SVS Powered Subwoofer PB12-NSD

 

"Fuyoh!" was the first word that flashed through my mind when the SVS PB12-NSD subwoofer was being unpacked in my listening room. I was amazed by its size. For a price of RM3,499 list, you do get a lot of subwoofer. The PB12-NSD measures 20.9" x 17.3" x 22" (hwd) and weighs 66lbs. These numbers might not convey a real sense of bulk, but seeing it in person will leave one in no doubt that this is no compact subwoofer but a giant among small box subs so popular nowadays. This is a true blue big box subwoofer that is solidly built and means business. It comes with a 12" driver and 400 watts RMS (800 watts peak) built-in amplifier, with frequency response of 18Hz-150Hz. Unpacking and installing this sub is a 2-person job. Its bulk will dominate a small to mid size home theatre room. In my 15'x22'x10' room, the SVS definitely made it presence felt. Did I mention that you do get a lot of subwoofer for the price?!

"Fuyoh!" was again the word that flashed through my mind when the PB12-NSD started playing. This bad boy churned out room shaking bass when called for by those Hollywood blockbusters. In many instances, the rumbles shook the couch and strong bass notes thumped my chest. The scale of the sound track expanded in all dimensions and became more enveloping. Watching movie with the SVS in place became a much more immersive experience. The SVS PBV12-NSD could really do the crash-bam-boom stuff.

However, it is actually more than just that. One quality of the PB12-NSD that I appreciate was that it was not about sounding loud, big and powerful. The PB12-NSD definitely had no problem achieving all that of course, but it also did not forget about the quality part. The PB12-NSD's bass reproduction was clean and agile, easily keeping pace with the other loudspeakers in my 7.1 setup. Nuances in the nether region was also faithfully conveyed, many times my attention was attracted towards listening to the details in the sound track rather than paying attention to what was happening on the screen. The PB12-NSD conveyed subtleties excellently. In the first jungle scene in the movie Avatar, the subtle bass augmentation from the PB12-NSD created an enveloping atmosphere, together with the sound effects of the creatures in the surroundings, the illusion of being there became much more real.  In the 'Catch an Ikran' scene, the Ikran's flapping of its wings, again with the PB12-NSD augmenting the sound effect, was a visceral experience, I did not just hear the sound but could almost physically sense the air turbulence those powerful flaps created, the illusion was that strong.

I believe at its asking price, the SVS PB12-NSD is a no-brainer for a HT subwoofer. I am glad to have experienced it in my HT system. I have not tested any new home theatre equipment since my system was set up 2 years ago, I am glad that I could piggyback on Big E's search for a new sub and experienced the SVS myself too.
 

Many thanks also to Max Loh of Maxx Audio who expertly set up the subwoofer in my room. The process took not more than 30 minutes, he first ran the MCACC auto calibration function in my Pioneer AVR, then manually made minor adjustments with a SPL meter to balance the sound levels of all channels. The end result was an enveloping and well defined surround sound field giving an excellent movie watching experience.

I highly recommend the SVS PB12-NSD subwoofer.

SVS Sound is sold by Maxx Audio, contact Max Loh at 017-6778820.

Event Report, Franck Tchang Demo At CMY Audio Visual.

Franck Tchang pitching his unique flag ship Super Tango loudspeakers to the audience.

Franck's the name, and fun's the game! That's what one can expect when attending an Acoustic System International demo, by Franck Tchang. Two week ends ago, CMY Audio & Visual hosted such an event at their Damansara Uptown showroom.

Franck was in town to promote some of his latest products, and the one and only pair of flag ship Super Tango loudspeakers on this part of the world. "I only made three pairs of these, no more! There's a pair in my home, another pair in Europe somewhere, and this pair you see here. However, the more common Tango speakers will continue to be manufactured as per order basis", he said.

The demo system system is use featured Metronome CD player, Prima Luna pre & power amps and Franck Tchang's Super Tango loudspeakers plus ASI cabling.

Some of the audience in the listening session.

Next, Franck was promoting his new product, namely an Acoustic Phase Corrector! It looked just like that block of wood used to held up his acoustic resonator cups, but Franck says the design is different as it was designed to do a different job! Franck reckons there's 3 types of phase one should take care of when setting an high end audio system, one is the electrical supply phase(to which Franck admitted being most important), two is the recording phase(such as those highly prized Decca classical recordings for example, which is why he absolutely recommends having a pre-amp with phase inverting switch) and lastly, the room phase(which is a result of speaker to room interaction, which can result in unfavourable sonic results).

With the first two phase issues tackled, the final hurdle remains, and that's where his Acoustic Phase Corrector comes in to play. As usual his demo is highly convincing as in one can really hear the difference as he plays around with his Resonator Cups and Phase Correctors, working in unison with his Sugar Cubes. All are Franck's take on non invasive method of room acoustic treatment, compared against common solutions, which can be bulky and unsightly(resulting in poor Wife Acceptance Factor!).

Franck Tchang's latest innovation, the Acoustic Phase Corrector. The front face, seen here with the blue dot points to positive phase, and if one should turn it around, will result in negative phase. Easy as that! Franck recommends the use of four Phase Corrector in a hifi room.

