# S7201



## dickfantastic (Aug 10, 2017)

I just received the e-mail, my S7201 has shipped and is on its way to Montana. I look forward to testing this beast soon, will post results.


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## theJman (Mar 3, 2012)

You're one of the first, so please do come back and post your thoughts. I enjoy it when companies offer something different. I'm curious to know what it can do.


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## dickfantastic (Aug 10, 2017)

Absolutely! I had my eyes several subs, I've been planning on upgrading for awhile now. I had pretty much decided on the Captivator 2400 ULF, but then the S7201 was announced, so here we are. The current plan is to unbox this in my driveway, drag it into my garage for a bit of a break in on some music, then drag it into the house and stick it in the corner where the PB13 Ultra is currently. Yes, this happens to be a tad bigger, but most of the difference is vertical anyhow. I had a conversation about this with my wife before I bought the new sub, she was concerned about the size. My argument was when was the last time we went over in the corner and hung out, that is a punishment for a child. I pointed out the floorspace the PB13 Ultra occupies is pretty substantial already, and the corner honestly looks a bit empty because we have this huge box sitting on the floor but it is only a couple feet tall. This will at least balance out the room a bit... She shook her head and said just get what you want. I love my wife!


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## climber07 (Apr 26, 2012)

dickfantastic said:


> I just received the e-mail, my S7201 has shipped and is on its way to Montana. I look forward to testing this beast soon, will post results.


I think you're going to love it. I haven't heard bass like this in a home. It is truly powerful and intimidating while being smooth and detailed. There are parts of my house shaking that have never shook before with any other subwoofer (or multiples) I've owned.


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## dickfantastic (Aug 10, 2017)

It just got here this afternoon. I've taken quite a few pics so far, I'll post them once I'm done setting things up. I literally just got done moving the PB-13 Ultra out of its place, vacuuming up a embarrassingly messy corner, dragging it out to the garage to clean out yet another corner, and dragging the S7201 from the garage into the house. I unboxed it in the garage, but unfortunately my friend who was helping me had limited time so I haven't hooked it up yet. 

The back of my living room is pretty dark, so it's hard to see my sub back in the corner. When I was at Sam's Club today buying a hand-cart to move this beast, across the same aisle they had this little 5-pack of remote controlled LED lights for 20 bucks. They change to 4 different colors, have timers, and even come with all the AAA batteries to get you going. I put a couple back in the cavities behind the subs, and one up on top with my pal (check the link). I'm going back for another pack tomorrow and some velcro to put on the back of these so I can hang them upside down from the carpeting on the inside of the cavities. I just need a couple more up top to illuminate my knick-knack, and maybe one for his buddy across the room too. 

If you're looking for an easy way to show off the subs better, check these lights out or something similar. I thought it might look cheesy and car-audio-ish to put lights in there, but it really makes the subs pop.

https://www.sideshowtoy.com/collectibles/marvel-red-hulk-sideshow-collectibles-2000642/

https://www.samsclub.com/sams/accen...11148&wl13=&wl15=26916959675&wl17=1o1&veh=sem


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## climber07 (Apr 26, 2012)

Some S7201 subwoofer candy.


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## climber07 (Apr 26, 2012)

Added some sleeving and heat shrink to the wires for a cleaner look. Last pic is the "before" look.


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## theJman (Mar 3, 2012)

That's quite the beast!


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## climber07 (Apr 26, 2012)

These video show the S7201's power and driver excursion. The audio gets massively clipped on the camcorder. Nothing but pure, smooth, undistorted bass is audible to the ears.


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## theJman (Mar 3, 2012)

You better keep a carpenter on retainer... :laugh2:


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## climber07 (Apr 26, 2012)

@dickfantastic

So what is the verdict? Did your house collapse on you when testing the S7201? Do we need to send someone to your address? :gulp:


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## climber07 (Apr 26, 2012)

Got bored and drew up the PSA S7201 in Sketchup 3D modeling software.


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## dickfantastic (Aug 10, 2017)

I haven't really had a chance yet to put this through all of it's paces for an entire movie, I've been really busy with work this past week and a half. I pretty much just re-ran Audyssey on my Onkyo TX-NR809 and had the hardest time ever getting this thing to calibrate at 75db. I don't think I have the gain turned up more than a notch. Pulling it out from the corner enough so I could lie on the floor and reach behind to turn the dial and then pushing it back yielded a 3db gain, we're talking maybe 18 inches. The response this thing has is simply incredible. Over the course of the week the woofers are obviously breaking in, it has been getting louder and deeper by the day.


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## dickfantastic (Aug 10, 2017)

My Onkyo is doing some really funny stuff with this go round on calibration. It's strange, the levels on all of the surround speakers are all out of whack compared to what it previously set them at. I think the culprit may be a speaker wire my dog chewed on last year, I repaired it but didn't replace it. That being said, I've been getting frustrated with this 809 for quite awhile now and I accidentally squished my remote in my chair awhile back, so I may journey to my local dealer today and take the plunge on a new Yamaha AVR. If I'm going to have to pull everything out and replace a wire, why not replace the whole receiver I figure... lol.


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## dickfantastic (Aug 10, 2017)

climber07 said:


> These video show the S7201's power and driver excursion. The audio gets massively clipped on the camcorder. Nothing but pure, smooth, undistorted bass is audible to the ears.
> 
> https://youtu.be/_BKkcebQnaA
> 
> https://youtu.be/gJU66uPWfDU



That is silly, SILLY! I love it.


