SV Subwoofers
OWNERS’
GUIDE
SVS PB2-ISD, Powered Box
Dual Driver Subwoofer
Contents:
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•
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Page 1 Welcome
Page 2 About your new SV Subwoofer
Pages 4- 7 Setup, integration, and calibration
Page 7- 8 Powered box amp features
Pages 9 - 10 Variable tuning
Pages 11 - 12 Bass Demos
Pages 13 - 14 Warranty Info
Last update: 13 August,, 2004
Page 3
SV Subwoofers
About your SV Subwoofer
Other subwoofers might look like them — but virtually none work like them.
Not at this price. SVS’s are decidedly different, in how they are designed, produced,
sold, and even in the exceptional customer service after the sale. No surprise then, you
could have spent much more and still not come close to the value and performance our
Powered Box lines provide. But what makes a subwoofer an SVS???
Quality parts, sane prices. You might be surprised at how inexpensive the
components in most not-so-inexpensive subwoofers might be. At SVS we scour the
earth for the best, most cost effective parts (the few we don’t make ourselves), and
meld them into finely tuned designs that define high performance home theater and
music bass. Still, cost is always the second consideration at SVS. Want woofers,
amps, or even binding posts? We’ve tested and discarded plenty that didn’t meet our
tough standards. If we use it, whatever “it” is, you know it made the grade.
Get “cube-ular”. Many subwoofers we’ve seen are simply poorly made. We did a
host of studies that optimized the materials, the size, and even the enclosure finish to
ensure a rigid design that was still compact for its performance and able to take the
abuse your family and friends can dish out. Proudly “Made in the USA”, like most
other SVS parts, the cabinet is no ordinary box. Selling direct means your sub, and not
glossy ads, get first priority. SVS is quality you can hear.
Stable downward firing woofer. Our contemporary enclosure design is one plus,
but we’ve also taken great lengths to allow for downward firing woofers. Coupled
with our unique base-plates, which minimize driver reactive forces, you’ll find our subs
can take a tremendous amount of power and remain rock solid. Compliant rubber feet
on allow for stable placement on a variety of surfaces. No rattling, or buzzing allowed!
Custom low turbulence port designs. When you listen to your trend-setting
ported sub you’ll hear (and feel) bass like never before, with a exceptionally low noise
and distortion. Huge, patented flared port fittings make the difference! One DVD or
music CD and you’ll realize something special went into this product.
Stylish, and understated. From the hand-finished American wood craftsmanship
of the box, to the elegant base, you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to lose your sub in a
corner. SVS’s aren’t tiny, but this is one of those times size does matter. There are
countless brands of “wannabe” subs out there. Fortunately, you didn’t just unpack
one.
World-class power. Our Canadian-built amps are manufactured with a level of fit
and finish, plus a collection of features and power practically unheard of at this price.
Did we mention power? It’s there in spades (though we rate them conservatively).
And SVS starts with efficient subwoofer designs which don’t require significant levels
of power-robbing equalization to go low and flat. So our amps can work harder at
reproducing low frequencies, instead of struggling against a lack of enclosure space
(the bane of clean, deep bass). As a result, we don’t require the megawatts some subs
do, instead running cool and reliable in our vented enclosures. These digital hybrid
amps run so cool, we can even dispense with old-fashioned “cooling fins”!
Page 4
SV Subwoofers
Setup, calibrating and integration
What’s to know? Well, first of all, setting up an SV Subwoofer is
pretty darn easy. There are a few key things to get right if you want to
get the most out of your new equipment however!
Unpacking. You’re probably eager to fire up your sub (we’re the
same way), but take time to carefully unpack your sub. Set the box and
other protective shipping materials aside; saving them in case you ever
need to return the subwoofer for any reason. Fold your box flat for
storage even.
Location. They say it’s all about location right? It’s the same with
setting up your subwoofer. So, where to put it? Go for a corner if you
can, and avoid putting your sub where it might adjoin large open areas
Studies have shown the deepest and flattest bass response is typically
attained when a subwoofer is placed within a few feet of one of your
.
room’s corners. Whether you put the sub in front or to the rear of your
seating area usually makes surprisingly little audible difference. Deep
movie and music bass, like that from Dolby Digital (DD) “5.1 channel”
DVDs and digital audio is largely non-directional. You can’t tell where
it is coming from, even though you can hear, and feel it.
