SVS Advice

[Jburns]

Hello- I'm new to the forum. Can anyone offer insight on SVS products? I don't know very much about them and am trying to figure out if they are worth the money.

Thanks!
Jessica

 

[darien87]

Hello Jessica,

The search function is your friend. Go to the subwoofer section and search for SVS. You'll probably get WAY more info than you wanted. I personally don't own any SVS products, but I have read nothing but good press about them on this site.

 

[Seth=L]

You can contact SVS through their website. If you give them the parameters of the room the sub will be used in and other information such as room shape, they should be able to recommend a sub that will fit you needs.

HSU is another consideration. I have owned and used HSU products, they are good IMO.

 

[Jburns]

I'm actually working on a project about the company and I can't contact them directly. I unfortunately do not understand anything about subwoofers, so I figured I would turn to you guys. My main goal is to figure out how SVS compares to other brands, quality and pricewise.

Any thoughts?

 

[Seth=L]

Internet direct brands typically offer the best performance (build quality and sound) when it comes to speakers and subwoofers. All the same you should give some dimensions to find an appropriate sub for the room. Is this a gift or for personal use?

 

[Jburns]

How do you know that internet brands offer better quality, especially since you can't test them out first and listen to their sound?

 

[j_garcia]

This question gets asked a lot and the simple answer is: without a doubt they are a good company with great products. You will have a tough time finding dissatisfied customers from them, and really many of the internet direct companies also.

You CAN test it out and return it, with basically all of the internet direct companies. Some even offer no cost for this situation, on smaller items.

 

[Warpdrv]

Well I own a PB12-Plus/2 and I bought this sight unseen, and l can tell you I hve never owned a sub or knew anyone that has owned a sub anywhere near the build quality nor the sound quality as my SVS product.

My friends come over, even ones that are true audiofiles, that they themselves were astonished with the sound and then they study the build... Trust me when I tell you, My sub is hands down the best sub any of my friends have seen or heard.
In fact they have no clue that its there, as it looks like such a fine piece of furniture, it just blends right in.
Once they feel it, they start looking around. Check my pics.

Now with that said, there are a number of other quality ID subs out there, but I liked the finish quality of the SVS.

Good luck with your choice...

 

[darien87]

I'm actually working on a project about the company and I can't contact them directly. I unfortunately do not understand anything about subwoofers, so I figured I would turn to you guys. My main goal is to figure out how SVS compares to other brands, quality and pricewise.

Any thoughts?

Is this a project for a marketing class or something?

 

[no. 5]

How do you know that internet brands offer better quality, especially since you can't test them out first and listen to their sound?

The thing is, internet direct brands often can provide better build quality, and performance when compared to non-internet brands in a simpler price bracket.

The reasons for that (IMO) is from economic/engineering standpoint, the less people you have to pay in connection with your product (i.e. distributors), the more money can be spent on R&D, design and construction.

And from a marketing standpoint, since the customer can't go down to Best Buy and audition a ID product, the ID company must rely on word of mouth, and a product that has to be good enough that the customer won't want to send it back after the 30 day period is up.

but as for how SVS compares to other brands, quality and pricewise; for quality, do you mean reliability? fit and finish? sound quality?
For price, a person can buy subwoofers that coast much more then anything SVS has, but subs that coast a good deal less can be found too, but SVS is one of the few subwoofer manufactures that makes products that can reach infrasonic frequencies for less than $1,000.

 

[mtrycrafts]

How do you know that internet brands offer better quality, especially since you can't test them out first and listen to their sound?

Some have a veryt liberal return policy so you can try it at home and see if it meets your needs.

SVS has very good products, at least audio vise. One can search for reviews of this product and see how well it performs. It is at least equal in workmanship to other products from user feed-backs.
Hard to beat the price and its audio performance capability.

 

[mazersteven]

How do you know that internet brands offer better quality, especially since you can't test them out first and listen to their sound?

But you can audition other speakers and subs at stores local to you. Once you find the sound characteristics you like in a speaker. You can purchase INTERNET only speakers based on the professional reviews in audio web-sites or magazines. And from recommendations from forum members giving their reviews. If you don't like the sound quality or anything else about the speakers. You can ship them back.

 

[Jburns]

Is this a project for a marketing class or something?

Yes, I am getting my MBA and my prof assigned us this company to work on. In my research I came across the different forums, so I figured I would jump in and hopefully get a good understanding about what the company is about.

Lame excuse, but I am a chick and I don't know anything about or understand speakers and electronics. The most hi-tech thing I have is XM in my Honda...so this has been a challenge!!

 

[Jburns]

But you can audition other speakers and subs at stores local to you. Once you find the sound characteristics you like in a speaker. You can purchase INTERNET only speakers based on the professional reviews in audio web-sites or magazines. And from recommendations from forum members giving their reviews. If you don't like the sound quality or anything else about the speakers. You can ship them back.

So basically there is no more of a risk in purchasing internet only products as opposed to something from a bricks and mortar shop? Have you come across any incentives to lead people to purchase online as opposed to in the store?

