Clash of the Titans, Sunfire V/S SVS V/S Polk Subwoofers !

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Finding a right subwoofer is tad tedious job (Other AV components too) these days with too many brands, hyped specifications and unparalleled competitions. I used to demo as much as AV components as possible to find out the best within pre designated budget. Last week subwoofer audition was worthwhile for the hours spend at the demo room.

The components were:

Monitor Audio Silver HT Setup
Pioneer VSX AVR
OPPO BDP 103
Demo clips: The Hunger games, Battleship & Sherlock Holmes - A Game Of Shadows

Sub Volume: All tested at 50% capacity.

Sub1 : SVS SB 1000

Build: The SB 1000 is a sturdy subwoofer with great mass. The build quality (not the finish) is great for a 500$ Sub with sleek matty gloss finish & a blue led indicator for Power. The spec says its heart is a class D 300 W RMS (continuous) Amp with 10 inch driver that can go below as 20 HZ.

Performance: We started with the fire attacking scene of Jennifer Lawrence (hunger games) In forest. The sub started with a deep impact and handled the sounds very well. The low end notes were clearly defined without boominess & the bass was clean n very tight. The sub was capable enough to fill a 260 Sq Ft room and the presence was really felt, but couldnt shook a bottle of water nearby :eek:hyeah:. The same was with Battleship & Sherlock Holmes, but not as meaty as PB 1000 in the same price bracket (its due to ported & bigger enclosure). Then we shifted to audio cds, playing Bollywood, Hollywood & Specific Instrumentals & the blend of Sub was good.

Sub 2: Sunfire SDS 10

Build: It is also as good as SVS, but little lighter with dual 10 inch driver & a class D Amp that can churn out 250 W RMS (Continuous) & can go upto 29 HZ.

Performance: When the first scene of movie flashed on the screen, I was astonished about the spec mentioned on paper, just 250 & 29 Hz??? Impossible!! The sub was filling the room better than SVS & the bass was at par or better with a lower price tag & spec. The sub have a slight boominess, but it is good to have it to give more presence for movies & to fill the room in that budget. The blend was great for movies as well & the SVS gave an angry young man look who is giving thunders when Im here. I liked the sunfire a bit more. :licklips:

Sub 3: Sunfire SDS 12

Build: The sibling of SDS 10, it has dual 12 inch drivers with Class D amplification that can give a continuous output of 300 W.

Performance: Outstanding, Marvelous, Heart breaking, what else? :clapping: This is one among the must try sub for limited budget enthusiasts. The Sub has real muscle with deep integration, clean n tight bass and with outstanding presence. The SVS was cornered with the mentioned specs (of course not the higher versions) & the sub literally shook the bottle next to me. The lower notes were punchy & the sub had a tight control on deliverability with no rattling sound. Of course, no comparison with HSU or SVS PC/Higher PB series, but believe or not, the sub gave wonders when it comes to deliverability in that size.

Polk Pro 550: With a pure hyped spec of less than 25 HZ, 300 W Amp & a junk box, this sub failed to give at least minor presence. After 2 minutes, I switched off the sub as I felt the Monitor silver FS was better. It doesnt mean the sub is bad, but I never felt it.:rolleyes::D

Verdict: Both Sunfires & SVSs are very well capable sub & are capable to reproduce bass In a great way with any files you throw at. SVSs bass is very tight & clean which make it clean blend for music, Sunfire 10 is better for movies as well as music with better room integration & SDS 12 is a class league altogether and value for money.

Without prejudice, my vote goes to SDS 12. :yahoo:
 
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It would have been interesting to see how SVS PB12 scored against the Sunfire you tested.
BTW how much was the SDS 12 quoted at?
And you have mentioned it is not as good as SVS PC series.
Which model are you referring to? SVS PC12 ?
 
Was pb13 ultra was also available for demo.I am building my ht setup and have finalised two subs svs pb 13 ultra and paradign studio 15.would lime to know the reviews of these two from members
 
@ Santy: I demoed PB 12 before and must say its more or less equal. The advantage of Sunfire is small size (big sound in small package), lower price (57K prior nego) & a 3 year warranty compared to 1 year warranty of SVS which adds peace of mind. I referred both PB 10 as well as PB 12 (not PC, PC 12 is awesome).

@ Rupinder: No comparison with SVS PB 13 ultra as its a different class, but you have to pay more for that class. If you are keen, why don't you try REL/HSU sub which might be better than SVS?
 
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Hi guys,

Have seen this thread a lil later, but need some help. I short listed
SVS SB 2000, SVS PB 2000, Sunfire HRS 10 & Velodyne EqMax 15.
All are between 60 to 75 K.

Which one will be the best choice?

50-50% - Music & Movies

regards,
KRC
 
Sunfire HRS wont come at that price bracket.. SVS and Sunfire SDS are equally good. Loo k at how much low the sub can go.. Not tried Velodyne, so no comments.
 
Hi,

Please check the price details I got in ebay. See the attachment.

regards,
KRC
 

Attachments

  • Sunfire HRS.jpg
    Sunfire HRS.jpg
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Sunfire's subwoofers are 4 ohm rated, so they require a much stronger amplifier/AVR. Definitely a power guzzler for sure.

These are powered Subwoofers and AVR is giving LFE or sub out.
Please help to understand how the AVR power matter in this case?
 
Sunfire's subwoofers are 4 ohm rated, so they require a much stronger amplifier/AVR. Definitely a power guzzler for sure.

Does impedance matter for a powered subwoofer? What matters more is the required line input voltage and for that I am sure a Sunfire specification won't be off. Power consumption can't be way off from the competition.

I have never heard a Sunfire sub woofer.

I have spent a good bit of time with a colleagues SVS SB13 Ultra and it is by far the best sub woofer I have heard to date. This is after listening to a JBL and Velodyne that are similarly priced, possibly higher to the SVS Ultra. There is nothing to fault with the sound of the JBL or Velodyne. The SVS is incredible value and you have to factor the money you are spending. The best thing about the SVS is the quality of bass. I heard the setup with a pair of Polk Audio Rti A9 speakers, very strong contenders for bass. I don't know the exact frequency cut off defined on the receiver. What I can say is, the Polk's were doing just the mid range and high frequency and all the bass was handled by the SVS. You could not tell there was a sub woofer in the room. The transition was seamless and made the listener think the bass was coming from the Polks. Superb integration. If you have the room for it, the Ultra is THE sub.

I doubt if Polk's best sub woofer can get anywhere close to what Sunfire and SVS can offer.
 
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Which one will be better?

SVS PB 2000 12" (500 RMS) or Velodyne EQ Max 15" (700 RMS) ----> At the same Price range (Ported Sub's)

Regards,
KRC
 
Haven't heard the eq max 15, heard the 12, would suggest svs pb12 which I have used for week now. It is an excellent sub though a big one. It is good for music too.
 
Hi sandeepmohan,

Can refer to this data sheet for Performance comparison. There are so many good Subs available in market. The price does matters :sad:.

Check!

Data-Bass

Regards,

KRC
 
check PSB's series 300 sub-woofer which has a LF cutoff at 24 Hz and supplies 300w continuous power, dynamic peak of 850w with a 12 inch driver and less than 0.5 watts on standby.
5 year warranty to boot.
 
Wharfedale Linton Heritage Speakers in Walnut finish at a Special Offer Price. BUY now before the price increase.
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