0001hrs, Wednesday, 23 NOV 2005 SVS: A new sound authority. 

It’s been a long time coming, but inevitable really.  SVS is the Sound Authority.  After nearly 6 years of making what’s arguably the world’s most extensive array of powered and passive subwoofers, we realized a larger market loomed.  Dedicated customers love their SVS subwoofers, but crave more of the same.  So much so we’ve heard on line: “What’s the SVS of game systems?”  “What’s the SVS of receivers??”.  Heck even … “What’s the SVS of wine (I got a date!)??” etc etc.  As a design team, as a customer service team … well you take all that under advisement, as they say.

And we did, quite a while back actually.  The SBS-01 surround sound speaker system is just the opening salvo in a new period in SVS’s already extensive history.  Over one year of R/D poured into them.  Loads of info about the SBS-01 bookshelf satellite, and the SCS-01 center channel speakers is already below.  Review and beta-customer systems are just landing today.  While pre-orders are starting (shipping in late December), a lucky few will decide on their own if SVS’s speakers are indeed “The SVS of speakers”.  Having used them for some months now ourselves, we’re quite confident they remain true the breed.  After all the “breed” was never about subwoofers per se.  It was always about delivering more to you. About supporting you better using all the tools available to a streamlined company not tied to a “brick and mortar” past.  It was and will always be about the sound.  Making products that deliver nothing more and nothing less than what your CDs DVDs, even LPs have locked inside.

Mid-priced speakers, positioned with and for our Plus subwoofers, will be next out of the chute in mid 2006, and our top of the line (LTS-01) will slide late in the year or early 2007, just the thing for our Ultra customers.  If we’re happy with them that is.  We are notoriously hard to please after all.  We won't be rushing any of these to market.

The forecast then?  Doing all this, and continuing to roll out still more subwoofers, all at a price that’ll make you know you got a great deal, 365 days a year, without tricks, without compromise, without having to shop around.

We hope you enjoy the new look, the bugs will work out in the days ahead, thanks for stopping by.  It’s a fresh face on an old idea at SVS.  Be the best, for less, always.

The SVS Team

Monday, 31 October 2005: "Flat is back"

SVS has long been a proponent of letting the music or movie soundtrack speak for itself. Our subwoofers are rightly famous for doing just that (such as the legendary PB10-ISD subwoofer packaged in this system). Our speakers are similarly "linear" in their frequency response with similarly spectacular results.

A glance at the below chart shows this clearly. Taken on-axis (where you sit in the normal sound "fan" of a speaker) the sort of "flat" response you see below is evidence we took great pains to make sure you hear what the sound engineer intended.  Nothing more, nothing less. They are neither "bright" (with an exaggerated high frequency emphasis as some speakers can have), nor are they "laid back" or "warm" (which tends to be the exact opposite, with less high frequency extension).

Instead we believe the SBS-01 (below) and its matching center channel sister the SCS-01 (here) are "just right". They'll render your sound with just the sort of balance and accuracy as is needed to lend a natural and non-fatiguing sound to your favorite music and movies...even if you are pressing them to their limits of playback power (which are also considerable for this price class. More on that later).

So, if you are shopping around. Ask yourself if every speaker brand has the confidence to put such measurements up (we already know the answer to that question). And for those that don't, ask yourself why.

In our view, while some people might well like speakers that subjectively skew their sound to "bright" or "warm" characterizations.  Most folks, most of the time, want to hear their sound done accurately.  This means "flat" is, indeed, where it's at.  Even "entry level" speakers like these got our full technical expertise in development. So much so we decided quite intentionally to make the $999 5.1 SBS-01 package the anchor of our line. Still better performing (and more expensive) speakers will come next year, but surround sound systems don't get better for "under a grand".Read on for more news about the SBS-01.

Tuesday, 25 October 2005: "Elegant sound, made affordable"

Easy to listen to, even at high sound pressure levels, we know what speakers look like can sometimes be important too. Of course most enthusiasts are far more concerned about how a speaker performs, both in objective, engineering terms, as well as more nuanced subjective regards. But if you can't get them through the door, due to a more décor conscious "significant other", well, the best darn speaker in the world isn't going to do you a whole lot of good will it?

We've discovered that black is universally the easiest finish to "sell" to someone who's not a hardcore audio nut. And generally speaking, smaller is better, especially with main speakers, which can't always be tucked into a corner like your subwoofer.

