SV Sound PB12-NSD/2 Speaker User Manual
Contents
1. You re unlikely to have heard or felt bass like this before unless it was in a top notch movie theater or high end high 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 read ing this manual we think you ll find it simple and more informative than most For even more detailed discussion about set up topics check out our FAQs page at www svsound 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 SVS Subwoofer to share with us Maybe something we missed in our website No matter feel free to send a note straight to custservice svsound com It s not often you can talk to the guys who made your audio components In this case we look forward to it Ron Stimpson Co Founder SVS SV Sound Page 3 About your SVS 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 built 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 not2. OWNERS GUIDE SVS PB12 NSD 2 Powered Box Dual 12 Plus Driver Subwoofer LI Svs The Sound Authority Contents Page 1 Welcome Page 2 About your new SVS Subwoofer Pages 4 7 Setup integration and calibration Pages 7 8 Powered box amp features Pages 9 10 Variable tuning Pages 11 12 Bass demos Page 13 Home Theater Terms Pages 14 15 Notes Page 16 Warranty Last update 31 August 2007 Page 2 SV Sound Welcome From the entire SVS team congratulations on your purchase of the new standard in home theater and music bass Your new subwoofer isn t some generic mass produced box built someplace you can t even find on a map It s built in our Ohio factory by home audio enthusiasts like you Designed tested and assembled by hand while using state of the art automation and materials your SVS is without a doubt one of the best investments you ll ever make in bringing music and theater home What s more we ll help you to set up your sub right and in no time you ll be giving demos of your favorite music DVDs or digital music to all your friends and neighbors we pity them if you live in an apartment 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
3. 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 woofer bottoming resulting in a loud clack Location and measurement You should take the above measurements from your typical preferred seat for watching movies Be advised strong bass levels can vary sig nificantly 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 sub woofer 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 Dolby Digital 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 conf
4. 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 _ svs to your equipment is off when making these connections Also be cer tain your power outlet can handle a minimum of 700 watts Use of a convenience outlets on receivers are not recommended for your SVS e b DD DTS Processor Receiver Fig 1 eo 0 Subwoofer Out SV Sound Page 5 More Setup calibrating and integration If you are running a pair of SVS 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 Nowis 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 d 1 DD DTS Processor Receiver Fig 2 eo 0 Subwoofer Out Y cable splitter from receiver Calibration This isn t only for tech minded folks it s critical to a proper configuration of your home thea
5. 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 Green auto on light will turn Red switching the sub back off Sometimes with very low listening levels your sub woofer 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 Recali brate your levels if you change the subwoofers gain knob however 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 output
6. deeper response 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 SVS s amp which coincides correctly with your new bass extension mode NOTE We strongly recommend you do NOT runa different subsonic filter setting than your port plug configuration would dictate especially if you are running the subwoofer at high sound pressure levels This simple table indicates the settings you should use in setting up your sub blockers and the subsonic filter knob PB12 NSD 2 Subsonic Filter Knob Stock no ports blocked 25Hz With one port blocked 20Hz With two ports blocked 16Hz Look to th
7. must be returned in original shipping box e E mail SVS first for a return of merchandise number RMA and display this on the outside of the box e The sub must be insured during shipping SVS may arrange UPS pickup to ease any shipping damage issues e 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 SVS 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 Sound SV Sound AN 6420 Belmont Ave Girard Ohio 44420 VW Sn Fax 703 997 2603 The Sound Authority Phone 703 845 1472 Email custservice svsound com
8. sub you ll hear and feel bass like never before with a exceptionally low noise and distortion Huge patented flared vents 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 exterior 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 exclusive Canadian built amps are manufactured with a level of fit and finish and 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 Sound Setup calibrating and integration What s to know Well first of all setting up an SVS Subwoofer is pretty darn easy There are
9. 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 SVS s amp There is no need to split the signal going to the sub c You can feed either one of the two
10. e 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 ZHOZ poor se wu ul uoisunoxe uo 1300M Saul Pay yeya Bulun Z ASN ZLA4 SAS Page 11 SV Sound 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 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 T
11. h then turn down the sub s amp volume a little with each run SV Sound 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 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 means turning the bass up a few decibels 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 75 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
12. he 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 e 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 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 SV Sound Page 12 More Bassy demo scenes e 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 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 imagine what it ll do
13. iguration 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 your sub getting these bass waves to arrive in a complementary enhancing fashion is Page 8 SV Sound the difficult job of the phase control Essentially phase varies the timing of the bass 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 opti mize phase is to find a nice bassy loop such as the menu of Godzilla movie DVD 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
14. me up with a scheme of measuring the frequency of sound waves 15 30 Hz is very low bass and very rare in anything but movie 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 vinyl 33 3 LP record LFE Low Frequency Effects are the 1 channel in 5 1 or 6 1 chan nel sound tracks If you have a sub selected in your system any LFE signal goes there The sub may get bass from other channels as well however 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 Page 14 SV Sound Notes Page 15 SV Sound 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 e The subwoofer
15. no higher than about one quarter of the way up to start for instance that will be 5dB if your receiver s subwoofer channel levels have typical limits running from 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 IMPOR TANT 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 either 70 or 80dB 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 Ova tion s Avia test DVD 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 alter nating from speaker to speaker watch your sound meter now set each full range speaker s level to about 75 dB or 85dB if using Avia by using the receiver s dedi cated channel 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 set the receiver s subwoofer level much lower than 5 dB however since some adjustment room is needed to lower bass as needed later If your subwoofer read ing is still too hig
16. 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 Right or Left of any single Powered Box SVS however e Is your Radio Shack sound pressure level SPL me ter ready This tool is absolutely essential to proper home theater audio setup It s akin to a tire pressure gauge for your car you don t set your tires by feel right Set the meter to Slow and C weighting and turn the dial to 70 or 80dB depending on your test tone source Haven t got the meter yet Order one from SVS We prefer the analog instead of the digital display model 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
17. s 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 completely 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 The fuse can be accessed by a small door immediately next to the power cord fitting where you should also find a spare one for your use Page 9 SV Sound Subsonic Filter and Port Tuning Your new SVS Subwoofer not only comes with our Tri Power port flares but custom port plugs and variable subsonic filter which allow your sub to produce 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 include a custom port plugs which when inserted into a port allows you the user to experi ment with a substantially
18. 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 Either made in the USA or imported like most other SVS parts our 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
19. ter 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 Ovation Software s Avia DVD signals play back at the same volume from each of your system s full range speakers and the sub More on sub level in a second Skip to page 7 Powered Box Fea tures if you aren t familiar with your sub s amp and come back to cali bration Some things to check as you get ready to calibrate e 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 Page 6 SV Sound 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 1l 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
20. 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 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 Page 13 SV Sound 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 1 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 ca
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