SVS SB or PB-1000 vs HSU STF-2 w. Pioneer L/C/R & Surrounds

[EdOz]

I've read a lot of the posts & reviews here and on other sites, and have narrowed by HT speaker choice down to the Pioneer Andrew Jones setup, probably with the FS52's as front L/R.

The system will be in a small room - less than 200 sq ft on the floor - which has two walls that slant up and toward the center. Sub-to-listener distance will be 14 feet max.

(The largest room in my house, and therefore the largest space this system would ever reside in, is around 300 sq ft with standard 8 ft ceilings. But that's up the road a bit, if ever. That room has an NHT setup.)

In the Pioneer/? room the rcvr is the Denon 1713.

For a sub, I've sorted through the various $500-and-under choices and believe that either the SVS PB or SB-1000 or the HSU STF-2 would suit me.

The challenge, of course, is purchasing a speaker without being able to audition it ahead of time, so I'm reaching out to you for thoughts/suggestions.

As an audiophile, I appreciate tight, accurate bass for music listening but this system will be used almost exclusively for HT. For that I enjoy the excitement and punch of solid deep bass but not one-note, jukebox bass.

I'm OK with trading off a bit of absolute accuracy for visceral excitement (but not annoying boom & bloom). In light of that, a ported enclosure would seemingly fit the bill.

Soooo...the SVS and the HSU have both received good reviews (although I haven't found many in-depth on the HSU) and the HSU is significantly less expensive.

But...(there's always a but ...the SVS SB-1000 is significantly smaller than the PB-1000 or the HSU and I'm wondering how it would stack up against them.

Many thanks in advance for your input. Don't know what I'd do without a group of other HT fans to help out.

Best.

Ed

 

[fuzz092888]

Both the PB1000 and the HSU perform similarly with the slight edge going to the SVS at 20hz. I would go with SVS based on the warranty.

Another option is the Rhymik LVR12

Rythmik E15 Subwoofer

 

[shadyJ]

Between those subs, I would go for the PB1000, but with a 14 ft distance from the listener, I would go for something more powerful than any of those. If you can wait, see what Outlaw will put up on Black Friday, you might be able to snag a LFM sub for pretty cheap, and it will provide more output and higher sound quality than the the ones you listed.

 

[3db]

For $90 more, you can step up to the Rythmik LV12-R

 

[afterlife2]

PB1000 I love mine. I'm 10 ft away. I have to turn mine down, darn. Great capable sub. Go to the svs outlet and get it for $450.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

In a small room you might want install go with Pio's bs22's bookshelves or even better NHT's SuperZero's 2 - on $60 sale for each - that's a great deal and in some ways mids and highs they are better then Pio, but Pioneers have better bass, which is not as important with good sub and proper sub integration

 

[rnatalli]

I agree with others that between those two, the PB-1000 has my vote.

 

[EdOz]

In a small room you might want install go with Pio's bs22's bookshelves or even better NHT's SuperZero's 2 - on $60 sale for each - that's a great deal and in some ways mids and highs they are better then Pio, but Pioneers have better bass, which is not as important with good sub and proper sub integration

Thanks for posting!

I've had mixed experiences with smaller satellites and subs over the years: some mated seamlessly while others didn't no matter how much I played with placement, crossover, phase, etc.

I like NHT (as mentioned, I'm using an earlier version in another setup) but am concerned that their restricted bass output (-3 @ 85Hz, I believe) will force a sub to pass frequencies out of its optimum range and/or create a response "gap" in that freq. range.

Are these valid concerns?

The Pioneer AJ bookshelf speakers have received rave reviews. Do you think that the current NHT SuperZero 2's are as good or even better?

I see that NHT doesn't offer a comparably priced dedicate center speaker for the SZ2's. Even though MTM configured center speakers have phasing issues I've found that they're still usually better at handling all the info in the dialogue better than a L/R speaker. Just my experience which may not be typical of the norm.

 

[j_garcia]

With the Superzeros, you'd probably just pick up a third and if you have room, then it could be stood up for an identical front stage. It would still function adequately as a center laid on its side since the tweeter does not have a directional waveguide. With a -3dB of 85Hz, I'd probably cross them at 100Hz and that should be sufficient to blend with most decent subs. Lower would be better IMO, but that's something you'd have to try out with these, but since they are sealed, crossing them at 80Hz might be too low for them as they will likely roll off quick after that 85Hz. With all of the subs mentioned in this thread, I don't think a 100Hz blend will be an issue.