SVS SB12-Plus Subwoofer: The Mouse That Roars

**organicled** · **08-11-07, 12:33 AM**

This is the kind of review I was looking for, you've sold me. Gathering my pennies to get this baby. Room size 12x17

My problem will be placement; I don't have a free corner to put the new sub, except behind the TV in the corner, where it is very enclosed (current location). The wife thinks the sub looked ugly so she made me put it there.

My current sub sounds bad, and adjusting still makes it sound hollow and boomy. I've included a rough room layout and where I want to place the SVS. I was going to place along a wall to the side of the TV, but all recommendation say that?s not the way to go. I don't want to hide this sub and loose the sound I?m paying for, can I use the sub and receiver adjustments to make it work along in this location?

OLED

**Sonnie** · **08-11-07, 03:17 AM**

Welcome to the Shack!

You might get more attention on this if you start a new thread.

**04-28-08, 11:54 AM**

I currently own a Sunfire True Subwoofer Mk IV. It sounds great but the non-defeatable auto-on drives me crazy with music and TV without lots of bass. The comparator circuit is after the gain control so the only way to work around the problem is to have the subwoofer set too loud or listen at levels that are too loud. It takes over a second of fairly high level signal to turn on and sputters on and off if the signal isn't sustained that long (it always worked this way).

My point is, will this SVS SB-12 work as well in a relatively small room (20x12x7 feet) as the Sunfire and will it have similar distortion levels at around 80 to 90 db? If it will sound similar I would gladly sell my Sunfire and buy this sub to avoid the annoyance of the auto-on feature despite giving up about 6 db of ultimate loudness.

Has anyone tested the two side by side (or the EQ which sounds essentially the same)? I don't want to spend $1500 versus $700 for output I won't care about just to get rid of the auto-on problem.

**mojomike** · **04-29-08, 01:52 PM**

I've never compared the Sunfire with the SB12, but I can tell you that the SB12 will have no problem giving you the clean output levels you are looking for and more.

**Blaser** · **04-30-08, 07:31 PM**

Quote:

organicled wrote:

I don't want to hide this sub and loose the sound I?m paying for, can I use the sub and receiver adjustments to make it work along in this location?

I think your best bet is behind the TV, that will help with corner reinforcement. You shouldn't lose the sound, but gain some reinforcement.
If you insist on placing it beside the TV, it might work as well but I think you'll lose some loudness and depth. Anyway, you will need to make some measurements to decide what the best results are.

**05-02-08, 03:05 PM**

I'd like to see how the Dayton HSU12 compares to the SVS's. Given how well other HSU designs perform, I'd guess it would compare very favorably.

**Blaser** · **05-02-08, 03:27 PM**

Go to the subwoofer tests forum, you'll find a great job done by Ilkka.

**05-02-08, 04:15 PM**

Quote:

blaser wrote:

Go to the subwoofer tests forum, you'll find a great job done by Ilkka.

There definitely a lot of subs tested there, but I didn't see anything posted for the Dayton HSU12.

**cwall99** · **12-18-08, 08:51 AM**

I want one!!! Maybe two. Oh, wait, the dishwasher crapped out on me. Rats. And so did the heater/A/C blower in my truck (try driving around in a snowstorm with no defrost!!!). There goes all my subwoofer money.

**oavs** · **08-01-09, 04:09 AM**

Quote:

Blaser wrote:

I think your best bet is behind the TV, that will help with corner reinforcement. You shouldn't lose the sound, but gain some reinforcement.
If you insist on placing it beside the TV, it might work as well but I think you'll lose some loudness and depth. Anyway, you will need to make some measurements to decide what the best results are.

Looking at the diagram above, my room is very similar. I like to place it behind the TV + cabinet too but where the sub's front (speakers grill) should face? If it faces to back of the TV+cabinet would that be a problem? Shoud it face to the corner of the room behind the TV?

Or does it make any difference at all?

**Pete B** · **08-17-09, 02:30 AM**

Would have been interesting to compare a pair the the single SB12.

Pete B.

**mojomike** · **08-17-09, 07:22 AM**

Quote:

Pete B wrote:

Would have been interesting to compare a pair the the single SB12.

Pete B.

The only thing that would change when going from one to two would an increase in output of 6db if the two are colocated. The frequency response would stay the same. The distortion characteristics would stay the same, but would occur when the volume is 6db higher than for one sub. Therefor you can mathmatically calculate the test results with a pair.

**Pete B** · **08-17-09, 09:14 AM**

I am aware of that and agree, however 6 dB is huge, 4 times the power, ought to be a much more impressive listening experience. Hearing is not linear, equal level loudness contours and all ....

Multiple subs also have advantage as far as room mode exitation goes.

Pete B.

**mojomike** · **08-17-09, 09:32 AM**

Quote:

Pete B wrote:

I am aware of that and agree, however 6 dB is huge, 4 times the power, ought to be a much more impressive listening experience. Hearing is not linear, equal level loudness contours and all ....

Multiple subs also have advantage as far as room mode exitation goes.

Pete B.

The room mode excitation advantage is true if you separate the subs, but of course the results will vary from room to room. Also when you separate the subs, you won't be likely to get the full 6db bump in output. It would be somewhere betwee 3-6 db.

Believe me, I know what you're talking about. I run a stereo pair of SB12's myself.

**03FLHT2** · **11-03-09, 10:55 PM**

has anybody in here used these with a Planer type speaker. I have been on a quest to find a Sub for my Maggie two channel music and HT setup

**Jon Liu** · **11-04-09, 04:11 PM**

03FLHT3, I've owned several iterations of SVS's lineup and I can say that the only one that comes close enough to my expectation of a musical sub would be the current Ultra driver. I'm not knocking their subs because they are the very first subwoofer company I recommend to everyone.

**recruit** · **11-04-09, 05:04 PM**

Quote:

Jon Liu wrote:

03FLHT3, I've owned several iterations of SVS's lineup and I can say that the only one that comes close enough to my expectation of a musical sub would be the current Ultra driver. I'm not knocking their subs because they are the very first subwoofer company I recommend to everyone.

That is exactly my sentiments, I had the older PC+ range from SVS but the new Ultra driver and range is the best they have made to date and are equally adapt at playing music and movies very well indeed...

**03FLHT2** · **11-04-09, 06:55 PM**

So you two are saying the PB13 is what i should look at. and at needing two that a huge chunk of change

**recruit** · **11-05-09, 02:02 AM**

Quote:

03FLHT2 wrote:

So you two are saying the PB13 is what i should look at. and at needing two that a huge chunk of change

Not really, the smaller SB12 is an amazing sub for its size and is good with both music and movies, just that the Ultra is so much better, from experience with a wider range of subs that I have owned and listened to in the past...

**Jon Liu** · **11-05-09, 09:50 AM**

I only mentioned the Ultra13 because after several different incarnations that I've owned, the Ultra13 is the only one that I thought really satisfied my music low frequency needs well enough.

The rest of their sub line is very good as well, but you were originally asking for a sub for music only and if I were to use any of the rest of the SVS subs I had for ONLY music, then I would've been left yearning something else.

**03FLHT2** · **11-06-09, 09:23 PM**

actually music was first, though I do want it for HT too-- I have Maggies front and rear and plan on up grading the rear to 1.6 them making the MG12 for side rear

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