SVS SB-4000 vs JL Audio e112

[depechefan]

Hi,

I'm in the market for a new sub. I've been doing some research and I've ended up with 2 main contenders: SVS SB-4000 or JL Audio e112. I often listen to music. 2-channel but also a lot of surround music. Split between music and movies is probably 60/40. My other speakers are Monitor Audio Silver 300 and MA Silver C350. Where I live I can't really get my hands on REL, HSU, Rythmik so there's no point looking at those brands.

Room is 4.5 x 5.5 metres (roughly 15 x 18 feet).

The SB-4000 is much cheaper than the e112. Like USD 750 less. So I could probably afford 2 SB 4000s whereas 2 e112s would stretch my budget... The dealer unfortunately doesn't have either model available for demo so it's very difficult to get an impression of them. He does however recommend JL Audio because he says it's best for music.

Any thoughts on this?

Thanks in advance
/M

 

[shadyJ]

I would go for two subs, even i you step down to the SB-3000 (which is no slouch). If you actually care about sound quality, go for the solution that offers multiple subwoofers.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

I agree with shady on the duals. And Ime, JL home subwoofers are overpriced. They do look very nice, but SVS has nice piano gloss as well.

 

[depechefan]

Yeah, I'm kind of leaning towards SVS but a few people say that for music these are not the best option. Very varying reviews. Shady's comment makes me wonder if I should look at the SB 3000 also... But I can probably afford 2 SB 4000s so will likely do that.

 

[Pogre]

Yeah, I'm kind of leaning towards SVS but a few people say that for music these are not the best option. Very varying reviews. Shady's comment makes me wonder if I should look at the SB 3000 also... But I can probably afford 2 SB 4000s so will likely do that.

That's just silly audiophoolery and marketing. JL Audio subs in general are overpriced imo. I like a pair of SB4000s! PB would be even better, but your room isn't huge so a pair of SBs will probably do very nicely.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Yeah. I think due to room size a pair of sb3k’s would be very nice, and are not far behind the 4000. Personally I’m a ported guy, but it’s your money. Definitely agree with pogre too. JL certainly does make excellent subwoofers, but not all that...

 

[lovinthehd]

Sounds like nonsense that the JL is better for music, just as usually the sealed is better for music trope. JL's forte is more very small and pretty than actual comparable performance, particularly for price. Nice subs but I'd get dual SVS first.

 

[ParisB]

Yeah, I'm kind of leaning towards SVS but a few people say that for music these are not the best option. Very varying reviews. Shady's comment makes me wonder if I should look at the SB 3000 also... But I can probably afford 2 SB 4000s so will likely do that.

Never listen to those people. There's no such thing as 'musical' or 'for movies' (i.e. sealed vs ported too). A subwoofer doesn't know what it's playing, and a good subwoofer is a good subwoofer that can play anything you feed it.

 

[depechefan]

Thanks for all the replies. I guess the one thing I'm wondering wrt subs being more for music or movies is if the speed of the speaker(s) does play a role? That seems to be the thing that people highlight when they compare for instance JL with SVS. How quickly the speaker can react and stop. I don't know about that?

Because I completely get the point that if a sub can cover frequencies from around 20 to 200 Hz with a relatively flat response then that should be a pretty good indicator tha it gets the job done.

 

[shadyJ]

Thanks for all the replies. I guess the one thing I'm wondering wrt subs being more for music or movies is if the speed of the speaker(s) does play a role? That seems to be the thing that people highlight when they compare for instance JL with SVS. How quickly the speaker can react and stop. I don't know about that?

Because I completely get the point that if a sub can cover frequencies from around 20 to 200 Hz with a relatively flat response then that should be a pretty good indicator tha it gets the job done.

The idea that the speed of the woofer really affects the sound is nonsense outside of the amplitude response. If you want to know how fast the woofer can move, look at the upper end of the amplitude response; that woofer has to move really fast to produce lots of output at higher frequencies. Think about how much motion is required to oscillate the cone 200 times per second at a throw far enough to produce 110 dB. It has to move fast. But most subs can run out to 200 Hz without much problem, or at least 150 Hz which is basically our highest frequency of interest.

If you are interested in time domain behavior, look at group delay graphs, but be aware that the audibility under certain thresholds has always been a big question mark. Most major manufacturers won't have any serious problems with group delay.

 

[depechefan]

Thanks, Shady! That's really good info

 

[Brettc]

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[Brettc]

Which is best connection for svs pb 4000 using a Yamaha 3080


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[Pogre]

Which is best connection for svs pb 4000 using a Yamaha 3080


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Good ol' RCA cables. You don't need anything fancy either, just competently made. Monoprice is my go to for cables.

 

[Brettc]

It has a left and right line level input for stereo connection or one being connected mono


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[NINaudio]

It has a left and right line level input for stereo connection or one being connected mono

Your receiver has an RCA out labeled for the subwoofer, it's above your speaker connections. You run an RCA cable from there to the line level input on your sub that is labelled LFE, I believe it's the right hand one.

 

[lovinthehd]

It has a left and right line level input for stereo connection or one being connected mono


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The subwoofer channel (LFE or .1) and the bass from bass management is mono. Your sub may have stereo inputs but that's to accommodate older gear without a proper sub pre-out (and the sub's amp will sum the stereo signal to mono in such a case).

 

[Brettc]

Gotcha


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[Tomasrmon]

Hi Depechefan!

I have exactly the same questions with the same options on the table as you. You’re probably European too. Thanks for your thread.

My seller is also advising me to go to JL Audio as the sound quality and stopping power are better than the SVS and thus better for audio applications. But from all the forums I searched I never get any other people defending this.

Have you made any decisions?

All the Best

 

[NINaudio]

My seller is also advising me to go to JL Audio as the sound quality and stopping power are better than the SVS and thus better for audio applications. But from all the forums I searched I never get any other people defending this.

Nobody will defend that statement because it's ridiculous and can't be proven. The sales person is trying to sell you the more expensive item. The SVS SB3000 and SB4000 are no slouches if those are what you're looking at. Like said elsewhere in this post, if you can get two SVS's for the price of one JL, you'll be much better off.