- tight bass (serious bass!) - easy match with other speakers - it is impressive - price

none that I could discover!

What can I say about this great product that hasn't been said already? Every good thing you hear is true. I ordered one about a week ago and it is simply everything I hoped for (and even more!). The low frequencies are so tight, strong and present, it's amazing. And it will be even better when the unit is in my system for a longer period of time. Also, it blends in very nicely with my Mission 753 frontspeakers. My last subwoofer (a Quadral) was terrible compared to this device. With the right tuning you can really make it a good match with other speakers you have. Something that is just impossible with other (equally priced) subwoofers. One thing that really amazed me when I opened the box (and gosh did I feel like a little child under the X-mas tree!!!) was it's enormous size. Ofcourse I knew the measurements, but it even surprised me, even though I thought I was well prepared. If you have any doubts, just do yourself a favor and buy one. For the magnificent product you receive, it's a bargain!

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Well 'similar' is a bad word to use in this context, but I used a Quadral PowerCube 300 before this, and I am glad I got rid of it. This is so much better!

Plenty of output for LFE-intense films, but remains subtle and realistic with music. Dark grey color doesn't stick-out like a sore thumb. Self amplified. Differant style (If you want something differant from the neighbors).

Different syle (you want something like your neighbors). Living with the fact that there are more powerful subwoofers from SVS you don't own (Such as the "+" or "Ultra" models).

I purchased the SVS PCi20-39 earlier this year and have been happy with its performance ever since. It replaced a "200-watt" Radio Shack RCA subwoofer that couldn't play below 40hz. The SVS is certainly large, and unusually shaped if your not familiar with cylinder subwoofers. But the sound quality is very good. I have an oddly shaped, large room (17' x 30' w/ right wall open to kitchen) and the SVS has no problem with providing a good amount of "shake" (when appropriate!) to my listening position 15' away. When used in music listening the SVS is not boomy, and provides a very nice, acurate sound for kick drums and bass guitar. It blends nicely with my Paradigm loudspeakers. But when it comes to movies this subwoofer is a monster! LFE-intensive films like Lord of the Rings or The Matrix will certainly have your neighboring apartment dwellers complaining (quite verbally too!). I'll admit I have only been an audio enthusiat for two years or so now, and this is my first "real" (ie: didn't come from the mall) subwoofer. I however can find no reason to even think about bothering to look for a replacement until this one dies (knock on wood), or I aquire a new listening enviroment that requires more output. The $599 purchase price is either astronomically expensive (as my girlfriend reminded me several times), reasonable (You've purchased "real" sound equipment before), or very cheap (You own McIntosh gear). I give the value rating five stars because this is really a great subwoofer for $599. It really puts the other manufacturers into perspective with their overpriced $5000 subwoofers that sound little or no better, or $299 distortion-boxes that pass as subwoofers at major electronic stores everywhere. The 4 star overall rating is because I know theres always more bass somewhere, and this single-drive unit is certainly not the end-all/be-all king subwoofer. Maybe I should invest in the four-driver SVS B4+ ? :)

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Before purchasing this I did lengthy listening comparisons to the Paradigm PDR and PW series subwoofers, Jamo, JBL Studio, Bose, Sony, Aiwa, Cerwin-Vega, HSU research, RCA, and Yamaha. The HSU VTF-3 is very close performance-wise, but is a box shape. The Paradigm PW series subwoofers are also close, but more pricey. The others I compared against simply could not compete at this price.

Strong, tight, powerful bass that you feel.

Possibly size, but I dont see any other subwoofers that could preform at this level and be smaller.

I bought my SVS about 1 month ago from the B-Stock page on the SVS website, it is the 20-39PCi tuned to 17hz. This was the last piece of equipment that I bought for my new set up, and I must say, its the most important, and was the best deal. I had a Sony WM500 sub to hold me over for a few months before I purchased this sub. After hearing my SVS, I just gave the Sony away. My SVS has so much power and its so clean and tight, I don't see I could watch a movie with out it. My pant legs were fluttering during Finding Nemo and Fight Club. When Listning to Pink Floyds Dark Side of the Moon SACD, you can feel bass is parts of the CD I never new existed, my walls just start shaking. I can only hear my walls shake and feel my seat rumble. This is one excelnt subwoofer....

