# My Home Theater Purchase Experience (SVS/Rythmik Content)



## bmw325is89 (Nov 21, 2016)

Mod's feel free to move this if in the wrong area.

*Disclaimer:*
I am not an audiophile by any means but I did put a good amount of time and research into this project. I received a lot of great feedback from people here as well so I figured I would post up my experience in case other people were going the same direction and wanted feedback.

*Goals:*
My main goal out of this was to get a great sounding home theatre system on a small budget. One of the biggest things I wanted was the pound you in the chest feeling from a good subwoofer. This was no easy task with the size room I was dealing with. In addition I wanted a clear, crisp sounding system that blended well with dialogue and action scenes.

*Budget:*
Initial budget - $1200
Actual Spent - ~$2726 (Only audio gear, about 300 more for wiring etc etc)

*The Specs:*
Front room with vaulted ceiling = 1500 Cubic Sq Feet
Opens to kitchen/living room = 6000 Cubic Sq Feet

*Setups:*

Original Setup
1x Sony receiver
2x PSB Tower T65
1x KLH sub


Experience
This setup sounded ok but wasn't close to the HT sound I wanted.


Initial Setup
1x Denon X-2000 receiver (bought on craiglist)
2x SVS Prime Satellites
2x SVS Prime Bookshelf's
1x Pb 1000 Sub

Experience
This setup sounded ok as well. IMO the bookshelf's actually sounded better the T65's I had before. This could of been because I didn't have a really high end receiver and my room was huge. Overall I was happy with the prime front and rears. The PB1000 sub was not a good match for the room. It did rattle the windows a bit as well and it seemed like the bass lingered longer than it should.

1st change made

Added
1x P-b 2000 Sub


Experience
I stacked the PB1000 and PB2000 prior to returing the PB1000 to see how they sounded. This came close to giving the amount of bass I wanted but it also rattled the windows heavily and had the same lingering issue as the pb1000 (just magnified with the extra sub).


2nd change made

Removed
1x Pb 1000 Sub
1x Pb 2000 Sub

Added 
1x Rythmik fv15hp


Experience
This change made a HUGE difference. Prior to doing this I wasn't sure I could get a sub that would fit my needs in the room I was in. Once I hooked this up, I was very happy. It had a bit more bass than the setup above. The KEY point here though was how accurate the bass was. It was loud when it needed to be and cut off immediately once the noises ended on the movie. There is little no window rattling but it feels like it has more bass which was great/surprising at the same time. 

Note- I considered the SVS PB-13 ultra at this well, but the cost was too much for my budget. From my research that is the apple to apple comparison between SVS and Rythmik.

3rd change made

Added
1x SVS Prime Center Channel


Experience
At this point I was pretty satisfied with the system and went back and forth on phantom vs a real center speaker. I was already over budget but it didn't stop me this time. I went for the center speaker and am glad I did. It made a difference but the best part for me is being able to adjust the center speaker only depending on the movie I am watching. I don't think you have to have this to have a good experience, but it was worth it to me.


Final change made

Removed
2x SVS Prime Bookshelf's

Added
2x SVS Ultra Bookshelf's


Experience
This was another one that likely wasn't necessary. I think there was a sound difference between the two, but if I was going to leave anything out, it would probably be this step. To be honest, at this point I was pretty far in and knew I wasn't going to be making another purchase for a long time. So I sprung for the Ultra's when they were on outlet at SVS. They do sound better IMO but the Primes already sounded great. The review below also had some impact on the upgrade: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHSbb7M3qXg"

*Final Thoughts*

Overall, I am really happy with the set-up and wanted to thank all here for their help in getting it rolling. They system sounds excellent in the current room and I am sure it will sound even better in a smaller room cubic feet wise (likely later down the line). This was done over a few months, but one of the best parts was the ability to test things out. I highly recommedn trying it if you are on the fence. Both SVS and Rythmik were excellent to work with and I would highly recommend them to anyone looking.

Lastly would like to hear thoughts as to my cost versus what i could of gotten had I started with that budget. I am very happy with this and still think it's a pretty good deal but would be great to hear any other feedback now that it's done!


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## willis7469 (Jan 31, 2014)

BMW. Great story. Great job. Interesting to look at documented changes and results. Fwiw, my subs are not slouches by any means but I admit to a little jealousy. I've been pining for a pair of HP's for awhile. 
Nice to see you got where you wanted.