Hook-up (see fig. 1). There are a variety of ways to configure your
new sub. Usually, a simple mono, shielded 75 Ohm A/V RCA type
cable (a.) is used to take the subwoofer output of your DD/DTS
surround sound receiver (b.) and feed the low-level input of the sub’s
amp. There is no need to “split” the signal going to the sub (c.). You
can feed either one of the two amp inputs, it doesn’t matter, right or left.
NOTE: Stop now if you aren’t
TOTALLY familiar with your re-
!
ceiver’s manual. Ensure all power to
your equipment is off when making
these connections. Also, be certain
your power outlet can handle a mini-
mum of 600 watts. (Use of
“convenience outlets” on receivers
(a.)
are not recommended for your SVS).
(c.)
(b.
DD/DTS Processor/Receiver
(Subwoofer “Out”)
Fig. 1
Page 5
SV Subwoofers
More Setup, calibrating and integration
If you are running a pair of SV Subwoofers (Fig. 2), you will need to use
a standard “Y” cable adapter (d.) The best adaptor to use for this task has
one male RCA connection and two female RCA outputs. (Radio Shack ®
stocks them.) From the “Y” cable you can run a standard 75 Ohm RCA
to RCA signal cable (e.) to each sub, thus “splitting” the Low Frequency
Effects (LFE) and other bass signals from your receiver and effectively
feeding both subwoofers with the same signal.
NOTE: Now is a good time to select if
you want “ON” (always on) or “AUTO
!
ON” which turns your sub on only when a bass
signal is present.
“Y” cable/splitter from
receiver
(e.)
(d.)
DD/DTS Processor/Receiver
(Subwoofer “Out”)
Fig. 2
“Calibration”: This isn’t only for tech minded folks, it’s critical to a
proper configuration of your home theater sound system. Fortunately,
adjusting channel balance (or, calibration) is as easy to do as it is impor-
tant! The first order of business is making sure your DD/DTS surround-
sound system is set up properly. We recommend you consult your audio/
video receiver (or processor) manual to refresh on the procedures to do
this. Generally, this requires ensuring the receiver’s test tones, or a spe-
cial test disk (like Video Essentials or Avia) play back at the same volume
from each of your system’s full range speakers. That’s left, center, right,
left surround and right surround (and if equipped, center rear) speakers,
plus the subwoofer . (More on sub level in a second). Skip to page 7
(“Powered Box Features”) if you aren’t familiar with your sub’s amp,
and come back to calibration.
Some things to check as you get ready to calibrate:
•
Are your speakers set to the correct “size”? Your receiver/
processor should allow you to indicate if your speakers are “Small” or
“Large”. Selecting the size accordingly will ensure bass goes to most appro-
priate speakers, and use the subwoofer correctly too. In most instances set-
SV Subwoofers
Page 6
ting ALL speakers to “Small” works best. Let your sub make the bass! Also, is
your subwoofer turned “ON”? We don’t mean “is your subwoofer amplifier
on?” (that’ll be important later too) but rather, is your receiver sending a bass signal
to your sub amp? This can only happen if you say “Yes” (or “ON”) in the
“Subwoofer” selection during the all-important setup menu of any typical Dolby
Digital/DTS capable receiver. If you have a choice of “crossover points” for your
bass, usually “80Hz” works best, unless you have unusually small main speakers.
•
•
Is your receiver connected to the sub amp? Use a well-shielded RCA cable
(sometimes called a “patch cord”) to connect the subwoofer output of your DD/DTS
receiver to either input jack of your subwoofer’s dedicated amplifier. As mentioned
earlier, you’ll need to “split” the bass signal with a “Y Cable” if you bought a pair
of subs. You only need feed one of the two inputs (either Right or Left) of any sin-
gle Powered Box SVS however.
Is your Radio Shack ® sound pressure level (SPL)
meter ready? This tool is simply vital to proper home thea-
ter audio setup. It’s akin to a tire pressure gauge for your car.
The manual which comes with the SPL meter is excellent; we
recommend you read it entirely. Haven’t got the meter yet?
Head down to your neighborhood Radio Shack ® and snag
one. We prefer the analog instead of the digital display model
but both work well. Ask for part number #33-4050. At about
$45, it’s a bargain. Proper configuration without this meter is
practically impossible
.
Getting ready to start now: Make sure your receiver/processor master volume is set
at “00 dB” or some other easy to remember reference level. Finally, ensure your SVS’s
volume control is set no more than 1/4 to 1/3rd up at first. It’s also critical to check the
subwoofer level control of your surround receiver before you begin the test tones. Set it
to no higher than “-5 dB” initially (that’s one quarter way up, given a typical receiver’s
subwoofer channel level limits of –10 dB to +10 dB) . Your LFE “trim”, if you have one,
should be set to 0dB to start (that’s full up) but this can be dialed down later to tame
peaks if needed. IMPORTANT: Turn off ANY sound-field processing modes, “peak
limiters”, “mid-night mode” etc. Set the SPL meter to “Slow” and “C-weighting” (turn
the range dial to 70dB).
