# Matching Sub with Music in Large Room



## Benw07 (Apr 22, 2013)

Hi All

I have been scouring the net for ideas for subs.
SVS gets an amazing mention so am strongly considering this brand. 

I am seeking some advice as to which in the range would be most suitable for my needs, which are:


80/20 focus on music vs HT. Music listening is diverse (hard rock, hip-hop, chill-out jazz/lounge)
Large-ish room of 130 cubmic metres (approx 4600 cubic feet). Room is an open plan livng, dining, kitchen area with wooden floorboards, solid brick walls. 
 2.1 setup with Paradigm Studio 60's (haven't added in surround sound yet - but may in future)
 Filling out bass in low/medium level music listening. When i crank up the volume the Paradigm's give off good bass, but as "reasonable" listening levels I need a sub to add more depth here. 
 Yamaha RX-2073 AVR (similar to the A-2020)
 Limited floor space, unless I put it is a corner between couch and wall which are at opposite end of room from the AVR
 Preferred finish is gloss black to match the Paradigm's

All research I have read indicates I should get a sealed sub for music. The SB12 looked like the perfect fit, but appears that it may be too small for the larger space I have. Unfortunately the SB13 jumps up significantly in price and is a bit more than I was looking to spend (looking about $1,000)

This then brings me back to ported subs, either the PB12, PC12 or PC12-Plus. Will these fit the spec for music and filling out the room I have? Or should I stick to a sealed sub...

Also, would love to understand more about the PC12-Plus and ability to change from ported to sealed. If I sealed this sub, would it fill the room?

Lastly, can the PC12's be located directly next to the main L or R speakers? Sub will be nearly same height as speakers! Hopefully this does not impact sound quality.


----------



## Ed Mullen (Jul 28, 2006)

Benw07 said:


> Hi All
> 
> I have been scouring the net for ideas for subs.
> SVS gets an amazing mention so am strongly considering this brand.
> ...


For your application, dual SB12-NSD all the way. You'll get almost the performance of the SB13U, benefit from the higher modal density offered by dual subs, and the price is within your budget.


----------



## Benw07 (Apr 22, 2013)

Hi Ed, thanks or quick reply.

I am also interested in the PC12-Plus and its ability to switch between ported / sealed. Are you able to provide some info comparing pros and cons of this vs the dual sb12's? I think price point will be comparable.


----------



## Ed Mullen (Jul 28, 2006)

Benw07 said:


> Hi Ed, thanks or quick reply.
> 
> I am also interested in the PC12-Plus and its ability to switch between ported / sealed. Are you able to provide some info comparing pros and cons of this vs the dual sb12's? I think price point will be comparable.


If your application was 80% HT / 20% music the PC12-Plus would obviously be the better choice - it has far more low-end output capability in reflex mode than even dual SB12-NSD. 

And in sealed mode it's not high passed and has an excellent-looking FR with a low-Q alignment and a shallow roll-off profile with excellent transient response. 

But for an 80/20 music/movie preference, I'd still pick the dual SB12-NSD for excellent music performance, less visual impact in the room, a higher modal density and smoother FR at more locations, especially since Yamaha doesn't EQ the sub channel like Audyssey does.


----------



## mpompey (Jan 5, 2007)

Benw07 said:


> Hi All
> 
> I have been scouring the net for ideas for subs.
> SVS gets an amazing mention so am strongly considering this brand.


You know SVS has really good customer service. You could contact them as well and not be worried about being gouged to buy the higher price product. I've always had good experiences dealing with them. I have 2 of their PB10-NSD subs and they have kept up in my room without a problem. 15'x25'x8'


----------



## Benw07 (Apr 22, 2013)

Final question...

How do I tell if a sub will give good output at low and medium listening volumes? And how will the recommended sb12 perform in this regard?


----------



## snowmanick (Oct 16, 2007)

I'm not sure if I am following your question. "Good output" is normally equated with the volume, but you are asking about it at low and mid volume, do you mean balanced output? IE: that you can still notice bass frequencies at lower volumes? 

If you properly set up your sub (s) so they are level matched to your mains, they will play in proportion to the volume that you are listening at. If you feel that you are missing some bass, you can try running your subs "hot," which means they are playing louder than your mains. A lot of people do this, where they run their subs ~3db's hot.

Another option is if your AVR has some sort of Dynamic EQ function that raises the bass at lower volumes (which is a much more technologically intensive process, and is somewhat similar to the Fletcher-Munson Equal Loudness curves).

Of course, I may be entirely missing your question.


----------



## Benw07 (Apr 22, 2013)

​Thanks. Yes want to increase volume (loudness) of bass.

On my mains, bass sounds good at high volumes but is lacking at lower volumes (feels like bass is missing). Want to make sure the sub will fill in this bass so that i get the deep sound at all volumes (and not only when volume turned up loud).

I think running sub hot will be what i need. I do like my bass!!


----------