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## dickfantastic (Aug 10, 2017)

Haven't forgotten about this thread, I plan on posting some updates here by next weekend. I've been busy with work and getting wood stocked up for winter, and my Onkyo irritated me for the final time so I upgraded the AVR to a new Yamaha. I just finally tonight got everything back in my entertainment center, so hopefully I will get some time tomorrow to do some tuning and really see what this beast can do. I will tell you this much, just screwing around with it so far has been very revealing. The claims of 140db in room are from what I can tell accurate. This subwoofer is the real deal my friends.


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## dickfantastic (Aug 10, 2017)

It's been a busy couple months for me, but the time has come for an update. I am ready for winter with my woodpile, and my living room is stocked fresh as well with a new AVR and ceiling speakers for an Atmos upgrade. I've had been waiting to evaluate the S7201 until after my new AVR was in and the speakers were hung, as my Onkyo had begun giving me problems, so I finally was able to get all of that done and sit down to watch some movies this week. 

I've essentially installed a funhouse ride in my living room. Simple as that, this subwoofer is thrilling. It will raise your heart rate and affix a grin on your gob. 

The plan one year ago was to get a second PB13 Ultra, then around this time last year the PB16 was announced, kind of throwing my plans into disarray. Why would I get a second 13? Of course I'd want the 16, but I wanted duals... I started looking at other options. It just so happened when I was finally ready to buy a sub, the S7201 was announced and with a discounted pre-order to boot. My only reservation is what I had read about the nature of sealed subs vs. ported and ported subs receiving a boost down near the tuning frequency of the port. For this reason, I was looking at the JTR 2400 ULF stand up configuration. 

I'm just glad the stars aligned and I own what I do now. 

Back in the late 90's I used to own a little Nissan X-tended Cab pickup, and I had a job installing satellite dishes all over the state of Montana. I put a system in that, consisting of a JL Audio 15w3 in a huge slot-ported box. I had to take my front seat out to stuff the box in the back, and when I did get it in I was only able to put my seat back one notch, I sat crammed forward and rolled that little truck all over the state for about 2 years. I had the chance once to go to a DB Drag competition with my truck, but as luck would have it things started developing a problem and the bass would cut out when I would turn it up. I remember being able to turn the volume up to 27 or 28 out of 40 on my Rockford Fosgate CD deck, but it would now cut out around 19 or 20. 

Pulled everything out, and one of the tinsel leads had broken going to the voice coil. I spliced the wire... this did not help. I went to the competition. My truck ended up hitting 140.7db cutting out like it did, with only one voice coil. So add a few db's if it had been working properly. So, what in the H is the point of all of this?

The S7201 reminds me of that level of ridiculousness. I don't know if it's quite to THAT level, but it is surely in the realm and hits so, so much more deeply. You get the same feeling of slam in your body bass attack, and I can honestly say I've never felt that before with a home subwoofer. I don't think I'm coming close yet to what it can really do, I'm becoming a bit worried for my house. It's not a new home, and I can see my picture window blowing out onto the porch. Which would be awesome, don't get me wrong! At least if that DOES happen I have a gigantic piece of cardboard to cover my window with until I can get it fixed in the PSA S7201 box. I'm saving it, but I will not be sending this back. To get this out of my living room, you will have to fight me then drag a 300 pound subwoofer out to your truck. I just don't see that happening, so buy your own and I can guarantee you won't be regretting your decision.


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## theJman (Mar 3, 2012)

dickfantastic said:


> You get the same feeling of slam in your body bass attack, and I can honestly say I've never felt that before with a home subwoofer. I don't think I'm coming close yet to what it can really do, I'm becoming a bit worried for my house. It's not a new home, and I can see my picture window blowing out onto the porch.


If that happens be sure to post some pics. 

Sounds like it worked out brilliantly. Now it's time to revisit all your favorite movies?


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## dickfantastic (Aug 10, 2017)

Yes it surely is, unfortunately last night when I went to use the good ol Oppo BDP-93, I get a funky purple picture out of HDMI 2 and a similar purple picture full of static in a small box in the center of the screen out of HDMI 1. Just finished troubleshooting and hoping a HDMI cable somehow went bad, but that's not the case. Works fine when I swap it to another component. Always something... Oh well, hopefully it will still work as a disc player in the garage for stereo because it's reading discs, just not outputting a picture right. 

You can bet if I manage to blow out the windows I'll be posting those pictures, that would be legendary.


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## dickfantastic (Aug 10, 2017)

Some thoughts after owning this for a couple months. 

Absolutely unreal performance in every aspect. There isn't a thought of maybe needing two, a different subwoofer, or any feelings of regret for spending so much. In the end, the two subwoofers I purchased before settling on this one come close to the price anyhow, and both left me with a feeling that I needed more down the road.

Ported vs. Sealed. Sealed wins hands down. My older ported sub now sounds like a fartbox of distortion. A person may not get this with every sealed subwoofer out there, I'd say you're definitely going to need power to get great sound and tactile response, but the S7201 has this to spare. The detail of the bass is incredible. With the PB13, things could get loud, but I never really noticed what detail I was missing until I heard this. Now, the PB-13 is out in my garage, and I do not enjoy the sound at all. I am going to sell it and buy another sealed subwoofer for my garage. Perhaps the B-stock S7201 on the PSA website, you never know. This would be the only case where I could see myself wanting two.


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## BP1Fanatic (Mar 28, 2011)

Awesome build!


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## dickfantastic (Aug 10, 2017)

I'd love to take credit for dreaming up and building this myself, but this is a commercially available product from Power Sound Audio.


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## theJman (Mar 3, 2012)

Yea, I was scratching my head by that post too.


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