Tuesday, 23 August, 2010: SB13-Plus pre-orders start!

We’ve certainly felt the pain and frustration of customers waiting for “the next big thing(s)” from SVS. New amps, new subs new speakers too.  If you are a customer waiting, we apologize for the delays, sincerely.  It’s indeed inconvenient at best, and maybe just plain insulting to be told more wait is waiting for you.

You can imagine as one of the SVS staff, designing, sourcing and testing all the hundreds of parts that go into what’s arguably the most advanced and “smart” products we’ve  ever made, what that wait is like too?  Heck, we’re customers too, so it’s as bad or worse we promise. Of course we don’t get paid till a product ships. 

Well for nearly three years and virtually 7 days a week teams from SVS have worked around the world to deliver the new “Sealed Box” subs, and the amps powering them and more.  While the current SB12-NSD now starting production has “bread and butter” and affordable world-class written all over it, the “right sized” premium sub folks with mid-sized rooms will soon want is the bigger, heavier, and feature-laden SB13-Plus.

Officially on sale, well, now. Here.  Intense negotiations with suppliers have tamped down prices, and 13” Plus woofer production ensues as this is written.  We expect the very first units to be built and shipped in early September around the globe.  USA customers can expect the first to arrive in early October.

There is simply nothing on the market like the SB13-Plus. Not in amp power, woofer design, cabinet, evne our innovative grills and robust, precision built cabinets.  Incredibly powerful, hand –built as always, and with a level of scrutiny and quality control that’s never been applied to anything, and we mean anything SVS has ever built.  Any subwoofer in this size class, as we are want to say, double, heck, triple the price is not safe from comparison if not outright embarrassment when compared to this groundbreaking technology we’ve brought to theaters and media rooms, like yours.  

While hardly inexpensive, you can score appreciable discounts while pre-orders ensue, and get a free USA made RCA interconnect up to 5 meters lone when you order.

Navigation pages are still reworked, but simply click here and be one of the first to get the new  industry standard in mid-priced, mid-sized subwoofer performance.  This time it’s not “big and brawny” titles the mags will bestow on us, but “small, brainy, and brawny”.  Pick one up, you will know we didn’t skimp on sheer heft of materials, bracing and materials from round the world.  USA voice coils, fasteners and adhesives, massive ferrite magnets and castings from PRC, and amps only possible at the highest levels of high-tech construction (where again even American DSP’s head up the cast).

Forget $4,000 subs that aspire to fill your room with bass, and remain compact.  The other brands simply do NOT want to be in the same room as the new SB13-Plus from SVS, we promise.  And with all the hard work but final assembly behind us, we’re confident that promising well before trick or treater’s come by, you’ll scare the dickens out of friends and neighbors, only not by big traditional SVS size, just insanely good deep and accurate bass from a truly small and sexy package no one’s ever tried to deliver at this price.

Sunday, 22 August, 2010: SB12-NSD production starts, SB13-Plus pre-order page going up tomorrow!

It sure doesn’t seem like 3 weeks ago since our last update, but time indeed flies when you are having fun. And whether during the dog days of summer in USA, or among our staff and supplier teams in Asia, we are indeed working like dogs to make good on production and delivery of the two next most important products we’ve ever launched, from our new Sealed Box line.  Namely the SB12-NSD and SB13-Plus, in that order. 

Not to mention a whole new class of amplifiers soon also gracing Ported Box (PB) and Ported Cylinders (PC) subwoofers.  There have been a few bumps along the way for sure, but actually our new high power STA-800D and killer 1kW STA-1000D amps are just completing production, and whole SB12-NSD subs with the equally revolutionary STA-400D Sledge™ amps are entering into final production this week.

A little behind schedule then, but now that we’re completing our legendary tough testing, including field trials at shows in Asia, and with state of the art instrumentation at our Ohio HQ’s.  Well, some interesting results have surfaced.  If possible, the new guys surpass even our high expectations.

First off, the new SB subs are arguably the most intelligent designs we’ve ever done.  Certainly the state-of the-art DSP amps are a big part of this, but they are replacing the BASH™ amps in all our PB and PC subs too, so power is only part of the story.  What’s been so gratifying is to see our decidedly different approach to doing small sealed sub tuning, lately corroborated in use, in rooms like yours, in the USA where all our design and testing (and quite a lot of what we build is done still). 

That is to say, if you have a small to mid-sized room, like millions of us, then a smaller subwoofer is more appropriate already, simply because there’s less space to fill, less floor space in which to put it, and maybe less consideration from any significant other for large subwoofers, for which SVS is so well known.

Fact is, if you DO have a big open room (and there are no shortage of homes with all-purpose “great rooms” in the US) then one of our more traditional ported box (PB) or cylinder (PC) subs are still the most appropriate choices.  Not only are they marvelously efficient, they provide gobs of deep, low distortion, high power bass, with impeccable quality and style.  If you have lots of space, get a lot of subwoofer.  Nobody provided more quality and precision than SVS in the past in this type of design, and now with our Sledge™ DSP amps, the big cylinders and box subs we are making now are decidedly better than ever.

But these subs not only take up lots of floor space or are visually imposing, they may provide too much deep bass for typical mid-sized rooms.  The SB12-NSD and SB13-Plus were not designed as pretenders to large vented subs. No “SPL drag racing” mentality got in the way of the development to our new small "SB" subs this time.  Instead we kept the purist's "2nd order", 12dB/octave sealed box formula, but put our world-famous woofers, and more real-world power behind them than ever before... and in smarter way.  We didn’t do what so many brands fall prey to, which is to use excessive EQ boost to push numbers which look impressive in anechoic, sound-chambers, then lop that response off like a knife, with equally excessive steep filters which destroy real in-room response. 

