speedbump Posted June 20, 2001 Share Posted June 20, 2001 I have finally managed to rid myself of the old DCM subwoofer, and scored a recent windfall due to FedEx's mistreatment of my beloved Chorus a month or two back. I thought I would reward myself for my patience during the claims process with a new sub. I am curious about the SVS line of subwoofers I keep hearing everyone mentioning. From what I understand, these subs are incredible, but the 20-39PC is the one with all of the glowing reviews. Does the 16-46PC just go lower and stand higher , with no negatives but increased size? I sure would love to have a matching Klipsch sub, but it sounds like the new Ref subs are going to be a bit salty. Any info you guys can give me is appreciated. This board has guided me to many wonderful yet un-auditioned speakers in the past. The reviews say alot, but input from board members here means a little more, as your track record is excellant. Thanks, Speed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPahl Posted June 21, 2001 Share Posted June 21, 2001 Speedbump, I don't have the PC series but I do have dual 16-46cs's with the the samson amp. The two are very similar but you will get a few more db's from the samson amp (350 wpc vs. 190 wpc). I have them matched to a pair of Chorus II's. First, these subs are everything you have read about, truely amazing. In terms of the 20-39's vs. 16-46's, yes the 16-46's are tuned lower (16hz vs. 20hz), but you also loose a couple of db's >30hz from the 16's. Here is my experience, hope it helps. I just recently purchased custom ports for the 16-46's they were tuned to 21hz. I bought these thinking I was missing out on the db's of the 20-39's and not really benefitting from the lower tuning point on the 16-46's. To make a long story short, I was dead wrong ! After replacing the ports with the custom ports, the subs were louder, but I lost the "feel" I was experiencing with the the 16-46's. In my environment, the 16-46's filled my room much more and gave me that whole house shake that I wanted. IMO there was a significant difference between the two set-ups. Also the 16-46's seem to blend much better with the Chorus's. Now, obviously you can't go wrong with either set-up, but for my money, there is nothing like a pair of 16-46's. Hope that helps a little. BTW, anybody want to by some custom ports ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedbump Posted June 21, 2001 Author Share Posted June 21, 2001 Jpahl, Thanks for the reply. I am having a hard time choosing between the PC and CS series. PC requires less setup, and is easier to move, but I hate to give up the extra power. Can the PC series be run with a seperate amp down the road?? I really have to start considering the WAF now too, as I have the Chorus, the Heresy, and the KLF-C7 attached to a Mitsu 55" in the living room. My normally understanding wife may get irritable about another monolith standing in the living room (with a big commercial amplifier on top of it...) ------------------ Klipsch Chorus I Fronts Klipsch KLF-C7 Center Klipsch Heresy I Surrounds Mitsubishi WS-55807 55" HDTV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornEd Posted June 21, 2001 Share Posted June 21, 2001 JPahl, your extra ports let me know your my kind of person. I know the pain of unrequited tweak. Since I have never heard an SVS woof into my particular ears, I am somewhat apprehensive about sending $2,765 to a company that has such glowing reviews of its products. Your considered statements, JPahl, bring me comfort in this time of anxious waiting. Thanks. Although I have herd of subwoofers going unheard, I turned to SVS in search of excellence. I was attracted to the twin 16-46 for some first octave therapeutic use for nonagenarians. Through frank and in-depth communications with Tom Vodhanel (SVS) I am following his suggestion and awaiting delivery of one of the first Twin CS-Ultras with 1,000 watt Sampson and ART351 EQ. It would seem that he CS_Ultra answers some of the same concerns you (and I) have about the tweaking concerns about 16-46... but I suspect I can tweak the Ultra down to about 17 with all the broad spectrum advantages not yet available in a 16-46 format. It was only the promise of the Ultra that had me hold off on ordering dual 16-46's. In the meantime, I am gathering Cornwalls, etc. for some further Klipsch experimenting. Hopefully, Speedbump, I can give you some insight into an Ultra solution for your quandry in the next couple of weeks. From what I can tell, bass management in multiple discrete speaker formats is in its infancy... and I expect we all have a lot to discover... particularly the makers of speakers, pre-amps and power amps. I am thankful that we have the sound of Klipsch to steady the wall-of-sound above subwoofer range. So, I will stay tuned to this board... for I believe the best is yet to come. HornEd ------------------ Living HT Legends KLF 30 L&R Mains KLF C-7 Center (await RC7 shipment) KLF 30 L&R Surrounds KLF 30 L&R Rear Effects KLF 10 L&R Front Effects Twin SVS CS-Ultra Pwr Sub (enroute) KSW-15 Pwr Sub (rear) Speaker Support Systems: Mitsubishi RPHD1080i 65" Yamaha RX-V3000 Receiver and such... Tweak On! This message has been edited by HornEd on 06-21-2001 at 10:34 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPahl Posted June 21, 2001 Share Posted June 21, 2001 speedbump, I am not an expert, but I would imagine you could replace the plate amp on the PC model, however I doubt you would need to. The CS model does give you some additional head room and more flexibility when adding an additional sub, but the PC model wins out when it comes to "Plug and Play". IMO, if you are considering adding an additional sub down the road, go with the CS series, if one will be enough, the PC series is for you. I would not worry too much about the amp's power, my understanding is that it is a well made German plate amp that makes complete use of the 190wpc. Once you hear (feel) the sub, you will know what I am talking about. Good luck. HornEd, I agree, I believe the CS-Ultra package will produce exactly what I (and yourself)are looking for, ~16hz extension with about a 6-9db bump. Although I shouldn't complain, I have measured 117db peaks with the dual 16-46 package (not at 16hz mind you !). I just needed to know about the custom ports. I will be very interested in your review of the Ultra package, has Tom given you any ETA ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornEd Posted June 22, 2001 Share Posted June 22, 2001 JPahl, the hope is my unit will be shipped next day before the end of this month. SVS is a fairly small operation and my favorite sub-human is up to his ears and then some. So, I told him if he needed a rest to hold off on building my fully paid unit. No, I am not patient... I just want a "Wednesday" build (to cite the old Detroit cliché) and that is a lot to ask from a guy who is working night and day weekends included! While my ears are primarily Klipsch centered, I have to admire the effort of Tom and the guys to be one with their ideals. It kind of reminds me of this guy in Hope with a horn in his head and a schoolteacher wife (who taught German) in his heart. HornEd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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