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Sony MN500

Clear, Clean Bass. 300 Watt Amp, EQ, Various cable hook-ups

Size, if you don't have the space.

Well, like so many that have bought this Subwoofer. I too am impressed. I am setting up a completely new Home Theater (7.1). I have read about it's size (39 inches tall, 2 feet in diameter). But I didn't care, I read how it OUT preformed Carver's Sunfire. That's what I wanted, preformance. And this Subwoofer just came in (Apr.'04). So I had to hook it up to my old system(5.1) to test it out. It blew away my old Boston Acoustic 10" Subwoofer, which is now about 14 years old. I bought it when Subwoofers were hard to find and not many were on the Market. My old system is a set of Cerwin Vega 12's (Again 14 years old) An Acoustic Research Center speaker (Good), And two Polk Audio Rear speakers (Fair). all running off a JVC RX-884VBK A/V Reciever (100 watts per channel). I tested several movies as directed by the Owners Manual. And got a great impression. But what put me over the edge was listening to the DVD, "Rush in Rio". This DVD is great for live Concert sound. Listen to Neil Peart's Drum Solo on "O Baterista". At first I thought a Tornado was outside my house. After a while, I started thinking that my house was going to shake off it's foundation. A great DVD to test Bass for any system. And I'm hooked. Why spend more money, unless size means a great deal.

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None, my last Subwoofer sucked.

Deep, Clear, Loud Bass Nice amp/controls Fit and Finish

If you can call it a weakness, size. It's big, but if that's the price to pay for this kind of sound.......I'll pay it. It fits nicely in my HT corner.

Well, a blessing in disguise....... My BIC 1210R took a dive 2 weeks ago, the amp fried itself somehow. Maybe I'll be able to fix it, but I took this as a sign to go ahead and pick up the sub I'd always wanted, SVS. I decided to go with the 20-39PCi for a good compromise of spl and low end response. My HT is 13' x 23' x 7.5' with 10' of one side of the 23' wall open to another 10' x ~20' space. (L-shaped room basically). I followed SVS' instructions to a T using the Avia disc to calibrate the sub level. First impression: Wow, what I've been missing with the BIC sub. I've done a lot of car audio, and a fair amount with home audio. I have never heard anything even come close to playing as low and loud and clear as the 20-39PCi does. I can't imagine the 16-46PCi, or the PC plus series (a better driver AND more power? Surely you're joking!). Unreal. After listening to some Madonna, Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, and Billy Idol I still can't believe my ears. What amazes me most is the balance of the sub, it blends seemlessly with my BIC fronts, center, and surrounds. Adding just the right amount of bass emphasis. The linear response of this sub is evident, it plays a 50Hz tone at the same level as a 25 or 30Hz tone. (20Hz tone would tear my house apart, I couldn't really hear the tone, but the ceiling, walls and floor must have been moving 1-2") You know some deep bass is coming up, and you expect the sub to not reproduce it, but it just goes down and plays the clearest, deepest bass, WOW. Movies (I've only watched a few scenes of Matrix Reloaded) take on a new dimension that you didn't know about before. All of the good things I've read about the SVS tube subs is true, and more. I compared this sub to a PF15TL+. It would seem that the SVS betters the Definitive in everyway, except for being the traditional box looking sub. Truly amazing. The best $600 I've ever spent (on audio items)!!!!!!! Oh yeah, customer service was top notch, packing was superb.