Here's just one early look at an SB13-Plus sub's "in-room" frequency response (FR), the green trace below. This in a 2000 ft^3 theater room vs. "quasi-anechoic" (purple trace) FR – Note, this is "uncorrected" raw response, yet notably flat to 10 Hz with room gain typical of such a space:

The "boost to death... then cut like hell" approach has been taken time and time again in the industry, and frankly doesn’t work very well.  Even our first “SB” sub, the original SB12-Plus, mimicked this tactic to a degree.  Today's SVS R/D team instead strove to maximize amp power for clean bass, and allowed the well known and predictable properties of “room gain” to ensure flat response into the nether regions of your DVD and HD movies and music.   This avoids low bass “bloat” and allows customers to properly and easily use a sub sized right for your room.  When small, high-tech, and powerful meets the moderately sizes space you might have, our SB subs will provide stupendously flat and controlled response.

Not that they don’t "kick butt" in larger rooms too, but that’s not what small subs should be chosen for.  Big space, big sub.  Smaller space, smaller sub.  Just make sure it’s one of our new SB subs, no brand touches size/price and performance ratio we offer here.  Head to head, we’re once again poised to snuff the competition with better in-room response, more clean output, and with more features, slick styling and better durability than ever before.

SB12-NSD subs go into production for North America with no less than SVS’s own woofer designer Steven Ponte  supervising the process.  That he personally supervised the building of the latest generation of 12” NSD woofers last month should be understood.  Making better subs for our demanding customers means operating smarter so more goes into your sub.

The new SB13-Plus woofers are entering production under his direction as well this week.  Along side storied names like Vifa and Peerless, SVS woofers will get state of the art assembly, with some of the same people long doing assembly as in Ohio.  Final production of SB13-Plus subwoofers begins in a week or two with SVS’s Co-Founder heading things up, in yet another state of the art facility, only a few miles from where our exclusive new STA-800D/1000D amps are built. Some of those amps will shortly be on the way to USA for use in PC12-Plus, PB12-Plus, and PC13-Ultra and PB13-Ultra subs. 

That these new amps wholly outclass our stalwart old BASH™ platforms is without question. Those predecessor amps served SVS customers well, but the top of our exclusive new Sledge™ amps sport true professional audio-grade circuit boards, overbuilt power supplies, American digital signal processing chips, and  unprecedented levels of quality control, right to the individual component level using Audio Precision® automated testing custom designed for us. What this means is a more efficient more compact and reliable amp, with more real power than possible even a few years ago.  The old SVS amps for Ultra subwoofers were made with no less than 9 different power and  “feature boards”.  Final assembly was done in Canada, yet nearly all components were long since from Asian factories well outside SVS’s ability to monitor.  The new STA-1000D Ultra amp?  It uses three boards, one for DSP and input/output (under the dedicated air-seal cover) one “micro-controller” board housing our Intelligent Feature LCD, and one very robust power module.  We've practically lived in our fabrication and design partner's offices this year.

All boards are done in small batches, all in-house, and again with pro-audio construction like “two ounce trace” circuits, dedicated ribbon cables, thick precision-cut gaskets, flush-fitting Torx screw assembly.  That Taiwan remains a market leader in the best computer mother-boards and home to some of the best display and high end audio designs means these components actually cost us more, not less, but with less waste in logistics and shipping, and fewer failures around the world it's a "pay it forward" mentality here.  SVS went high-tech, and is rationalizing how and where parts are sourced.  If you think a company led by 20 year Army veterans, with all the principals steeped in the American auto industry are the sort to sell its customers or American audio technology and fabrication short, you don’t know SVS.  Cutting costs?  If you think so you’ve not seen our R/D budget.  SVSound has never poured more product, more of ourselves, into what you buy today. Yes, we fairly bristle at the idea of this much dedication to our brand "so we can make more money".

We’re hardly alone, working harder and smarter in a fast-paced global market.  GM and all the most famous automotive brands have formed world-wide partnerships, imparting their technology and leadership, and actually working its own people harder than ever before.  Our Ohio HQ’s?  Never busier.  We’re even rekindling production of our famed fine textured black cabinet construction in Cincinnati Ohio so we can supply the new Art Speaker Line around the world, right from SVS-central. Many famous audio brands sold their names, or at the very least their product core and corporate will, to unseen mega-sound company monoliths.  We're owned by the same guys that started SVS, and vest our longest serving managers with ownership too. It'd be be a challenge to find a mainstream consumer audio company more different from everyone else.

For nearly three years, nearly non-stop SVS has created a whole new kind of audio product, built on the dedication to our customers as always, with one goal, to be the best, if not the ONLY rational choice when size, performance, quality and price were all lined up.  Not much has changed as we’ve entered our second decade of producing the most audacious speakers and subs for the enthusiast market.  We just got better at doing it, and found some big companies willing to work with upstarts like us, to keep raising the bar on everyone else.

Thursday, 29 July, 2010: SB13-Plus pre-orders coming, no, really. SB12-NSD gloss too!

And don't think your old favorite big vented subs are going to miss out on the fun, but once again we missed our own self-imposed deadline to get pre-orders up and running on the incredible new SB13-Plus.  But those pages are coming and soon.

