SVS auto off?

kelley

I got my 20-39PC+ today and in the process of messing around with everything I noticed the green light on the amp does not go out when the switch is in auto with all of the rest of my gear off. I've been sitting here for about 10 minutes watching. Am I wrong or shouldn't this be shutting down?

Dr. Spec

Mine goes off within 15 minutes, if memory serves. If it stays on for 30 minutes, something's wrong. It should turn red when in standby.

What are your initial impressions of the 20-39PC+?

Doc

kelley

Doc, it did go to red somewhere along that timeframe. I got tired of watching it and when I remembered to look it was red! I'm impressed for music, I'm still running pro-logic so the movie part hasn't jumped out at me too much. I haven't calibrated anything yet and I don't know if I'm going to waste my time until I get 5.1 in here. I had parked my Denon 1802 due to the fact that it doesn't have any preouts for the rear channels and it's not quite up to the job of music like the current pre/pro I'm using now. I'd like to get a B&K Ref 30 but need to save a little. I'll mess around with the SVS over the next few days and get aqainted. Mitch

Dr. Spec

Most excellent. The nice thing about the SVS is the flat FR, low THD, and ultra deep extension.

For music, if the sub is low passed at 80 Hz (at the highest) with a 24 dB/octave low pass filter rate, you will be unable to localize it, and after proper level calibration (usually 4-5 dB lower for music than for HT), it should blend seamlessly with the mains and give really no indication it is running at all, except for the occasional eyebrow raising reach in the sub 30 Hz nether regions where your mains probably roll-off steeply.

Even for music, I run all my speaks on small and let the sub handle anything below 80 Hz. Of course, the high pass filter rate is 12 dB/octave for the mains, and they still contribute significant bass well below 80 Hz and this allows stereo bass to remain locked to the mains as needed and maintains a solid soundstage with no wandering of bass instruments.

In fact, it's fun to calibrate everything and then reach back and actually shut off the sub and see just how much bass still comes out of the mains even when they are high passed. It's quite a bit.

For really critical music at less than ear shattering levels, I will concede to a 60 Hz high pass as being theoretically better than an 80 Hz and this would probably be my choice if I had a dedicated music only system. I have the ability to toggle between 80 and 60 on the fly, and frankly I can't tell them apart.

I think some people can localize subs because they produce audible levels of harmonic distortion, and these harmonics being multiples of the actual signal frequency, are easily audible and localized. I have experienced no such characteristics with the SVS, but I was able to localize my twin PSW350s when I owned them. It's amazing how the SVS at once just disappears and also adds width, depth and foundation to the soundstage.

Doc

HBombToo

Originally posted by Dr. Spec
It's amazing how the SVS at once just disappears and also adds width, depth and foundation to the soundstage.

Doc

This is my experience but could not properly find the words that our Doc most eloquently stated.

My rebuild is on tonight!

HBomb

Dr. Spec

Originally posted by HBombToo


This is my experience but could not properly find the words that our Doc most eloquently stated.

My rebuild is on tonight!

HBomb

Do me one favor - lay off the hooch until the screwdriver is put away. You don't want to change out $300 woofers with six beers in you.

HBombToo

Originally posted by Dr. Spec


Do me one favor - lay off the hooch until the screwdriver is put away. You don't want to change out $300 woofers with six beers in you.

Russman already warned me so with the two of ya I promise to be good!

HBomb;)

kelley

I ditched the pro-logic tonight and hooked up the 5.1. Shazaam! I only switched out the preamp with the receiver and started listening to the same old movie (ID4). I could tell right from the start this was going to be a whole different ballgame. The first low notes actually startled me. I don't know if it was the 5.1 format or that I just never got the preamp set up right (which I'm sure I did). Anyway, the neighbors are probably not happy tonight. I did lose some of my soundstage and clarity getting away from the older, better built processor in the music. I'll survive until I can invest in a little more quality. I have SDA-SRS's and use 4 mono amps to drive them. Instead of using the interface for common ground I run a cable between the negative posts on the unused speaker output of the amps. Normally I use a length of unterminated Monster Cable because lamp cord does not work for some reason, which I attribute to resistance although they should be close. Since it's unterminated I have to screw the posts down onto the wire and it's not the most secure connection. Anyway, twice in the 10 years I've owned the speakers the wire has come off of the post which results in what I can only describe as a rifle shot going off in your room. It will put you on the verge of a heart attack. The speakers always survive and I'm thankful for that. Once I felt the bass from the SVS I immediately became paranoid about the cable shaking off so I made a run out to Radio Shack and bought some banana connectors. One semi-humorous happening tonight. I still haven't calibrated with a meter or disk, but I did use the test tones from my receiver. When I got to the sub test tone it sounded and felt like an earthquake was shaking the house. I couldn't resist maxing out the sub output on the receiver while I had the SVS set to half. I did it for about 8 seconds and by the time I got it turned down my other half comes flying into the room. She always likes to listen to her music with as much bass as the knobs will supply and all she said was "please don't do that again" and walked out. She later came in and admitted the SVS is bad to the bone. Didn't even have anything negative to say about the big round thing back in the corner. So all is well up in Maine. Two thumbs up for SVS!

Dr. Spec

Ah...another satisfied owner. Actually ID4 is on the boring side for bass - not mastered hot enough.

JPIII-DTS, LOTR-FOTR, Titan AE-DTS, U-571-DTS, Monster, Inc., SWI-PM, SWII-ATOC are some real eye openers for both power and extension.

The PC+ does have limits, but it sounds so clean you won't have any idea you are nearing them. So be careful on the continuous test tones (they heat up the VC very quickly), and make sure to calibrate with an SPL meter and run the sub about 3-4 dB hot for HT and flat for music.

If you have questions on calibration or tuning, let me know. And yes, the SVS IS and entirely new ball game and listening to DVDs will be a first time experience again. There is an entire dimension in the sound below 30 Hz that many have not heard properly reproduced - it is really stunning at times.

Doc

Tour2ma

Kelley,

Starting to feel like I am shilling here, but http://www.cinemasource.com/index2.html does B&K between 25% and 30% below MSRP and are factory authorized to boot.

Check them out for your ref 30 and tell Tom I said hello.