I just received my SVS 2039pci last night. Great sounding sub! I now know what a real sub can do for movies! As for the negative, well, the only way to put it is...this thing is HUGE!!! I knew it would be roughly 39" tall. In addition, I viewed Gonk's page where he posted some great pictures, but there is no way to truly appreciate the sheer size of this thing until you get one in your home! It has to be the size of a 55 gallon drum of oil. It absolutely dominates the room and system. My set is pretty large to begin with...Mirage towers for mains and surrounds, 55" rptv, my living room is 28'x15' with a vaulted ceiling from 11' to 20', plus I was born/raised in Texas ! The bigger the better, right?

I guess my question for SVS owners is, does the "sticker shock" wear off over time? And for those who went in for the 1646 (good lord!) what did you think when you pulled it out of the box for the first time?

[This message has been edited by byrnebv (edited January 18, 2003).]

It's always a pretty large beastie, but it does wear off after a while. We rearranged the living room this week and ended up going back to what we had originally. I had the sub in a different corner when the room was re-arranged, and when we put things back together last night I left it there and set the rocking chair in front of it. Until I did all of that, I hadn't realized how much space the sub had been taking up next to the bookcase -- the shock wore off in probably a week or so, I'd guess.

Visual aids...
before overall
before close-up

New arrangement (click for close-up):


Sub behind rocking chair (click for close-up):


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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

A couple of other things that I'll add... First, Mrs. gonk was very pleased to see the sub's new home (the fact that it's a better location for the SVS -- even with the chair in front of it -- notwithstanding). Second, my sister-in-law didn't know that I'd gotten the sub and came by a few days after I set it up, and her immediate response was something along the lines of "there's a giant black lump in your living room!"

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

I have an SV 16-46 PCi. Yes it is quite large, but the low freqency sound performance far out weights its appearance. That being said, I have only myself to please. I have had a number of people say Wow! Whats that! The guys were impressed. The most of the women weren't. I have been impressed with the sound, and the value.

I don't even realize it is even there, until someone says "What the HELL is that!".
Like any other large monolith it will fade in time. Or at least until you play BMG and turn around to make sure it is still standing upright.



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m-mmeyer
GO TWINS
My DVD's

While we are on the topic of SVS Subwoofers I have a few questions. I am considering purchasing a SVS 25-31PCi. I prefer it's smaller size but am wondering how much I will pay for this smaller size in terms of quality of the bass it produces.

Another concern I have is that I live in an apartment. Can the Subwoofer be tuned to produce some reasonable bass that doesn't shake the walls too much or does that defeat the purpose of getting a sub. My speakers produce very nice base down to 50Hz so I have my crossover set to 60.

Well, the sub in my pictures above is a 25-31PCi. I've written up some of my experience with it here , if you want to check them out. I have it set up in a smaller room than some SVS's end up in (19'x11'x8'). In my space, it packs plenty of punch. Like you, I went with the 25-31 in part for size, but wondered a little about the wisdom of not getting the 20-39 instead. Once I had it set up, I quit worrying about that decision.

As for the "turn-down" options, yes it can be turned down so as to not rattle windows and torment neighbors, but it will reduce the overall impact. I never had a sub when I was an apartment-dweller, so I'm afraid I'm not the best source of advise on the subject of apartment subbing.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Regardless of the model of SV sub you get the footprint will be the same. If you are going to by one of the smaller models they can tune them to lower frequencys. You must request this before you make your purchase. So call them, and make your purchase by phone. I have a 16-46 PCi, and it's great.

Gonk:
Wow, I didn't realize that it was that big. Thanks for the link. I am still on the fence but I expect to get a sub sooner or later.

Oil Can:
Good point. I havn't checked the specs closely I see now that they are taller not fatter.

[This message has been edited by desperado (edited January 22, 2003).]

Be sure to check out SVS's site because they are releasing there cube subs soon! This gives you one more option for SVS sound if you don't want a cylinder. One of the top reasons to buy one besides the sound is their absolute top notch customer support, if you have any questions shoot them off an e-mail at: techsupport@svsubwoofers.com and they will help you any way they can. Good luck!




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m-mmeyer
GO TWINS
My DVD's

The cube sub may be a good suggestion -- they are hoping to start shipping the small powered cube very soon (pics and details in this thread at HTF). Performance on par with the 25-31PCi for about $600.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

I like the SVS cylinder. I think it looks nicer in the room and has a smaller foot print. I don't see the advantage of the cube. Same performance, larger footprint, heaver, and costs more ? Is is just a matter of some people prefering the look of a cube ? Thats what I get from reading the thread.

Basically, some people (or their spouses) prefer a cube -- they can treat it as an end table or plant stand, whereas the ol' cylinders are pretty much nothing but subwoofer. Short of something like a Sunfire (which is sort of hard on the pocketbook), a good sub will tend to take up some floor space. The SVS cylinders don't take as much as some, although they make up for it by being taller than average. At that point, much of it boils down to personal preference and space constraints.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

I think the cylinder would look great with a nice Murano glass vase on top

You don't want to put anything on top of the sub. That's where the port is.

OH yea...I gotta get a better look at one of these things some day. But I still want one.

Check out Audio Envy if you haven't already -- might be able to find somebody in your area willing to demo an SVS for you, let you get an up-close and personal look at one.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Interesting idea. Is the URL correct for this site ? I keep getting errors trying it and I didn't find it in google.

Hmmm... Link worked for me when I posted it, but this morning it's not working... I think their site may be down at the moment.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

I've got the SVS 25-31 PC+ (got it for Christmas). My wife has one of those fake "small tree" by it. She never did say anything about the looks or location, but she did say after the "girls" spent an afternoon Karaoke'in, a few of the ladies wanted to know what it was, some didn't even notice till it was pointed out, but they all ask what kind of speakers did I just get. I love it. sometimes though my wife thinks its going to "hurt" the house..HEHE

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Hook'em Horns

Think of it as stress testing, you know, finding out if there is a structural problem before it becomes a REAL problem

Yep, our dual 16-46s are quite a conversation starter. One way of looking at the visual spectacle is that it invariably leads to a audio demonstration. Very few people can resist the urge to actually listen to something that they have never seen before. More then one friend has left our place after watching one of the "usual suspects" (LOTR, AOTC, etc)and ordered one or two SVS products.

My wife is less concerned about the size than what it does to her kitchen!