling my SVS. You'll see a lot of hype for them (which, much like you'll see Emotiva treated on these forums, drives the haters nuts), and though they are by no means the second coming, they are an excellent value for the money and will handily trounce most consumer grade subwoofers. Plus, with their excellent return policy, you won't be out much money if you get one and don't like it. They also have some of the best customer support you'll ever deal with, in case you have any problems or setup issues.

Still, if you see someone who's so evangelical that it's hard to believe, take it with a giant grain of salt. That said, compared to the Klipsch in your sig, I think a SVS would put a big-**** grin on your face. I know mine had that effect on me.

pearsall001

SVS makes excellent subs...as do other companies.

MikeC78

I'd also check out HSU, they have veneered subs too. The ULS-15 comes to mind.

If you are not to worried about trying to match the finish, check out Epik or ED. Epik came out with a new interesting line here recently. The 18" sealed "dragon" is definetly an eye opener for me.

However, you can't go wrong with the SVS, they make great subs at a great price point.

shack

SVS makes some nice subs at nice prices. I've had the opportunity to hear several of them in different systems and have always liked what I heard. In the past Polk has not had the reputation for good subs. That has changed with the DSW microPRO line of subs. I was able to listen to the DSW microPRO 4000 sub (and its smaller siblings) at Polk HQ last fall. I would not hesitate to put it up against a comparable SVS offering and would put one in my rig in a heartbeat. It is a great sub IMO!

MikeC78

shack wrote: »

SVS makes some nice subs at nice prices. I've had the opportunity to hear several of them in different systems and have always liked what I heard. In the past Polk has not had the reputation for good subs. That has changed with the DSW microPRO line of subs. I was able to listen to the DSW microPRO 4000 sub (and its smaller siblings) at Polk HQ last fall. I would not hesitate to put it up against a comparable SVS offering and would put one in my rig in a heartbeat. It is a great sub IMO!

Shack,

What would you say the Polk would compare to in the SVS lineup? It's really hard to beat pure size for HT. I'd put it up against the SB12, which I'd believe the 4000 might out do(purely subjective), but the price is also twice as much.

The only issue with the Polk and the ID companies is the price differential. The microPRO is one pricey sub compared to the others. I've never heard the microPRO but I am sure it sounds good, and it better for the price tag that goes along with them.

shack

MikeC78 wrote: »

Shack,

What would you say the Polk would compare to in the SVS lineup? It's really hard to beat pure size for HT. I'd put it up against the SB12, which I'd believe the 4000 might out do(purely subjective), but the price is also twice as much.

The only issue with the Polk and the ID companies is the price differential. The microPRO is one pricey sub compared to the others. I've never heard the microPRO but I am sure it sounds good, and it better for the price tag that goes along with them.

I would think it would easitly be on par with (or better than) the PB12-Plus in terms of performance. Double the amp output. A 12" powered woofer plus a 12"x12" passive radiator and the ability or electronicly tune the sub for room optimizaton. It would be interesting to see how it compares to the Ultra (my guess is it would do well). There is also the advantage of size. I believe this particular design can acomplish what the SVS does in a smaller and lighter box. Bigger is not always better. SVS may have a price advantage but the Polk deserves consideration because it does lots of things right.

MKZ

I like my Velodyne SPL 8" over SVS SB12+. They are as tight as drums IMO.

Ron Temple

Has anyone run the numbers on the MicroPro 4000? I'd love to see some graphs.

I'd think comparing a small high powered PR sub to a large ported sub would be apples to oranges in capability, as well as, design goals. I have no doubt the new Polks are great subs within their limits, just as are the SVS subs, but each have different strengths and limitations.

shack

Ron Temple wrote:

Has anyone run the numbers on the MicroPro 4000? I'd love to see some graphs.

I'd think comparing a small high powered PR sub to a large ported sub would be apples to oranges in capability, as well as, design goals. I have no doubt the new Polks are great subs within their limits, just as are the SVS subs, but each have different strengths and limitations.

From what I heard...there is little difference it the capabilities of the big SVS vs the Polk. IMO either one will pressurize a room and get down to 20hz with no distortion. I think Polk has figured out how to get rid any sort of distortion at levels that are very impressive. No graphs...just my physical listening. Someone at Polk might be willing to provide that info because I know they are proud of the results.

speakergeek

PB13-Ultra=one awesome sub...period. One thing the larger subs have over the micros is low end extension which is a plus for HT.

shack

speakergeek wrote:

One thing the larger subs have over the micros is low end extension which is a plus for HT.

That is not a problem for the microPRO 4000. It has plenty of low end extention. While it is a "smaller" sub it is not mini/micro by any stretch of the imagination. It still weights 60 lbs and is a 17" x 17" cube.

speakergeek

shack wrote: »

That is not a problem for the microPRO 4000. It has plenty of low end extention. While it is a "smaller" sub it is not mini/micro by any stretch of the imagination. It still weights 60 lbs and is a 16" x 16" cube.

It's -3dB at 21 Hz. THe Ultra is - 3dB at 14 Hz in 15 Hz tune. The Ultra driver alone weighs 60 lbs...:)

leroyjr1

Ron Temple wrote: »

Has anyone run the numbers on the MicroPro 4000? I'd love to see some graphs.

I'd think comparing a small high powered PR sub to a large ported sub would be apples to oranges in capability, as well as, design goals. I have no doubt the new Polks are great subs within their limits, just as are the SVS subs, but each have different strengths and limitations.