A short Q&A session with the audience ensured from then on and that's when Franck puts on his charm offensive! I'll leave you with some of the more memorable pictures of the session.

"What? Me crazy? Maybe just a little!"



"What do you mean you don't believe? You can't hear the difference?"

Sheffield Steel, Joe Cocker.

Sheffield Steel has got to be one of the most underrated album by the venerable blues, folk, Brit rocker, Joe Cocker. His earliest albums were so memorable, that many felt this was not his finest hour, at the time of it's release in 1982. However, time has been kinder to this classic rock album than many others.

Thanks to my buddy Jepson at Perfect Hi-Fi, this oldie but goldie has been rediscovered again. He had used the opening track, titled Look What You've Done during the recent KLIAV demo of the KEF LS-50 speakers with great success. This is a track with propulsive bass guitar play as it's musical foundation. Cocker's voice is in his roughest best, lots of vocal texture and a little dry like a Martini. The third track, Sweet Little Woman is reggae influenced interlaced with pop sensitivities. The fourth track on the album, Seven Days opens with great drums panning effect in the recording and lots of slick guitar licks on the side to good effect.  I can go on and on about every track in this album, because all are enjoyable, and each a gem on it's own, but Cocker really shines when he is doing ballads. Tracks like Marie, Many Rivers To Cross, So Good So Right and Just Like Always put Joe in his natural element, a hardy man whose voice can do softie songs that melts one's heart.

Though not an actual audiophile recording, this album is well recorded, with very little studio and mastering tricks like compression, phase compensation or echo added. The CD's playback volume is somewhat on the low side, which makes turning up the volume necessary during play back. There's some tape hiss, but overall it's not too bad in the scheme of things. With the volume up, the drum set, and bass guitar dynamics becomes the driving rhythm of the music contents. This CD is all about music rather than hifi-ness of the recording quality, but I've heard some say the LP format is the best sounding way to enjoy the songs presented here.

I've inadvertently infected more than a few people in to getting this CD/LP already. Perhaps you wanna find out? Some of the songs can actually be sampled on www.youtube.com , all you need to do is search!

Best Budget Choice! Tara Labs TL-2/14 Speaker Cable.

Tara Labs TL-2/14 speaker cable as pictured. No fancy build or garden hose thickness. Just sturdily built.

Let's get the nitty gritty out of the way first, this is the entry level Tara Labs speaker cable your money can buy, priced at RM$1,019.00/8ft pair. If that's not a steal, just buying the Tara Labs brand, then there's indeed more substance to the name after all. All Tara Labs products are declared made in the US of A on their website. And with the marketing muscle of local dealer A&L Audio Station behind the brand, the Tara Labs products may proved more difficult to lay hands on.

The cable came sealed in regular printed cardboard box(nothing fancy here), no un-necessary packaging thrills either. The cable looks sturdily terminated with gold(not too shinny) plated banana plugs on both ends, if the cable size is a little weedy looking(who says good sounding cables must be thick, and come with shinny plugs?). There are the usual directional markings for signal flow on this 14 AWG copper cable. So far, everything seems mundane and not terribly exciting.

Check out this "live" CD and Blu-ray set, featuring amazing performances by many, many artist in collaboration with the Hit Man himself, David Foster. The Blu-ray has brilliant picture and stereo quality in PCM audio playback mode.

That is until I plug them Tara Labs in to my system, replacing my resident, and many times more costly Siltech 25th Anniversary 330L reference cable. I had previous left the TL-2/14 on my home made kable kooker for 2 whole weeks 24/7 to burn in. On my first album, the very entertaining Hit Man Returns, David Foster & Friends, featuring the likes of Seal, Donna Summer(possibly her last public appearance prior to her un-timely death), Chaka Khan, Earth Wing & Fire and many more artist I'd care to remember. I am very familiar with this "live" recording and the Blu-ray AV disc too. I was stunned by how organic, yet kick ass dynamic this cable sounds!

Here we have a very quietly dark sounding cable, with smooth, non-jarring highs, honeyed mids and propulsive(with very low extension too) kinda bass. It's like as if my PMC Fact 8 speakers was operating with sub-woofer(2.1 set up) kinda low end kick. It was as if the Earth Wind and Fire medley performance was rocking my gulis(balls for non-Malaysians) all over, just sitting on the throne(sweet spot). I would say the tonal quality is rather well balanced to the warm side, making my system less critical of recording faults, making it easier to consume my music(ala instant noodle style).

The other area that took me by surprise, which I never believed should not be attainable from such a cheap/budget cable is sound staging. The stage is deep, layered, tall and wide(beyond both sides of speakers and out side of the physical wall). However, the pudding just got sweeter when I realised that there's even a halo of "air" around each vocal, and instrument neatly projected within the sound stage!

