# SVSound PB13-Ultra VS Velodyne DD-15



## Guest

Any Ultra owners compared the Velodyne DD series?


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## mojomike

There have been a couple of direct comparisons done. One was by Craigsub on the sub forum on AVS. Another was by the group at a Toronto GTG on the SVS forum on the Spot forums.

Edit: Correction: The comparisons were between the 13Ultra and the DD18, not the DD15.


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## chengbin

Basically PB13 beats any DD series subwoofer in any category you can think of (except size)


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## Ilkka

chengbin said:


> Basically PB13 beats any DD series subwoofer in any category you can think of (except size)


Not exactly true. The DD15 and especially the DD18 has more upper bass output (above 45-50 Hz) than the PB13-Ultra.


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## chengbin

Oh, I'm not aware of that. But except that, the PB13 beats any DD subwoofer right?


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## Ilkka

chengbin said:


> Oh, I'm not aware of that. But except that, the PB13 beats any DD subwoofer right?


Well I wouldn't necessarily use a word 'beat', but yes, the PB13-Ultra has more deep bass output due to being ported. Both of them (DD18 and Ultra) are great subwoofers. One of the best commercial subwoofers there is. The built-in EQ that the DD18 has is pretty handy.


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## mike c

chengbin said:


> Oh, I'm not aware of that. But except that, the PB13 beats any DD subwoofer right?


if you mean "beat" in output ... yes
objective tests prove that.

subjectively, have you heard both?


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## Ilkka

mike c said:


> if you mean "beat" in output ... yes
> objective tests prove that.


It depends of the frequency. Up higher the DD18 is stronger, down low the PB13-Ultra has more output. Both have lots of output at all frequencies though.


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## chengbin

Based on Craig Chase's comparison, the PB13 is better than the DD-18 in movies and music. So as a comparison from the user pbc with his f113, PB13, DD-18, and servo-15 v2.


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## mike c

chengbin said:


> Based on Craig Chase's comparison, the PB13 is better than the DD-18 in movies and music. So as a comparison from the user pbc with his f113, PB13, DD-18, and servo-15 v2.


while I put a lot of stock in Craig's ranking ... it's also very subjective.

for example, I have the DD18 and Axiom EP500, the DD18 is higher on the list and yet for HT, the Axiom seems better, but for jazz/classical music, the DD18 is indeed better ... but then my dual CHT-15R/DLS-5000R's are better for r&b music.

if you see how much my subjective taste swing the ranking ... you'll learn to take everything you read on the web with a grain of salt ... especially mine.


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## mike c

Ilkka said:


> It depends of the frequency. Up higher the DD18 is stronger, down low the PB13-Ultra has more output. Both have lots of output at all frequencies though.


i'm thinking max SPL ...

but in specific frequencies, the servo might give the DD some advantage in the upper bass.


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## Ilkka

mike c said:


> i'm thinking max SPL ...


Max SPL using what kind of input signal? It's always related to frequency.



> but in specific frequencies, the servo might give the DD some advantage in the upper bass.


Actually it's not the servo but the larger cone and higher amp power instead.


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## mike c

doesn't the servo/DSP cut off the low end in high drive levels to be able to produce the high bass?


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## Ilkka

mike c said:


> doesn't the servo/DSP cut off the low end in high drive levels to be able to produce the high bass?


The servo itself doesn't do any limiting, it only ensures that the output follows the input signal as accurately as possible. Other circuits (quite possibly DSP) do the limiting.

But actually I meant the single frequency situation, not what happens during wide band content. In both cases, the DD18 has more upper bass output/headroom.


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## mike c

that's nice to hear. :bigsmile:


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## Ron Temple

I had a chance to play with a DD15 for about a month awhile back. It's a very impressive sub, especially for music. I also had a 20-39+ in the house at the same time. The DD went back, though I could have kept it. The SVS outperformed it for HT and my system wasn't up to the caliber of the Velo for music. Well times have changed and my system now could handle the Velo, but I swapped out a pair of SVS Pluses for the PBU13. Subjectively, I appreciate the new Ultra even more than the DD for music and HT is awesome...textured bass, extremely tight, as well as, deep. The built in software and calibration tools on the DD are wonderful, though no bargain. The PEQ combined with room compensation on the U13 is pretty useful in getting relatively flat without treatments or EQ and is a bargain.:T


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## Guest

What is the price of a new DD18/15? I'm pretty sure that you could purchase multiple PB-13 Ultras for the cost of a single Velodyne...


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