Early B.
02-09-2005, 11:57 PM
Here’s my preliminary assessment of the Atlas 12 vs. the SVS 12” ISD driver. The Atlas 12 from www.ascendantaudio.com cost $145 plus shipping and was shipped out the same day I ordered it and it arrived yesterday. Chad was very gracious in answering my questions and provided excellent customer service.
Upon inspection, the driver appears to be solidly made. It weighs in at a hefty 21 lbs. However, the SVS driver is no pushover. Both appear to be well made and of similar build quality. I can’t speak to anything beyond their appearance because I’m not familiar with the technical aspects of woofer design. Hell, I don’t really care. I’m simply interested in how they sound. So I removed the SVS driver from my PB12-ISD and installed the Atlas 12. Just took a few minutes to do it. No soldering is required. Both drivers use high quality metal spring terminals that look like 5-way binding posts. There are no instructions included in the box, so make sure you remember to add a jumper on the Atlas 12 (see website for details).
Alright, so I popped in my reference DVDs and listened critically for the bass. Here’s what I heard – there is a noticeable difference in sound quality between the two drivers. The Atlas 12 is more refined and controlled. In fact, the SVS actually sounds “boomy” compared to the Atlas. The Atlas 12 sounded more like a sealed sub. I had to turn the volume up a few clicks to compensate for the “tighter” sound.
At first, I was ambivalent about my new driver because it didn’t quite sound like what I was accustomed to hearing. But then I remembered going through this same feeling several times before. The first time was when I upgraded from a cheap Yamaha sub to the Hsu VTF-2. The Hsu obviously was a much better sub, but the difference in SQ took a day or two to get accustomed to. The second time was when I first heard my Lsi7’s and compared them to the RTi series. I didn’t realize the RTi’s were “bright” until I heard the 7’s. The third time was when I went from a ported sub (Hsu STF-2) to a sealed sub (Onix Rocket UFW-10) on my 2-channel system. Same thing. Had to get used to a slightly tighter bass. And finally, when I went from solid state to tubes, I didn’t realize SS was so “bright”. Now I seem to be going through this process again. But each time it has resulted in a better sound quality.
Final comments: the Atlas 12 is definitely a keeper. I would imagine that the Atlas 12 would make a much more dramatic difference with music than movies. I didn’t really test the new driver with music because I don’t listen to music on my HT system and my fronts dig down flat to 25 Hz anyway, so why bother?
I plan to sell my SVS driver and recoup most of my investment. So for a net cost of about $60 - $90, you can’t beat it. Hell, a decent pair of interconnects cost more than that. So I say you can add the Atlas 12 to your recommended buy list, especially if you’re into the DIY thing or, if you’re like me – someone who tries stuff out for the fun of it. For the DIYers, you can build a custom made HT sub using the Atlas 12 and know that your driver can produce better sound quality than a SVS’ 12” ISDs for less money.
Upon inspection, the driver appears to be solidly made. It weighs in at a hefty 21 lbs. However, the SVS driver is no pushover. Both appear to be well made and of similar build quality. I can’t speak to anything beyond their appearance because I’m not familiar with the technical aspects of woofer design. Hell, I don’t really care. I’m simply interested in how they sound. So I removed the SVS driver from my PB12-ISD and installed the Atlas 12. Just took a few minutes to do it. No soldering is required. Both drivers use high quality metal spring terminals that look like 5-way binding posts. There are no instructions included in the box, so make sure you remember to add a jumper on the Atlas 12 (see website for details).
Alright, so I popped in my reference DVDs and listened critically for the bass. Here’s what I heard – there is a noticeable difference in sound quality between the two drivers. The Atlas 12 is more refined and controlled. In fact, the SVS actually sounds “boomy” compared to the Atlas. The Atlas 12 sounded more like a sealed sub. I had to turn the volume up a few clicks to compensate for the “tighter” sound.
At first, I was ambivalent about my new driver because it didn’t quite sound like what I was accustomed to hearing. But then I remembered going through this same feeling several times before. The first time was when I upgraded from a cheap Yamaha sub to the Hsu VTF-2. The Hsu obviously was a much better sub, but the difference in SQ took a day or two to get accustomed to. The second time was when I first heard my Lsi7’s and compared them to the RTi series. I didn’t realize the RTi’s were “bright” until I heard the 7’s. The third time was when I went from a ported sub (Hsu STF-2) to a sealed sub (Onix Rocket UFW-10) on my 2-channel system. Same thing. Had to get used to a slightly tighter bass. And finally, when I went from solid state to tubes, I didn’t realize SS was so “bright”. Now I seem to be going through this process again. But each time it has resulted in a better sound quality.
Final comments: the Atlas 12 is definitely a keeper. I would imagine that the Atlas 12 would make a much more dramatic difference with music than movies. I didn’t really test the new driver with music because I don’t listen to music on my HT system and my fronts dig down flat to 25 Hz anyway, so why bother?
I plan to sell my SVS driver and recoup most of my investment. So for a net cost of about $60 - $90, you can’t beat it. Hell, a decent pair of interconnects cost more than that. So I say you can add the Atlas 12 to your recommended buy list, especially if you’re into the DIY thing or, if you’re like me – someone who tries stuff out for the fun of it. For the DIYers, you can build a custom made HT sub using the Atlas 12 and know that your driver can produce better sound quality than a SVS’ 12” ISDs for less money.