By now, you must be waiting for some sins committed by this Tara Labs, right? Well, I won't disappoint you either. Coming from an entry level product, there must be some kind of performance compromised. First thing, while still relating to the sound staging and the imaging properties, while organically projected, it may not be solidly out lined enough for some taste and system synergy. However, one area I am sure the performance is compromised in the level of absolute transparency. In the high end audio game, transparency is highly prized commodity, while the TL-2/14 isn't the most transparent of speaker cables around, I was actually too busy enjoying my music to spot it, until the time came to remove it, and had my reference Siltechs re-installed in to the system. Only then, the one sin of omission became startling clear.

Otherwise, I am all praises for this Tara Labs TL-2/14 speaker cable. It's highly musical and appealing on an emotional level, does all the basic hifi performance parameters right, plus a sound staging and bass "king", all for beer budget money. It's been a blast of a time spent with it.

If one is in the market for any speaker cable, regardless of budget, do give this Tara Labs a try first, especially if one is after the music first, and the hifi-ness of sound next. It's that good!

Tara Labs is sold by A&L Audio Station, contact Yap(Wah Chai) at 03-79582884.

Put A Leash On That Dog! SVS STA-800H DSP Controlled Chassis Amp.

The high end community can sometimes be vicious. News began to appear sometime ago about Wilson Audio's latest arrivals destined for Malaysian soil. They include a pair of the brand spanking new flagship speakers called Alexandria XLF, a Thor's Hammer sub woofer and more subtly exciting item, a single Watch Dog passive sub woofer, which happens to belong to a very famous personality in high end dom. As the high end community awaits with baited breath to have a go at the latest Wilson products, there are some whose hopes may be more sinister than others. The Watch Dog proved hard to tame, and will bite when not well fed. I see my buddies joy diminished within days as he struggles to find a suitable controller and power amp to match the mighty Watch Dog(remember that song by Baha Men, called Who Let The Dogs Out?). I can hear some enjoying the drama already?

Fear not, as the dog owner is very resourceful and seek the help of a dog's whisperer, in the form of Max Loh, from Maxx Audio fame. The dog whisperer was a little hesitant at first, as the dog may be deemed too highly strung(read, too high end), but agreed to undertake the dog obedience training, and get the equipment required for the job. A month later the equipment arrived in the form of an SVS STA-800H DSP Controlled Chassis Amp(SVS speak for DSP equipped power amp, all 800Watts of it!)

SVS STA-800H DSP Controlled Chassis Amp, looks well built enough for the money, but more importantly has all the adjustment features required to integrate a sub woofer in to a high end stereo system.

After 2 weeks of obedience training, my buddy declared his Watch Dog ready for the Dog Show Off! Prior going for the dog show, I must admit I was somewhat as skeptical as the dog whisperer himself! I mean come on, this is a DSP plate amp we are talking about! I was not sure if it could match up to the hunger of the Watch Dog, or if it was transparent enough to handle music in an high end audio set up, paired with a pair of Wilson Sophias. Feed it some decently powerful music, and all my earlier skepticism blown to bits. The SVS had the authority to tame the Watch Dog like a leash tied around it's balls! The bass was solid, yet tunefully refined, not a dog's hair out of place here! And lastly, when we were playing track 11 of the KLIAV Show reference CD, Comes Love By Louise Rogers, where the song starts with Louise's sultry vocal inter playing a super detailed double bass. I was dumb founded to hear the double bass player's breath, hand/body movements brushed against the instrument's resonant wood body and fingers on the fret board. I've heard this song many times in my very own system, but only a superbly well tamed 2.1 speaker/sub set up can achieve this kind of clarity, and detail levels. Mind you, all this without the music losing any of it's transient or dynamic impact. I walk away from today's listening session suitably impressed with both the Wilson Watch Dog and the SVS STA-800H combo. I think my buddy feels vindicated now against all whom pre-judged him earlier. Personally, I think he's just getting started and this should be one of those combo which will be a force to be reckon with. I mean the potential is just starting to be realised, and the there's still much to be un-locked!

The Wilson Watch Dog passive is a very high end sub woofer that requires very specific amplification to tame it. However once done right, it will reward with some of the most accurate and tuneful bass notes heard.

I doubt that if I could isolate and heap praises to either the Wilson sub woofer or the SVS DSP plate amp. As we all know Wilson seldom makes a bad product(if somewhat expensive) these days, what is more interesting is that the budget priced SVS STA-800H is more than up to the task, sound quality wise, and the DSP smart enough to get out of music's way, yet remained flexible enough to allow the kind of full control required to integrate a high quality sub woofer in to an high end stereo system. The variety of connections on offer helps the SVS cause too. My only brickbat with the SVS STA-800H is that the gain setting should be more flexible to allow incremental adjustments of 0.5db per step instead of 1db, which I know the original Wilson Watch Dog controller is capable off. However, that's insignificant considering the SVS STA-800H can be bought with only about 10% to the Wilson controller's retail price. Now, if that's not a high value to performance ratio proposition, I don't know what is!

SVS is indeed the giant killer specialist of sub woofers today!

Note that this is not a review, as it does not follow our usual review protocol, hence it's just a preview done based on a listening session.

SVS Sound is sold by Maxx Audio, contact Max Loh at 017-6778820.