SV Sound PC-Ultra Speaker User Manual
Contents
1. SV Subwoofers SVS Powered Box Single ISD PB1 ISD The Bass Authority Contents 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 Bass demos for your home theater Page 11 Home theater terms Page 12 Warranty Last update 19 January 2003 Page 2 SV Subwoofers Welcome From the entire SVS team congratulations on your purchase of a new standard in home theater and music bass Your subwoofer isn t some generic mass produced box built some place you can t even find on a map It s made in Ohio USA by home audio fanatics like you Designed tested and assembled by hand your SVS is without a doubt one of the best investments you ll ever make in bringing music and theater home We ll help you to set up your sub right and in no time you ll be giv ing demos of your favorite music DVDs or digital music to all your friends and neighbors we pity them if you live in an apart ment please be kind This isn t just a subwoofer after all it s a carefully designed audio component carefully tuned in our labs by bass authority and Sub human Tom Vodhanel You re unlikely to have heard or felt bass like this before unless it was in a top notch commercial movie theater or high end hig2. SV Subwoofers Page 7 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 Keep in mind too that the human ear is relatively insensitive to low frequencies This coupled with the fact most folks don t watch movies at Dolby Digital reference level loud means tweaking the bass up a few dBs usually yields a better movie sound experience What sub levels do we recommend If you watch movies at relatively mod erate 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 sur round sound receivers allow a variety of different subwoofer level settings de pending 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 experiment The louder your master volume though the m
3. ll need to enter your receiver s setup menu to check these critical choices e Is your receiver connected to the sub amp Use a well shielded RCA cable sometimes called a patch cord to hook to the subwoofer output of your DD DTS receiver to either input jack of your subwoofer amplifier As mentioned earlier you ll need to split the subwoofer signal with a Y Cable if you bought a pair of subs You only need feed one of the two in puts either Right or Left of any single PB1 ISD subwoofer however e Is your Radio Shack sound pressure level SPL meter ready This tool is vital to proper home theater audio calibration It s akin to a tire pres sure gauge for your car Set the meter to Slow and C weighting turn the dial to 70dB 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 pre fer the analog instead of the digital display model Ask for part number 33 2050 At about 40 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 OO 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 to start It s also critical to check the subwoofer level control of your
4. s manual Ensure all power to your equipment is off when making these connec tions Also be certain your power outlet can handle a minimum of 350 watts Use of convenience outlets on receivers are not recommended for your SVS b b DD DTS Processor Receiver Subwoofer Out Fig 1 SV Subwoofers Page 5 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 c 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 d 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 DD DTS Processor Receiver gt s Fig 2 o e Subwoofer Out Calibration isn t only for tech minded folks it s critical to a proper configuration of your home theater sound system Fortunately adjusting c
5. 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 e Das Boot Arguably one of the best war pictures of all time with bass approaching 20 Hz Very loud very intense 1 Depth charges Scene 21 59 30 2 Storm surfing Scene 25 1 15 15 3 Hitting bottom Scene 17 53 15 Side B e 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 Page 10 SV Subwoofers More Bassy demo scenes e Titanic You love it or you hate it Regardless of which side of the ship you sit 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 e Blade Not one for the kiddies but loaded with deep bass 1 Footstep Scene 4 7 15 2 Door blown Scene 20 50 05 e 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 e Apocalypse Now Making This Vietnam war movie Francis Ford Copolla nearly went crazy 1magine 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 5
6. 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 OdB to start that s full up but this can be dialed down later to tame peaks if needed Turn off ANY 29 66 sound field processing modes peak limiters mid night mode etc 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 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 cor rectly Whatever you use when the tones start alternating from speaker to speaker watch your sound meter now set each full range speaker s volume to about 75 dB or 85dB if using Avia or S amp V by using the receiver s dedicated channel level controls leaving receiver s master volume 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
7. 8 e 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 e 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 11 A Glossary of Home Theater Terms Don t feel guilty if you want to skip over the below But if you are curi ous about what some of the terms and abbreviations stand for read on dB Short for deci Bell a unit of sound a 3dB increase takes twice the acoustic power to attain DD Dolby Digital the most popular form of digital surround sound usually found on DVD soundtracks Actually a compression algorithm that can provide to 6 channels of movie audio DPL Dolby Pro Logic The last generation of non discreet channel surround sound Derived from 2 matrixed channels DTS Digital Theater System similar to DD but with less compres sion Many feel it sounds better than DD but you be the judge DVD Amazing little video disk DVD doesn t mean anything HT Home Theater What you make of it But a home theater without a subwoofer isn t quite up to our definition Hz Short for Hertz the German scientist who came up with a scheme of measuring the frequency of sound waves 15 30 Hz is very low bass and very rare in anything but movi
8. ange UPS pickup to ease any shipping damage issues e Shipping costs are not refundable 3 year warranty against defects in materials and workmanship for subwoofers Any SVS must be returned to us with shipping pre paid 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 accidental damage 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 SV Subwoofers SV Subwoofers LLC 365 Stone Harbor Road Gai Holland Michigan 49424 The Bass Authority Fax 330 793 8183 Phone 212 866 0630 Email custsupport svsubwoofers com
9. d 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 AIC 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 SV Subwoofers Page 9 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 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 e 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 e Antz Another good family movie though not perhaps for small children Extremely loud bass above 30 Hz Terror from Above Scene 17 51 48 e The Matrix Modern violent science fiction classic with plenty of shoot em up bass blasts Here s some subtle and not
10. e soundtracks 60 Hz is generally considered mid bass above which most large full range speakers can easily produce The real fun and real bass is in the middle of that range call it 20 40 Hz LD Laserdisc grandfather to the DVD Still capable of great picture and sound Increasingly going the way of the 33 1 3 LP LFE Low Frequency Effects are the 1 channel in 5 1 6 1 sound tracks If you have a sub selected in your system any LFE signal goes to the subwoofer The sub may get bass from other channels as well how ever depending on the size of speakers in your set up RMS A common and accurate way to rate the power of an amplifier Literally Root Means Squared Typically measured in watts SPL Sound Pressure Level a fancy way of saying Volume Usu ally measured in dBs Sub Short for subwoofer 5 1 Refers to 5 full range channels and one bass only channel Now often reproduced as 6 1 channels including a center rear speaker 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 e Subwoofer must be returned in original shipping box e E mail for return of merchandise number RMA and dis play this on the outside of the box e Subwoofer must be insured during shipping SVS may ar r
