[markdj79]

hi guys, my first thread

im wondering whether to add a second sub in my living room, my girlfriend says she dont mind as long as it aint massive, i know the monolith is big

the problem i have is the pv1 is great but doesnt drop very low(not as low as i'd like anyway)

my room is about 4m x 3.5m, is this too small?

also, i was contemplating gettin another pv1 but i doubt that will solve it, i need a sub that can drop lower

your help will be great

thanks in advance

[softsorter]

I'm no expert like others here but in that size room I'd imagine a Monolith on its own would be more than adequate, mine is 5m x 4m and i have just ordered a BK XLS200

[markdj79]

thanks for the reply, i bought my mt30 not long ago and had to convince the missus, she liked the look of them so it made it easier for me, i doubt she would like me selling my pv1, also, would the monolith work with satellites??? i aint got room for full size speakers also the missus would pull a real ugly face, i was thinking of adding another sub to try and cancel out room variations, like if my sub is in one corner it sounds great in the opposite corner but if i move it to under my tv it sounds crap, swamps the midrange and lacks detail, i thought another sub may help cure this, maybe im wrong, but if i can get a second sub that aint as expensive as a pv1, that will go deep and cure my problem then ill be very interested

thanks

markdj

[Russell.Williams]

Given your size limitations and the need for a clean upper bass to match the B&W satellites, I'd have a look at the BK XXLS-400 which is cleaner in this regard than the Monolith, smaller in size and therefore a bit higher on the WAF scale. It will also deliver plenty of bottom end in a room that size, without the quite as many complications of room/system integration as the naturally flatter response of the Monolith will suffer.

The next bit won't please you, but it (the XXLS-400) is also a much, much better sub than the PV1. I have a great deal of time for all (but the 8") designs B&W have kicked out at a wide range of price points over the years, but it continues to be a mystery to me why the PV-1 gets award after award.

It doesn't go deep, it doesn't go loud and it's only really clean above 80Hz, so it would seem that it is a lovely piece of engineering (and it is a lovely piece of engineering) that answers a number of questions that subwoofer design wasn't asking, packages it in a space inefficient sphere that admittedly looks brilliant, but doesn't actually do true sub-bass.

There is seldom a good reason to run non-identical subs together. Rather than get the best of both worlds, the worst bits of one will tend to mask the good points of the other - The low bass distortion of one sub will mask a cleaner bottom end of another for instance. You also have to consider that integration of two identical subs is hard enough, but if for instance, you have one with no bottom end and one with lots, it's difficult to balance the two without ending up with either too much upper bass, or turning the less capable sub down so it is barely contributing.

Sorry if it's not what you were hoping, but it's a (PV-1) problem that crops up fairly regularly and the answer doesn't change.

Russell

[softsorter]

Hi i see what your after my only concern about the 2 sub install is that your idea is using 2 different makes and more importantly specification of subs which may give a very odd bass response ?

Any sub will work with satellites but when i bought my yamaha surround i was using satellites as fronts and changed them to a older pair of Wharfedale Delta 30.2's i previously used on my old setup, and the difference gave me far more depth to the fronts and I never looked back.

while i was typing out my rather basic reply the man with far greater knowledge explained it for you - nice when you can talk from experience mind you.

[paul.w]

sell the pv1 and buy a monolith there really is no comparison. once you are running the monolith you wont have any need for the pv1,unless you want to prop a door open, or need a footrest etc

[markdj79]

thanks for your replies guys, much appreciated

it looks like ill be gettin a monolith df in gloss black, my girlfriend has kind of ok'd it, however, she doesnt want me to get rid of my pv1, i dont know why, i could put the money to better use, like some good blueray discs or whatever...

my set up is new, yamaha 765, pio 51fd, mt30 and pana 42", it does sound good and look good, but as much as i love all the pv1 stands for, it aint gonna drop below 30hz really and thats where the best bits are, i ran some test tones and the pv1 was a bit crap at anything lower than 30hz, 20hzjust didnt happen, ill prob plump for the room eq too as i can only have it in one position, part of the deal with the missus, i prefer to have subs in front of me rather than at the side, would this make any difference?? i guess i could prob tell where the bass is coming from if it was at my side, is this true???

sorry for ramblin on but i had to get it off my chest

thanks again guys

[Russell.Williams]

Originally Posted by markdj79

....my girlfriend has kind of ok'd it, however, she doesnt want me to get rid of my pv1, i dont know why, i could put the money to better use, like some good blueray discs or whatever...

Leave it where it is, but turned off. After a couple of weeks when she hasn't noticed this, but has enjoyed the bass from the Monolith, point out that the PV-1 hasn't been turned on for ages and just sitting there loosing value whilst not actually being needed.

If that doesn't make sense to her, move her on. Your display of fiscal sense not being appreciated points to a woman more interested in the superficial and likely to blow your upgrade funds in the future. From the voice of experience, that is unacceptable.

Russell

[markdj79]

thanks russ, my kind of thinkin

i hope that my set up is adequate, as i dont wanna upgrade anythin else for a long time, the mono can go in one of two positions, im opting for the front pos'n

but iv also been considerin an svs pb12plus
judging by the dollar i would prob cost about 700 quid,
is it £250 better than a mono df???

[IronGiant]

I will disagree with Russ here

There ...is more.. to.. life.. than.. a.. good.. subwoofer.

