# PB13-Ultra & PB12-NSD



## Thunderheader (Jan 25, 2009)

Hello all,

I have a question that I can't seem to find an answer for. Firstly I started with a PB12-NSD wich sounded great. Then a week later I decided to buy the PB13-ULTRA because I love overkill and it is the best. Is it possible to run both these together? I have them in a room which is about 110sq ft? If not I will probably end up selling the NSD and buy another ULTRA.


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## robbroy (Oct 19, 2006)

*Re: Pb13-ultra & pb12-nsd*

Of course it's possible, but I would not run their entry level 12" with their flagship product at the same time. Besides, given the extraordinary headroom of the Ultra, they would be difficult to calibrate together.

-Robb


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

There is no reason why you cant run both together. It will just take a bit more time to tune them so they work together. You wont know until you try so do that first.
Obviously running two PB13Ultras would be a better choice but you never know the PB13Ultra may be enough just on its own given its huge output.


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## lalakersfan34 (Oct 31, 2007)

I'd say that it probably wouldn't be worth it to run both subs at the same time. The Ultra is a far superior subwoofer in every way. You'd might as well at least try it out, but my guess is that you won't even miss the PB12-NSD once you've experienced the Ultra. Besides, if you're really serious about selling it and getting a second Ultra, you'll have an incredible bass setup!


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## Thunderheader (Jan 25, 2009)

Thanks for replying, I am not going to try and run both. I just posted it for sale so I am going to go with a second ULTRA in the near future. This ULTRA buries that NSD!!! Simply amazing.


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## lalakersfan34 (Oct 31, 2007)

Very cool! The Ultra is a of a sub. I don't own one but I've heard one in an AVS forum member's 10,000 cubic foot room and it _still_ could hit ~105dB peaks at the listening position and it sounded great. I've owned two PB10-NSD's in the past and I'll be the first to say that the NSD subs are certainly no slouches, but they can't compare to the Ultra. Congrats, and let us know if (when) you get Ultra #2. That will be some serious bass!


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## lalakersfan34 (Oct 31, 2007)

Oh hey BTW Thunderheader, I think you'd better change your signature


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## Thunderheader (Jan 25, 2009)

Woops...thanks Stephen!!


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## lalakersfan34 (Oct 31, 2007)

Much better .

So what have you used to demo the PB13-Ultra so far? I didn't get to hear much, but I watched part of Transformers, the depth charged scene of U-571, and I think one other scene (don't remember). I do remember being very impressed with its output in that huge room. For reference, I'm using an Epik Castle in a <1,000 cubic foot room so I'm used to tons of impact, but at moderately high SPL's the Ultra was still able to deliver a great movie experience in a 10,000 cubic foot room! I was also struck by how nice the Rosenut finish is. Definitely a more aesthetically refined product than my Castle. Overall, my limited experience with the Ultra left me very impressed and I'd be curious to know what your detailed impressions are.

Also, if you have any pics, please do share :yes:


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## Thunderheader (Jan 25, 2009)

Well The Dark Knight is my demo disk when I show it off to my friends. That movie has terrific bass especially the scene in the tunnel, the hospital explosion isn't too bad and the end scene where he uses the sonar is pretty good too. I haven't watched Transformers yet, I think that one will be tonight. U-571 has really good grumbling bass that shakes the whole room. My room is actually quite small 110sq ft, it is actually my bedroom. Haven't listened to a whole lot of music yet it has mostly been for HT and PC gaming. What I have heard music wise it remains tight and with great sound quality, no sloppiness whatsoever. The ULTRA pressurizes the room very well and am extremely happy with it. I will post a couple of pictures later today, I just have to find the USB cable for my camera. I bought the Rosenut and it looks great.


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## lalakersfan34 (Oct 31, 2007)

Sounds like our rooms are almost the same size. Subs like the Castle and the PB13-Ultra are pretty ridiculous in rooms our size. I don't think we'll need to upgrade any time soon. Are you really going to get a second Ultra for that tiny room? I thought I was nuts...


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## Thunderheader (Jan 25, 2009)

Yes I really am going to get another ULTRA, I like having multiples of everything. You're right it is nuts but it is all about overkill!!!


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## lalakersfan34 (Oct 31, 2007)

Thunderheader said:


> Yes I really am going to get another ULTRA, I like having multiples of everything. You're right it is nuts but it is all about overkill!!!


Wow, two Ultras in a 110 square foot room...now you're making me think I need a second Castle .

I have a couple of assignments for you to do 

First, let's see some pictures!!! Your setup sounds like it's absolutely awesome.

Second, you need to bust out the ol' SPL meter and let us know what kinds of peaks you can achieve with the Ultra at your listening position. I'd bet you'll get some pretty sick numbers :T


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## Thunderheader (Jan 25, 2009)

I don't have a digital camera, I cannot find the USB cord for my phone , I have the USB cord for my roomates phone but when I go to My Computer it asks for a disk....I am lost and I have the pictures I want to post. Any ideas what to do?


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## lalakersfan34 (Oct 31, 2007)

Can your phone do e-mail? You could always e-mail the pictures to yourself and then retrieve them on the computer.


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## Thunderheader (Jan 25, 2009)

Alright here we go...finally. Sorry for the poor quality of the pictures.

























Ok the first one is obviously in front of me, I have a 24" monitor 1920x1200. This is really all I can fit in the space I have.

The second is behind my reference position.

The third one is to the back left of the room where the ULTRA rests. 

As you can see the room is quite small but it sounds great.


