Hello
Listening was done in a room approximately 20' D x 12' W x 9' H (~ 2160 ft^3)
Whether or not you'd judge this sub capable of properly pressurizing the room
with solid HT content really depends on how you define "proper". Within its
limits, what the sub does, it does very, very well.
If your HT sessions typically feature db spl levels such that, say, you can carry on a loud conversation with someone else in the room - and be heard - this sub will certainly do a proper job of things in a room the size used for the review's listening sessions. If, on the other hand, your HT sessions are typically run at dB spl levels such that you require a sub capable of cranking enough acoustic energy to cause seismic activity all over the nearest 3 counties, then this sub is not for you.
I have a small collection of subs residing in my house at the moment and each presents its own unique performance & feature set. Its difficult to compare this sub to any one of the others except, perhaps, the SVSound PB12-Plus/2. In listening to both, the new driver featured in the PB12-Plus is clearly an improved version of the driver it replaces - and sounds like it. Sonically speaking, the work SVSound put into upgrading what was already a solid, proven performer has paid off.
I'm not sure why SVSound chose to pack into the PB12-Plus the particular wattage amp they did. I'd say that's a question better addressed to them. I can say that though I haven't put the amp up on the bench and measured, I wouldn't be surprised to find SVSound conservatively estimated the wattage-out rating given the unit.
If I were in the market for a sub, had to abide by size constraints (for whatever reason) or aesthetic concerns and had settled on the PB12-Plus as the sub of choice, I would likely buy two of them. I'd recommend two subs, regardless of who made the sub, what type system, etc because my experience has been that regardless of how good you are at wringing the best out of a single unit, two will almost always best one, in terms of dealing
with, for example, the modal structure of the room. Of course, having
a few extra dB spl available is always nice, too. For more on the value of multiple subs, you might find this like informative:
http://www.harman.com/wp/pdf/multsubs.pdf
Best Regards,
Mark
Buckeyefan 1 said:
Mark,
Thanks for the review. I have a few burning questions.
How large was the listening room, and did you feel this sub pressurized the room properly with solid HT content? How did it compare to your existing sub(s)?
Do you feel the amplifier is ample in size compared to the massive power we see in similar mini subs from Velodyne, Sunfire, etc...? I was surprised they didn't put the 900/1000 watt BASH amp in this unit with such a massive driver. Are these other "competitor" mini sub amplifiers simply overrated?
Do you feel this sub is a step ahead of the Plus/2 as far as a "music only" sub? How far ahead is the Plus/2 compared to the SB12 as far as an HT sub is concerned? Is it night and day if both are outputting the same dB in a moderately sized room?
Thanks in advance!
