SVS SB-1000 Pro or 2 x Klipsch R121SW

[CK74]

I have just ordered a SVS SB-1000 Pro, but for a little bit more I can get 2 x Klipsch R121SW subs. I have a fairly large(30ft x 30ft) room. This is for a Stereo setup. I also ordered Klipsch R-800F floorstanding speakers.

Should I change my order to the 2 x Klipsch R121SW, or should I stick with the SVS SB-1000 Pro?

This setup will be used for music listening and no movies.

This is really all that my budget allows, also I live in South Africa and the prices we pay is ridiculous.

This is what the above cost here:
SVS SB-1000 Pro (US$ 1000)
Klipsch R121SW (US$ 600)
Polk Audio HTS12 (US$ 600)
Klipsch R-800F Pair (US$ 1100)

 

[3125b]

The R-121SW isn't great, but if you use room-EQ and have the space, two subs will almost always be the better choice because you can achive a much more even in-room response than with just one. .
Out of the box FR of the Klipsch is pretty bad, it's your basic "slap a driver in a wooden box and be done with it" type of design, but being a 12" sub it manages decent SPL (certainly for a pair) and given the lack of signal processing it has low group delay. They also managed to make it look decent I think, goes with you mains anyway.

 

[AwesomeSauce2015]

While the above response has merit, I would caution against the Klipsch sub, because it is ported.
I am not saying that ported subs sound bad, what I am concerned about is the port tuning. If the Klipsch port tuning is set high (say 35hz), no amount of DSP processing will get you any more extension.
The SVS is a much better executed design, and since it is sealed you will get more bass extension (ie, the bass will go lower in frequency).
My main complaint about SVS subwoofers is that their processing can sound weird (and does, to me, in A/B tests against other subs). I also think the SVS enclosures are a bit underbuilt which I feel compromises the sound quality.

I hear what you are saying about South Africa... You may want to look at other sealed sub options.
Personally, if DSP is a possibility, the JBL Studio Sub 550P (on its sale price of sub-$200 in the USA), when deployed in multiples, with DSP, is really good. Very well built enclosure and driver. You can EQ its response and get good extension, and with multiple subs you will get even response throughout the space. But, it still is only a 10" sub. You would need a bunch of these for high volume levels, especially in a large room.

(Yes, you want multiple subs, it leads to a more consistent frequency response throughout the space, which makes EQ far more effective. My minimum recommendation is 2, but ideally 3 or 4, depending on the room.)

However, with all that being said.
You have a really large room, assuming at least an 8ft ceiling, that is over 7,000 cubic feet. Most people would recommend multiple 18" subs in that size of a room.
And at that point, the R-800F will not be able to keep up. If your listening distance is over 15 feet, their tweeters will struggle.

So with all that being said, how loud do you listen? Do you like turning it up, or are your volume requirements lower?

 

[CK74]

Thanks for the informative responses so far. It is an open plan living room that includes an open plan kitchen and dining room.

I don't really care if the the sound travels throughout the whole space as my listening position is quite close(9ft). I listen to pop/rock music mostly and I like listening loudish but not for extended periods.

As you probably can tell I'm not really clued up on all aspects of audio, I auditioned the Klipsch R-800F last Saturday on a Denon DRA-800h and it sounded really good to my untrained ears, which is enough for me. This was in a smaller room tough. I don't have DSP, I only have the Denon DRA-800h. What does getting DSP entail exactly, which equipment do I need?

Would a SB-2000 Pro($1700) make a drastic($700 drastic) difference in the bass?

 

[AwesomeSauce2015]

In my opinion, the SB-2000 pro is not worth that price. You really should look into quality ported subwoofers.

With your listening position being within 10 feet, you will probably be fine with the R-800F as your "mains", so long as you do proper bass management (which I will explain).

First, given that you are in a pretty large space, you need large, ported subwoofers. This is simple physics. In order to have loud, deep bass, you need to move air. In order to move air, you need large, powerful subwoofers.

