SVS Prime Tower Sound Profile Question

[Pogre]

Well your definitely right about different answers. My opinion is to get the biggest baddest one you can afford and immediately save for the second. It’s kind of a tricky question though in that everyone’s budget/expectations/waf/long term goals are different. I don’t like the idea of a bunch of mediocre subs in a room with middling linearity and extension, but everyone is different. I like extension even below 20hz, but others are fine with 25 or 30hz extension. It seems like you don’t ask for a lot of volume so the aforementioned 12’s from HSU or monolith might be perfect(although I’d push for the 15’s. If you’re watching big block busters at reference thane I’d recommend something ported in the 15-18” size.

Food for thought.

Bundles

The best value for price home theater systems and subwoofers on the market guaranteed

www.hsuresearch.com

Bundles

The best value for price home theater systems and subwoofers on the market guaranteed

www.hsuresearch.com

This right here. The Hsu dual drive packages are about as good as it gets bang for buck. It's quality subwoofage too. I have the VTF-3 MK5s and love their flexibility.

 

[RickKurtis]

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I had only begun looking at them but was, probably obviously, focused on SVS. Having read plenty of review, I'm now curious. The Monolith and Hsu are both massive subs, even compared to the SVS PB-3000 I was seriously considering. There's a large price difference between this one and the other 2. Both the SVS and Monolith are ported so it seems a bit of apples to apples in my lay mind. Why is the SVS so much more expensive? Is the tuning options on the SVS the main driver?

 

[shadyJ]

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I had only begun looking at them but was, probably obviously, focused on SVS. Having read plenty of review, I'm now curious. The Monolith and Hsu are both massive subs, even compared to the SVS PB-3000 I was seriously considering. There's a large price difference between this one and the other 2. Both the SVS and Monolith are ported so it seems a bit of apples to apples in my lay mind. Why is the SVS so much more expensive? Is the tuning options on the SVS the main driver?

The amplifier on the SVS sub is a fair bit more sophisticated than the Hsu sub. The Hsu sub is using an analogue amp, while the SVS sub uses a very modern amp with DSP capabilities with app control. The SVS sub probably has a touch better build quality. The SVS sub has a bit better performance around it port tuning. The Hsu VTF-3 will match it above port tuning, and the VTF15h mk2 has lower tuning so it can play deeper bass frequencies. The Monolith 12" can't quite match these in performance, but its build quality is much stouter than the Hsu or SVS subs. It's a 12 but it weight as much as Hsu's VTF15h and it certainly weighs more than SVS's PB-3000. The PB-3000 is a bit easier to handle then all of these subs except for the VTF-3. They are all good subs and you cant't go wrong with any of them.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

And to add to shadys points, SVS offers the Bill of rights and exemplary customer service. They offer free shipping both ways for trials, but the cost is built into the products. They also have higher overhead with advertising and likely production and warehousing as they have many more products.
It should also be said that buying from SVS is a first rate experience, and once you’re in the ecosystem, it’s hard to leave.

 

[RickKurtis]

shadyJ - Thanks much for the extensive break down. Having the prime towers and center already, their subs were the first place I looked. Having learned many lessons over the years trading quantity for cost, I have come to the point where I try hard to spend what I can for something that I'll have a very difficult time finding reasonable excused to upgrade from a few years down the line. That was my goal here; thinking that a single PB-3000 now, not having the money for 2, or even really the room, would provide me the best initial return and also room to grow if I could end up with the money and space for a second later. I was also hoping the experience of going from zero subs to 1 would give me far more happiness than going from 1 to 2 would. I'm thinking that a single PB-3000 would make me quite happy for a long period of time. Not sure if going from zero to 2, and having no idea what difference a single one would have, is the best money to value proposition. Though, admittedly, with the 45 day trial, I'd need to be on guard from letting myself get talked into trialing 2 with the thought I could just send one back hahaha

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

shadyJ - Thanks much for the extensive break down. Having the prime towers and center already, their subs were the first place I looked. Having learned many lessons over the years trading quantity for cost, I have come to the point where I try hard to spend what I can for something that I'll have a very difficult time finding reasonable excused to upgrade from a few years down the line. That was my goal here; thinking that a single PB-3000 now, not having the money for 2, or even really the room, would provide me the best initial return and also room to grow if I could end up with the money and space for a second later. I was also hoping the experience of going from zero subs to 1 would give me far more happiness than going from 1 to 2 would. I'm thinking that a single PB-3000 would make me quite happy for a long period of time. Not sure if going from zero to 2, and having no idea what difference a single one would have, is the best money to value proposition. Though, admittedly, with the 45 day trial, I'd need to be on guard from letting myself get talked into trialing 2 with the thought I could just send one back hahaha

This makes a lot of sense. I agree. Going from none to one will be eye opening, and the 3000 series are great.

 

[Danzilla31]

shadyJ - Thanks much for the extensive break down. Having the prime towers and center already, their subs were the first place I looked. Having learned many lessons over the years trading quantity for cost, I have come to the point where I try hard to spend what I can for something that I'll have a very difficult time finding reasonable excused to upgrade from a few years down the line. That was my goal here; thinking that a single PB-3000 now, not having the money for 2, or even really the room, would provide me the best initial return and also room to grow if I could end up with the money and space for a second later. I was also hoping the experience of going from zero subs to 1 would give me far more happiness than going from 1 to 2 would. I'm thinking that a single PB-3000 would make me quite happy for a long period of time. Not sure if going from zero to 2, and having no idea what difference a single one would have, is the best money to value proposition. Though, admittedly, with the 45 day trial, I'd need to be on guard from letting myself get talked into trialing 2 with the thought I could just send one back hahaha

Yeah the PB 3000 is a very very good sub except for deep deep bass it matches and even exceeds the 4000 in midbass especially

 

[Old Onkyo]

shadyJ - Thanks much for the extensive break down. Having the prime towers and center already, their subs were the first place I looked. Having learned many lessons over the years trading quantity for cost, I have come to the point where I try hard to spend what I can for something that I'll have a very difficult time finding reasonable excused to upgrade from a few years down the line. That was my goal here; thinking that a single PB-3000 now, not having the money for 2, or even really the room, would provide me the best initial return and also room to grow if I could end up with the money and space for a second later. I was also hoping the experience of going from zero subs to 1 would give me far more happiness than going from 1 to 2 would. I'm thinking that a single PB-3000 would make me quite happy for a long period of time. Not sure if going from zero to 2, and having no idea what difference a single one would have, is the best money to value proposition. Though, admittedly, with the 45 day trial, I'd need to be on guard from letting myself get talked into trialing 2 with the thought I could just send one back hahaha

If you do, you WILL keep them both!