So we spent a lot of time making the SBS-01 system look as good as it sounds, and kept the overall dimensions compact. Simple lines, a smooth, forgiving "seamless" finish... and styling as attractive with grills off as with grills on.  On the optional stands, or on brackets or just put on a convenient shelf, they'll quickly disappear into your room. Till you switch them on, and you hear the sound that is. After all, we designed them for the audio nut in your house. Sound is always first priority at SVS.

Still, it's no secret that price is often important too. Of course. You love the mega-buck speakers out there, but they tend to be big AND expensive. A glance at the prices below, shows just how affordable even a full blown 7.1 channel package is.

In small or mid-sized rooms even the most modest audio receiver will run this system to near-theater sound pressure levels with ease. Yet they'll take a pounding even from high-power amps too. In short the SBS-01 system is easy on the eyes, easy on the ears, powerful, relatively small and affordable. That they'll be backed by fanatical 7 days/week service and support from the SVS crew goes without saying perhaps.

Anyone who knows our products already knows too, that's nothing new from us.

Pre-order prices below.

Sales start on or about Thanksgiving day (24 November 2005):

Full 7.1 package (6 SBS-01 mains, SCS-01 center channel, plus PB10-ISD subwoofer): $999*

Full 5.1 package (4 SBS-01 mains, SCS-01 center channel, plus PB10-ISD subwoofer): $899

5.0 Channel package (same as above, but without the PB10-ISD subwoofer: $549*

2.0 channel package (stereo pair, no subwoofer): $210

* All prices are before shipping. Shipping cost to your area will vary by location. Regular prices will start in mid-December when shipping begins: (7.1 channel) $1,149, (5.1 channel) $999, (5.0 channel) $599, and (2.0 stereo pair) $225.

Thursday, 13 October 2005: "The clock is running!"

Wasn't that the famous line Tom Hanks uttered in Apollo 13 Well, there won't be an hair raising glitches to this mission, but that rumble you hear is the storied PB10-ISD subwoofer pulling ".1" channel duty for SVS's new SBS-01surround sound speaker package coming. Soon. Get ready for a little jolt fellows.

We know there have been hints and allegations as to what these speakers will be. Let's clear it all up. First off, it's a new sort of SVS that'll be flipping the switch on pre-orders of these 5.1, 5.0 or 2.0 channel speaker packages. Six years ago we set about with the mission to turn the subwoofer on its ear. That largely accomplished (just type "subwoofer" into Google and you'll see what we mean), well, this time around, we're pretty much up to our old game plan. Give people expert advice and support, and provide more features and well-considered details than they used to (at any given price). Oh... and make sure the speakers themselves play accurately, running flat and natural in frequency response -- and stay clean and linear at sound pressure levels that will put a grin on any any sound enthusiast's face. Sound rules. Even if we're as willing to measure, as we are to listen.

No matter if you are pumping out your favorite stereo music CD , or any DVD movie, SACD, DVD-Audio... heck drag out your old LP's... this system will floor you, that's a promise from SVS. We've been working on these for well over a year, you should expect nothing less than superlative sound from this package.

So, will this be "the best 5.1 system in the world for its expected $1,000 price point"? That'll be argued no doubt, by fans and critics alike. From our humble perspective, if this package isn't head and shoulders above the pack, at the very least it'll be near the top of the heap. And we say that knowing full well that this is a very competitive segment of the audio market, with plenty of good speakers from different OEMs. As many know, we've long recommended other brands of speakers ourselves. We still can, since some of them out there are very good. Now we can recommend something from our own design studio however that'll run toe to toe with the best "out there".

What's different, with the advent of our SBS-01 system, is that these world-class Small Bookshelf Speakers (that's what "SBS" stands for) come perfectly styled to mate with that undisputed $430 subwoofer champion of the world (the PB10-ISD of course). That, and the fact you can purchase a full system as a bundle form SVS in one go (rather than mixing and matching brands). Last, but not least, you know these systems will be supported with the same dedication that all of our subwoofers have enjoyed for years now.

So, a few salient details pending more in a week or two. Q & A style.

Wednesday, 31 August 2005: Weigh in where you can

We're fortunate that national tragedies happen infrequently in the USA. When they do, we have to pause for a moment. There's things far more important than subwoofers after all. Events unfolding in New Orleans, Mobile, Biloxi and elsewhere in the Gulf Coast are virtually unprecedented, and we urge you to consider ways you might help. If you are in one of the affected areas you are definitely in our thoughts as we reluctantly divert our attention to keeping business moving ahead. Thousands of public service and armed service members have our support. The American Red Cross to the left is as good an organization as exists to provide donations, should you have the means. The resources of every relief agency in the area will be stretched to the limit, and beyond, for quite some time.