And we’re about to tighten up shipping dates on the SB12-NSD in vinyl and gloss both.  Our apologies, it’s taken a bit longer to work out final production bugs in our new DSP Sledge™ amplifiers, some of which we worked hard even during the very first showings in Asia.  Nothing earth-shattering mind you, but we’re well known in the supplier world for being rather demanding about small air-seal improvements, control knobs having just the right “feel” and, stuff that sometimes take more time than we’d like.  Thankfully our suppliers think like we do and it’s hard field trials in customer shows with first article samples that surface things you never see in a lab. 

This particular new PB12-Plus started in a lab however, and now it's in safety testing for world certification around the world, And coming to order pages here and internationally very soon indeed.

Fact is,  our newest amps going to the “Sealed Box” (SB) “SB” lines, and also coming soon to Powered Box and Powered Cylinder subs too, are as much driven by software as they are hardware.  All part of the R/D envelope we’ve pushed hard.  While two meter ground plane testing has been done in the hot summer outdoors of Ohio, files have been sent via SMS messages in some cases with the latest tweaks to subsonic filters, PEQ settings and “attack times” on virtually seamless limiters.  All being loaded read time, a half a world away, thanks to state of the art DSP software.  Production versions of SB12-NSD’s in both gloss and vinyl made it to one show in Malaysia and the final production tuning of new PB12-Plus and SB13-Plus  and PC13-Ultra’s will be pressed hard in Singapore, this weekend (the summer show circuit in USA is slow, that heats up, so to speak in September at CEDIA and then again at CES in January). 

And these locations are not only some of our toughest historic customers, they’re a hop skip and a jump to Taiwan and high-tech factories in China where some of the most senior SVS staffers will personally supervise the very first production of the SB’s in particular.  As these events take place, we’ll tighten the arrival dates and sharpen our pencils for what we expect will be a rather large clamoring of folks looking for pre-order pricing on the biggest upgrade opportunity “old” SVS subs have had since we started making our legendary woofers in-house (not always backward compatible but we always try).   Being in place to finally push out our much improved S-Series/02 speakers was icing on the cake.

In a couple days you get to finally see actual production pieces we had to approve before we took a single pre-order on any SB13-Plus for instance.  

And also, an STA-800D above and to the right, which will be an upgrade option for PC12-Plus and PB12-Plus buyers as potentially as soon as September.  Prices are still being worked hard.  The still pending SB12-Plus will get the same amp.  So say goodbye to “artist renderings” and hello to pics of SVS and customers beating on the very first pieces in Asia, American and Europe too. 

Make no mistake, some of the first showings among some gatherings had products not quite finished, and of course not quite shipping yet either (customers notice things even we don’t and midnight tuning sessions ensue when they give us feedback).  Expect final tuning and yes, finally, pre-orders on the SB13-Plus soon as we button up some web pages being worked from supplier locations now.  Software and torture testing ensues in USA as this is written and others are heading the new state of the art assembly area in Taiwan.  Meanwhile Ohio testers will shift gears to ready for Art Speaker Line production at our HQ’s and try earnestly to keep up with Powered Cylinder production with the arrival of three new power amps.  M-Series will yield some surprises from Ohio after we remedy some brief outages too.

So, what do you think other audio companies did on their summer vacations?

Ask our Ohio and Asia team how much literally sweat went into those pics you see above.  Vacation isn’t a word we use around here much.

Ron Stimpson
Singapore  

Sunday, 18 July, 2010: SB12-NSD production starting. Those and first article production SB13-Plus showings, and much more below!

In case you wondered if we were sweating the details on a new standard in sealed sub performance ....

Those suffering heat-waves in Europe, the USA and Asia too have our empathy.  SVS woofer guru Steven Ponte and yours truly found the rooftop of the premier audio supplier in Asia to be a perfect way to run ground plane testing, assuming you are OK with working in something like an Easy Bake Oven ™ (if you aren’t old enough to remember this novelty I promise I am, my younger sisters had one).  Hot, damn hot, and twice as humid.

Suffice it to say the pre-production SB12-Plus in the above shot, powered by the new STA-800D slated for later this year and its newly improved Analog Devices® DSP algorithms survived the abuse.  Not long after this was taken, just last week, we retreated to an only slightly cooler anechoic chamber for more close mic frequency response testing on this and imminent SB13-Plus.  Apologies to environmentalists everywhere for depleting the balance of bottled water in China last week.  Yes, we recycle, and so do our suppliers.

Activity around the globe on totally new and newly improved subs and speakers have actually intensified as we approach main production on a host of new products SVS followers new and old have rightly waited for in great anticipation, and with even greater expectations.

Here’s a report from the front lines of product development reaching from China, Taiwan, suppliers around the USA, and our Ohio factory.  While SVS is now an audio company without borders, our Ohio HQ’s is busier than ever, closing back orders on recent outages like Plus Subwoofers, bracing for new production of our Art Speaker Line, and integrating SVS’s new line of Sledge™ DSP amps across product lines.  And we expect they’ll be busier still since upgraders will have a chance to snag these state of the art power platforms too, more on that program to follow.  Apologies for those looking for a brief update, when you have months of R/D work swirling around the staff, what comes out is more akin to a magazine article.  Promises ahead of time we’ll backfill product pages with images, new finish swatches, and long awaited pre-order pages as we put the final touches on the most ambitious product rollout in our history.  Few audio companies of any size have brought this much to the table like this, and we appreciate the indulgence of our fans, and expect even critics to sit up and take notice shortly.