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## lalakersfan34 (Oct 31, 2007)

:yikes::hail:

Wow, That's a lot of BIG speakers in a TINY space!! Very impressive...it kinda makes my speakers look like toys in comparison :flex:. I'd bet you can just about blow your face right off with that setup! Is your sound setup in use when you use your computer as well? 

So where exactly is Ultra #2 going to go!? I can't even see where you'd put another one unless you stack it on top of the first one. And yes, two Ultras in there would be the very definition of OVERKILL ! Looks like your place absolutely rocks as it is. Oh hey, I never asked...what tune are you running your Ultra in right now? Have you experimented at all?

Thanks for sharing the pics. If you're interested I have my setup on here as well:
http://www.hometheatershack.com/for...college-students-modest-bedroom-ht-setup.html


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## Thunderheader (Jan 25, 2009)

Yes my computer is connected to the AVR via optical, sounds great when i am playing PC games. Stacking the 2 is pretty much my only option at this point. The whole system is quite loud, I usually listen close to reference level...I like it loud! I haven't tried a different tune yet it is still on stock settings and I quite enjoy how it sounds now. The only setting I have been using is the room comp, it is set to large. Might be a good day to experiment with tuning. Thanks for showing the pictures, I like your setup.


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## lalakersfan34 (Oct 31, 2007)

Thunderheader said:


> Yes my computer is connected to the AVR via optical, sounds great when i am playing PC games.


Yeah, I'd bet!!



Thunderheader said:


> Stacking the 2 is pretty much my only option at this point. The whole system is quite loud, I usually listen close to reference level...I like it loud!


Me too. I don't always listen that loud because I'm trying to be mindful of my hearing. For example, I try not to listen to music any louder than ~95-100dB for any length of time. Movies aren't so bad because for every 110+dB explosion there's 20 minutes of 85dB dialog. 



Thunderheader said:


> I haven't tried a different tune yet it is still on stock settings and I quite enjoy how it sounds now.


I'm assuming it's in the 20hz tune? I'd think you might want to try the 15hz tune. Most people report a good 4-5hz deeper extension while only losing 1-2dB of headroom. In a room as small as yours (or mine) I'm not sure you'll miss the little bit of headroom, but you'll certainly notice the increased depth on some material.



Thunderheader said:


> The only setting I have been using is the room comp, it is set to large. Might be a good day to experiment with tuning. Thanks for showing the pictures, I like your setup.


Hmm, I'm curious why you'd set the room comp to large. Did you run any measurements or did it just ship with it set that way so you left it? I'm assuming you know that the room comp setting tailors the FR of the sub to be flatter while taking into account the typical room gain encountered in various room sizes. If you're getting too much really deep bass (30hz and below) you might want to try the small setting since your room is pretty small anyway. Otherwise I guess large is fine, or you might just want to bypass it altogether.


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## Thunderheader (Jan 25, 2009)

I just tuned it to 15hz, I can't quite tell the difference yet so I'm gonna have to rewatch some movies. When I received the sub it was set to room comp large so I just left it. I switched it to small and i've just noticed that the excessive deep bass is gone but still there if you know what I mean? I think I was getting too much. I will leave it there to see how it sounds.

I have know yet done any measurements with the REW software. I started reading through some of the help links but it was fairly confusing so I have not gone back to it yet. I just started placing the sub in different areas of the room until it sounded the way I wanted.


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## lalakersfan34 (Oct 31, 2007)

Yeah, REW was somewhat confusing at first but once you get the hang of it it's really helpful.

I think the "small" room comp setting is getting you a flatter FR down low. The Ultra is capable of a LOT of output below 30hz and with that tiny room and corner placement I have no doubt you had a bloated bottom end. It would be really cool once you get the hang of REW to run sweeps with the different tunes the Ultra offers as well as the room comp settings. I think it would be very informative.

Keep me posted, and have fun .


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## lalakersfan34 (Oct 31, 2007)

Hey thunderheader,

I see you haven't posted back in this thread in a while, and I'm just curious to know if you've had any more time to dial in that Ultra. Any new favorite movie scenes? Hope everything's working out for you .


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## Thunderheader (Jan 25, 2009)

Hey Stephen,

I have been making adjustments here and there, have been a little preoccupied with work during the past week or two. Military life is demanding at times. I ended up selling my PB12-NSD and ordered another PB13-Ultra which will arrive on Tuesday, can't wait. I'm really curious as to how a 2nd will sound with my setup. King Kong and Master and Commander are my recent purchases on BD and both sounds great. MAC is a somewhat slow movie but I love when the cannons start firing. What I have found is with the room comp setting on large(even though my room is small) it works the best without me having to worry about the woofer being overdriven. I had a problem with the Hulk as others have experienced the same during the sound cannon scene where it goes into slow motion for a few seconds. Overall I am extremely pleased with this thing. I plan on buying the SVS AS-EQ1 in the near future as I am still a novice at dialing in subs, and this unit would just make it so much easier. Probably in the summer as I will have holidays before deployment overseas, in the interim...work-up training. How about you, how are you enjoying your setup...do you have any plans on upgrading in the future? Good to hear from you!


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## lalakersfan34 (Oct 31, 2007)

A second PB13 Ultra??? You are crazy...in the BEST WAY .

I'm enjoying my setup, but my single sub will be weak compared to your duals .

I like your movie scene choices. MC is good, Hulk is really good. LOTR can be good too - the Oliphant scene in ROTK is intense. It's not insanely deep, but with dual PB13's I bet it'll feel like your room is coming down around you! A couple of other favorites are the Ice Fields scene in Titan A.E. (not the best movie, but the bass is great), Matrix Revolutions (whole movie is great...but fighting at Zion and Machine god voice are awesome), War of the Worlds, and Flight of the Phoenix (sandstorm scene).


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