Should I return this SVS SB12-NSD?

[winners76]

To all my sonic buddies,

I received my sub 3 days ago. I have spent over 5 hours trying to tune this sub to come close to what I have read about it.
I have a Yamaha receiver and small Energy RC micro speaker HT setup( my new towers are on the way).

After grappling with all level settings, gain, pre-outs, etc etc I still can't get a decent level of bass from this 400W beast. Cross over at 160hz(recommended setting for the micros).

Now to the real thing - I understand my room is 2500+ cuft however I am only looking for some good slam in the 15x12 viewing space. My Energy ESW-C8(60W RMS) had more punch on The Dark Night Blu-ray that I was using to calibrate the SVS. Tried playing reference quality CDs and they sound like a rock in a box. I have lowered my expectations to compare rich bass to just bass....
Am I doing something wrong here? I feel I just spent $700 and I don't see any difference on frequency effects. 400W vs 60W RMS~~~

All please advise on any other room or setting parameters I need to check or set.

Thank you all in advance.

 

[mike c]

move the sub to a new location in that system.

 

[j_garcia]

I can't say how many times I've heard that about a good sub. Your Energy likely had more "punch" because it was inaccurate and running a lot of boost in the sub's amp. My dad has a little 8" energy sub and it does the same thing - lots of boom, but also one note. "Slam" is not necessarily good bass. My recommendation is to give it some time, try other locations like Mike said, and do a proper calibration.

 

[Steve81]

and do a proper calibration.

This would be my starting point; it sounds like you're just playing with settings while watching a movie to calibrate? Does your receiver have any sort of auto-calibration system, ie YPAO?

 

[Jeff R.]

Have you called SVS....I hear constantly about how great they are to work with on the phone to get your sub integrated into your system. I tend to think you have a location issue myself.

 

[Steve81]

Just saw your postings on AVS; if your room is on the order of 30x17x10 (>5000 cubic feet) as stated over there and you're hitting the SB12's limiter without achieving satisfactory output, then yes, you should probably reconsider your sub choice to something more appropriate for the space, ie a PB12-NSD, Outlaw LFM-1EX, Hsu VTF 3.4, PSA XV-15, etc.

 

[zhimbo]

Reading this before I thought this was about the PB12-NSD, not the SB12. Jeezum Crow, a room that big needs a big ported sub (or two), or a much, much more fearsome and expensive sealed model. Right on the product page, SVS says of the SB12-NSD "Perfect for college dorms, apartments and small home theaters,".

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I think I agree with what everyone else has said.

The sub is likely too small for your room.

It is likely not calibrated properly.

It is likely in a bad position.

You are likely use to bloated bass.

A good sub that's blended in doesn't bring attention to it's self, it adds just the right about of substance to fill in the bottom end.

That being said...if one was to watch the "lightning scene" on Ratatouille and it doesn't make you chit your pants at reference level...then something is wrong...

I have a 8,000 cubic foot room and one Ultra does a pretty nice job.

Start by getting it set up properly(call SVS) and see what it will do and then decide if it's right for you or not.

 

[fuzz092888]

To put it simply, AH tested this sub and rated it MEDIUM (1500-3000 cubic feet). If you're 5000+ you're asking wayyy too much from this subwoofer. Remember your subwoofer has to be able to pressurize the entire space it is in. Look at it this way, if you only want a single subwoofer we know the AH rating for your space is EXTREME (>5000 cubic feet) and we know that the DD18+ has been rated EXTREME. You can compare the DD18+ to some others at data-bass.com for similar or greater performance.

Or you could go multiple subs.

 

[lsiberian]

So you bought a real sub without buying real speakers. Subwoofers aren't made to play 150hz notes. They are made to play 60hz notes. So basically you are missing 80-150hz because your speakers can't cover the range. I suggest you hook up both subs using a y-cable and then use an EQ(minidsp) to even out the response. The Energy will take care of those higher frequencies better and the SVS will add the low end bass.

Also try corner loading the SVS subs if you like pronounced bass.

Also upgrade your fronts ASAP. Pioneer has some nice ones that will do the job if you have a tight budget.

Energy also has excellent fronts.