I might not be grasping this because I would personally prefer to go somewhere I know I will get my money back immediately if I am dissatisfied.

 

[Jburns]

The thing is, internet direct brands often can provide better build quality, and performance when compared to non-internet brands in a simpler price bracket.

The reasons for that (IMO) is from economic/engineering standpoint, the less people you have to pay in connection with your product (i.e. distributors), the more money can be spent on R&D, design and construction.

And from a marketing standpoint, since the customer can't go down to Best Buy and audition a ID product, the ID company must rely on word of mouth, and a product that has to be good enough that the customer won't want to send it back after the 30 day period is up.

but as for how SVS compares to other brands, quality and pricewise; for quality, do you mean reliability? fit and finish? sound quality?
For price, a person can buy subwoofers that coast much more then anything SVS has, but subs that coast a good deal less can be found too, but SVS is one of the few subwoofer manufactures that makes products that can reach infrasonic frequencies for less than $1,000.

Thanks! That was extremely helpful. So with SVS, you really get more bang for your buck is basically what I'm trying to figure out. Do members of the forum go by opinions of other members in regards to purchasing products, or is there also a "consumer reports" of online speakers so you know how they rank?

 

[stratman]

So basically there is no more of a risk in purchasing internet only products as opposed to something from a bricks and mortar shop? Have you come across any incentives to lead people to purchase online as opposed to in the store?

As long as you deal with a reputable internet company (SVS) there's no risk as compared to a B&M store. My incentive to buy online is two fold: availability (some products are not available at local store and are special order, while online they're a click away). Second, prices online are significantly less than a B&M store.

I might not be grasping this because I would personally prefer to go somewhere I know I will get my money back immediately if I am dissatisfied.

With a reputable company (online) this is not an issue. Your credit card gets refunded immediately.

 

[Jburns]

With a reputable company (online) this is not an issue. Your credit card gets refunded immediately.

That's awesome. Those commercials are great.

Ok, so how then do you compare other online only products against SVS? For example, HSU? Are there publications, be it online or in print, that help with comparison shopping?

 

[darien87]

That's awesome. Those commercials are great.

Ok, so how then do you compare other online only products against SVS? For example, HSU? Are there publications, be it online or in print, that help with comparison shopping?

I like your professor. He picked a great company and an awesome subject for a project. I had a marketing class in college where we had to create and market a company. I did a stereo electronics company, of course. I called my company Boston Electronics Limited, or BEL. Easy to remember, and we could cash in on the recognizability of the Boston Acoustics brand. That project was a lot of fun. I still have the box we made with our logo and everything.

HSU and SVS seem to be pretty interchangeable. Both offer an exceptional product at their price points. There are numerous review sites and forums that do comparisons, (AVS, Home Theater Magazine, Home Theater Hifi). So in selecting a product from an online company, information is usually not a problem.

Basically the biggest hump to get over for a consumer, is getting over the "nervousness" of buying from a company that you can't "see". But to me, it's a no-brainer, when you can save in the hundreds of dollars, depending on the product.

 

[Jburns]

I like your professor. He picked a great company and an awesome subject for a project. I had a marketing class in college where we had to create and market a company. I did a stereo electronics company, of course. I called my company Boston Electronics Limited, or BEL. Easy to remember, and we could cash in on the recognizability of the Boston Acoustics brand. That project was a lot of fun. I still have the box we made with our logo and everything.

HSU and SVS seem to be pretty interchangeable. Both offer an exceptional product at their price points. There are numerous review sites and forums that do comparisons, (AVS, Home Theater Magazine, Home Theater Hifi). So in selecting a product from an online company, information is usually not a problem.

Basically the biggest hump to get over for a consumer, is getting over the "nervousness" of buying from a company that you can't "see". But to me, it's a no-brainer, when you can save in the hundreds of dollars, depending on the product.

Thanks! My professor actually went to school with one or more of the owners of SVS, so we are being used as guinea pigs and free consultants It's been fun getting into it, but a bit difficult since I don't understand the nitty gritty. Hopefully we get free speakers out of the deal!

I have looked into a couple of those sites, but just wanted to make sure they were trustworthy. I guess that's my big thing with online, you just never know if you are paying for garbage. But, in building up their reputation, it's easy to make the decision to purchase SVS.

Would you still purchase their products if they raised their prices slightly?

 

[darien87]

Thanks! My professor actually went to school with one or more of the owners of SVS, so we are being used as guinea pigs and free consultants It's been fun getting into it, but a bit difficult since I don't understand the nitty gritty. Hopefully we get free speakers out of the deal!

I have looked into a couple of those sites, but just wanted to make sure they were trustworthy. I guess that's my big thing with online, you just never know if you are paying for garbage. But, in building up their reputation, it's easy to make the decision to purchase SVS.

Would you still purchase their products if they raised their prices slightly?

Probably. Depends on what you mean by "slightly". $10 or $20 wouldn't bother me, but $50 might.

If you get some free speakers, send some my way. You know since you're a "chick" and don't know anything about stereo's anyway.