Should I spend the extra money on the SVS PB12+2

[Jay]

I orginally was looking at the SVS PC+20-39 but then started wondering if I would be missing something if I did not spend the extra few hundred now and get the big boy PB12+2. My room is approx. 16 X 22 with 7ft ceilings. I think the big boy is overkill but don't want to wonder. I emailed SVS and they actually suggested the PC+ unless I like to listen at insane levels, which I don't usually do, otherwise I would have the kids up all night, even though they my theater is in the basement and the sleep on the second floor.

Anyone have any thoughts?

 

[bandit]

I'm afraid that at this point if you don't buy the "big boy" you will always wonder if your missing something. You'd have some bragging rights in the neighboorhood....

 

[Ron Temple]

I've got the 20-39+ and sometimes wonder, but you aren't going to be missing bass in your room. I'm in an 18X14x7.5 family room that opens into over 5000cube. While I can't do reference level with my gear, 113db peaks with fairly flat response to 16hz is still very loud and amazing performance.

Go with your heart though.

 

[agarwalro]

Assuming you have no preference between the tall cylinder and moderately big box form factor, the sub is one speaker where more is good. Like stated in other threads, if you get something too powerful, you can always turn it down, but if you get something underpowered, the only recourse is to upgrade.

For a few hundred dollars extra you get piece of mind knowing that you have deep deep bass at reference levels with good FR. IMO nothing more embarassing than having the sub bottom out on you while demoing your system for bragging rights...

That said, dont forget the 30 day return policy provided by SVS. Get the PC and try it out, if you like it, keep it, or if you feel there is room for improvement, get the PB. Better yet, get both if you can swing the cash, try them both, keep whichever you like more.

 

[Jay]

Algar, I notice in your signature you got the PB12 Ultra. What made you decide on that one over the PC or the PB12/2 Plus?

 

[billy p]

Simple

Algar, I notice in your signature you got the PB12 Ultra. What made you decide on that one over the PC or the PB12/2 Plus?

bragging rights and the WOW factor for HT viewing and lastly deep pockets .

 

[j_garcia]

There is pretty much no such thing as too much sub If you can afford it, I'd go for it. Along side what others have gotten at, it isn't so much that you will want/need to upgrade, it is just that if you get the +2 now, you won't even have to think about upgrading for a LONG time.

 

[agarwalro]

Algar, I notice in your signature you got the PB12 Ultra. What made you decide on that one over the PC or the PB12/2 Plus?

For starters, I did not want the cylinder, I rented back then and there was no way for me to put it in. I liked the driver, the DB-12 seemed a lot beefier than the TV-12. Less chance of bottoming it out... I bottomed this one once, but just before it happened, a couple of my Spawn figures rattled off the display shelf. Also if I remember, only the Ultra had the 525 Watt amps when I got it. Last but not the least, on AVS there was this huge thread that has many subs compared and this one fared best for the buck in the 16Hz tune.

bragging rights and the WOW factor for HT viewing and lastly deep pockets .

Guilty as charged... had to save for 6 months to build up the reserve and believe me, I dont regret it one bit...

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Jay,

I'd go with the Plus/2. I'd also consider the NSD/2, as that is one impressive sub for the money. You'd be surprised what dual 12" drivers do in a single box. I call it instant air conditioning.

 

[AdrianMills]

I orginally was looking at the SVS PC+20-39 but then started wondering if I would be missing something if I did not spend the extra few hundred now and get the big boy PB12+2. My room is approx. 16 X 22 with 7ft ceilings. I think the big boy is overkill but don't want to wonder. I emailed SVS and they actually suggested the PC+ unless I like to listen at insane levels, which I don't usually do, otherwise I would have the kids up all night, even though they my theater is in the basement and the sleep on the second floor.

Anyone have any thoughts?

I bought the PB12 Plus. Awesome sub that puts a grin on your face without breaking a sweat but I constantly wondered what the /2 would be like so I just had to buy one of those too. The plus/2 can be tame enough to use with stereo apps and with a tweak of the gain can produce insane levels of bass for those SciFi action movies that I love.