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BIC D1210R Definitive PF15TL+

Great value, performance

None

Oh Boy!!! This subwoofer is all business and should be taken very seriously. Over the years I always wanted to have a sub, but now that I can (the EX is gone) it, 20-39PCi, became the last addition to my HT. I have a Yamaha 5660 driving a pair of Polk Audio LS-70 fronts, JBL CM 42 rear, JBL EC-25 center. My HT room (family room 15x21x8 feet) sports hardwood floors and it took a bit to dial everything together. Polk Audio LS-70 have a very good LF response, but the little boy inside of me wanted more (a lot more). But given fact that feds were refunding some of my taxes (thanks GWB) and the fact that I love to watch action and sci-fi movies the need for a 20 Hz and below response became rather obvious. Before getting SVS I test-drove Velodyne HGS-15 from a local high-end place. There is nothing wrong with that sub, except for a very steep price. I just could not see why I should spend over 1500 bucks for a sub ($800 on the net). I also looked at NHT and JBL, which were ok but somehow were not I what I wanted. Shortly afterwards, a friend of my showed of his early SVS 25-30 in his HT, which was impressive to say the least. So, I took a blind step of faith, which is typically a no-no when it comes to an audio equipment. What convinced me to try SVS was a 45 day no hassle return policy. When I placed my order for 20-39PCi website indicated that sub was on back order – the delay was a total of 1 day. My guess SVS builds their subs to order in order to keep inventory levels to minimum. I received my sub a week later when UPS guy struggled with almost 60lb box. The word to faint of heart – the shipping box is very large, quality of packing is first rate! Also note that this sub is not small, it stands over 39 “ tall. Ideally it should be placed out of the way in the corner were it works best. HT receiver setup was very straight forward, Yamaha 5660 has a very good LF channel setup utility. The built in 320 Watt Bash amplifier is a good match for this sub. For the price SVS provides a complete package, which is hard to beat. SVS sub added that LF dimension that was missing from my HT setup. It also proved to be very musical – very tight and distortion free. For my $599+45 for shipping for sub it is money well spent, IMHO. Plus it is made here in USA – it matters to me. I recommended, but be aware of the sheer size and power that this sub deliverers - it is not toy. This model is 2004 model. To appreciate the full power of this sub I recommend the following DVD’s “Das – boot”, “SW2”, “Titan A.E.”, “Matrix I and II”, “U-571” and many others.

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Velodyne HGS-15 NHT U2 JBL HTPS400

Clean, deep, powerful bass Customer service

You must be kidding, not one.

What can I say that has not already been said about this super product. Having only $600 to play with, It was time to decide where I could get the most bang for my buck in order to improve my sound system. Either I was going to get a new receiver,main speakers, or a subwoofer. I decided that a new sub would make the most impact. Now, where to buy. My extensive looking took me to the svs web site. I must admit that I had never considered a cylinder sub before, but,I think boxes resonate too much. Anyway, after reading reviews, I took the plunge. At the time, these cylinders were on backorder so I had to wait a couple of weeks to get mine. I decided on the 20-39pci. First of all let me tell you that the water heater at our house is actually smaller than this sub. Now, what does it sound like? The shear depth and power it puts into the music and movies is something I have never experienced before. No boom at all. Just deep,full and loud. Customer service is the best I have ever dealt with. They will even help you decide which sub would be best for your listening area. It has a 3 year warranty on on everything, even the amp. To me this purchase was a no brainer. With a 320 watt amp, this thing has power to spare. If you are in the market for a new sub, you should seriously consider anything from svs. Svs is indeed the "bass authority". By the way the model year on this sub is actually 2004, but that wasn't one of the choices up top.

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Sony SA-WM500

Great sounding bass and lots of it.

Size, if it is a factor in your case. Its not in mine.