SB13-Plus: 

Pre-order pages going up soon as we can tamp down some remaining supply   Cabinets, amps are converging SVS’s newly created Taiwan free trade zone (FTZ) assembly facility which will hit full stride with arrival of the new 13” Plus woofers, produced under strict personal guidance of SVS’s gifted woofer design chief.  The first 10 pilot woofers were assembled this week at Tymphany, you might know them as the home of world-famous Vifa and Peerless brand drivers.  The most storied brands in audio trust Tymphany to assemble their designs and SVSound is something of an unusual client, bringing our own famously “no holds barred” approach to the mainstream audio market, not behaving much differently than we did as the upstarts over 11 years ago.  With the most talented and deep design and assembly staff I’ve encountered in the audio world, SVS is likewise proud to provide them with some of the most challenging projects they’ve encountered.  Woofers that draw gasps from veteran sample team assemblers among them.

Imagine SVS’s legendary commitment to providing the world’s best price/performance with our own materials and design, combined with Tymphany’s unparalleled quality control and facilities… and you know something incredibly special is about to happen.

That “something special” is an unprecedented level of control and interaction as a relatively small company SVS still is at heart.   In a matter of months we’ve achieved production on the heart of the SB13-Plus, with our direct oversight, yet in a way simply not possible in our far more modest facilities in Ohio USA.  And the Plus 13 woofer is just one of those things.

While woofer production heats up, another SVS team is in place in Taipei, Taiwan to evaluate production of our new STA-1000D Sledge™ amps.  If you follow technology you know that many of the world’s most advanced electronics still emanate from here.  BASH platforms had already  been poised to shift production to China and not to factories under our control.

So while some may lament the passing of BASH™ amps from our lines, it won’t be for long.  While those platforms served SVS customers well over the years, durability lagged that of our virtually bullet-proof woofers, and our new “SB” line of sealed subs simply begged for an entirely new level of sophistication on pre-amp controls, limiters, filters and control features.  Our partner on the kilowatt STA-1000D was chosen first as maker of our already legendary AS-EQ1 subwoofer EQ, the world’s most sophisticated bass equalizer still today.  In fact, they are actually far better known for providing pro-amps in hugely powerful platforms which rarely trickle down to the consumer world.  Not only that, Formosa-Audiomate created for us what we believe to be the easiest to use and intuitive feature-set controller for any audio device of its kind.  With a few minutes and with one knob you know why we call it the Intelligent Feature Controller™  or “IFC” for short. 

The cabinets are built to our “brick house” standards with internal bracing, and for the first time American Cherry, and Black Oak veneers, joining stalwarts Natural Oak and Gloss Black.  Also precision built in Taiwan at great expense and exclusively to SVS’s design are our heavy gauge  “neo” magnet retention system. 

First production samples are making the rounds now to shows in Malaysia, Singapore, Taipei, Europe and USA as you read this.  Main production starts in August.  Get yours soon as pre-orders start this week once the page is published,  and not only will you get one-time-only pre-order pricing but we’re including one of our USA made  RCA interconnects, though the STA-1000D also has full XLR I/O (not a cable type we are supplying at this time sorry).

SB12-NSD.

Again Stephen Ponte, the brains behind all SVS’s world-famous woofers is directing the first substantial cosmetic refresh the backbone of our entry level subwoofer line, the unmatched “NSD” 12”.  Still leveraging the same critical US adhesives and voice coils, Steve is personally supervising production volumes of this woofer in volumes that would simply swamp our Ohio facility (which continues production as well of 12” NSD for PC12-NSD subwoofers though identical in all but the most minor cosmetic flourishes).  This woofer draws on parts in a foundry literally miles away from final assembly instead of carting it an ocean away (simply in many cases to come right back again to serve the rapidly expanding demand here in Asia). 

What this means is we are building even better quality and looks than before, for what’s poised to become the world’s best small 12” subs in its price class (and in true SVS fashion, modestly stomping on products 2-3X its cost).  A dead sexy gloss or charcoal black cabinet remains familiar, but one look at the svelte custom tooled curves of our signature perforated metal grills will tell you were we put some of the money that used just go into carving expensive holes in sea shipping lanes. 

The crowning touch?  Why it’s the soon to be famous STA-400D full Analog Devices® DSP controlled subwoofer amp replacing the old 325 watt BASH™ platform.  Again Tymphany stepped up to the plate to do something no other OEM had challenged them to do.  Take their best and make it better.  It’s a bit of a mind flip with any new suppler we come to at times.  Having driven every penny out of cost we come in and ask for just the opposite. Take lean and mean, and make it meaner.  And incidentally, more expensive, not less so than before.  We’re just making more of them now.  Substantially more powerful with deeper current reserves, and with more features and reliability matching SVS woofers that expire so rarely statistics are hard to maintain.  Yet to say we’ve learned a thing or two about how you REALLY torture a sub from our new partner on this amp project would be an understatement.  Five pre-production SB10-NSD subs using the same amp were pushed so hard in a cement bunker you have to wear industrial hearing protection just to enter the facility.  It was worst case scenario for heat, EQ loading and sheer reliability that made even SVS’s most hardened engineers flinch.   

The STA-400D might have familiar looking rotary controls but those are digital controls, nothing analog at any pre-amp stage as in the past.   And we’re confident now that if this amp dies in your use, well, lightning quite literally struck you, and it.  Familiar looking but like nothing we or anyone else has built before for the mainstream user.

Black vinyl SB12-NSD’s go into full production this month, with gloss black projected for August.  World shipping starts in Asia and USA will lag one month.  Expect yours to arrive here in August and September then.  Again, unprecedented pre-order prices will remain only till final QC and shipping ensues in Ohio.  Free SVS made in the USA cable included for that limited time too. Up to 5 meters, these are arguably wires as good as anything in the industry, hand built to professional standards with state of the art US materials.  You have to buy one once the SB12-NSD flows to US customers.  Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

SB12-Plus.