Now play your receiver's internal test tones so you have something to
measure with your SPL meter. Better yet, buy a calibration disk, such as the Video
Essentials, Sound and Vision HT Tune Up, or Avia DVDs. A test disk’s tones ensure
your entire signal path, from the DVD player to your speakers, is set correctly. Whatever
you use, when the tones start alternating from speaker to speaker (watch your sound me-
ter now), set each full range speaker’s level to about 75 dB (or 85dB if using Avia or
S&V), by using the receiver’s dedicated channel controls (leaving receiver’s master vol-
ume the same). We recommend you turn down the receiver’s subwoofer output level
before you significantly lower your sub’s volume/gain control. This helps keep input
distortion to a minimum. You should not be set much lower than –5 dB however, since
some adjustment room is needed to lower bass as needed. If your subwoofer reading is
still too high then turn down the sub’s amp volume a little with each run.
Page 7
SV Subwoofers
But what’s “too high”?? Tastes vary, and so do movie soundtracks, but your SVS
is capable of tremendous levels of low distortion, low frequency bass — far more than
most commercial subs. Take advantage of this, especially if you like action movies with
lots of “.1” channel (LFE) action, and give the sub a bit more “bump” during calibration
(also known as running the sub “hot”). Keep in mind too that the human ear is relatively
insensitive to low frequencies. This, coupled with the fact most folks don’t watch mov-
ies at Dolby Digital theater reference level (loud!), means turning the bass up a few deci-
bels usually yields a better movie sound experience.
What sub levels do we recommend? If you watch movies at relatively moderate
sound levels, a good start is a range of +2dB to +3dB above your other channels (as
measured with your sound meter). This means the test tone will waiver about 78 dB for
the subwoofer portion of the calibration run (88dB with Avia). (Note: You may want
to rotate the sound meter SPL meter dial to 80dB to get a good reading with these
higher levels.) Note too that many modern surround sound receivers allow a variety of
different subwoofer level settings, depending on the “listening mode” you are in. With
“Dolby Digital” as your “mode” use the above calibration routine. You may well find
that CD “Stereo” music calls for a lower bass settings. The above is a guide… experi-
ment some. The louder your master volume though, the more you should back off the
sub level to compensate. Avoid your driver bottoming, resulting in a loud “clack”!
Location and measurement. You should take the above measurements from your
typical preferred seat for watching movies (center cushion, right?). Be advised, strong
bass levels can vary significantly simply by moving a few feet. Such is the nature of
long wave-length, low bass sound. Try different locations and different levels for your
subwoofer. Calibrating with the subwoofer’s volume too high (and often, too low) is the
most common subwoofer setup error!
Powered Box Features. We looked the world over for the best sub amp
that’s still affordable. In the end we designed our own. The result? A custom, North
American-made amp with amazing build quality, durability and unbeatable features.
Volume/Gain Use “gain” (in conjunction with your receiver’s subwoofer output
level control) to dial in a bass calibration to your liking. Start calibration with the sub’s
volume/gain no more than 1/4 to 1/3 of the way up (turned clockwise from the left).
Crossover Frequency. If you use your DD/DTS receiver/processor’s internal
crossover to manage bass frequencies (highly recommended), the setting of this knob on
the sub is irrelevant. (Note: Use the SVS’s crossover “Enable/Disable” switch discussed
below to take advantage of this configuration.) Otherwise this knob is used to best blend
your SVS to your other speakers. Typically used in stereo only systems today.
Phase. Think of bass waves as conflicting or enhancing each other, depending on the
timing of their arrival at your listening location (either together, or not). Since some of
your room’s bass might come from main, center and/or surround speakers, as well as
SV Subwoofers
Page 8
your sub, getting these bass wave forms to arrive in a complementary, enhancing
fashion is the difficult job of the phase control. Essentially, “phase” varies the tim-
ing of the bass waves coming from the sub. But don’t despair if you don’t hear
much difference with changes to the phase knob — the effect of bass cancellation
will vary by volume and frequency in your room, and no single setting is likely to
ever be “perfect”. One technique to optimize phase is to find a nice “bassy” loop
(such as the menu of “Godzilla”) and measure the loop’s SPL response at various
points. As the loop runs, you can have an assistant adjust the phase control. When
you see the most response on a given bass passage, typically that’s the setting with
the least room-induced cancellation (for the frequencies of the demo loop).
