SVS 20-39 PC+ Forthcoming

kberg · August 2003

Hey Gang,

I had an earlier post about getting a 20-39 PCi, but all that has now changed for the better, kinda sorta.....

I just "spoke" to my wife again about getting my new "speaker" and that it would be about $800. The response? In an extremely bummed out tone, a "Do whatever you want" was uttered. At that moment I thought about bringing up the possibility of getting a B4-Plus instead, if that was her attitude, but I think I was better off not mentioning it. BUT, I figured that if I'm going to go through so much pain trying to snag a 20-39 PCi, I'm going to make it worth my while and go for the Plus instead.

Anyway, Doc convinced me to spend the extra cash on the Plus, and I expect to be ordering it within the next few weeks. The best part may be that the pain will eventually disappear, and I'll be much happier in the long run.

I did make a promise NOT to make any more HT upgrades, with the only exception being a plasma TV upgrade from my 32" Toshiba (but only when prices drop MUCH lower - we're talking a number of years here, folks!). So after this purchase, I need to stop spending and start enjoying.

Airplay355 · August 2003

one nice setup....next on the chopping block would be....the receiver? or are we not thinking about that now?

kberg · August 2003

Originally posted by Airplay355
one nice setup....next on the chopping block would be....the receiver? or are we not thinking about that now?

You nailed it! (if I had my way, but after the plasma TV). But I purchased the Onkyo not too long after it came on the market, and I am VERY pleased with it. I consider it one of my best buys for $425. As I have said in other posts, the ONLY thing I don't like about it (and didn't consider when I bought it), is the lack of pre-outs.

Tour2ma · August 2003

Originally posted by kberg
... a "Do whatever you want" was uttered. At that moment I thought about bringing up the possibility of getting a B4-Plus instead, if that was her attitude, but I think I was better off not mentioning it.

Here's a little tip... You should have started with the B4+ and backed off to the PC+.

faster100 · August 2003

just a thought, if she's iffy about the $800.00 and i can understand, i'm married.. LOL well then the B4 + would be out of this world, what is that 4 $G's.. that's alot of money and alot of sub.. do you have a super huge room??

kberg · August 2003

Originally posted by faster100
just a thought, if she's iffy about the $800.00 and i can understand, i'm married.. LOL well then the B4 + would be out of this world, what is that 4 $G's.. that's alot of money and alot of sub.. do you have a super huge room??

Nah, only 20x14 room with a 8-9' ceiling over a slab (thank god). I was only kidding about the B4 +. I couldn't even "start there" and back off to the 20-39 PC+, but I get the strategy (a good one, Tour!). The whole deal would have been kaploooied if I really mentioned a B4 + to the wife. This symbol pretty much shows her reaction to me buying any kind of sub - > :eek:

faster100 · August 2003

LOL I hear ya!! Thanks Goodness my wife is all into the audio thing, she wanted the Pb1 over the cylinder// and helped choose the color..

kberg · August 2003

Originally posted by faster100
LOL I hear ya!! Thanks Goodness my wife is all into the audio thing, she wanted the Pb1 over the cylinder// and helped choose the color..

LUCKY...LUCKY...LUCKY

Dr. Spec · August 2003

Big room, concrete floor - Plus territory all the way. You are making an excellent choice.

kberg · August 2003

Thanks, Doc. After it arrives, of course I'll be hailing you for suggestions on any tweaks after initial setup. One thing I can think of right now (and perhaps this is premature), but would you think in a room of that size on a carpeted slab I would end up leaving all ports open, or plug one?

Dr. Spec · August 2003

Originally posted by kberg
in a room of that size on a carpeted slab I would end up leaving all ports open, or plug one?

All open.

I never saw the merit in plugging a port on the 20-39 enclosure. It trolls subsonic to 17 Hz in the stock tune. Furthermore, plugging a port always kills that nice fat room gain hump at 22 Hz that the 20-39 enclosure is famous for. With all ports open, the 20-39 PC+ will astound you with its output capability in the 20-25 Hz region.

Sure, you'll get deeper extension with a port plugged (and truth be told a flatter and technically more accurate curve), but at the expense of considerably reduced output capability above the tune point and reduced slam for HT. The 22 Hz peak will never negatively affect music, and it will greatly enhance the ultra low end for HT. Why would anyone knowingly give away upwards of 5-6 dB of output in the 22 Hz region when the name of the game for HT is headroom, headroom, headroom.

The amount of time a DVD spends at 15-20 Hz can be measured in seconds. The trade-off is simply not worth it.

If you want to troll in the 15 hz and above region with all ports open, get the 16-46.

kberg · August 2003

Originally posted by Dr. Spec

The amount of time a DVD spends at 15-20 Hz can be measured in seconds. The trade-off is simply not worth it.

Thanks - the above says enough for me.

Originally posted by Dr. Spec
If you want to troll in the 15 hz and above region with all ports open, get the 16-46.

Nah, I'm going to stick with your first recommendation of getting the 20-39. It just doesn't seem like I should need to sacrifice the output for HT by getting the 16-46, unless I was heavily into pipe organ music.

Btw, I've seen a lot of posts listing a number of movies that have killer bass when piped through an SVS, but I don't recall ever seeing Top Gun mentioned - is this one decent or just so-so?

VR3 · August 2003

I'd put a B4 in my room anyday...Ibeit.....its only 11x11 in here. But man oh man.....I wouldnt think twice if I had the bones to burry.

Dr. Spec · August 2003

Kev:

If you plot frequency vs. woofer excursion for a vented enclosure, you will note there is a frequency above the tune point where the woofer is working the hardest (i.e., the most excursion) to sustain a flat output.

Below that frequency, the resonator (port) starts to take the load off the woofer and cone excursion actually drops considerably at the tune point.

Below the tune point, woofer excursion picks up again and quickly rises dramatically, eventually causing it to bottom out due to the lack of restoring force in the vented enclosure below the tune point.

So the deeper a vented enclosure is tuned, the deeper the woofer alone has to play, and the larger the excursion becomes before the resonator takes over. That is why the 16-46 cannot play as loud as the 25-31. The 16-46 woofer has to play much deeper (with much more associated cone excursion) than the 25-31 woofer before the resonator takes over.

I haven't memorized the tune sheets for the 16-46, but I would imagine maximum woofer excursion in that enclosure is probably reached at around 20 Hz. In the 25-31, it is probably more like 30 Hz - huge difference. That is why the 25-31 can pound so hard.

Ironically, the maximum volume of the enclosure is limited by how loud it can play at the frequency point of maximum woofer excursion, not by how loud it can play at the tune point, which always has much less excursion.

kberg · August 2003

Always an education, Doc. Thanks.

Airplay355 · August 2003

lets make an svs forum on the polk website, since so much svs talk goes on in here...lol

SVS 20-39 PC+ Forthcoming

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