You can imagine with all the above, even SVS has to take a strategic pause now and again.  While the new STA-800D DSP amps flows to revised PC12-Plus and PB12-Plus subs, the SB12-Plus mid-sized, mid-priced, premium sub killer is making the rounds to press and dealers and trade shows around the world.  Production is planned for later this summer or early fall, though we’re not ones to take pre-orders till we can peg solid ETA’s for our customers.  So we’ll “hang fire” on its formal sales introduction a bit longer.  If you are lucky enough to catch one of those circulating among our exclusive dealers you will know the slightly less powerful brother to the STA-1000D, our coupled with the incredible Plus 12.5 woofer and all the rest, like magnetic grill and stoutly braced full veneer cabinet weren’t developed for nothing. 

SB10-NSD.

Same situation as the SB12-Plus essentially.  In pre-production trim, SB10-NSD samples are making their way through dealer and press hands as this is written.  Using the same refreshed cosmetics as the new 12” NSD, and the STA-400D amp, custom perforated grill, we squarely aiming this at the best small premium subs in the world.  As a tiny 12” cube it’s unquestionably going to be the best such sub in the $400 price class.  Catch one at a trade show or SVS dealer around the world and tell us what you think.  So far we’re mostly concerned about being able to make them fast enough.  We don’t plan to keep you waiting long. Dates for release coming soon as possible. 

New Second generation S-Series:

They say “not being able keep up with demand” is a good problem to have?  Well, whoever said that never had to sit on ordes of the world’s best entry level family of speakers, now updated with incredibly beautiful powder coated metal grills, crossover upgrades, SoftCap 6” Polycone woofers, and ferro fluid cooled tweeters.  Worse, they are soundly and officially behind schedule, big time.  Long since our first “Made in China” product there has never been anything like the SVS S-Series in terms of performance for the price.  The stodgy looks are gone, and unfortunately in its place is well, a shortage.  But our team working with suppliers around the world are nothing if not relentless about resolving quality or sheer production bottlenecks. 

So shipping is finally happening, from our exclusive supplier starting tomorrow.  Did we say “finally” yet?  This puts arrival in  US customer hands mid to late August.  A bit embarrassing for a company that prides itself on hitting announced release dates after all.  Letters are going out to all those who have waited this long of course, and of course too, we’re extending the rock bottom price till they arrive and SVS Ohio pours over them and they are released.  Not enough contrition?  If you pre-order any S-Series pair of the best performing AND best looking entry level speaker family in the world and we’re including a $50 SVS gift certificate good against any accessory or future purchase.  Rack up the patience to wait till August and order a full S-Series system and we up the ante to a $100 gift cert.  No, but sorry, you can’t use it against the cost of the system, we’re losing our shirts due to this delay as it is.  Hundreds of thousands went into the S-Series 02 remake already.  This is just our way of saying sorry to customers who rightly expected June, and then as we did, believed “late July” would hold as ship dates. They didn’t.  We pushed on quality, we pushed on dates.  And when anything gives, its dates, not design, not performance, not quality.  If you wait for an SVS product, it can be frustrating we know, but we do what we can to make it up to you.  Truth.

Art Speaker Line:

We might take a breather now and again, but since we’ve been keeping a redlined pace for years, it’s not often and it’s not long.  What’s arguably the most innovative and flat-out astounding form factor for a speaker and subwoofer line ever built in the USA is nearly ready for orders too.  Tympany was again tapped to provide a new generation of components going into the “MT” and “MTM” versions of these in-wall/on-wall masterpieces.  And we do mean masterpieces.  Something this good sonically, and built this well (cabinets from our own exclusive Ohio USA supplier) still only really “rocks” if it’s graced with artwork that’s as cool as the sound.  When you see our catalog of exclusive artwork for these works of audio art, you’ll want them just to adorn our walls, forget about amazing sound.

To that end one of SVS’s development team on this new product line will soon take over sales and service as well.  As a General Contractor and master SVS equipment installer Brandon Henry will start fielding queries about your needs as soon as pre-orders begin.  Our full range speaker chief designer Phil Bamberg, mastermind behind the award winning SVS  M-Series and the new S-Series 02 editions, is hard at work optimizing custom crossovers likely to be USA built along with final assembly at our Ohio HQ’s.  The innovative single and dual “Shallow-12” driver is already in-house with production pending in a matter of weeks.  The slim format DSP subwoofer amp based upon the STA-800D is being inspected this week in Taipei.  So for those who have long since wanted SVS performance, but wanted it, well, invisible… your wishes are about to be reality.  Initial production is expected to ensue shortly before they are introduced during CEDiA in Atlanta this September.    

More news to follow soon. 

Ron Stimpson, Taipei

Sunday, 4 July, 2010: SB12-NSD shipping update and SB13-Plus pre-orders pending

Yes, finally. The SVS team has been working virtually around the clock and quite literally around the world to make good on the coming new "killer SB's". Your wait is coming to an end.

The sealed subs we are confident will make your next high-tech bass update that much easier to make. From left to right: SB10-NSD, SB12-NSD, SB12-Plus, SB13-Plus and SB16-Ultra. All coming soon, to international dealers you know, and of course right here to make for some fireworks of the audio sort.

Wednesday, 2 June, 2010: SB12-Plus and SB13-Plus Pre-order delay

New subs will be joined by announcement about revised PB12-NSD coming too.

