[Review] SVS PC Ultra review (subwoofer)

Discussion in 'Hi-Fi and General Audio' started by Daneel, Aug 28, 2004.

  1. Daneel

    Daneel Katie Homles' sex slave

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    SVS PC Ultra review (subwoofer)

    The SVS PC Ultra is the top powered cylinder subwoofer from SVS, an Internet only company who have been around for about 5 years now. The driver used in this sub is impressive and gets a good write up here.

    The sub weights in at 31 kg and isn't too difficult to move around the place, unlike some of SVS's box alternatives. The finish is a fabric that seems hardwearing enough. I don't think it looks the part in a high end setup, one of the veneer finished boxed would be far more suitable, but it's certainly not bad and looks ok in my room.

    This sub is overkill for my 22' x 11' x 8' room but I didn't want to go for a plus model simply because I knew I'd always wonder what I was missing. My prior experience of subs in my current room is limited to a Velodyne CHT-10 and a custom sub. Both are around 1/3 if the price of the Ultra. In other rooms however, I have heard a dual Paradigm servo-15 setup and a B&W 750 as well as numerous other midrange subs.

    As I quickly found out room acoustics play a huge part in the positioning and integration of a sub with the rest of the system. My room has a big peak between 45 and 54 Hz along with another from 23 Hz downward. There is also a dip from 25 to 34 Hz. I used the single band parametric equaliser on the Ultra to tame the 45 to 54 Hz peak but despite trying the sub in different locations I was unable to rectify the other two areas.

    One of the reasons I hesitated for so long before buying one of these was the worry that it would be too much for music. I'm highly critical and know exactly what I like. I'm far more forgiving in movie performance.

    I was disappointed with my previous two subs; they didn't go low enough and it was always easy to tell when bass was coming from the sub rather than the mains. The Ultra left me in no doubt of its extension immediately. Using AVIA showed strong output down to 20 Hz. The sub can be tuned down to 16 Hz or 12 Hz at the expense of maximum output but I have not yet examined these options. Details can be found on the website.

    What was even more surprising was how well it integrated with the mains. My previous upgrade from stand mounts to floor standing JM Lab Electra 926 speakers was partly to improve bass response for music that a sub had not managed to do. The extra weight has a significant effect on music. It underpins the sound and avoids any possibility of single tone bass that I have often heard from lesser “subsâ€Â. Obviously adding a sub like this to a pair of bookshelves will have more of an effect than when adding one to floor standers but the effect is still clear.

    The sub would benefit from equalisation from a device such as the Berhinger Feedback Destroyer however even without it the bass from the Ultra is tight and well defined. It can be surprisingly subtle for something so large and clumsy looking.

    For movies it came as no surprise that the Ultra does an excellent job. When something explodes you damn well know about it, and so do your neighbours if you have the volume at a decent level! The usual demo DVDs including Kill Bill, Titan A.E., The Haunting, The Matrix, X-men 2, Jurassic Park trilogy, LOTR and Star Wars all sounded far more involving than before.

    Something I have found to be an indicator of a high quality sub when watching a movie is when you can feel the detail in the bass through your feet. I know it sounds like a strange way to describe it but I've only felt it twice before, once with the B&W 750 and once with the dual servo-15s in a tiny room. I've heard other boom boxes make loud noises but they never had the detail or they simply didn't go low enough.

    I don't have the equipment to measure THD figures or produce nice graphs of output. All I can say is that my ears tell me distortion is low and output is high.

    In summary, the Ultra is an excellent buy if you want strong performance in both films and music. I feel sorry for people buying cheap subs and thinking they are getting low bass. It's generally mid-bass with high distortion levels when tuned up and sounds poor with music. I'm not convinced that SVS quite lives up to the hype that surrounds them, there are other subs that do a very good job. Here in the UK however, all but the servo-15 and other imports (Hsu and AV123) are significantly more expensive for anything close to this level of performance.