Monday, 01 August 2005: SVS Ambassador of good sound

It's not like we don't like to travel more, but SVS keeps us pretty close to home most of the time. Yet, folks have been clamoring for our famous subwoofers from all corners of the globe for quite a while. Till now it's been pretty much impossible to find one outside the US, or anyone to talk about them -- unless you spoke English, and were confident enough to contact us from ... wherever. That's starting to change this month. The land of Saabs, Volvos, Nokia phones and salmon has long been a hotbed of SVS crazies... so Scandinavia got our attention first. We spent quite a long time vetting would-be dealers who could represent SVS products with the service before and after a sale just as we do. L-Sound made the last cut and has committed to keeping folks way up in the north of Europe at least as happy as we could ever have done from Ohio, USA. The L-Sound website should be available for pre-orders in a matter of days.

Others will follow, in Germany, the UK and the BENELUX, and only those on this page are authorized SVS Dealers. With local sales, local service and prices that will be as good as any we could manage, there's no need to give in to the premium prices and decidedly mediocre performance of brands used to dictating what enthusiasts had to buy.

The line-up will be limited at first. Only our most popular box subs initially, with more product to follow just as soon as we can ready them for the export market. The PB10-ISD will be the first down the ramp, followed in September by the PB12-Plus and the PB12-Plus/2. Small subs, main speakers and other subs in our lineup are all candidates for export, but we intend to build up our select dealers slowly and keep options to a core of proven sellers. By mid-August the first PB10-ISD's will be landing on the beaches (in nice prepackaged sea-going containers), pre-orders for the other two export SVS's will likely be in place by then too.

For each region established in the SVS dealer universe, SVS products will be available only through them (of course we'll be happy to direct enquiries we get to the appropriate Dealer). SVS will still be in the background, but only as supplier and in support of these companies at the pointy end of the spear. This will allow us more time to work on more product for everyone.

Each Region will have a slightly different flavor, just as you might expect. SVS is a partner in their distribution of our product, not pulling strings, or trying to run the show from this side of the Atlantic. These guys know their customers intimately in a way we just can't manage. We'll announce additional regions as soon as they are established, and naturally Dealer enquiries outside the USA are welcome.

It's not easy to make the cut to be a Dealer for SVS, we're demanding about who sells our stuff as we are about our sound.

Thursday, 15 April 2005: PB12-Ultra and Letters to the Editor

We know lots of your are anxious to know, our long awaited arrival of the new wood and gloss versions of the PB12-Ultra and PB12-Plus cabinets is on track. Assembly and shipping from our Ohio factory will proceed right around the end of the month if receiving takes place on schedule.

For now we felt one of our many recent letters from a customer of the fine textured black finish PB12-Ultra, shipping now, might help those waiting for theirs still (then again, maybe it won't help!).

SVS,

My name is Jay and I just recently received my PB12-Ultra. I have been listening to good quality stereo and home theater gear for more years than I care to admit to. I knew from the research I did prior to my purchase that this sub was top quality and an incredible value, but I find the actual product eclipses even those high expectations. Rarely has a piece of audio gear elicited such emotional response as did this exquisite music machine!!! The only down side I can attribute to this purchase is the realization that I completely wasted my money on another brand of sub. Not even remotely in the same class. Thanks again from an enthralled customer.

PS, I have been listening and viewing my entire audio/video library ever since I received the Ultra to hear what I have been missing, and it has been considerable.

Sincerely,

Jay

Thursday, 15 April 2005: But wait, there's more...

While they've just been shipping a short time, Home Theater Spot Forum Administrator and audio aficionado Floyd Pierce snagged one of the first PB12-Ultra's and was so impressed he wrote an entire review about it.. Normally a man of few words, Floyd was suitably impressed it seems:

In my listening tests, the output was breathtaking, but that's to be expected. I guess that when you are SVS, you have a higher bar to clear because of the quality of the previous models.

The opening credits of Unbreakable (DTS mix), while not the most powerful scene you can find, create an experience that most people can judge. While I've never been depth charged, or been inside an aquarium, I have ridden on a train. This scene has remarkable realism, and either of my SVSs make you feel that there's a runaway train inside the theater....