SVS and our key suppliers need a bit more time to tighten down the dates for you. Pre-orders without dates of availability are not good in our book. These hotly anticipated subwoofers' schedules are only waiting for a few gaps in the parts count. We'll hope to have order pages up next week. A slicker, smaller, more powerful PB12-NSD?

The new Sledge STA-400D amp is coming there too. Metal grill? Custom port? Tighter dimensions? Check, check, and check. Somewhat more expensive, and worth every penny and more, as always at SVS. Late summer is the plan. More as soon as we update our exclusive regiononal dealers around the globe.

RJS

Sunday, 30 May, 2010: Affordable "cost no object" speaker? New S-Series speakers shipping now, with more to come!

You don't change a world-beater on a whim. And the S-Series first generation speakers introduced in 2006 was already hailed as “taking a commanding position between low-cost and silly-expensive” .  Rather conventional looking at the time, their high-output, high-accuracy sound was praised by Sound and Vision Magazine, and nearly every major audio publication in America lauded them in the years since.  Home Theater Magazine?  Called S-Series “The IBM Think pad ™ of speakers”.  You get the idea.  They were speakers good as our already legendary subwoofers.  Old news over five years later.  While upgrades took place over the years, this is the first clean-sheet redo of the speaker that put us on audio map for speakers. Adding in a new slim tower and dedicated bi-pole surround in 2009 was the impetus to push changes to the whole family.

The new SVS S-Series 2.0 speakers are far more sophisticated in every regard.

The new “02” speakers had a “soft launch” some weeks ago with all new internals, drivers and even new driver locations.  But the same old look.  Everyone got the new speaker, and old price (forget that these speakers cost a lot more to make than before). 

But the looks were a bit stodgy in the past. Most purists went grill off. OK “back in the day” the old fiberboard and cloth grill, was well, played.  The S-Series enclosure is timeless, and now so is the sexy perforated power-coated and CNC’d grill.  High tech and build like not much megabuck stuff is anymore, SVS chose a Taiwan fabricator.  China excels at cabinets, Taiwan, high-tech like this sort of complex metal work. It’s where our AS-EQ1 sub EQ is made after all.  We spent days pouring over metal and paint samples in USA, Taiwan and China over a month's time.

It was worth the effort and cost. The new grill gave world-class a new face and real world prices a new standard.  Not many make speakers like this at 3X the cost. You will hardly know where our signature fine grain charcoal black polymer laminate starts and the precision pin-retained non-refractive grill begins.  Drop dead gorgeous now, and now $199 a pair while we prepare for their late July arrival in USA. SSS-02 grills will arrive late summer, the classic fabric prevails for now.

Start your look at the new S-Series speakers and grill packages here, with the one that started it all. Now the SBS-02 finally showing late July. Most other S-Series speaker models are shipping now with classic fabric grills. The new metal grills will be sent free of charge in July when they arrive at our Ohio headquarters. 

Ripped right off the desk of R/D, with a full two years of effort. Now more affordable than ever:

New BlackSilk™  1” Tweeter with ferro fluid cooling -
Benefits: Higher power handling, enhanced reliability, lower distortion, superior thermal management and heat dissipation, improved resonance characteristics with smoother frequency response.  

New SoftCap™ 6” polypropylene woofer with dual-density cone and dust-cap construction -
Benefits: Lower distortion, improved resonance characteristics.

Mirror imaged (book matched) tweeters on all speakers -
Benefits:  Smoother frequency response and sound stage/imaging.

Completely revised crossover networks -
Benefits: Richer tonal balance, flatter and smoother frequency response, lower distortion, superior inter-driver phase response improves micro-dynamics and sound stage/imaging), higher power handling, improved cone resonance suppression, reduced in-series component count results in enhanced transparency.

Metal grille with wrap-around perforated design and precision-built metal pin and cup retainers -         
Benefits: Improved off-axis frequency response and reduced baffle edge diffraction effects; similar grille-on / grille-off frequency response. Elegant and modern styling greatly improving on old fabric and MDF frame looks.  Machined attachment pins are virtually unbreakable.

More robust cabinet construction -
Benefits: Stronger/thicker panels, improved bracing for greater rigidity, optimized fastener choices and back panel features.

Low-volatile component MDF construction -                       
Benefits: Complies with strict California Air Resources Board (CARB) low indoor pollution emission requirements for improved air quality and health.  

Monday, 26 May, 2010: SB12-NSD preorders started. $50 discount for a limited time!

Get one of the first off our line. Orders are now ongoing for the new SB12-NSD. An all new SVS small sealed sub that defines a new level of performance for the class. Charcoal black finish dates look to be preceding piano gloss black but we hope to clarify this weeks dates for the new high end gloss.

Coming next. Full lay down on the new S-Series speakers now on sale. Many models shipping now, with classic fabric grills but all come with the swanky new perforated powder-coated steel, low-de fraction grills! New speakers inside and out, old prices thru June! These award winning speakers are like nothing else on the market, reserve yours now.

RJS

Thursday, 13 May, 2010: SB13-Plus. Ships August 2010 $150 pre-order discount starts 1 June 2010.

Bigger, and using a more powerful Digital Signal Processor (DSP) amp than the new SB12-Plus, the SB13-Plus is styled to perfectly match with either the S-Series or M-Series SVS speakers.

The SB13-Plus features audiophile 2nd order tuning, with power that will run flat and strong below 20hz in most rooms, with power and refinement which set new standards in this mid-sized sealed sub class. Nothing compares really, not under $4K anyhow.

