SVS sub dead. Recommendations for a $300 or under sub?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by I333I, Apr 20, 2018.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. I333I

    I333I Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Ventura
    I know that $300 isn't going to get me much. But after dropping so much on my SVS PC12-NSD six years ago (one year past warranty, of course), and a new amp, and a new turntable, etc., I just can't justify the expenditure right now. Right now my set up is in a medium sized room and I mostly would use the sub for movies. I've read about some of the cheap BIC models, as well as Polk, etc., but I was wondering if anyone here had a good suggestion for a cheap, but somewhat capable sub. Thanks!
     
    mace likes this.
  2. Davey

    Davey NP: Hania Rani/Dobrawa Czocher ~ Inner Symphonies

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    They do apparently have a lot of amp failures, though that's pretty common in subwoofers, often there is very little cooling and some of the electronic parts are inexpensive and pushed pretty hard. Another option is to just get a replacement amp from SVS, it is $250 and from what people online say, pretty simple to install, but I have no firsthand experience with this replacement, maybe contact SVS and ask about your options if you still like the sub... Replacement Amp Sledge STA-400D PC12-NSD
     
    gd0 and displayname like this.
  3. displayname

    displayname Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dallas
    I totally agree with this. I would at least talk to SVS about options and costs first. I would imagine a $300 sub is going to be pretty disappointing by comparison, and if you can have it repaired for less it seems like the easy choice.
     
  4. Doctor Fine

    Doctor Fine "So Hip It Would Blister Your Brain"

    I'm going to buy a pair of these cheap 15s at $200 made by a parts company.
    I expect what they lack in finesse will be made up for by the sheer size of the drivers.
    In cheap subs size matters and a 15 is boss.
    The fact it has line level and speaker level is cool because sometimes to avoid hum it pays to hook up the speaker level terminals.
    A lot of folks swear by this as a cheap deep boomer that is not a total piece of junk.

    https://www.amazon.com/Dayton-Audio-SUB-1500-Powered-Subwoofer/dp/B00JZTQIJ4#customerReviews
     
  5. Doctor Fine

    Doctor Fine "So Hip It Would Blister Your Brain"

    PS I too have SVS subs and a repair would seem to be in order.
     
  6. Davey

    Davey NP: Hania Rani/Dobrawa Czocher ~ Inner Symphonies

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    That does look pretty nice for the price. The only thing I'd be curious about is how low they can really tune the port in that small enclosure, and how well controlled the driver is. You probably realize that 150W is very low power for a modern subwoofer, but if it is a lot more efficient maybe it doesn't need gobs of power. Keep us posted. I have a single 15" sub, but it's a pretty expensive one and it's sealed with gobs of power available.
     
  7. I333I

    I333I Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Ventura
    Thanks. I’ve been in touch with SVS and they don’t make the woofer that was in my model anymore. CS suggested that I take up woodworking and make a larger hole in the sub so a different woofer could be installed.
     
    displayname likes this.
  8. I333I

    I333I Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Ventura
    Thanks. See response above.
     
  9. Davey

    Davey NP: Hania Rani/Dobrawa Czocher ~ Inner Symphonies

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    Oh, OK, I didn't realize you had determined the driver was bad, most of the failures are the amp.
     
    displayname likes this.
  10. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    Is there a significantly higher failure rate on cylindrical subwoofers VS the cubic-shaped ones?
     
  11. HankM

    HankM Senior Member

    Location:
    Upstate NY
    I just sold my pair of PC12-NSD subs. I purchased them in September & October of 2014 from SVS. I did a total of 4 amplifier replacements between them. All under warranty but that’s a lot of failure if you ask me. I finally sold them because once they are out of warranty I wouldn’t want to spend anymore on them. I’m looking into HSU Research or Rythmik for my next home theater sub.

    Just too add, the last amp they sent me was defective! Had to get another one sent out which took 2 weeks because they had a problem with the DSP flashing program.
     
  12. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    What's the exact name/part # of the woofer you'd need to replace?
     
  13. sunspot42

    sunspot42 Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Francisco
    Do you need a sub with a crossover? You could get two of these little Yamaha subs for $300.

    I've always been impressed with their Active Servo subs. They've also got some new port design that's supposed to minimize chuffing and other nasty port noise, inherited from Yamaha's ginormous $2,000 sub. Problem is, no speaker-level crossover, so if that's a requirement you're out of luck. Also only 100W, but if you ran two of them that likely wouldn't be a problem unless the room is huge.