I used to think people exaggerated when they talked about pictures hanging askew after watching a movie - but it's an absolute certainty with these subs!

Be aware though – the plus/2 is really big. I know you hear that a lot and you’ve probably got a measuring tape out and thought, “that’s big”. But really, you don’t get a true understanding of how big this sub is until it’s sitting in front of you.

Now the only thing that continues to niggle in the back of my mind is that for just a bit more than I spent on the plus and plus/2 I could have bought a Velo DD15… would it be better/cooler/neater/etc I wonder.

 

[sholling]

The plus/2 can be tame enough to use with stereo apps and with a tweak of the gain can produce insane levels of bass for those SciFi action movies that I love.

I used to think people exaggerated when they talked about pictures hanging askew after watching a movie - but it's an absolute certainty with these subs!

Be aware though – the plus/2 is really big. I know you hear that a lot and you’ve probably got a measuring tape out and thought, “that’s big”. But really, you don’t get a true understanding of how big this sub is until it’s sitting in front of you.

I second everything AdrianMills said about the Plus/2. If you can afford it and have a place to put it I'd go for the big boy. What he said about the size is spot on. This baby is huge. Really hard to place in an average room type huge. I'm a fan of multiple drivers over driver size and it was down to the Plus/2 and a 15" B&W demo model from a then local home theater shop. I went Plus/2 and I'm never looking back.

 

[j_garcia]

Dual 12" drivers have more surface area than a 15". The DD-15 is also a sealed sub, so it does not have quite the same tactile feeling with the lowest lows that a vented sub tends to. I haven't heard a Plus/2 but I have heard the DD-15, and my 15" sub seemed to have more at the bottom that the DD-15, though the DD-15 is noticably cleaner up top even without the parametric EQ running.

 

[Ron Temple]

Now the only thing that continues to niggle in the back of my mind is that for just a bit more than I spent on the plus and plus/2 I could have bought a Velo DD15… would it be better/cooler/neater/etc I wonder.

Well it's definitely very cool, fairly small, extremely well built and sweet sounding. For music application, it's the best sub I've heard. I played with one for about a month along side my SVS and it's still in the back of my mind as I can snag one fairly cheap. Calibrated to the same levels as my SVS and flat to 15hz, the Velo has a smooth controlled sound quality. My Plus is excellent for music as well, but I preferred the Velo. For HT the SVS delivers more SPL during peaks is just as clean and a bit more awe inspiring than the Velo. Which is not a knock on the DD15 it just has a different signature. If I had purchased the Velo I wouldn't move to the SVS, but I'm not going to move to the Velo from SVS either, it's just too good.

With a Plus/2 you'd be sacrificing even more dynamics for perhaps a bit more SQ in the upper ranges. Many prefer it. To me it was just different.

 

[AdrianMills]

Well it's definitely very cool, fairly small, extremely well built and sweet sounding. For music application, it's the best sub I've heard. I played with one for about a month along side my SVS and it's still in the back of my mind as I can snag one fairly cheap. Calibrated to the same levels as my SVS and flat to 15hz, the Velo has a smooth controlled sound quality. My Plus is excellent for music as well, but I preferred the Velo. For HT the SVS delivers more SPL during peaks is just as clean and a bit more awe inspiring than the Velo. Which is not a knock on the DD15 it just has a different signature. If I had purchased the Velo I wouldn't move to the SVS, but I'm not going to move to the Velo from SVS either, it's just too good.

With a Plus/2 you'd be sacrificing even more dynamics for perhaps a bit more SQ in the upper ranges. Many prefer it. To me it was just different.

Thanks for that. It's extremely unlikely that I'd ever be able to get a home demo of the DD15 and without a side-by-side comparison that demonstrated an obvious improvement I wouldn't sell off my 2 SVS subs. Not unless I was desperate for the space of course.

Maybe I'll get myself a sms-1 to play with one of these days though.

 

[sholling]

With a Plus/2 you'd be sacrificing even more dynamics for perhaps a bit more SQ in the upper ranges. Many prefer it. To me it was just different.

Could you elaborate?