Designed with the latest DSP controls, our new STA-1000D Sledge™ amps provide access to all features via a simple to use LCD display. The amp’s slick intelligent feature control knob and extensive I/O jacks are neatly integrated into a whopping 1000 watt power stage. Of course, pro quality XLR connections, and SVS's best subwoofer amp ever.

The hand-made SVS Plus-13 is an all new design using the basket from the famed SVS Ultra-13. US voice-coil, precision built ferrite motor, with one piece black glass/pulp top cone.

It’s all seamlessly mounted by SVS into our signature mid-sized cabinet design tailor-made for stacking. With an approx. 17” cube form-factor, and high-end touches like the magnetic perforated mesh grill and real wood or hand-polished gloss accent panels, this is the nuanced deep bass small sub that no brand has ever offered under $3-4K.

Generously borrowing parts and technology from our Ultra subs, the look and feel of the SB13-Plus will give pause to anyone poised to spend thousands more on some other brand. Those expensive boutique subs have been outclassed by this SVS sealed box. Size, power, looks, depth and accuracy like nothing else.

Coming in: Black Oak (pictured), Natural Oak, American Cherry, Piano Gloss Black

SB13-Plus Features:

• SVS Plus-13 glass/paper cone, integrated gasket
• 1000 watt STA-1000D amp, “green” power supply
• CAD design, CNC cut, precision built cabinet
• Sealed, recessed driver, sublimated SVS logo print
• Compliant floor mounts, threaded/removable
• Assembled and tested exclusively by SVS Taiwan
• Heavy-duty detachable 8 foot power cord
• Hand-crafted wood veneer or gloss black finish
• Neo magnet grill retention, powder coat steel
• 17x17x18" cube, 95lbs/20Hz -150Hz ± 3dB

MSRP: $1699 Veneer or Gloss

Pre-orders start: 1 June 2010. Pre-order price just $1549 till shipping begins!

Est shipping world-wide: 1 AUG 10

Saturday, 8 May, 2010: New SB12-Plus, new veneers, new amps, no competition.

SVS's first use of astounding new Sledge DSP amps, with a true 800 watt platform and latest SVS 12.5 Plus woofer.

New SB12-Plus. Mid-Summer. Shares only the name of its “SB” predecessor.  The new SB12-Plus is bigger and better in every regard . This mid-sized powerhouse has our industry-leading Taiwan-built SVS Sledge™ STA-800D DSP amp on board, and the already legendary 12” SVS Plus 12.5 woofer with massive ferrite motor and USA voice coil. Extensive professional inputs and outputs, including true XLR.  Pity anyone spending $3K on a small sub recently.

And instead of a sea of knobs, you have one interface, single click, double click, rotate. It's the most intuitive amps ever, with one intelligent feature controller (IFC) and logically simple LCD display. Makes quick work of changing gain, or digging into powerful tuning features. Set it and forget it, you probably won’t need the manual.   Sheer performance will outgun subs two and three times the cost.  The SVS Plus 12.5 woofer always needed an amp this good, and with this right sized cabinet, 800 watts of seamless cool running DSP controlled power? You'll be stunned.  Last week in Taipei, our team added heavier circuit board traces, joining top of the line components at every turn. It is arguably one of the finest subwoofer plate amps ever built.

New sub, new finishes: Add our latest perforated metal grill look to new matte-gloss Black Oak, and American Cherry, Natural Oak veneers, for this sub "piano gloss black" will be higher in quality than any SVS finish before. Full cabinet wrap with our signature beveled cabinet front. You will catch yourself just admiring the sub's craftsmanship even while the STS-800D "green" power supply is in true sleep mode.

Compact.  Sophisticated, clean modern lines, unbeatable performance, SVS service and style.  Expect the SB12-Plus to be a mid-sized choice of many enthusiasts with moderate spaces. Industry benchmark performance from any small sealed sub at $1,200. We are used to beating up on expensive overpriced stuff, yes, even 2-3X the cost.

New SB12-Plus Features:

• SVS Plus 12.5 woven glass cone, integrated gasket
• 800 Watt STA-800D DSP amp, “green” power supply
• CAD design, CNC cut, precision built cabinet
• Sealed, recessed driver, sublimated SVS logo print
• Compliant floor mounts, threaded/removable
• Assembled and tested exclusively by SVS Taiwan
• Heavy-duty detachable 8 foot power cord
• Hand-crafted wood veneer or gloss black finish
• Neo magnet grill retention, powder coat steel
• Compact 15” cube, 55lbs/23Hz -150Hz ± 3dB

Est. USA MSRP $1199 Full wood veneer or piano gloss
USA Pre-orders: $100 off MSRP starting 15 June 2010!
Est. shipping from SVS Taiwan: 1 AUG 10

Friday, 7 May, 2010: New array of five Sealed Box subs. All world-beaters. Only from SVS

Sealed Box Family of SVS Subwoofers – SVS designed and built by us for a world market

Next update: New 800W SB12-Plus STA-800D amp 1000W SB13-Plus prices and dates. Nothing from $1100-$1700 will be safe. Not much at three times these prices. DSP amps with pro-quality construction will make the competition scurry.

If you read the "old" Sealed Box sub "cut sheet" from CES (below) you already know Sound and Vision Magazine called the first SB12-Plus well engineered and … very impressive. Back in the day, it gave our customers depth, power and features rarely coming from a diminutive size and price.