Line In/Out. Use one of the sub’s “Line In” jacks to connect the subwoofer to the
output jack of your receiver/processor. Feeding just one input is enough. If you are
using a conventional amp and/or a stereo setup you can use the “Line Out” jacks to
send sound (filtered of deep bass information) back to your system amp. A simple
RCA to RCA cable is all you need for either type configuration.
Auto On. Your sub allows an “Auto On” mode… or can be on all the time. With
the switch in the “Auto” position your subwoofer will “sense” that a DVD or CD etc.
has begun and switch on immediately (the “hard power switch” mentioned below
must be on, naturally). A few minutes after a movie finishes, the auto-on light will
turn red, switching the sub back off. When running (and sensing a signal) the auto-
on LED will be green. Sometimes, with very low listening levels, your subwoofer
might not get enough of a bass signal from your surround sound processor to “trip”
the auto-on circuit. Should you ever find this to be the case you may leave this
switch to “On”, or turn the receiver’s subwoofer output up, and the sub down.
Crossover enable switch. If you allow your DD/DTS surround-sound receiver
or processor to manage bass frequencies (recommended), this switch should be set to
“Disabled”. This eliminates the effects of the “Crossover Frequency” knob and
allows your sub to reproduce just what it’s fed from the receiver. If you use the sub
in a two channel (stereo only) configuration, then “Enable” the crossover and adjust
the knob to best blend the sub into the low frequency output of your speakers.
High level inputs/outputs. Not commonly used today, but binding posts are
there in case you don’t have low-level inputs/outputs on your receiver/processor.
Typically utilized only if you are not using a DD/DTS compatible system.
Power. This heavy duty two-position switch next to the power cord will com-
pletely cut the power to your sub amp. Flip this switch to off before you ever move
the sub or change inputs or outputs.
A/C Connection. Plug your sub into a dedicated A/C outlet. “Convenience”
outlets of typical receivers often don’t provide the needed current. Avoid them.
Fuse. User replaceable, contact SVS if you have trouble finding one. The fuse
can be accessed by a small round door immediately next to the power cord fitting.
SV Subwoofers
Page 9
Subsonic Filter and Port Tuning
Your new PB2-ISD subwoofer not only comes
with our “Tri-Power” port flares, but custom port
plugs and variable subsonic filter which allow
your sub to be “tuned” to even lower frequencies
than its stock configuration. For most people and
most rooms, your SVS is already configured for
the best blend of extension (how deep/low your sub goes) and output (how loud it
gets at a variety of bass frequencies). However, we know that bass is a very personal
taste and no two rooms will react exactly the same with any subwoofer. So we in-
clude a custom “port plug” that, when inserted into a port, allows you the user to
experiment with a substantially lower “tune”.
As with all such devices, there are compromises when tuning a sub lower. Installing
a port block takes some capacity from upper reaches of bass, installing two port
plugs naturally limits upper bass response even more. So while you will indeed get
more bass down low (where DVD and music bass is more rare, but quite exciting!),
you’ll sacrifice total output capacity above the stock tuning point of the sub (where
bass is more common). You should decide if the effect is pleasing on the sorts of
movies and music you enjoy.
How to do it? To insert a port plug, simply squeeze the foam on one end and press
the plug into a port flare until it is about 1” lower than the edge of the surface of the
sub. You can remove the plug by inserting your fingertips into the port flare and
squeezing and pulling on the foam plug at the same time. Be sure to select the sub-
sonic filter point on the back of your PB2-ISD amp which coincides correctly with
your new “tuning point”. NOTE: We strongly recommend you do NOT run a
lower subsonic filter point than your port plug configuration would dictate — espe-
cially if you are running the subwoofer at high sound pressure levels! Moderate
levels are doubly important if you put the subsonic filter into “Bypass” mode
(essentially turning off this key limiter). This simple table indicates the settings you
should use in setting up your sub blockers and the subsonic filter knob.
PB2-ISD Tuning Chart
Stock tune (no ports blocked)
With one port-blocked
Subsonic Filter Knob
25Hz
20Hz
16Hz
With two ports-blocked
Look to the next page for a computer simulated response chart showing the reduc-
tion of upper bass when adding one, and then two port-blockers to your SVS (along
with addition woofer excursion needed to keep up with the lower frequencies). The
bottom line? Many customers feel the slight loss in upper bass output to be insig-
nificant compared to the deeper response the port block gives. We let you decide.
