Thanks for such a great review and especially for putting the Monolith and the SVS in context with one another.
I am a little curious what he SVS app brings to the table. Does it offer any attempt at AutoEQ to compensate for room modes or does it require that the owner use his own means (most often, REW) to evaluate the proper parameters to set for the 3 PEQ's?
With SVS's presence in the market through retailers like BestBuy, I would expect they would attempt to provide a simple method of eliminated the most egregious problems to result in better sound quality/customer satisfaction.
The cynic in me considers that, by providing the means to correct any likely issue, SVS is compromising a user's ability to complain about the response if they do not take the time to get measurements to properly use the PEQ.
Maybe I am unique in this, but I feel like there are a fair number of pretty great subs available, if you are willing to spend a bit. What seems most important to me is to establish how the sub can be adjusted to integrate it into the room acoustics. If the buyer has REW/miniDSP, it is a moot point, and the new app for Audyssey that allows you to pick the frequency range to target only room effects is a pretty good option.
However, for the person trying to add a sub to a traditional stereo system, I feel it is the adjustments of the sub that makes a bigger difference than the outright performance (among capable subs like SVS, HSU, PSA, Rythmik, Monolith, and Outlaw). Although I have never heard one, I am a fan of the simple adjustments that HSU offers through port-plugs, EQ switches, and Q setting! Same goes for Outlaw and Rythmik for their "tunability".
SVS's 3 band PEQ is a powerful tool for control, but really needs measurements at the LP for proper adjustment. At least that is my current hallucination.
Thoughts? Am I just plain wrong on this?
Part of my concern is - what level of competence/technical enthusiasm should a user have before he attempts to add a sub and to what degree should he be willing to disrupt his current system (if it does not include something like Audyssey with app, Dirac, etc).
It is not uncommon for Old-school Stereo guys to swear off subs as an abomination against quality sound, my theory is that it is the lack of understanding of how to eliminate room effects that makes for their bad experiences. That was certainly my experience with my first "real" subs.
Thanks!