    Now I just need to save up enough money for a PB2 Ultra. I have no need for the extra power but it would look so much better with my JM Lab speakers :)
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 28, 2004
    Daneel, Aug 28, 2004
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  2. Daneel

    MO! MOnkey`ead!

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    Hi Daneel.

    Your first post and a glowing review, so I'm obviously going to ask if you've anything to do with the product? There's a few members here who are commercialy involved with products, and the general vibe is to make any connections clear. Hope this doesn't seem like accusation, just pointing this out incase you are linked.

    I'm considering adding a sub, or perhaps a complete speaker change at some point. Doesn't seem to be anyway of demoing these though. Did you buy blind on reviews or did you manage to audition first?

    My room's about half the size of yours! So a smaller (but still future - bigger room - proof) option might be better.

    Welcome to the forum :)
     
    MO!, Aug 28, 2004
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  3. Daneel

    Daneel Katie Homles' sex slave

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    Hi MO!

    It did occur to me that it might come across that way but I have nothing to do with SVS. I have a not so glowing review of the Meridian 557 I've just completed that I could post if that would help :) When I'm looking into a product I love nothing more than to read in-depth reviews by users. I always have the feeling that magazine reviews will have bias attached. Unfortunately not many people take the time to do such things. Typically you'll get, yeah buy one it's great! I also enjoy the process of writing such things.

    The other reason I posted the review here is that I expect people to challenge what I have said in that adding a sub to floorstanders improves music performance. I enjoy a good argument, and it would be best settled by inviting the person over to see for themselves. Most of my friends think I'm crazy for spending so much money on audio and it's always nice to meet like-minded new friends. :)

    You could also just have a look on AV Forums (where I first heard of SVS), AVS Forums (weird thing here I'm Dan as that was free and Daneel was taken!), PFM, Arstechnica forums and The Home Theatre Forums where I have the same user name and varying post counts.

    Assuming I hang around here, I think you will find I am very objective when it comes to reviewing kit. There have been several times I've bought items that didn't perform as I hoped and my experience was described accordingly. There is little more annoying to me than people who rave about something just because they have bought it, or are so stubborn as to refuse to consider that other products may be just as good if not better. The bit towards the end of the review about hype will have little meaning here but on US based forums SVS have their fair share of vocal fanboys who don't do them any favours with consumers who have a clue.

    PFM and here seem to have a different slant to them, being more hi-fi than home cinema oriented. I'm stuck in the middle really. I love my films but am far more critical of music listening than movies. I don't have the money or space for two setups and so I'm trying to fulfil both desires in one system. I'm sure to take some stick here for using an AV receiver and Hitachi OFC cables from Argos with such capable speakers, but I pick my components based on what my ears tell me rather than the accepted norm.

    I wasn't able to demo the sub, as they have no dealers. I thought long and hard about it, having read many reviews. I felt safe though as a number of AV Forums members have bought them and been very impressed. I thought that if it didn't mean expectations I could easily sell it on.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 28, 2004
    Daneel, Aug 28, 2004
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  4. Daneel

    Lawrie

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    Hi Daneel,

    Wecome to the forum.:D I don't think you will take stick especially with the Hitachi OFC speaker cables. IIRC, the designer of Living Voice loudspeakers (Kevin ?) recommends (or did recommend) the use of Hitachi OFC speakers cables with his speakers rather than fancy cables. This recommendation was made, by the man himself during a telephone conversation a while back, when as I was contemplating buying a pair of his speakers but as they are not sold here in Lawrieville, I gave up on that idea. So it seems that you are in good company.:D



    Enjoy the music,

    Lawrie.:D
     
    Lawrie, Aug 30, 2004
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  5. Daneel

    Rory satisfied

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    Hitachi did do some rather good speaker wire a few years back, not dissimilar to some Chord Company stuff iirc. It did retail for £7/m though, so probably not the same stuff as a available from Argos....
     
    Rory, Oct 2, 2004
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