My amateur review of the XV30f
I placed my order for the XV30f at the recommendation of Tom V. based on his assessment of my listening room (25X25). Tom was very responsive to all my questions and emails regarding the purchase and later what seemed like infinite shipment delays. All total, I received this beast in just over three weeks. Looking back, having to wait three weeks doesn't seem to be that big of a deal. Tom promised a "night and day" difference since I would be replacing my old Velodyne DLSR 3750 with the XV30f. My reason for wanting a new sub developed after seeing so many videos of subwoofer excursion while playing Bass I Love You. When I played most of the songs by this group they sounded horrible. In fact, on a couple of songs, it seemed like my subwoofer went silent due to its limited low frequency extension. Naturally, I became jealous and curious as to what I was really missing. However, the DLSR3750 was a pretty decent subwoofer to start. Well, at least until I set up my XV30f this morning.
I will start my review with my current setup: Magnepan 1.7 for fronts, Martin Logan Feature center, no surrounds yet, and a Denon 4311 receiver. All of my HD movies and music are stored on a Windows Home Server (16TB) and played using XBMC running on a Mac Mini. I have a Panasonic plasma television.
My first impression of the XV30f is that it is huge, but not as big as I thought it would be. I don't have WAF issues. Although, I am a single father. My daughters, 8 and 12, did come into the room briefly to say, "Really, dad…is this necessary?" Grinning sheepishly, I replied, "No, but neither is the iPad mini and iPhone 5s I just bought you." At 6'3 and 250lbs, moving the XV30f into place didn't seem that big of a deal. It definitely would have taken two people if I needed to go up or down stairs. Did I mention that the 15" subwoofers are gigantic? Setup was easy. Unboxing, setup, and running Audyssey took me about 30 minutes. I don't have any meters or fancy software to show results. Everything is based on my ears and opinion.
The first sound I sent to the XV30f was based on sample frequency tones I generated using audio equipment I own. I used tones down to 10Hz. In its current position, I have substantial bass down to about 15Hz. I now understand what everyone means by room pressurization. Nice! Now, on to music and Bass Mekanik.
The first song I played was Sub Bass Excursion. Compared to my Velodyne DLSR3750, the difference, yes, Tom, was night and day. In fact, it was borderline ridiculous. I was amazed at the tightness, extension, and clarity of the XV30f. I never realized how muddy and distorted my Velodyne produced bass. It was, dare I say, beyond night and day. The DLSR3750 also produces significant cabinet noise. Funny, I never noticed it before. The build quality of the XV30f is 4 stars out of five. No cabinet noise. Solid build. No defects. The only complaint you could make is that it will never win any beauty contests. Then again, I'm no beauty either so who cares? I listen to a mix of jazz, rap, and even classical. With minor level adjustments, there were no issues with any of the music I sampled. The XV30f is definitely for bass lovers. When listening to classical music, I generally turn my subwoofer off as the Maggies can handle classical music without any help. For testing purposes, I turned the bass very low and the Chopin I sampled was very enjoyable. However, for classical, I still prefer the sound of the naked Maggies. Now, on to movies.
Movies are where the XV30f took me to a new stratosphere. I chose Avatar, Prometheus, Cloverfield, and War of the Worlds for this review. Overall, it was like I had never "heard" these movies before. As I listened with my eyes closed, room shaking, and testing the structural integrity of my house, I was amazed at the impact, extension, and real movie theater like experience. The rumbles were so much deeper. Unexpected noises made me jump as they crashed into my chest. I heard LFE in these movies that I had never heard before. So this is what a REAL subwoofer sounds like.
In conclusion, the XV30f blended very well with my setup. Localization was not an issue. Setup was easy. Movies are where this beast of a subwoofer shines. And if you're a bass lover with music, the XV30f will give you a new appreciation when listening to rap, R&B, and club music. No matter how hard I tried, listening at levels I'm sure my neighbors don't appreciate, I could not get this subwoofer to sound strained. I even understand what everyone means by pressurization now. I needed a cigarette after watching Cloverfield. Tom, thanks for the discounts, and you're right, I don't regret this purchase. :T:hsd:
Mark