SVS 25-31 PCi for £380 on ebay

[deanym]

Just seen a SVS 25-31 PCi for sale on ebay.

A good deal or not?

If so I may go for it or would the new Monolith BK be a better bet?

Cheers

A quick answer would be appreciated - only 9 hours left!!!!!

[Sunil Banga]

It has been said on this forum that the PC would outperform the Monolith so I guess it's a choice between slightly used or brand new with a slight drop off in performance with the latter.

[Mroizouk]

Actually, Sunil, I've only heard on these forums of the PC+ and ultra models being judged superior to the monolith.

Deanym the ebay SVS would be about £100 more than that brand new I think. (delivered to your house from the US) Based on a $160 delivery charge.

I would expect the monolith to compare very well to the SVS They've both got 12" woofers and 4" ports so will probably shift similar amounts of air. The BK will go lower according to its specs.

If it were my money I'd buy the monolith, but it clearly isn't- it's your call!

Basically up to you- do you want a big box or a toob?

[Jules]

My immediate reaction, given the weak $ at the moment, is that this is not a good price at all.

Just before Christmas, my brother purchased a brand new much more capable
25-31 PC Plus (inluding duty, VAT, delivery and handling charges) for under £500.
I thing the PCi would have been considerably cheaper.

Only my opinion, but I'd pass up this offer.

[surrey lad]

I personally know of this SVS it belongs to my brother-in-law and until 5mins ago I didn't realise it was up for sale.

It's described as being mint, and it is. I can personally vouch that this sub is as described. Let my head be on the block if it isn't.

If I was to put this svs in a box and send it to you as a new item as being sent from the states, you'd belive me.


Rgds and with good intentions

surrey lad

[Ian J]

Originally Posted by Mroizouk

If it were my money I'd buy the monolith, but it clearly isn't- it's your call!

Just to balance things out I would go for the SVS which at £450 brand new and delivered to your door is a tried and trusted design with hundreds of happy users throughout the world and an equal number of owner reviews available on forums worldwide.

Contrast that with the Monolith which is a brand new design untested in the market place and the subject of just a brief listen and review by only one person and I would recommend the known commodity unless the buyer wants to be a guinea pig.

I also think that £380 for a second hand mint PCi is reasonable value as long as it can be collected so not adding to the overall cost of purchase.

[eviljohn2]

Everything I've read and heard indicates that either sub would be an excellent choice.

I personally would put more weight behind Kazman's review having met him a couple of times and having faith in his opinion and critical reviewing style compared to other reviewers who I havn't met and may or may not be technically knowledgable - a lot of the hifi press don't seem to be.

[Kazman]

Originally Posted by Ian J

Just to balance things out I would go for the SVS which at £450 brand new and delivered to your door is a tried and trusted design with hundreds of happy users throughout the world and an equal number of owner reviews available on forums worldwide.

BK can't really win with you can they Ian?

Wasn't your advice the exact opposite when SVS were just emerging into our UK market?

Anyway, The Monolith and 25-31PCi would be close, although I haven't heard the 12" ISD driver so this is pure speculation. Plus points in going for the Monolith would be that it is a British design so you would get support sooner than you would from the States, it is brand new and it will certainly be better built than the SVS as well as a much nicer finish (this coming from an SVS PC Ultra owner).

The choice is yours

[GFS AV]

Monolith all the way for me!!

Apart from the fact that you'd be getting a brand spanking new unit, it has been confirmed by a well respected sub tester that the Monolith is an outstanding piece of equipment. Not to mention the excellent quality of the components used in BK's subwoofers.

Not a bad word has been said against the little BK XLS200 (apart from one silly remark suggesting it's more of a piece of furniture ), most owners including myself agree that it is a hell of a sub for the money. From reading a review on the Monolith (see Kazman's thread), it seems the Monolith is a fantastic new addition to BK's subwoofers.

[Kazman]

I would like to add that if it was a PC+ or PC Ultra sub, I'd jump at those over the Monolith. The Monolith is a great subwoofer, but asking it to take on SVS's premiere drivers is a little much.

[PJTX100]

Originally Posted by Ian J

Just to balance things out I would go for the SVS which at £450 brand new and delivered to your door is a tried and trusted design with hundreds of happy users throughout the world and an equal number of owner reviews available on forums worldwide.

Contrast that with the Monolith which is a brand new design untested in the market place and the subject of just a brief listen and review by only one person and I would recommend the known commodity unless the buyer wants to be a guinea pig.

I also think that £380 for a second hand mint PCi is reasonable value as long as it can be collected so not adding to the overall cost of purchase.

So just how does a new design become a "tried and trusted design"?

Do we wait for a load of guinea pigs to try the Monolith and post reviews before it gets a seal of approval? And if they take your advice and stick to SVS, then how will this ever become a reality?

I mean, BK don't tend to spray review models around the HiFi press?

...PJ

[Ian J]

Originally Posted by Kazman

BK can't really win with you can they Ian?

I have been recommending the BK XLS200 sub for over two years in the appropriate circumstances so comments like yours are a bit facile but I try not to recommend something blindly just because it comes from a particular manufacturer ( and I am not having a dig at you here )

Below are quotes from just some of my many posts over the years and if you take the time to check you will find that there are loads more where they came from

Originally Posted by Ian J 17/12/2003

Probably the best subwoofer available under £400 is the XLS200 available directly from BK Electronics here at £279.