In scene after scene, from The Incredibles to U-571, every one was handled with just the right amount of shock and awe, but with just that something extra that you can't quite put your finger on.

The more readily apparent improvement is in the tamer (SPL wise) land of music. The Ultra has the ability to produce more detail, and something that's hard to describe, but I'll say suppleness....

We're already lining up other reviews of the similarly impressive PB12-Plus. With the arrival of premium finishes of these two great subs you can expect still more folks to be raving about their SVS subwoofers.

Thursday, 31 March, 2005: PB12-Plus... Flat is where it's at

Sure, it might seem like a simulation, but it's real. 2 Meter, ground plane, measured with state of the art instrumentation, outdoors, a minimum of 75 feet from any reinforcing boundary. The most revealing test in the industry and run at high sound pressure levels too. All our subs have been engineered to give you flat, "linear" frequency response, but the bar just got set higher by us, again. Octave to octave balance in a subwoofer is the most important characteristic to have after all. Along with low distortion, high output, and deep extension -- it's what a sub has to do to be world-class.

You can try, but we don't think you'll find finer performance than what the new PB12-Plus is capable of, unless you are evaluating another SVS. In either 20hz native configuration (all ports open, 20hz subsonic filter selected), or the bottom trolling 16Hz setting (one port filled with the included port plug), this sub eschews gimmicks and provides rock solid fidelity to your music and movies. Keep in mind, in either setting you can expect another 3-5Hz deeper extension in your theater or music room. Do the math, and you know why we're so excited about this subwoofer. Fine textured black units start shipping in a week. Woods and gloss in May.

Flatter isn't possible. But then again, you expect that from SVS. Maybe you can forget about how stunning this new SVS looks for a moment?

(Click on image to expand to full view)

Thursday, 17 March, 2005: PB12-Plus and PB12-Ultra pre-orders start

And more news too. The PB12-Plus is finally available for pre-order along with the upscale Ultra-fied TV12 "Ultra" version (called, of course, the PB12-Ultra). The American-made fine textured black cabinet option will be shipping on or about (O/A) April 4th, with the imported woods and gloss black following later in May (exact ship date still pending). PB12-Plus subs with the optional premium finishes will include the advanced parametric EQ feature at no extra charge Textured black units come with the the more basic version of our 500 watt BASH amp with variable tuning, phase, and full crossover. Hardly a "basic" amp really. They have powered our amazing PC-Plus subwoofers for years now. All PB12-Ultra subs will include PEQ. Other news. The PB12-Ultra/2's in the stunning woods and gloss finishes below will start shipping finally Monday, 21 March. PB12-Plus/2 subs using the same premium imported cabinets will ship mid-late April. The exclusive SVS fine textured black versions of the Ultra/2 and Plus/2 are already shipping.

There's a bit of a surprise sub that's sneaked out of the R/D labs for you too. Our "ISD" woofer is so good, we decided to do a special run of the new deep-extension cabinet you see above, but customized for the great 325 watt BASH amp instead (with user-variable subsonic filter/EQ embedded). So you get a fantastic ISD woofer, variable tuning (20hz native mode with all 3" ports open) and our fine textured cabinets, all for $699. Pre-orders coming soon, with mid-April availability. The PB12-ISD/V is just another garden-variety killer entry level SVS you didn't see coming. Expect pictures soon.

And finally, after a long hiatus, elegant colors are coming back to the PB12-ISD line. Ice White, Dove Gray and Light Tan, (similar to what's available on the PB10-ISD) are in stock and should start shipping now. Same price as basic black! What's more, we are extending these new colors to the PB12-ISD/2 for the first time. When black won't do, these hot finishes will add a splash of color.

Thursday, 17 February, 2005: New optional woods and piano gloss finishes with wildly popular PB12-Plus/2.

	Why should the top Ultra subs get all the chic and alluring enclosures? After all the PB12-Plus/2 is just as popular, even though it's only been available in fine textured black... till now. For a few bucks more you can now elect to get your Plus in one of four stunning imported wood finishes, or world-class piano gloss black. Pre-orders start today, and will come with a $100 SVS gift certificate, free with any of the new finish options. Use it on any SVS accessories like SPL meters and test DVDs. Contact us for details. Fine textured black remains the entry level choice, but it's no longer the only way to get your high performance SVS Plus sub. From top and left to right, you have: Piano Gloss Black, Walnut, Maple, Cherry and Rosewood. Hand made, furniture-grade real wood never looked, or sounded so good.

