Please help me choose a sub!

panamawhisky

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Hello all, I'm new here and need some help purchasing a sub. It's mostly for movie and Netflix watching and occasional music. my current set up is Q acoustics 3050 fronts, 3090 centre, 3020 surrounds, sony sscse atmos speakers, sony str-dn1080 amp and sony x85 75" screen.
I'm tempted to buy second hand and seen a few good buys:
SVS PB1000 for around $600AUD
Klipsch SW110 for $550AUD
B&W ASW300 still on Ebay maybe $400AUD
Wharfedale Diamond SW150 $300AUD

There is the Q Acoustics 3070s for about $400AUD but I've read mixed reviews and considering all options.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
" It's mostly for movie and Netflix watching"

If you have about small to medium sized room and have couple options where to place the sub (where it sounds best), then SVS PB1000 is a easy choice. It will be on another level to those others you mentioned. Emotiva BassX S12 is another good option if it`s noticeably cheaper than SVS and available in Australia.
 
Thanks for the reply @Gasp3621 the Emotiva and SVS are about the same price range of $1100AUD. looks like they are both highly rated subs. My living room space is part of the kitchen and dining and would be 8m x 8m (26' square) and within that the lounge area is roughly 5m or 16' square.
 
Just what i was afraid. :( That sounds very large open space then and you should look something larger if possible or as a minium add second one later. I know it`s tough with low budget. Emotiva is definitely too small, PB1000 outperforms it even with smaller driver, so for same price SVS is better. But even then the PB1000 is just too small there. You can always chat with SVS support to see what they recommend, there is chat on their page and they respond emails quite fast too i believe.

Do check does your local SVS dealer offer you this older model for special price, basically you get nearly PB2000 performance for PB1000 price (499US$);
PB12-NSD

Another option might be 2nd hand ones but you would need to know what to look for. DIY is another way if you have space and tools and ok hand skills. There is many forums where people helps you with the build. I know some serious guys would be looking couple 15" subs as a minium for that kind of space.. If only you would have some room (smaller) which you could keep as AV/computer/work room. But hey we can always dream... :rolleyes:
 
The pb1000 measured much better than the basx12. Smoother FR, deeper extension, and much more clean output capability too.

Review: SVS PB-1000 subwoofer Measurements

SoundStageNetwork.com | SoundStage.com - Emotiva BasX S12 Subwoofer

Tom V.

There was something wrong with those measurements, Ed Mullen mentioned it once but never got back to them what went wrong. He sended me their own CEA measurements and they were quite different from what i remember. But the point is still clear, SVS is ahead no doubt. I usually mention BassX S12 cause in some countries it`s priced much lower than SVS and it isn`t bad choice if the price is right.

What are you Tom thinking about this dilemma? Large open space 8x8meters and low budget. Most of people uses PB1000 in ~10-20sqm rooms and this guy has 64sqm. For me it`s very hard to imagine what it can do there.
 
Thanks both for your input. To clarify the whole space is 8x8 but where I have the surround sound 5.1 setup is more like 4.5m x 4.5m. I realise it's not ideal and a dedicated room is what I'm aspiring towards in my next home but trying to figure out a good option for my speaker, amp and spacial setup. sounds like the svs is a good option and I'll keep an eye out for second hand and PB12-NSD as you pointed out
 
There was something wrong with those measurements, Ed Mullen mentioned it once but never got back to them what went wrong. He sended me their own CEA measurements and they were quite different from what i remember. But the point is still clear, SVS is ahead no doubt. I usually mention BassX S12 cause in some countries it`s priced much lower than SVS and it isn`t bad choice if the price is right.

What are you Tom thinking about this dilemma? Large open space 8x8meters and low budget. Most of people uses PB1000 in ~10-20sqm rooms and this guy has 64sqm. For me it`s very hard to imagine what it can do there.

I've seen that posted before---pb1000 data-set being "off" but it really doesn't make much sense. Before any review like this is published it is sent to the manufacturer for their approval that the data *IS* correct. Why would svs approve it if it wasn't accurate? Do you have the svs data-set? That would be interesting. Also, I've seen it posted that svs said the lower range was okay but the upper bass was 1-2dB off. And then vice-versa. But even if we took 2dB off the ENTIRE pb1000 data-set it still out guns the emotiva by 50% or so.


The room size is actually secondary to the placement of the subwoofer+distance from sub to seating position(s).

The room environment will mostly affect the bass capabilities <25hz in conjunction with the differing "room gain"(pressure vessel effect) signatures associated with "small" versus "large" rooms.

1)will you/can you position the subwoofer in/near a corner of the room---preferably a corner without any large openings to other areas of the home nearby?

2)What will be the average distance between the sub and the key seats?

Tom V.
 
Hi Tom, here's a photo of the space to give you a better picture (excuse the mess!). Currently I'm using that small sub in front of the speaker tower which is 3.4m from central seating position. Altrrnatively, I could slide the tv unit along and put the sub right in the corner as you suggested with the tower speaker next to it. That would be 3.8m from sitting position. I'd really appreciate any feedback or suggestions you may have. Thanks again :)
 

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I've seen that posted before---pb1000 data-set being "off" but it really doesn't make much sense. Before any review like this is published it is sent to the manufacturer for their approval that the data *IS* correct. Why would svs approve it if it wasn't accurate? Do you have the svs data-set? That would be interesting. Also, I've seen it posted that svs said the lower range was okay but the upper bass was 1-2dB off. And then vice-versa.

Hey Tom! I found the old reply from Ed. PB1000 is very strong at 20-25hz (for a 519£ sub with 10" driver!). But also there has been many reports it will miss some chest punch/midbass. As you have said many times where the most "action" lies is +30hz on movies. Maybe SVS engineers have read too much AVSForum, where most of people look only the ultra low bass figures. ;) Jokes aside, still it´s a very fine sub for the money/size, i have heard one with Antimode in small room so i can understand the hype from Brent + 10 other reviews and why this sub is probably most popular 500$ HT sub all over world. If they would change the vinyl wrapping to matte black it could sell more in certain countries. I understand that the black ash is cheapest to produce, but brings that 1990s vibe. :confused:

The SB-2000 data set is correct and matches our own data. The PB-1000 data set is not correct (I’m not sure what went wrong during that test session – I never discussed it with the reviewer).

Sound And Vision numbers, subtracted 9db to get 2M figures so comparison is easier.

20 Hz 101.6 dB
25 Hz 104 dB
31.5 Hz 105.9 dB

40 Hz 110.8 dB
50 Hz 113.2 dB
63 Hz 113.5 dB

SVS own numbers. These values are 2 meters ground plane dB RMS using Don Keele’s software and a professionally calibrated test rig.

16 Hz 91,9 dB Y

20 Hz 99,8 dB Y
25 Hz 102,9 dB Y
31,5 Hz 104 dB Y

40 Hz 107,4 dB X
50 Hz 109,5 dB X
63 Hz 109 dB Y

80 Hz 108,4 dB Y

X = Maximum Output Level Is Amp/Power Limited
Y= Maximum Output Level Is CEA-2010 Limited

For 10hz and 12,5hz SNR = Insufficient S/N Ratio For Data Acquisition
 

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