Svs Pb12-ultra/2 A Review [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

PDA

View Full Version : Svs Pb12-ultra/2 A Review



swgiust
05-31-2005, 02:10 PM
As promised, a review of the SVS PB12-ULTRA/2 sub. For those of you who have been following my previouse post of "SVS PB12-ULTRA/2 DEAD in 3 hours". To fill you in,
the sub came, worked the first night, didn't work the second night, had to change amps.
Lots if hastle, but it was worth it.

The PB12 is a dual 12" woofer, triple ported, 1000w, MONSTER sub woofer. Don't for one second think you will sneak this thing past your wife. Its as big as an apartment refridgerator. End table doesn't do it justice, it's more like a small couch. You will need
help getting it into your house as it weights 190lbs.

Once inside it has the usuall set up features. Single band parametric eq, variable cross over with disable feature, 0-180 phase, and volume. It also has a 16hz, 20hz, or 25hz
extention feature. By choosing one of these settings and plugging the appropriate port,
you can "tune" the sub for maximum spl's or maximum depth. I am currently using the 20hz setting with one port plugged. I have adjusted the parametric eq, but I have not
reached the perfect level yet. I may have to move the sub (again).

Two very important steps I feel need to be taken when setting up this sub. #1, location, location, location. The first place I placed it, I had a 9db drop at 40hz. This is bad. By moving the sub closer to a corner and closer to a wall, I reduced that to about 5db. Not perfect by any means, but far better than it was. #2, Break in. This baby needs a workout
to get loosend up. The difference in the sound and the sound level from the first day to
now is huge. I was playing demo's at 3/4 volume the first night, I would blow the windows
out of my house if I tried that now. The volume is now set just under 1/3 of the way up.

Now for the important part, the sound. The first thing that I noticed is that I had my old
sub's playing so loud in the mids, so I could get some volume in the lows. This had a huge effect on overall imaging and depth. By getting the low bass back to the sub and
the mid bass back to my towers, my whole system sounds much better. Music is clean and tight, most of the time you barely notice the sub at all. Movies, on the other hand,
are just plain scary.

I watched Flight of the Phoenix last night. There is a scene when the plane is crashing and it's rolling. You get a solid 25hz blast that last about 8 seconds. It was incredible.
It was smooth, it was even, and it was loud. You truely felt like you were experiencing
the g's that these guys were taking.

So in conclusion, is this the best sub there is? Don't know. It's the best that I have ever
heard. I feel it has the potential, the power, and the flexability to be any sub you want.
I have been thrilled with the overall performance. I will continue to tweak and see if I can
get a more even response in my room (and it is my room, not the sub). I plan to try the
16hz setting next. Maximum depth will not sacrafice maximum spl's with this baby.