Friday, 21 January, 2005: Get 'em while they're hot... the fresh PB12-Ultra/2.

True to our word, the slick new PB12-Ultra/'2 is finally ready for order. You'll have to hang in there a bit longer to see the other finishes (to wit, Rosewood, Maple [pictured below), Walnut, Cherry and Gloss Black]. They are on their way but unavailable for paparazzi photos at the moment. Rest assured the new cabinets will be state of the art gorgeous.

We hope to have the first pre-orders shipping late in February... or early March, if in fact, the creek does rise. Availability will be limited while we fill up the pipeline with our new supplier, so if you have your heart set on one of the first, start clicking soon. Pre-orders will all garner a $100 gift certificate, which can be applied toward cool SVS accessories, or held for future use on another SVS! Those pre-ordering can even spend their certificate while they wait for their SVS. The prefect time to dial in the rest of your system with your new SPL meter and Avia test DVD. How cool is that? The gift goes away when the PB12-Ultra/2 in wood start to ship, so order before someone beats you to it.

Monday, 17 January, 2005: Christmas is over; time for some real treats.

Well, it seems like Christmas was only yesterday, but we're already refining our lineup described in December. Product is the watchword for 2005. First out of the box (so to speak) is the re-introduction of the PB12-Ultra/2 in fine woods. After an exhaustive effort to replace our local cabinet shop (who opted out of the business of high end finishes but still does extensive CNC work for us on other products) we've selected Mark Schifter's Sound Art China (SAC) to supply us with this flagship enclosure (as an empty shell shipped to our Ohio factory). In fact we've specifically designed this new unit to accept either the famed Ultra or the stunningly good Plus woofer. So folks that want Champagne on a beer budget will soon be able to get our top grade cabinets with the price conscious Plus line of SVS Powered Boxes. Later this week we'll start taking orders for the PB12-Ultra/2 in Rosewood, Maple, Walnut, Cherry and even piano gloss black. That's the new PB12-Ultra/2 in Maple pictured above. These are actual wood veneers, and not stains laid over maple as we used in the past. Anyone familiar with Mark Shifter's work for various OEMs, including his own Rocket and Onix lines knows just how stunning these cabinets will be.

By 15 February you'll be able to order your PB12-Plus/2 the same way. Shipping for the Ultras should begin the latter part of February (or early March). PB12-Plus/2 subs will be right behind the Ultras in shipping. It gets better.

Due to SVS leveraging a renown OEM supplier like SAC, and the massive quantities we're ordering, we're passing cost savings on to you. Our domestic supplier for these cabinets was quite pricey in comparison to the works of art now shipping from the new guys. The fine grain textured black PB12-Ultra/2 remains $1,999. Any one of the high-end woods will be $2,199... and luxurious world-class black piano gloss, $2,299.

But wait, there's more (sorry, no steak knives): Order during the pre-order period (that time before we actually ship the first of each new) and customers will receive a $100 SVS gift certificate to use any way they like (cables, Avia DVD's, SPL meters, whatever).

The best part of all? Legendary SVS performance is unchanged. We cut no corners on this to get prices down. And the slick new contemporary and seamless styling never looked so good. You know... the stuff we're famous for. Just more of it, for less money than ever. SVS never "leaves well enough alone" right?

Next up will be a slightly trimmer and revised PB12-Plus (single woofer) and the long-awaited PB12-Ultra (pictures pending in a few weeks). Woods will be the same as above, and fine textured black will be in the mix as the price leader. Of course the Ultra version is all new, but even the Plus will see some significant upgrades over its predecessor, with a new port structure that yields better performance than ever.

Cut out the below chart and tape it to your refrigerator, you don't want to miss any of these rollouts. Those looking for the lighter weight, space saving trendy looks of our Powered Cylinders (PC) will still see them priced a bit lower than their box brethren. There are no plans to stop selling the incredibly popular PC-Plus or PC-Ultra subs in other words. More pictures of each sub in all its high end wood finished glory will be coming soon. Again, the PB12-Ultra/2 will be first. The single driver PB12-Ultra (and Plus) subs will follow by some weeks.

And don't think this is all the subwoofer news for 2005. While the "next big thing" from SVS might well be the details on the killer new full range speaker designs already being hammered by R/D, you might also hear some surprises on the low and high end of the bass spectrum. As well as the small end. You know, we don't want to the competition to have too many reasons to throw in the towel just as the year starts!