 

[winners76]

Thanks all...just to clarify I have just 1 sub(lsiberian). My room size is about 3700 cuft to be accurate. Yes, it might exceed SB12's capacity. My towers are on the way like I mentioned(Aperion 5T's+5C center+4B's if anyone is interested). The reason I bought the sub before the towers is to figure out my wife approved location before I spend the dough on the rest. Also, trials on sub was also my intention; since I am local(LA) to HSU they might be my next audition. One last alternate is to move the sub to a new location but that might be a challenge running cables for it. I don't want to run a 50 ft sub cable to the sub which might only be my last option. The sub will then be on the armrest of my couch

 

[j_garcia]

Sorry, I thought we were talking about a PB12 also. An SB12 is quite possibly not enough for that room, but it may benefit from being closer to you. It is possibly more expensive than running cable, but you might consider Aperion's wireless system so you can put it wherever you like in the room.

 

[Steve81]

My room size is about 3700 cuft to be accurate. Yes, it might exceed SB12's capacity.

There's no question about it; the SB12 isn't made to work in that kind of space. It's best suited for a smaller space where room gain will provide a useful boost to the low end of its response.

I don't want to run a 50 ft sub cable to the sub which might only be my last option.

FWIW, wireless could be considered here.

 

[Ed Mullen]

You are getting solid advice here (as usual from AH veterans). A single SB12-NSD in 3700 ft^3 is a mismatch unless your playback level is moderate. If you are pushing the system loud and looking for more slam/impact/pressure on action/sci-fi Blu-ray DVDs, the larger PB12-NSD (which has 2-4X more max output in the 18-36 Hz octave) is a better choice for that size room. Also upgrading your speaker will add mid/upper bass output capability and allow you to use a lower speaker/sub crossover.

 

[3db]

Thanks all...just to clarify I have just 1 sub(lsiberian). My room size is about 3700 cuft to be accurate. Yes, it might exceed SB12's capacity. My towers are on the way like I mentioned(Aperion 5T's+5C center+4B's if anyone is interested). The reason I bought the sub before the towers is to figure out my wife approved location before I spend the dough on the rest. Also, trials on sub was also my intention; since I am local(LA) to HSU they might be my next audition. One last alternate is to move the sub to a new location but that might be a challenge running cables for it. I don't want to run a 50 ft sub cable to the sub which might only be my last option. The sub will then be on the armrest of my couch

Have you done the bass crawl yet? Put the sub in the listening position, play some bass and crawl around the room to see where the bass is the loudest and most even. Place the sub in that location and rerun your calibration.

 

[bobnegi]

I have an approx. 2500 cubic foot space, and like you, I have challanges concerning where I can place the subs. With one sub the sound was slightly localized. So I bought another PB-1000 for the other corner. My space restrictions have also resulted in my Wharfdale Diamond 9.6's sitting on top of the subs, and angled downward so the tweeter more or less lines up with the ear. I can honestly say music and movies have never sounded better.

Do you have the space for a two sub set up?

 

[winners76]

Yeh so, after much deliberation I decided to part with the SB12-NSD. I was just not able to get the midbass and the SPL's on this sub. May be they would have worked better with my forthcoming Aperions but it did not pass my tests of music and movie. Normal HD television shows have some good audio programming and I was just not able to hear the mid frequencies from the SB12. I am gonna give the PB12 a shot next and I hope this one will stick. Again, space is my constraint so I will have to move the constraint somewhere else at this point. I was told by SVS PB12 will give me the SPL's that I need watching HT. Btw, I tried "Thor" on the SB12 and did sound impressive but I think I need something that does it with authority. Will let you guys know how the PB12 fares.

 

[shadyJ]

The PB12 isn't going to give you better mid bass than the SB12. Look at this chart of max output measurements, the PB12 has nearly the exact same mid bass output as the SB12. From 16 hz to 30 hz the PB12 has significantly more output, but not above that. If you want some big mid bass without sacrificing deep bass, check out the Hsu Research VTF3 mk4 or the Power Sound Audio XV15, either will have substantially more mid bass than the PB12 and cost roughly the same.

 

[markw]

As others have pointed out, the solution to your problem can be found here

 

[croseiv]

As others have pointed out, the solution to your problem can be found here

LOL!!!! That's great.