SVS PB-1000 or B&W 610 Sub? Which one to match my setup?

originalamit

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Hi All,

Am unable to get a side by side demo of these two in Bangalore. (Heck, no one in Bangalore seems to have a demo of the 610 sub at all!)

My proposed config is
B&W 603 Floor, B&W HTM6 Centre, Marantz Amp 5013. (rear surround i am still deciding)

For the sub, which one would be better? Price of both is nearly the same (B&W is a bit more by around 8k but thats ok). I listen to music and movies 50:50

Seems that both are highly rated. If you had to choose one over the other, what lens should i apply?

Thanks

Amit
 
SVS is a brand that breathes subwoofers. You cannot go wrong with it, no matter what. There is a SB series on sale in the For Sale section. It's as good as brand new.

MaSh
 
Hi All,

Am unable to get a side by side demo of these two in Bangalore. (Heck, no one in Bangalore seems to have a demo of the 610 sub at all!)

My proposed config is
B&W 603 Floor, B&W HTM6 Centre, Marantz Amp 5013. (rear surround i am still deciding)

For the sub, which one would be better? Price of both is nearly the same (B&W is a bit more by around 8k but thats ok). I listen to music and movies 50:50

Seems that both are highly rated. If you had to choose one over the other, what lens should i apply?

Thanks

Amit
Like mash said svs is a brand well know for subwoofers. Matching speakers is important but same does not apply for subwoofers. You can get the b&w speakers nd calibrate the svs sub to match ur speakers. I use Dali speakers nd bic subwoofer nd was able to calibrate the sub to match the dalis. You can also check with Rel and Rythmik subs. For ur budget u can definitely explore nd have demos nd finialize on one as per your ears liking
 
should i be open to a 12" sub (eg BIC PL200ii)? From what i am reading online, it seems that a 12" sub performs better than a 10" but i am not sure how to compare the B&W and PB1000 VS the BIC PL200ii

Again, the dilemma stays in the lack of a unified demo centre to decide.

Thanks!

Amit
 
Hi All,

Am unable to get a side by side demo of these two in Bangalore. (Heck, no one in Bangalore seems to have a demo of the 610 sub at all!)

My proposed config is
B&W 603 Floor, B&W HTM6 Centre, Marantz Amp 5013. (rear surround i am still deciding)

For the sub, which one would be better? Price of both is nearly the same (B&W is a bit more by around 8k but thats ok). I listen to music and movies 50:50

Seems that both are highly rated. If you had to choose one over the other, what lens should i apply?

Thanks

Amit
If you can increase your budget, Since its 50/50 music/movies, why don't you add REL to the mix, They blend perfect with B&Ws.

Cheers.
 
should i be open to a 12" sub (eg BIC PL200ii)? From what i am reading online, it seems that a 12" sub performs better than a 10" but i am not sure how to compare the B&W and PB1000 VS the BIC PL200ii

Again, the dilemma stays in the lack of a unified demo centre to decide.

Thanks!

Amit
The PB1000 will play lot lower and louder than the Pl200 as SVS has bigger enclosure, better amp and better driver.
 
should i be open to a 12" sub (eg BIC PL200ii)? From what i am reading online, it seems that a 12" sub performs better than a 10" but i am not sure how to compare the B&W and PB1000 VS the BIC PL200ii

Again, the dilemma stays in the lack of a unified demo centre to decide.

Thanks!

Amit


Here are the specs for PB1000

https://www.svsound.com/products/pb-1000

Here it is for BIC America PL 200 ii

http://www.bicamerica.com/showpage.php?brand=1&type=8&spkrID=145

My advice....what you need to look in a sub....

  • Warranty & Service......there are threads on both sub brands....read what users have to say.
  • Check the actual size of the sub and where you will place it.
  • Humans are cap;able to hear frequencies between 20hz and 20khz.... hardly much difference between SVS and BIC
  • In terms of Power AMP and dynamic power,,,,both are neck to neck....
Choose wisely....see some videos over Youtube to get some idea....all the best! Check if any members near you to audition what they have....carry your music and movie content........as reference in decision making

You can also consider other brands if available in your location....Sunfire, Polk (HTS 10 or 12), REL, Rhythm etc.
 
Updates from my end and where the challenge i am facing:

i got the following setup at home:
1) Marantz 6013 (Drives 2 subs) and Emotiva TA300
2) B&W 603 floor standers and HTM6 centre
3) SVS PB1000 Sub
4) Rears are an italian brand called Coral Nota 260 (primarily to save costs i did not go for B&W and also rears we can make do with smaller speakers)
5) Ceiling Atmos speakers (XCelsius)

The B&W sounds awesome.. the amps are matching it beautifully. However, i found the SVS PB1000 to be very very average and it could not generate the bass needed for blu ray content of some great movie scenes (Dark Knight rises - tunnel scene when Batman first appears, Ironman2 Car race sequence) It did not have that punch which makes you feel the beat... it was loud but lacked that touch which moves you...

The technicians spent 2 days optimising it and they also came to the same conclusion that the PB1000 is under performing and they will replace it. I am guessing that the reasons it underperformed was because the 603 itself generates very good bass and maybe PB1000 is not matching the configuration. Or maybe, as the technician suggested the PB1000 is defective.