11. h cost audio boutique Movies and music in your home will never be quite the same again That s a promise Already have a question about your sub You might answer it by reading this manual we think you ll find it more informative than most For even more detailed discussion about set up topics check out our FAQs page at www svsubwoofers com We touch on all the key points you need to know and then some Maybe you just want to share a bit of bass news Or perhaps you have a story about your SV Subwoofer to share with us Maybe something we missed in our website No matter feel free to send a note to me at rons svsubwoofers com It s not often you can talk to the guys who made your audio compo nents In this case we look forward to it Ron Stimpson Director SVS Customer Service rons svsubwoofers com SV Subwoofers Page 3 About your SV Subwoofer There maybe be other subwoofers that look like them but virtually none work like them Not at this price SV Subwoofers are decidedly different in how they are produced sold and even in the exceptionally high quality components we use The best part You could have spent much more and still not come close to the performance our Powered Box line gives So what makes a subwoofer an SVS Quality components sane prices You might be surprised at how inexpensive the components in some not so inexpensive subwoofers are Make no mistake at SVS we scour the earth for the best most c
12. hannel balance or calibration 1s as easy to do as it is important The first order of business is making sure your DD DTS surround sound sys tem 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 special test disk like Video Essentials or Avia plays 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 1f equipped center rear speakers plus the subwoofer More on sub level in a second Skip to page 7 Powered Box Amp 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 e re your speakers set correct to the correct size Your receiver processor might 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 Also is your subwoofer Page 6 SV Subwoofers 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 setup of any typical Dolby Digital DTS capable receiver you
13. ore 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 ad vised strong bass levels can vary tremendously simply by moving a few feet Such is the nature of long wave length low bass sound Don t hesitate to try different locations and different levels for your subwoofer Calibrating too high and often too low is the most common subwoofer setup error Powered Box amp We looked the world over for the best performing sub amp that s still affordable What resulted is a custom designed North American made amp with amazing build quality 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 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 You should use the crossover Enable Disable switch discussed below to take advantage of this configuration Other wise this knob is used to best blend your SVS to your other speakers Typically used in stereo only systems today Phase Think of ba
14. ost effective parts when we don t make them ourselves and meld them into finely tuned designs that define high performance home theater HT and music bass 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 Typical subs require heavy internal bracing and many 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 and able to take the abuse your family and friends can dish out Proudly Made in the USA like most its other parts the cabinet is no ordinary box Selling direct means your sub and not glossy ads get the priority at SVS Stable downward firing woofer Our tough box design is one plus but we ve also taken great lengths to design a downward firing driver 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 our innovative base plates allow for stable placement on a variety of surfaces No rattling or buzzing allowed Custom low turbulence port designs When you listen to our trend setting ported subs you ll hear and feel bass like never before with a exceptionally low noise and distortion Patented huge 4 flared
15. ows itself to be in an auto on mode or on all the time With the former setting the switch in the Auto position your sub woofer 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 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 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 disables 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 chan nel stereo only configuration then Enable the crossover and adjust the associ ated 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 used if you are not using a DD DTS compatible system Power This heavy duty two position switch next to the power cor
16. port fittings make the difference You ll quickly realize something special went into your new sub Stylish and understated From the pebble finish to the elegant base you ll be amazed at how easy it is to lose your sub ina corner SVS s aren t tiny but this is one of those times size does matter There are hundreds of brands of boring black box subs out there Fortunately you didn t just unpack one World class power Our Canadian built amps are designed and 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 power robbing equalization to go low and flat This way our amps can be dedicated to reproducing low frequencies not making up for a lack of enclosure space the bane of clean deep bass As a result we don t require the megawatts some subs do Plus they run cool and reliable in those vented cylinders We sweat the details on integrating a top of the line amp in your sub so you don t have to 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 though if you want to get the most out of your sub Unpacking You re probably eager to fire up your sub we re
17. ss 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 Page 8 SV Subwoofers speakers as well as your sub getting these bass wave forms to arrive in a com complementary enhancing fashion is the difficult job of the phase control Essen tially phase varies the timing of the bass waves coming from the sub But don t despair if you don t hear much difference the effect of bass cancellation will vary by volume and frequency in your room and no one setting is likely to ever be perfect One simple 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 bass peaks 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 set ting with the least 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 bass information back to your system amp A simple RCA to RCA cable is all you need Auto On Your Powered Box all
18. the same way but take time to carefully unpack your sub Set the box and other protective shipping coverings aside just in case you need to return the sub for any reason Collapse and fold your box flat for storage 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 that the deepest and flattest bass response is typically attained when a subwoofer is placed within a few feet of one of your home theater s corners The compact configuration of SVS s makes this easy Whether you put the sub in front or to the rear of your seating area makes surprisingly little difference Deep home theater bass like that from Dolby Digital DD 5 1 channel DVDs and digital audio is practically non directional You can t tell where it is coming from even though you can hear and feel it and how 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 1s 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 PB1 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 receiver
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