Gasp, I just got that out...

I wouldn't balance my family/wife up against my AV equipment, ever...

Because I know I'd lose

[paul.w]

in terms of positioning, it can make a lot of differance where you locate a subwoofer,but to be honest a monolith is so good that it will wee wee itself al over the pv1 no matter where you stick it.

[markdj79]

well i think its between the monolith df or the xxls400, its just that when my other half is out i can turn it up, and thats where the mono comes in plus it will drop v low which is important, i got lots of bass heavy films and songs to try it with.plus the eq thingy should solve some positioning issues i may encounter and get a nice response in a couple of seats, which is important for the lads nights in

am i making a good choice here?? or a mistake?? in my quest for proper sub bass

i know you guys encounter these kind of questions all the time, but hopefully, in time ill be able to add some imput to help other newbies in their quests

[softsorter]

I dont have room for a monolith but here the reviews speak for themselves and i think it will do exactly what you want

[markdj79]

well guys, my shortlist is now a longlist,
doubt iv got room for the monolith, it stands too high

but im thinking about the xxls400, the sb12plus or the pb12 plus, the latter sits lower even tho its the same size as a mono, it lies down rather than stands up, but its the v low frequencys that i crave, how low is 20hz???

i know the pb12 is massive but my missus has kind of said its ok coz it looks like a table and i know its powerful and can drop real low

why dont they make small powerful ported subs??

please help me choose guys, i aint sayin money is no object but i dont really have a budget but then i dont wanna spend the earth either maybe up to 800 quid

[mojorider]

I just added a second PV1 and it sounds fantastic i had a large room with tall ceilings so one PV1 was not enough. The second sub made the sound fill the room without a big boom or loads of vibration so can play movies much lower volume and enjoy them.

I had MAJOR issues with the girlfriend and the visual aspect of the system that why we ended up with KEF in ceiling speakers (7) and the PV1 in white, it looks great and now with two sounds great.

So my comprimise was looks had to fit in with the house but saying that have ended up with a great system also.

[markdj79]

hi mate

cheers for the reply

my gf has ok'd me getting a monolith so ill be gettin one soon i think, i prob cant afford another pv1, even if i could, it aint gonna solve my problem of not having any really low frequencies if i got another pv1

trust me, even russ said so and i think he knows what he is on about

[mojorider]

oh to be single and just get what you want without having to getting a style check first!

I dont quite understand you comment about it not going low enought the reviews i read say it goes super low. Being a novice at this stuff its possible i have not noticed this in what situation do you notice the lack of going low a particular movie?

[markdj79]

well i like my dance music especially old rave music, some of that stuff has killer bass, i mean real low stuff

however as good as my pv1 is it aint mega loud or deep considering its the best part of a grand, bit of a rip off really, but granted it looks great and sounds good but if you dont mind having a bigger cabinet in your house, there are a few subs which can do a lot more for less than half the price of a pv1


maybe if they made a bigger one with 10" drivers and maybe ported it somehow then i reckon they would have a world beater, but until then i think ill be gettin a monolith

[Nimby]

Originally Posted by markdj79

maybe if they made a bigger one with 10" drivers and maybe ported it somehow then i reckon they would have a world beater, but until then i think ill be getting a monolith

It would require a considerably larger enclosure. Its very small size is the Achilles' heel of the PV1.

Volume of a sphere 4/3 Pi R^3.

A 10" diameter sphere = ~524 cu in.

A 10" Cube = 10 x 10 x 10 =1000cu in.

You pay twice the price of a cube for half the volume!

[indus]

Not trying to be funny but why do some guys ask their girlfriend's permission before buying something like a subwoofer/speakers etc?
If you want something and can afford it, buy it. I'm married, and never ask permission, even when I plonked a PCU 13 in the living room. Messing around with av must be better than drinking/gambling/drugs/extra marital affairs, remind your other half of that and buy whatever your heart desires!

[markdj79]

thats a good point indus

however, i do like to involve my gf, as she has to listen to it too, and id feel a bit crap if

a. she didnt like the look of my purchase
b. she didnt like the sound of it

after all we did buy the house together so that means its half hers

i can buy anything i want regarding fishing, shooting, dj-ing and photography

but she does have to live in the house too

so lets be fair eh

[Moonfly]

Originally Posted by indus

Not trying to be funny but why do some guys ask their girlfriend's permission before buying something like a subwoofer/speakers etc?
If you want something and can afford it, buy it. I'm married, and never ask permission, even when I plonked a PCU 13 in the living room. Messing around with av must be better than drinking/gambling/drugs/extra marital affairs, remind your other half of that and buy whatever your heart desires!

I ask her opinion, just get an idea of what she will moan at the least. I still ordered my Ultra though

To the OP, what ever you end up with, just dont end up running 2 different subs, its [generally] a bad idea.

[Nimby]

Originally Posted by Moonfly

To the OP, what ever you end up with, just don't end up running 2 different subs, its a bad idea.

This statement really needs further qualification.. two very different subwoofers don't usually make a good marriage but it can work.

Using a smaller subwoofer at the back of the room with a large one in the front can ameliorate deep troughs in the frequency response at the listening position.

[markdj79]

to be honest, i think ill prob ditch the pv1

as im sure after what iv read, the monolith will give me all i need and more

i may put the pv1 in my dj room

or sell it