Looking to get a compact SVS sub, any advice would be appreciated!

[Uncleeegz]

Many thanks to this community that has such a wealth of knowledge and shares it so generously! Long time lurker, first time poster here, so please be gentle.

Merlin on SVS website appears to recommend PB1000 or SB1000 for my Kanto Yumi bookshelf speakers, I originally considered both but then realized that PB1000 is too big (dimension-wise), so I had to rule it out and look at SB1000 and SB2000 instead.

My intended use for the sub is to augment the Yumi speakers in my computer system and I will mainly use it for gaming, some movies from Netflix and such (not Bluray, so no LFE channel) and some music (mp3's via iTunes and Spotify). I've been using a Klipsch ProMedia 4.1 system for my computer audio for probably 14 years or so, but recently the Klipsch sub blew the foam on one of the drivers (damn that Oblivion bass-heavy soundtrack!), so after I repair it I may exile the Klipsch to my office at work. I wasn't a huge fan of the Klipsch ProMedia actually, it sounds harsh, fatiguing and strained to me in the mid frequencies at higher power settings, so they gotta go. Besides, it's so much fun diving head down into research and tapping into the collective wisdom of like-minded audiophiles

I live in a condo so I don't need earth-shattering power, but I want to be able to clearly hear and to some extent feel the bass without having the turn up the sub's power way up. The sub would be placed in my computer room/den which is really tiny (about 2 meters by 3 meters). I am not certain, however, that SB1000's relatively quicker low roll-off (compared to SB2000) is ideal here. I also think that SB2000 is supposed to reach way lower than SB1000 and sound more impactful while doing so. Even though I don't want to test the structural integrity of my condo, I want to be able to clearly hear and feel the lows without having to turn up output settings.

There's another consideration - I may eventually upgrade my TV viewing experience to a proper Home Theatre and move the sub to my living room (approximately 7 by 4 meters, listening position on the couch is about 3 meters away from where the home theater is, and the back wall is right behind the couch). The speakers in the living room are some old but great PSB monitors which are probably at least 50W each, unfortunately I don't have the exact model/power info. They are driven by a very old Sony AVR, but the sub would need to be connected at speaker level since the receiver doesn't have a dedicated subwoofer out. Having read how some reviewers found SB1000 lacking power in Home Theatre setup in rooms that size and thinking that it's better to have lower frequency extension as well as more power should I need it - I began looking at SB2000 (PB2000 is just too big). If moved to the Home Theatre setup, the sub would be used primarily for TV and streaming movies and very rarely for music.

I realize that there's one sub that would be perfect for all these uses, so I am trying to get the next best thing - something that would work reasonably well in both applications, with both sets of speakers. I could of course, just get a SB1000 for the computer den now and and a SB2000 for the living room later but if that can be avoided by using one sub I'd much rather do that.

So I have to choose between the two SB subs because of their smaller physical design. I am ready to pull the trigger from the Canadian SVS dealer just need to figure out what I should get. Should I still be OK with SB1000? I would be happy to save a few hundred (who wouldn't) but would be just as happy to pay more for the SB2000 if that is a better, more universal and future-proof solution for me. Or should I get the SB1000 for the computer den now and an SB2000 for home theater later? I even looked at PB13 but that clearly is too big and would probably not be a great match for my relatively puny Kanto Yumi computer speakers.

Any thoughts/advice will be greatly appreciated!

 

[XEagleDriver]

Uncleeegz,
Welcome to the forum.
Having three subs in my home (SVS PB10 NSD, Polk PW110, and a old Realistic passive) I am probably biased, but believe once you get accustomed to having proper bass you will not want to go back. "It is all about the Bass, the Bass, the Bass no treble"
Therefore, I would recommend selecting the option you outlined as " . . . get a SB1000 for the computer den now and and a SB2000 for the living room later . . .". Of course, when the time comes you may want even a more capable sub for your TV room.

Cheers,
XEagleDriver

 

[j_garcia]

One SB1000 now and add a second one and move the pair to the main room later OR, SB1000 now and SB2000 later as you and XEagle said.

 

[Uncleeegz]

Thanks for the welcome and the reply, guys.

Is there no benefit whatsoever in getting an SB2000 over an SB1000? It's just a couple hundred more and essentially the same footprint, and it looks to be much better specs-wise. Should have a lower reach and quite a bit more headroom. I do occasionally watch movies and game on the computer, will the better sub-30Hz response and a larger driver not make any perceivable difference compared to SB1000? I am really trying to talk myself out of going with the higher model but since the cost is really not all that different while the benefits, at least on paper look attractive, I am having a hard time making myself change my mind

Please tell me if I am missing anything here.

 

[j_garcia]

Sorry, if you are going to ask that, then just get the 2000. Because YES, the funds are always better spent on more sub rather than less. You cannot have too much sub. If funds were the reason, then SB1000.