    It's small, and Yamaha's kit usually lasts, so if you ever replace them with another beefy sub, you could always re-purpose them elsewhere, like as a subwoofer for a soundbar, computer speakers, Echo or similar device, or maybe a Bluetooth speaker (assuming it sports a line-level output or you can split the signal coming from the input).
     
  14. I333I

    I333I Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Ventura
    I never pushed the sub. But when I watched some heavy LFE movies like the new Alien and Force Awakens the sub would make a strange noise that I ended up recording for Jack at SVS. He determined that it was a bad woofer. I was disappointed that this happened so quickly after the warranty was up.
    Judging by responses it looks like I won’t find anything good for $300 :shake:
     
  15. Doctor Fine

    Doctor Fine "So Hip It Would Blister Your Brain"


    I'll be happy if they just make telebision more wham bamm shazam.
     
  16. I333I

    I333I Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Ventura
    I’m away from the sub now, but I know that the “through hole” was 10 3/4 inches across. This is how he determined that they weren’t making a woofer that size any longer. I can check specifics later, once I get the kids to bed.
     
  17. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    Every part has its own part #. Usually, drivers will have a part # printed somewhere. Maybe it's impossible to see what it is unless the sub is opened up.

    My suggestion was to look yourself for the specific part which I've done successfully many a time. Worth a shot if you can get that info. Perhaps SVS could simply let you know what the part # is and you could search online for somebody with it in stock. Chances are slight but IMHO, it's worth a shot.
     
    displayname and I333I like this.
  18. head_unit

    head_unit Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles CA USA
    So when he talked about "Woodworking" do they have a newer, similar, but somewhat larger woofer to stick in there? Because I'm sure we could help you open that thing up, heck you're not THAT far from L.A. even.

    Not to impugn "Jack at SVS" but I would be very curious to open up the sub, take the amp wires off the sub, and connect them to another known good speaker or woofer. That would confirm about the problem being the woofer. (Or the reverse procedure-pull out the woofer, connect it instead of one of your speakers, and see if it makes nasty noises playing music).

    Anyway, I would say fix it instead of buying another. If you don't want to bother with that, I might actually be interested in buying the remains from you, you can PM me.
     
    displayname likes this.
  19. I recently repaired a sub that was making a "strange noise". It was a bad capacitor. The sub was out of warranty and the company wouldnt repair it. Local repair would have cost nearly the price of a new one. I was about to throw it in the trash but decided to take it apart and look. The capacitor cost about $5 and its working like a charm.

    If all else fails take a look at the caps. If you see any bulging its most likely the culprit.
     
    Last edited: Apr 20, 2018
    displayname likes this.
  20. I333I

    I333I Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Ventura
    SVS seemed pretty confident after hearing the sound, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it was something else. Can you tell me where a capacitor might be located? Could you describe the sound that your sub was making?
     
  21. Capacitors are the can looking things on the circuit boards. They are soldered on. They should have flat tops and smooth sides, if they are bulged its most likely shot.

    I fixed 2 speakers recently. One sub and one satellite. Different brands, but both Active Speakers. The sub had an audible hum while on, like hearing a motor. I think it was a cap on the power supply board. The other speaker was a loud buzzing sound when on and I think it was a bad cap on the amp board. I fixed both speakers out of warranty for about $20, replacing a pair of capacitors in each speaker just in case. There were 2 in each circuit of the boards if I recall.
     
  22. I333I

    I333I Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Ventura
    He originally gave me a link to a replacement woofer of theirs, then found out that it was a different size than what I had. I guess it would be possible to cut the opening at the bottom of the sub in order to fit a bigger sized woofer. I really have no idea on how I would do this. Do you have a woodworking business?
     
  23. SteelyNJ

    SteelyNJ Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey, USA
    Just a thought.... Maybe you could post the recording you made for "Jack at SVS" here so we can all get a better handle on your situation.
     
  24. I333I

    I333I Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Ventura
    Yeah, my noise occurred during intense LFE moments. It still works most of the time, but if there’s an intense moment I get an annoying cracking, static almost digital noise coming from the sub.
     
  25. Hmm I dont think thats the same issue I had then. Sorry, I should have read your thread more carefully.

    If you dont mind spending around 400 Yamaha HS is a fantastic sub.
     
    Last edited: Apr 20, 2018
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine