SVS SB-4000 vs PB-4000 ? (1 Viewer)

[TroyH4]

I just sold a pair of Klipsch R-112SW subwoofers. I had them for about 9 months and now have the upgrade bug.
These were a 12" ported cabinet w/ 800watt amplifier. They sounded pretty good but I still feel that I am missing low end in my BR movie watching. I want to feel the movie as well as hear the movie. I want my subs to recreate the low end and impact that actions scenes in BR movies have on their soundtracks. From gunshots, explosions, etc, I want to 'feel' those sounds and actions in my chest/gut while on my couch in my HT room.
I saw recently that SVS has come out with a new line of subs to replace the popular SB-13/PB-13 ,which is the PB-4000/SB-4000. I think I want to go with sealed vs. ported on these new 4000's. My room is not big at all , it only measures
13'x14'x9'. I like to listen to music to, but room is primarily used for BR watching.
What can yall tell me that I should know about what kind of extra extension I would receive with the ported vs. the sealed.
Thanks for any advice you can give me,
Regards,
Troy

 

[Robert_J]

Go ported. Yes, you will get some in-room transfer down low but your subs will have to work harder for those extremely low frequencies. Ported subs play the low frequencies more efficiently.

 

[JohnRice]

I'm going to give a less simple, more non-answer response than Robert did. One thing to consider is that both those subs will be able to completely pressurize that room without breaking a sweat. So, I'd say it comes down to a difference in the impression they have. My experience is (good) sealed subs are more covert, where ported are more obvious. It's just a fundamentally different impression. Some people feel that sealed is preferable where music is the priority, and ported is preferred for movies, which brings me back to my initial point. In your situation, I'd be very tempted to try the sealed sub, but that's just because I like that "sneaky" bass they can produce. Again, because the room is small for the capabilities of the sub. I doubt you regret either one.

 

[TroyH4]

I'm going to give a less simple, more non-answer response than Robert did. One thing to consider is that both those subs will be able to completely pressurize that room without breaking a sweat. So, I'd say it comes down to a difference in the impression they have. My experience is (good) sealed subs are more covert, where ported are more obvious. It's just a fundamentally different impression. Some people feel that sealed is preferable where music is the priority, and ported is preferred for movies, which brings me back to my initial point. In your situation, I'd be very tempted to try the sealed sub, but that's just because I like that "sneaky" bass they can produce. Again, because the room is small for the capabilities of the sub. I doubt you regret either one.

John, thanks for your input.
I'm leaning more and more toward the sealed 4000.
However, for my little room, they'll do great, but if and when I ever move and my next HT room is bigger, how will the sealed ones perform you think?
I'd like to be done with buying subs for a very looong time.

 

[JohnRice]

It's not possible to speculate one something you don't have any details about, but it's not really that big a difference in output. It's more a difference in the fundamental characteristics of the two designs. If sealed subs weren't a valid design, there wouldn't be so many of them. With the PB-4000 you can change the tuning, which is nice because you can change the sound of the sub to a certain degree. There's no good answer.

 

[Luke Cool]

There's no good answer.

Between you two, you made some good points, and gave the thread poster a great answer. We aren't suppose to make the horse drink, we should only lead them to the watering trough.
Sealed is smaller and cheaper, but the bass it produces will be different than its ported counterpart. If he's replacing the pair with a pair, maybe he should buy one of each and do a review. I believe SVS will exchange the one he doesn't like. He should call SVS and talk to them, see what he can work out. Or maybe with the difference in the two, his system will sound great and he will want to keep them both (an old French saying; "thank god for the difference"). This is the only way he will absolutely know that he made the correct choice.