Now given this situation, i am thinking if i should go for the B&W 610 sub itself and if the bass is less, add one more at a later date as my Marantz 6013 does have 2 sub pre-outs.

Am i thinking in the right direction or should i consider some other sub and audition?

Please do advise

Amit
 
Go audition the BIC America PL 200 ii and you will be sorted!

Some may say to go for the PB 2000 or SB 1000...please audition the same movie content and make an informed decision.

I use the Marantz SR 6009 and a BIC PL 200 and is very happy with the music and movie performance.....nothing lacking at all...
 
Updates from my end and where the challenge i am facing:

i got the following setup at home:
1) Marantz 6013 (Drives 2 subs) and Emotiva TA300
2) B&W 603 floor standers and HTM6 centre
3) SVS PB1000 Sub
4) Rears are an italian brand called Coral Nota 260 (primarily to save costs i did not go for B&W and also rears we can make do with smaller speakers)
5) Ceiling Atmos speakers (XCelsius)

The B&W sounds awesome.. the amps are matching it beautifully. However, i found the SVS PB1000 to be very very average and it could not generate the bass needed for blu ray content of some great movie scenes (Dark Knight rises - tunnel scene when Batman first appears, Ironman2 Car race sequence) It did not have that punch which makes you feel the beat... it was loud but lacked that touch which moves you...

The technicians spent 2 days optimising it and they also came to the same conclusion that the PB1000 is under performing and they will replace it. I am guessing that the reasons it underperformed was because the 603 itself generates very good bass and maybe PB1000 is not matching the configuration. Or maybe, as the technician suggested the PB1000 is defective.

Now given this situation, i am thinking if i should go for the B&W 610 sub itself and if the bass is less, add one more at a later date as my Marantz 6013 does have 2 sub pre-outs.

Am i thinking in the right direction or should i consider some other sub and audition?

Please do advise

Amit
What is the size of the room? could be your room is very large where 2 subs would be better. You can go for the 610 & add another one later on.

as @elangoas mentioned 2 subwoofers is any day better even compare to one massive one, as the bass is even through out the Listening area.


Cheers.
 
The technicians spent 2 days optimising it and they also came to the same conclusion that the PB1000 is under performing and they will replace it. I am guessing that the reasons it underperformed was because the 603 itself generates very good bass and maybe PB1000 is not matching the configuration. Or maybe said:
If the technician confirmed the PB1000 is defective, then you were comparing a defective one with a working one and i don't think that's fair.

I was using PB1000 for some time and now upgraded to single PB2000 coz of the space constraints. I'm pretty much satisfied with it

https://www.svsound.com/blogs/svs/75365187-the-art-of-subwoofer-placement
 
The technician was not sure it was a defect. He agreed that it’s not delivering the sound that’s required of the clip and “maybe” the sub has some issue. Unfortunately nothing conclusive
 
What is the size of the room? could be your room is very large where 2 subs would be better. You can go for the 610 & add another one later on.

as @elangoas mentioned 2 subwoofers is any day better even compare to one massive one, as the bass is even through out the Listening area.


Cheers.
Room is about 18 feet by 16
 
I felt the same about the pb1000. It's just too loud and makes things vibrate. Hence I got the sb1000. And last week, I added another sb1000. The bass with these is much more tighter and smoother.
 
Some of the reasons for subs sounding boomy.

1. Most of the subs have too much gain which causes this.
2. Also sometimes break in is required before the sub settles down a bit.
3. Your room has its own bass nodes. Try corner traps.
4. Play with the crossover, phase and gain of the sub. How have you connected it? Via lfe or direct?
If it's via lfe, your subs crossover won't work and you are dependent on the receivers crossover. What's the crossover set too? Some of these big subs don't like to be crossed over high. Your bnw doesn't go low at all. It's just mid bass. So Ideally you should cross it over at 60 or 80 and play with phase to integrate it well. However if you placed it where a room node is getting hit nothing will help you unless u damp it with bass traps.
5. Ported or sealed or passive radiator don't matter. The same design can sound fantastic or rubbish depending on the implementation.
6. Placement is critical. The sub has to couple with the room. Even few inches towards or away from the back all or corner change everything. You will have to play around with his. Read the REL subs manual online. They explain this well.

Why add a sub? It's either for better presence or ambience or to set the bass foundation.

Some subs tend to be smoother, some hit harder, some are boom boom and so on. The smoother ones give a better ambience and presence but you won't feel them. The bnw sub will mostly be in this category though will boom a bit as it doesn't use a very high powered amp.

The hard hitters set the bass foundation on which your main speakers have to draw the portrait. They can sound stunning if done well but they will over power your sytem if you try and set the sub to a higher crossover. I believe this is what you are experiencing. Imagine feeling king kongs steps rather than just hearing a boom boom when he walks. Believe it or not. Some of these hard hitters have to be crossed at 40hz or they will go awry. The hard hitters usually need vary large floorstanders like say a bnw 802.

The boom boom subs are the cheapy or poor designed ones. They cannot do presence nor set the foundation. It is almost a function of wrong design though a well designed sub that runs out of power will also boom.

I usually say if you have weaker main speakers go with an ambience sub.
 
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