The company may not be a well known name but they manufacture subwoofers on behalf of a number of speaker "manufacturers" and know what they are doing.

The price is kept down as there is no hefty advertising and no huge dealer margins, much as with SVS from the States but unlike most other subs at this sort of price they only use quality components meaning that they punch much higher than their price would indicate.

Quite a few people here have bought them and I don't think that you will find any comments other than hugely positive ones.

Originally Posted by Ian J 02/10/2003

Having heard both the Quake and the similar sized offerings from MJ Acoustics I much prefer the latter but there are many who feel the BK XLS200 available only directly from the manufacturer here is the best value compact subwoofer available.

The company aren't well known but have years of experience as they actually manufacture subs for other companies which appear under their clients' names. The advantage of the XLS200 is that there is no huge dealer margin or advertising costs that the customer has to pay for.

Originally Posted by Ian J 10/01/2004

At the prices that you mention I would probably go for a brand new BK. Unlike many other subs in that price range it uses a quality driver and amplifier and is only that price as it's sold direct and cuts out the middleman's big slice.

I think that a REL Q100 whilst still hugely desirable is getting on a bit and £270 is more than I would pay for one.

Originally Posted by Ian J 09/04/2004

Probably the best buy in your price range is the Mordaunt Short MS309 which is a five star What Hifi winner or slightly over budget at £280 would be the BK Electronics XLS200.

Originally Posted by Ian J 14/07/2004

a cheap boom box of a sub will ruin your setup and not enhance it but the good news is that quality has recently become cheaper with the Mordaunt Short MS309 available at around £220 but if you can afford more I would strongly suggest the BK Electronics XLS200 at £279 which may suit you better if your primary interest is music.

Originally Posted by Ian J 27/08/2004

Probably the best value for money sub in your price range is the BK Electronics XLS200 which is available directly from the manufacturers here. Much has been written about this sub by various forum members over the last 18 months and it has been 99% positive. As you would be buying the sub directly from the manufacturer you would be effectively cutting out the retailers overheards and would be buying a £500 sub for £279

Another sub worth considering if you hurry is the Ruark Log Rythym which has been reduced from £800 to £250 here.

Originally Posted by Ian J 30/08/2004

You should never dismiss a manufacturer just because you have never heard of them. Their equipment has been reviewed by most magazines and has received five star ratings from most of them. BK Electronics are OEM subwoofer manufacturers so the units they manufacture are sold with other, more well known labels stuck on them. You would be surprised at how many of our great British subwoofer manufacturing names do not actually make anything themselves but subcontract it out to BK - even some fairly well known high end names

Originally Posted by Ian J 30/01/2005

You haven't mentioned a budget but assuming that you wish to spend as little as possible I would suggest the two strongest contenders would be the BK Electronics XLS200 from forum sponsors BL Elec (click banner ad above) or the Velodyne CHT-10 which is currently on special offer from AV-Sales in the powerbuy forum here

Originally Posted by Ian J 21/04/2005

The BK XLS200 should be on your short list at £279. Loads of positive comments on the forum from quite a few satisfied buyers

[Ian J]

Originally Posted by PJTX100

Do we wait for a load of guinea pigs to try the Monolith and post reviews before it gets a seal of approval? And if they take your advice and stick to SVS, then how will this ever become a reality?

The question was concerning an SVS sub seen for sale and I gave my opinion on whether it was worth buying at the indicated price.

Originally Posted by PJTX100

BK don't tend to spray review models around the HiFi press?

In view of the fact that they seem willing to lend a review model to a forum member perhaps they should

[GFS AV]

Originally Posted by Ian J

I don't believe that the two subwoofers are in the same league in terms of sonic ability and whilst they may cost the same they are aimed at different markets. The SVS is aimed at the purist for whom sound quality is of prime importance whilst the BK is aimed at people who are looking for furniture

hmm

[Kazman]

Originally Posted by Ian J

I have been recommending the BK XLS200 sub for over two years in the appropriate circumstances so comments like yours are a bit facile but I try not to recommend something blindly just because it comes from a particular manufacturer ( and I am not having a dig at you here )

Below are quotes from just some of my many posts over the years and if you take the time to check you will find that there are loads more where they came from

Fair enough, maybe my comment was a little harsh, but the problem I see here is that you were quick enough to blow the PB10's trumpet on the basis of SVS's previous subs, but are quick to dismiss the Monolith despite your prior praise of the XLS200, proving their ability to build a good subwoofer.

The Monolith should at least be given an equal chance don't you think?

The PB10 is a cracking sub, there is no doubt about that, and if an end user prefers a more agressive sound then they may prefer the PB10 over the Monolith, my preference was with the Monolith.

Fair enough, if the Monolith was not up to scratch I would have said so, I'm not afraid to knock a sub if it didn't impress me, or if aspects of it didn't impress me (note my comments on the Sony sub and its handling of the gattling gun scene in the Matrix).

If one needs convincing, I'm sure BK would be willing to play host to anyone wishing to see them at their premises for a demo.