I'd love to see some graphs on the 4000 also.

shack

speakergeek wrote:

It's -3dB at 21 Hz. THe Ultra is - 3dB at 14 Hz in 15 Hz tune. The Ultra driver alone weighs 60 lbs...:)

As I said earlier. I have heard a PB12 and believe the Polk is as good or better than that sub. I have never heard the 13 but I believe the Polk would hold its own in most cirucmstances. Have you heard the Polk?

And not everyone wants (or needs) a 130-150 lb sub.

speakergeek

But my point is that the micro pro is limited due to it's size and will never be able to go very deep as the large subs can. I don't doubt it's loud, but it's small size will limit how low it can go.

shack

-3dB at 21 Hz is pretty low and more than enough in most applications and it is not that small.

mantis

Personally I don't care for SVS subs. I have set up a few of them with less then my desired results. I have had customers return them and buy different subs.

Music ability I feel they are not quick enough. I can localize the sub where ever it is in the room. This is a failure in my book. If I can hear the sub then It's beat.

I like a sub that is gone in the room, you have no idea where the bass is coming from and it fools you to believe it's coming from the movie or music or even right out of the speakers themselves.

Dan

Ron Temple

mantis wrote: »

Personally I don't care for SVS subs. I have set up a few of them with less then my desired results. I have had customers return them and buy different subs.

Music ability I feel they are not quick enough. I can localize the sub where ever it is in the room. This is a failure in my book. If I can hear the sub then It's beat.

I like a sub that is gone in the room, you have no idea where the bass is coming from and it fools you to believe it's coming from the movie or music or even right out of the speakers themselves.

Dan

I'm not going to be an apologist for earlier revs of SVS subs, but the new Plus has been redesigned to offer a sealed-like overdamped sound with stellar output. The Ultra13 is arguably the best in it's class for features and sound quality. Compare them to smaller subs and you get into tradeoffs. If you're looking for a smaller footprint then you'll have to pay more and still not get the same linear FR. You still might prefer the smaller subs SQ, that's subjective, but you won't get the subsonic visceral response (arguably, something that not everyone wants or needs). I'm not talking about the superiority of one design or the other...they are different.

kuntasensei

I had to do careful integration and tweaking with my old 12.1 driver in my SVS, so I can understand what Mantis means. With the 12.3 driver, it's less of an issue and music is much tighter. But hey, to each his own.

donedroolin

VELODYNE!!!!!!!!!!, VELODYNE all the way. Check them out AWSOME subs.

pearsall001

donedroolin wrote: »

VELODYNE!!!!!!!!!!, VELODYNE all the way. Check them out AWSOME subs.

Now there's a man that knows what he's talking about. There's Velodyne...then there's Velodyne wanna be's!!

MikeC78

Then there are Velodyne fanboi's.:p Glad you guys are enjoying them, that's all that matters.

cnh

All those subs above are good subs, SVS, Velodyne, etc.

But the big news is that with the 4000 Polk has really caught up. I've heard this sub demoed and it's pretty much targeted at those guys above and guess what. It succeeds! Kudos to Polk on finally taking the sub by its woofers?

cnh

hockeyboy

Velodyne is great if you can afford it. You can buy 2 slamming SVS subs for the price of a single Velo.

speakergeek

For the price of the micro, there's much more to choose from than just SVS, although it's at the very top. Don't for get the HSU ULS-15...

comfortablycurt

hockeyboy wrote: »

Velodyne is great if you can afford it. You can buy 2 slamming SVS subs for the price of a single Velo.

That's why I'm leaning towards SVS. To get an equivalent sub from Velodyne, it would cost damn near twice as much money.

Some of the new Epik's are looking pretty damn nice too, and they won't completely drain your bank account.

thsmith

MY advice for anyone buying a sub to know your room cubic feet, purpose of having a sub and customer service/product track record of vendor.

I spent a lot time and money chasing the sub perfromance I wanted/needed. Spent a lot time EQing, room placement adding tricks like external EQing, test equipment, mid bass modules and mulitple subs.

I definately learned alot and once I found the right sub for me, set it up, EQed and have not touched it since and have not once wanted more that what I have now.

On a side note I like what Epik is now offering but the jury is still out. I wanted their conquest but lack of customer service drove me to something in the end I feel is better.

YMMV

speakergeek

thsmith wrote: »

I definately learned alot and once I found the right sub for me, set it up, EQed and have not touched it since and have not once wanted more that what I have now.

On a side note I like what Epik is now offering but the jury is still out. I wanted their conquest but lack of customer service drove me to something in the end I feel is better.

YMMV

Agreed! You made a very good sub choice!

Ron Temple

thsmith wrote: »

On a side note I like what Epik is now offering but the jury is still out. I wanted their conquest but lack of customer service drove me to something in the end I feel is better.

YMMV

You made a good choice and a safe decision based upon what could be guessed about the player's at that time. Epik's subs from all reports exceed expectation, but the company lacks the infrastructure to compete outside it's word of mouth sales channel. The new line looks very interesting and competitive. It's streamlined (interchangeable amps and drivers), less confusing and best yet, smaller (except for the Dynasty). It's going to be awhile before they can take on SVS head to head as a business model, but I do feel they are making a superior product (not necessarily better than, just very well built, outstanding performance and reliable) that's aimed at establishing their own niche. You just know going in that you won't get the same level of support, though Epik is trying hard to change that.

thsmith

At this point it would be good to see some evidence from owners. Only time will tell.