Originally Posted by rossandwendy
Ok, here is my disclaimer: I am only one guy and my opinions are valid for my ears in my room only, YMMV. And, it is not an exaggeration to say that the Submersive, Ultra, and Conquest are all incredible performers, all at or near the top of their class, and most enthusiasts would be thrilled with either.
After owning each simultaneously, with way too many hours experimenting, calibrating, EQ'ing, and demo'ing, here is my brief summary:
SVS PB13-Ultra
Aesthetically this is the stunner of the group, my duals were Rosenut and gorgeous and I thought the metal grill was a great look. The Ultra also wins in flexibility with the 4 tuning options, PEQ, room comp, and continuously variable phase. However, in a large room I would not use the 10hz or sealed tunes as they scrub off too much dynamic headroom which for my ears is a huge factor in subjective sound quality when watching movies. The PEQ is useful if you only have a single problem in the frequency response but I ended up needing more flexible EQ so after adding an SMS-1 I did not use PEQ. I never used the room gain control because in my room I needed all that gain. And, I found it easier to tune phase using the receiver's sub distance setting so the phase control ended up not being needed (but would seem useful if calibrating multiple subs in different locations). SVS support is tops in this industry. Ed Mullen is a rare find and he is gifted at explaining the technical in an understandable way and he will make sure you are getting the best out of your sub.
Epik Conquest
This thing is a beast, I seriously did not visualize just how massive and room-dominating it would be (more than dual stacked Ultra's due to the black and the depth). No tune options, fixed at approx. 19.5hz. Blessed with a stunning 18" driver, incredibly robust and overbuilt. Two 6" ports meant zero port noise even under extreme circumstances. Ironically, the easiest sub to move around in my carpeted room because without rubber feet it slid easily. Support wise, not sure how things are now but a year ago when I would email owner Chad I'd get no response, I think he was too slammed with rapid sales growth, but initial phone conversations with him proved he is a good guy who is extremely passionate about his work.
Seaton Submersive
One of the best features of the Submersive for me is the relatively small size and the way it essentially disappears in my room visually - it's roughly the size of a single Ultra while housing dual 15" drivers. The black finish is rugged and aesthetically is just fine by me because the size is so unobtrusive. The Submersive has the highest quality and most expensive amplifier of the three. Due to the opposed driver design this sub does not waste any energy in cabinet vibrations, so my Gramma sub platform was not needed. Unlike the other two subs this is a sealed-only design. In terms of support, well, owner/designer Mark Seaton is one of the current legends in the audio world and this man knows his stuff. Period.
Sound quality comparison
Aah, this is where it gets tough and ultimately very subjective regardless of any measurements and objective criteria, because speakers and subs DO have their own signature sound to some degree, at least to these ears. The difference between these three would probably seem subtle to some folks. To my ears the Ultra and Conquest were more alike than different much of the time - both are very clean and powerful and do well on just about any movie or music you throw at them. At times I did find the Conquest's amazing driver to sound more effortless and less strained than the PB13, with a somewhat bigger more diffuse room-filling sound. The Conquest needed more EQ to tame a room-induced hump at 37hz but after correction it gave slightly cleaner sound than the Ultra. The Conquest was able to produce dynamic peaks about +3db louder than a single Ultra, with never any sign of stress when pushed to the limit. Overall, I really liked the sound of both but slightly preferred the powerful ease of the Epik, though aesthetically the PB13 was preferred.
After owning the PB13's and Conquest for nearly a year, there was still something about the sound that left me slighty unsatisfied - essentially, possibly due in part to room issues, I sensed I could do better in the area of midbass power and dynamics, and overall musicality. After much research my hunch was the Submersive might fill that void, and after hesitating on the purchase for more than a year I finally bit and ordered one up from Mark in the fall of '08. The Submersive, in my system, is producing what I was craving: startling and uncanny dynamic power in the very important midbass, while the sealed design rolloff is coupling perfectly to my 2500cf room gain to extend flat to 10hz. A single Submersive has managed to provide the highest peak SPL readings in my room on WOTW, and it does so with a smooth effortless punchy attack that often leaves me slackjawed. When pushed hard it has never made any noise it shouldn't. On both movies and music, the Submersive produces the most natural and well-integrated bass of any sub I've owned - it just has that 'rightness' to my ears.
I am quite sure if you choose the Ultra you will be elated for many years to come. If I was not such a picky SOB I would have remained with the PB13 and avoided a lot of time and expense and an at times unhappy wife, but for me the quest has ended with the Submersive and that's all I can ever ask out of a piece of audio gear.
Cheers,
Ross