 

[Uncleeegz]

Pulled the trigger on SB2000, hopefully it'll arrive before Christmas so I have a few days at home to play with settings and placement. Many thanks for your insights, gentlemen.

 

[Uncleeegz]

SB2000 arrived and I finally got some time to hook it up with the Kanto Yumi speakers. I am a little puzzled though - if I connect the sub to the sub-out of the Yumi's, for some reason I have to crank up the power output on SB2000 almost all the way to the max to be able to hear it, but it's actually kinda muddy and boomy, almost like the signal Yumi's feed to the sub is recessed and coloured. Playing with cut-off frequency and phase settings doesn't really help much. In terms of placement I am very limited by and the sub pretty much just has to sit right under my computer desk, in the centre relative to the two Yumi's audio axis.

Now, when I run the signal from the computer's sound card directly to SB2000, let the sub handle cut-off (set at 80Hz as per SVS recommendation), and connect the speakers to the sub output via RCA cable, the bass is definitely powerful and not boomy, I can keep it under 40% or so and it's plenty. This is definitely the better sounding solution by far.

The problem, however, is that in "Yumi's first" configuration the sub, while not giving great sounding bass, can be controlled by the Yumi's volume control, keeping the sound balance between the mains and the sub at relative balance. In the "sub first" configuration, the SB2000 sounds as I imagined it, but the sub's output level remains constant and the volume adjustment has to be performed via controlling the output of the speaker out on the computer's sound card. I do have dedicated volume control buttons on my keyboard, so it sorta works, but I am just not sure I like the fact that I can not use Yumi's remote to control volume. The other drawback - Yumi's ability to connect via bluetooth becomes a moot point since in the "sub first" configuration the sub would be bypassed (being up stream from the bluetooth connection).

Another annoying fact discovered - I can't quickly just turn down the volume and switch to my headphones if needed. Turning down the volume knob on the Yumi's will do nothing to control the sub's output and turning down the computer's sound card output volume will also mute the headphones since I am running both the headphones and the cable to the sub off a Y-splitter plugged into the sound card's speaker out port. I know I can get a 3.5mm switch box but for now I just have to position the Y-splitter where I can easily reach it and literally unplug the 3.5mm cable supplying the signal to the sub.

All these are in no way SB2000's fault, I suppose I should have thought about how everything will work but I was so used to my Klipsch ProMedia being controlled (sub and sats) from one single pod attached to one of the satellites. Well, I have the 40-something days left to decide if an awesome bass is worth the relatively minor inconveniences and adjustments I'll have to face.

Performance-wise I have to say I am very impressed (in the sub first configuration), I quickly fired up a few music tracks and several sci-fi movies, the experience is almost revelatory as to how much more life-like presence and dimensionality a good subwoofer adds to the sound. Look forward to getting a few days off during the Christmas break to experiment some more.

 

[KEW]

Glad you are enjoying the sound, but it is a shame that the logistics of using it with your Yumi's is problematic.

It is not very elegant, but perhaps one of these would help:
http://www.parts-express.com/axxess-aalc-2-ch-remote-level-controller--266-008?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pla


Edit: Parts Express is billing this primarily as a way to control the sub level in a car, but that is just one use. It is simply a stereo volume control and should work fine between your PC and the sub to control volume for the system.

 

[Uncleeegz]

Kew, thank you for the suggestion. This would be a perfect affordable solution had I not just discovered then when I use my computer to lower the volume output while the Yumi's remain turned up to a medium volume, there's a perceptible buzzing noise, so I think I need to rethink the whole strategy of driving the sub/speakers combo directly from the computer's sound card and controlling the sound volume through Windows.

I've done some more digging around and with the help of Jack from SVS (they are a super-helpful bunch, you guys were not kidding!) I found out about DAC's that can convert digital to analogue which seems to be a better way of listening to computer audio. Jack recommends NuForce uDAC-3 which seems to get great reviews mostly. It should provide a much cleaner audio signal with a controllable output volume, and also can mute the speakers when headphones are plugged into the jack on the front panel. All in all a nice solution, but being a compulsive perfectionist I can't help but wonder if there's a DAC that can not only do all that but also eliminate the need to plug/unplug headphones and instead just offer either separate controls for the sound volume for speakers and headphones or perhaps a type of output switcher to select whichever one I want the signal fed to?

 

[Uncleeegz]

I should probably mention that the sound card I am using is an old Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Music. I thought these were supposed to be fairly ok for sound output? So maybe it's not really the card that's causing the buzzing but some sort of a internal design flaw with the Yumi speakers? The Klipsch ProMedia never had that problem, at any volume level. It looks like some Kanto Yumi owners describe a buzzing noise and while I can't be certain that's exactly the problem I am having, I suspect that switching output to a higher quality DAC may not eliminate the buzzing (but still make the logistics of controlling volume and muting speakers when using headphones easier). Oh man, this was supposed to be an easy solution

What do you guys think, should I still look into getting a DAC and if yes, is Nuforce uDAC-3 my best option?