SV Subwoofers
Page 11
Bassy demo scenes to die for.
So now what?? You’ve got one of the best theater and music bass sub-
systems on the planet, you’re calibrated...want to see what she’ll do?
But of course! Since finding those scenes can be a bit trying, we’ve
compiled a list of our old favorites below. After all, calibration with test
tones is important, but it’s movies and music this sub is itching to show
off. Chapter stops for DVDs are shown, with movie time in hours: min-
utes: seconds. What are you waiting for? Just hit PLAY!
•
“The Iron Giant” Great family animation with SERIOUS bass,
including strong peaks below 25 Hz. Jump to:
1. “Chase thru the forest” Scene 8 (20:00 into the movie)
2. “Robot Landing” (Train Impact) Scene 10 (25:40)
3. “Green Boom” Scene 27 (1:11:40)
•
•
“Antz” Another good family movie, though not perhaps for small
children. Extremely loud bass above 30 Hz.
“Terror from Above”, Scene 17 (51:48)
“The Matrix” Modern, violent, science fiction classic with plenty
of shoot-’em-up bass blasts. Here’s some subtle and not so subtle.
1. “Where we are grown”, Scene 12 (42:55)
2. “Landing in fight”, Scene 15 (50:51)
3. “Chopper shootout”, Scene 31 (1:47:15)
•
•
“Das Boot” Arguably one of the most compelling war pictures of
all time with bass approaching 20 Hz. Very loud, very deep.
1. “Depth charges”, Scene 21 (59:30)
2. “Storm surfing”, Scene 25 (1:15:15)
3. “Hitting bottom”, Scene 17 (53:15, Side “B”)
“Apollo 13” Moving story, with some surprisingly subtle but re-
vealing bass where it counts.
1. “Lift off”, Scene 13 (35:15)
2. “Coming home”, Scene 53 (2:05:43)
SV Subwoofers
Page 12
More Bassy demo scenes.
•
“Titanic” You love it...or you hate it. Regardless of which side
of the ship you sit on, this flick does some serious rumbling for
you:
1. “We can’t leave him” Scene 22 (2:21:50)
2. “Ship Splitting” (2:41:30)
3. “Last Gasp” (2:42:05)
•
•
“Blade” Not one for the kiddies, but loaded with deep bass.
1. “Footstep”, Scene 4 (7:15)
2. “Door blown” Scene 20 (50:05)
“Aliens” Not just another modern sci-fi horror classic, this one
rocks from intro to final scene.
1. “Ship drop”, Scene 9 (41:20)
2. “Awakenings”, Scene 15 (1:12:52)
•
"Apocalypse Now" Making This Vietnam war movie, Francis
Ford Copolla nearly went crazy...imagine what it'll do to your
subwoofer!
1. "Chopper ride" Scene 2 (0:19:47)
2. "ARC LIGHT" Scene 4 (0:26:02)
3. "Grenade launch" Scene 12 (1:27:58)
“Contact” SETI with a (bass) twist or two along the way.
1. “Bombing”, Scene 28 (1:36:30)
•
•
2. “Space truckin”, Scene 33 (1:55:56)
“Dark City” One of Roger Ebert’s favorites, think he likes bass
too?
1. “Let the tuning commence”, Scene 8 (34:30)
2. “City makeover”, Scene 15 (1:27:45)
SV Subwoofers
Page 13
Setup/Calibration Notes:
Warranty:
45-day money back warranty. If you are not completely
satisfied with the performance of your subwoofer, return it to us
for a full refund of the purchase price. Just a few minor stipula-
tions should you choose to do this:
•
•
The subwoofer must be returned in original shipping box.
E-mail SVS first for a return of merchandise number
(RMA) and display this on the outside of the box.
•
•
The sub must be insured during shipping (SVS may arrange
UPS pickup to ease any shipping damage issues).
Shipping costs are not refundable.
3 year warranty against defects in materials and workmanship.
SVS will repair or replace any item at its discretion and return
to the customer as soon as possible. Naturally, this warranty
does not cover any product subjected to misuse, abuse, or acci-
dental damage discovered by SVS.
Except as provided above, SV Subwoofers makes no other war-
ranties express or implied. Some states do not permit limitation
or exclusion of implied warranties, so exclusions may not apply
to the purchaser.
The bottom line: We’re proud of these subwoofers and want
you to be as happy owning one, as we are selling one (or more)
to you. E-mail us if you have any warranty question.
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