Personally, I would recommend looking into decent ported >=15" subwoofers if I was in your situation. (So something like the PB-3000, Klipsch RP-1600SW, or one of the bigger Monoprice Monolith THX subs)

Now to explain "Bass Management":
Bass management basically means you apply a high-pass filter to your main speakers, and a low-pass filter to your subwoofer, such that the bass frequencies are handled by the subwoofer, instead of your main speakers.
In a large room, and at high levels, this can make a big difference in both clarity and max volume.
Usually, the filtering is handled by your AV reciever, or a DSP unit. Supposedly the Denon can apply this filtering.
This is common in home theater, where you have a large number of bass-limited speakers, and a powerful subwoofer array. A good point to set the Denon's crossover setting will be 80hz, though you may want to bump it up or down.

And lastly, what I mean by DSP.
You would use DSP to correct for room modes (resonances), which when done correctly, can significantly improve bass quality. Common products are miniDSP units and more premium AV receivers like the Denon X3800h.
In your case, I would recommend a miniDSP 2x4, and a measurement microphone (like the UMIK-1). You can use the miniDSP to correct for any bad room modes.

However, DSP cannot give you more subwoofer output if the subwoofer is not capable of it. Hence why I recommend getting a powerful subwoofer.

 

[CK74]

In my opinion, the SB-2000 pro is not worth that price. You really should look into quality ported subwoofers.

With your listening position being within 10 feet, you will probably be fine with the R-800F as your "mains", so long as you do proper bass management (which I will explain).

First, given that you are in a pretty large space, you need large, ported subwoofers. This is simple physics. In order to have loud, deep bass, you need to move air. In order to move air, you need large, powerful subwoofers.

Personally, I would recommend looking into decent ported >=15" subwoofers if I was in your situation. (So something like the PB-3000, Klipsch RP-1600SW, or one of the bigger Monoprice Monolith THX subs)

Now to explain "Bass Management":
Bass management basically means you apply a high-pass filter to your main speakers, and a low-pass filter to your subwoofer, such that the bass frequencies are handled by the subwoofer, instead of your main speakers.
In a large room, and at high levels, this can make a big difference in both clarity and max volume.
Usually, the filtering is handled by your AV reciever, or a DSP unit. Supposedly the Denon can apply this filtering.
This is common in home theater, where you have a large number of bass-limited speakers, and a powerful subwoofer array. A good point to set the Denon's crossover setting will be 80hz, though you may want to bump it up or down.

And lastly, what I mean by DSP.
You would use DSP to correct for room modes (resonances), which when done correctly, can significantly improve bass quality. Common products are miniDSP units and more premium AV receivers like the Denon X3800h.
In your case, I would recommend a miniDSP 2x4, and a measurement microphone (like the UMIK-1). You can use the miniDSP to correct for any bad room modes.

However, DSP cannot give you more subwoofer output if the subwoofer is not capable of it. Hence why I recommend getting a powerful subwoofer.

Thanks, I have returned the SB-100 Pro and ordered a Klipsch RP-1400SW. It seems the Denon 800H does not have the ability to apply a high pass filter and can only do a low pass. How will I connect the miniDSP to my system?

 

[AwesomeSauce2015]

There are 2 options for how you would connect something like a miniDSP 2x4 to your system:

Option 1 is that it goes between your source / preamp and the Denon 800H + your subs.
You would use that option if you have a preamp or only use one source.

Option 2 is that you connect the miniDSP to the subwoofer output of the Denon, and use it to apply EQ and other processing to correct for subwoofer room modes and other issues.

I am not sure if the Denon 800H can apply high pass filtering to its speaker outputs, but I do know that it can low-pass the signal to the subwoofers. One way to test this is to not have the sub hooked up, and play music through the Denon and your main speakers. If you adjust the subwoofer frequency on the Denon, it should change the bass sound out of the main speakers. If it does not, then most likely it is not applying high-pass filtering to them. I would suggest reading the manual as well for more information as I am not an expert on Denon receivers.


What I would recommend is to first get the subwoofer, and hook it up directly to the "subwoofer output" on the Denon. Then you can set a subwoofer low-pass frequency.
If you can get it all sounding good, then I would say you are good. If it sounds "boomy" or (insert other audiophile words to describe slow, bloated, etc... bass), then you may need to experiment with positioning or get a DSP unit (ie, miniDSP) to correct for any room modes.