!!!WOW!!! This sub is no joke. This was the last addition to my home theatre. I have a Yamaha 1400 hooked to Axioms M60s, VP150 and QS-8s. After getting that all dialed in, I wondered if I really needed to spend any money on adding a sub, I mean it really sounded great. But given the types of action and sci-fi movies I like, I just knew I needed something that could reach a those lower rumbling sounds. I ran down to UPS to pick up my new sub the day it arrived cuz I just couldnt wait all day for it to be delivered to the house. OH MY WORD this is one big unit. SVS dosent put handles in the side of the box so packing it out to the car and into the house is a real job for just one person. Make sure you understand how big this sub really is before you purchase it. I looked at a tape measure and all but when I got it out of the box and set in the corner, I was really shocked by just how big this sucker was. Not that I really cared. I knew the wife might not care for it but oh well. Set up was easy and I used a mix of my recievers auto calib features and my audio tune up disc to dial it in. I got the amp included unit just to keep it simple as Im not a audiophile by any means. I struggled with the decision to get the 320 watt amp or 500 watt. I went with the 320 and let me tell you, I have yet to get the courage to turn it more than 1/3 up. Im fortunate enough to have a house rather than apartment, but this thing will flat out level the neighborhood. My listening room is about 14x25x10 and during most movie watching I have it set at 1/4. You would really have to have a big room to need any more than this sub can handle. I purchased this sub because of the great reviews I read at this site and everywhere else and am very pleased with my purchase. The bass is very tight and clean. The sub appears to be built very sold and looks good and very impressive. I would recomend this sub. I rated it five stars overall as it really is everything I hoped for and more in function. I rated it four stars in value. While $600 is a pretty sizable amoount of money for a sub, I think you are certainly getting your money's worth from this product.

Excellent, clear, hard-hitting bass with incredible depth Able to generate incredible strength of sound no matter how large your room

Size (39" tall) Perhaps too overpowering? (Is there such a thing?) Neighbors

Purchased this sub based on the rave reviews posted here and around the Internet and I am incredibly happy with my purchase. This subwoofer is absolutely incredible in nearly every way ('nearly' only because of the fact that I have noticed that if you set the sub to being 'On' at all times, a slight adjustment needs to be made to allow for more bass while playing DVDs for greater effect, and less bass for playing music- no big deal and this could actually be considered a positive- the sub handles everything very well). Anything you throw at the sub- it can take. For instance, upon setting the max. volume for bass through my Pioneer Elite 53TX receiver, I could not find a limit that distorts the bass while the sub was running between 50-75%- while at the same time, my walls were literally shaking. I've never experienced bass like this before, and I guarantee you will not be disappointed. As for musical reproduction- this sub hits hard and incredibly clean. No distortion, and the sound carries incredibly well. DVDs- the 20Hz bottom limit reproduces scenes from Fight Club and Saving Private Ryan beautifully- the sub doesn't blink. One thing to keep in mind though- when playing around with music/DVDs that don't require an excellent sub to reproduce the sound well- you will get the feeling of being very neglectful to the beautiful piece of equipment sitting in your living room.

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Nothing comparable

Wickedly deep, strong, & seemingly limitless bass (I've got the gain on this thing turned up approximately 1/8th of the way, and I can't possibly imagine ever needing more). Cost (even considering that I paid $250 extra for shipping, bringing my total cost of ownership up to $849, this sub is STILL a bargain, and nothing in that price range even comes close...this sub is an absolute STEAL at $599USD). Top-Notch Customer Service Appearance (call me crazy, but I just love my big, black hot water heater)

Ummm...none, zip, zilch, zero, nada, etc., etc, ad infinitum...

Just received my 20-39PCi last month and I'm thoroughly impressed. It is by far the most profound part of my music-audio and home theater setup. I'm using Kef Q-series all around (Q3 mains, Q1 surrounds, Q9c center). This sub is the perfect complement & truly completes the audio picture. After proper setup & level adjustment, CD audio sounds better than ever...in fact this is without question the best-sounding speaker combination I've ever owned. And movies...wow, this thing performs like a mother...in fact it should be registered as a lethal weapon. It must be experienced to be believed. Suprise transients within movies become a truly awakening experience with this bad boy. Anyone considering a subwoofer cannot possibly go wrong with this unit. You WILL be satisfied. Regarding service... I recently moved to Taiwan from Houston, so I had to have my unit shipped internationally. The SVS staff helped me every step of the way, answering all of my numerous emails promptly and professionally. The unit was well-boxed and arrived in perfect condition. Shipping cost was exorbitant (tack on $250USD), but that's not SVS' fault. All in all, dealing with SVS was a pleasure and I'm a completely satisfied customer... And if I'm ever in the market for another sub, you can betcherass I'll buy another SVS.

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This is my first self-powered sub, and I bought this unit on faith due to all of the awesome feedback and glowing reviews. I demo'ed a few Paragigm subs in this price range. Nothing I heard even came