@83Benz240
Heh
Sorry that you've wound up with a bit more to consider after your phone calls. It does go that way sometimes. The good news though is that, knowing my own experience with the folks you talked to, you probably had a pretty good conversation that covered your room size, desires and needs pretty well.
One thing about SVSound - they hype their subs pretty high on their website, but they rate them very conservatively. And when you talk to them on the phone about the various models and their output capabilities, they tell it to you straight. They don't try to claim that one of their subs will play louder than it actually will. So if they got all the details about your full room size (both your theater space, plus the other rooms that are open to that theater space), and concluded that a pair of SB13-Plus DSP sealed subwoofers might not have enough oomph - they're going by their own measurements, and despite how they hype their own subs, they also tend to not overstate when it comes to just how loud they will play.
The PB13-Ultra or PC13-Ultra cylinder get LOUD. There is no question that when it comes to the below 30Hz stuff, a lone PB13-Ultra can play way louder than even dual SB13-Plus subs. The question is whether your total volume of space is large enough that you won't get enough low bass room gain to even out the frequency response of the sealed SB13-Plus. If SVSound is saying that a lone PB13-Ultra might serve you better, I'm guessing that they figure the room size is too large for the room gain to even things out.
I hate to say it again at the risk of sounding like a broken record, but it's the reason I suggested trying just one SB13-Plus to start. Like I was saying, having the one SB13-Plus and using it in an ideal location (somewhere out in the middle of the room, a spot that you can find by "crawling for bass") - that would tell you whether or not that model has enough output and enough deep bass impact to satisfy you. Sending back one SB13-Plus isn't so bad in terms of the return shipping cost. And if it DOES satisfy you, the smaller physical size is easier to place and easier on the eyes, plus you might be able to afford a pair.
I have to think back to what you were saying about wanting this for music only and wanting it for parties. There's just no getting around the fact that a single subwoofer is going to have some strong cancellations and some strong peaks at certain spots in your room. There's just no getting away from it! It's basic room acoustics and every room has standing waves and bass nodes. Having two subs does not eliminate all standing waves and bass nodes, but with careful and proper placement, you can decrease the number and the severity of those peaks and nulls. When you've got quite a few people in your home, it'd be nice for the bass to be as even and smooth throughout the entire area as possible. For that reason, I'm still a fan of getting at least two subwoofers in this case.
It's tough. There's no question at all that the PB13-Ultra DSP is an absolute beast in terms of output. It can cleanly hit 20Hz at 110dB from 2 meters away out in a wide open field! And up in the "meat and potatoes" zone of musical bass - the 40-50Hz region - it can hit over 117dB! In a room, you can expect around 6dB more than that, so we're talking crazy loud, even dangerously loud possibilities! An SB13-Plus all on its own is going to be at least a good 12-15dB quieter at 20Hz, maybe even upwards of 20 or more dB quieter at 20Hz than the PB13-Ultra. I'm guessing that's the biggest reason SVSound was recommending a lone Ultra over the dual SB13-Plus subs.
One thought for a very good possible alternative would be the
SVSound Legato package . If you're ok with the cylinder form factor, it's actually $100 less expensive than a pair of SB13-Plus subs.
The PB12-Plus and PC12-Plus DSP subs put out about 3dB less across the board as compared to the PB13-Ultra. That might seem like not very much, but it is double the power in order to get 3dB more output. That said, I'd venture that a PC12-Plus would be able to fill your room pretty darn well.
The Legato is a pair of passive PC12-Plus cylinders with an outboard 800 Watt Sledge amp. The twin cylinders are sharing the same amount of amp power as a lone PC12-Plus sub, but with twice the driver surface area, it's more efficient. The big, big upside here is that you're getting two subs that you can place carefully in order to get that smoother, more even bass throughout your room that I'm so concerned about
I don't know how you feel about the cylinder looks, but they take up very little floor space, so that's a bonus.
As for powering your speakers - you basically can never have too much amplifier power. Speakers get damaged when they have too little power, not when they have too much. It's when an amplifier goes into clipping, starts to oscillate or starts to put out high distortion that speakers get damaged from trying to play too loud. So if you're planning to crank the volume, it's never a bad idea to have some big, powerful amps to drive your speakers.
Bi-amping really only has value when you have an outboard cross-over. With the internal cross-over in your B&W speakers, there's no real advantage to bi-amping. It's much simpler to just run them using a single, high output channel from a big, beefy amp
Emotiva's a great choice because they deliver gobs of solid power for very affordable prices. Their XPA-1 monoblock is a freaking masterpiece, but it's also kinda pricey (although WAY less expensive than any other 500/1000 Watt amp that uses a fully balanced differential design). Personally, I'm a big, big fan of their UPA-1 monoblock. What I love most about the UPA-1 is that it is dead silent when the system is on but nothing is playing. I despise having any sort of noise floor. I can't even tolerate the operational buzz from my Pioneer Kuro plasma! I love that UPA-1 monoblock because it produces no hiss; no noise floor. It's just deep, black silence, which is awesome!
Still, if you're powering three front speakers, nothing beats the value of Emotiva's XPA-3 3-channel amp. At $600 right now for 200/300 Watts per channel, it's just a steal.
Tough choices! It's never easy when you're about to spend this kind of money on new gear. But my gut reaction is still to prefer having at least two subwoofers. If SVSound is saying that dual SB13-Plus sealed subs might struggle, I have to defer to them. They know their own subs, and it's actually kinda great that they're willing to be honest and say when a certain model might not be good enough for you
I'd definitely consider the Legato system though. It still might not play quite as loud as a single Ultra, but it should only be about 3dB off in terms of max output across the board, and you'll get the benefit of those dual cylinders in your room.
Best of luck in your decision!