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## theJman (Mar 3, 2012)

Great story about your journey! Thanks for sharing that with us.



bmw325is89 said:


> Lastly would like to hear thoughts as to my cost versus what i could of gotten had I started with that budget. I am very happy with this and still think it's a pretty good deal but would be great to hear any other feedback now that it's done!


You might want to reconsider this. It could end up leading to buyers remorse, even though you chose wisely. You selected good products from highly-regarded manufacturers. You should probably leave it at that.


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## willis7469 (Jan 31, 2014)

Lol. Jman is right. I have a 1969 Camaro. The last time I put any real money into it was about 2010. I still won't look at all my receipts. Lol. 
You should definitely know that you did your due diligence and came out on the right side.


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## RTS100x5 (Sep 12, 2009)

More proof that the low budget HT is just wishful thinking.... This is an EXPENSIVE hobby - even at the entry level.... I just fed my HT about 8K and I still have another 2-3K to go before it will meet my design goals..:spend:
So when my new clients try to tell me they have 2K to spend on a complete HT, I politely tell them to keep saving money and call me back when they have about 4.... Anything less than that does not cover my labor expense and their HT equipment.....


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## Lumen (May 17, 2014)

Congrats on getting your bass right! That's often the hardest aspect to dial in. And that's really convenient to be able to adjust the center channel for different movie soundtracks. Are you doing that with controls on the speaker itself, or with settings in the AVR?


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## bmw325is89 (Nov 21, 2016)

Yep and for the record, the SVS subs were good, just not the best for my room size. Lumen-- I adjust via the AVR, works great!


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## bmw325is89 (Nov 21, 2016)

Found a pretty good deal on another FV15HP so added that today as well. Definitely added some more punch to the system!!


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## willis7469 (Jan 31, 2014)

Well, I'm jealous! Would you mind sharing how good a deal!(if not that's ok too). I can't imagine how much headroom you have in that little space. Must be amazing!
Btw, have you considered risers for your tv, or a wall mount? Something to get the center closer to the same level as the mains. I like the speaker stands.


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## RTS100x5 (Sep 12, 2009)

willis7469 said:


> Well, I'm jealous! Would you mind sharing how good a deal!(if not that's ok too). I can't imagine how much headroom you have in that little space. Must be amazing!
> Btw, have you considered risers for your tv, or a wall mount? Something to get the center closer to the same level as the mains. I like the speaker stands.


Ditto - wall mount TV and move the CC up on top... just me - its a very clean system - its really is amazing the difference in 2 subs vs 1.....

What are controlling your system with ??


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## bmw325is89 (Nov 21, 2016)

I think a wall mount for the tv is in the future-- appreciate the advice! Willis I paid $850 for it and it's about 2 years old (seems lightly used). The AVR is probably one of the lower budget items, but works great imo. It's a Denon X-2000.

Thanks,

Kevin


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## willis7469 (Jan 31, 2014)

Nothing wrong with a "budget" receiver since it adds the least amount of difference(power hungry, super low impedance applications notwithstanding). From what I know, the X-2000 is a good bang for the buck unit, and I'd say for your investment, you've got a great system. Wall mount will be nice, and getting that center up a little bit should lend itself to a smoother soundstage.(even though it probably sounds good now)
Good score on that HP. I never find deals like that. Lol


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## bmw325is89 (Nov 21, 2016)

There a PSA XS30 for $750 local too. Let me know if interested!


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

There is nothing wrong with your choices and you did good :T

The SVS PB13u would still be an upgrade to the Rythmik fv15 but not by alot. The one thing I should point out is when you were using the PB1000 and PB2000 together that was your first mistake. It is never a good idea to mix two different subs as the frequency response and output is very different between the two and in the end you usually end up driving the lesser sub into distortion or back the volume down of the larger sub to match the lesser sub resulting in poor output. 

Another issue was you said you stacked them? That may not have been an ideal placement as I see now you have the two Rythmik subs placed on either side of your seating area, that is better.

Just some thoughts for you to ponder...


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## willis7469 (Jan 31, 2014)

bmw325is89 said:


> There a PSA XS30 for $750 local too. Let me know if interested!




Thanks for that. However I'm going exactly where you did. And my squirrel nut pile isn't vey big yet. Lol


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