In 2010 the sealed box or “SB” line becomes not one, but five new subs, to better cover customer needs. Brimming with results from two years working among the world’s leading digital amp engineers, and showcasing our latest woofer and cabinet designs, this is "disruptive technology" at its finest. From the tiny SB10-NSD, at just over $400, to the flagship SB16-Ultra just under $4000, each new SVS Sealed Box model defines a new standard of price, style and performance in the micro subwoofer market.  We defy the lofty power claims and real frequency response figures of small subs past and present. These new SVS's are subs few can compete with unless you ignore size or price class, or both.

The "SB" family will use three new exclusive “Sledge ™” DSP-controlled digital amps, each belting out more clean power than their predecessors, with advanced protection and reliability designed in.  Assembled in state-of-the-art factories in small quantities these are made exclusively for SVS, no one else has them.

And, with small sealed subs, creating true concert and theater quality bass is a challenge only the most refined DSP technology can handle.  "Digital Signal Processors", exploited as performance tools, not simply as a three letter marketing buzz-words, have finally made possible these, artfully tuned, right-sized subs from SVS.  With more features, impeccable quality, and legendary performance than any other audio brand. We’re proving small really is big at SVS after all these years.

(At right Ed Mullen, SVS Product VP works on the Intelligent Feature Control of the new Sledge STA-800D DSP amp in Taipei, Taiwan)

These are also the first SVS subs adapted to a modern world supply and demand network, making better products at better prices than ever attained in the audio world.  SVS puts its USA staff at suppliers or customer events across the world now, moving people, and increasingly less so, boatloads of iron across the Pacific, and then back again.  For two years our Ohio team has been working intensively with the business's best technology, supply and build facilities to bring forward a new generation of audio gear, now straight from where most of its components have long come from.  SVS is still taking the big brands to task but in a whole new way, and in smaller theaters and even wider array of budgets - using the best suppliers.

S-Series speakers proved SVS quality could be built other places than Ohio and the “SB” subs virtually impossible to have been built till recently. So of course SVS is doing “global” different from most. We started in the "rust belt" a decade ago and SVS roots are still deep into being the best choice, not the most expensive.

It took years of searching but SVS directly contracted production space with high-end Taiwan and mainland China partners which exceed the precision and even more critically, the production capacity of our own headquarters. And as we made ourselves comfortable with their capabilities, demand was already growing.

While our best cabinets have long come from Asia, and nearly all driver parts, for any kind of supply line we still insist on our staff training, production monitoring and SVS QC. We're doing what was done in Ohio, on a global scale.

Pity the other brands. This is how SVS is not only beating the competition, but improving our own legendary durability and quality at the same time.  In fact, our first permanent SVS staff now in Asia means continuous innovation and improvement happens even more quickly than before.  Our Ohio facility remains center for Powered Cylinder construction and new Artisan speakers, and world HQ's for all of SVSound.   In fact we’re more busy in USA than ever, with more staff than any time past, and more coming.  SVS has always evolved  so customers and product are our central purpose. It's more true than ever.

(Stephen Ponte, Woofer Director works with one of the world's top driver component suppliers, an SVSound supplier in mainland China for over 5 years.)

Sealed Box preorder rollout first two models:

SB10-NSD. Coming late summer. Subwoofer photo coming soon. The bigger, more expensive SB12-NSD needed a smaller, more affordable brother! Sharing the new STA-400D amp, but with its own DSP tune and the latest of our 10” NSD woofers, this tiny SVS will beat up on anything remotely close in size and price.

And it will look good doing it, grill on or grill off. It's elegant and affordable enough to fit any enthusiast's budget.

In either our signature charcoal black laminate, or high-end “piano gloss” black, you get our new precision built perforated metal grill and full set of digital features. 

SB10-NSD Features:

• SVS 10” NSD woofer, with textured AL cone, integrated gasket, new motor and basket
• 400 watt STA-400D DSP controlled amp
• CAD design, CNC cut, precision assembled
• Sealed, recessed driver, LASER-etched logo
• Compliant floor mounts, threaded/removable
• Assembled and tested exclusively for SVS
• Heavy-duty detachable 8 foot power cord
• Hand-crafted charcoal or gloss black finish
• Precision steel grill with rubber cup retainers
• Compact 12” cube, 30lbs/27Hz -150Hz ± 3dB

USA MSRP: $425 Charcoal/$449 Gloss
Pre-order special: $25 off. Starts Jun/Jul 2010
Shipping start est.: Aug/Sep 2010

            -------------------

SB12-NSD. Summer shipping in Asia, Europe and USA.

Compared to its direct predecessor, the well-regarded outgoing SB12-Plus, the new SB12-NSD is more efficient, more powerful, and delivers DSP-tuned, utterly transparent limiters. It’s sound that makes setup with anyone’s system a snap. Add true second-order roll-off, to better complement room gain in today’s homes, and you have an unprecedented collection of depth, power and accuracy, in a small size. The SB12-NSD uses our exclusive new Sledge™ STA-400D “DSP” amp with gutsy performance that stunned first users (see imaged above). The ability for us to customize an amp’s performance is quite remarkable and it doesn’t hurt that SVS habitually puts in every affordable premium part we can.

So the STA-400D gets digital rotary controls, thus customer setup is familiar and simple, but refined and effective in a way only digital can achieve. We use the industry’s best DSP programming software and craft the most optimal frequency response and limiter array a sub could want. Our design staff pushed engineering samples at CES 2010, really hard. We could have scarcely believed our own critical ears. It's wasn't just an amp, it was a sledge. Forget small subs you have had. Even from SVS. The SB12-NSD starts a new generation of SVS subwoofers.

This newest SVS 12” NSD woofer is built on a line supervised by SVS Woofer Director Stephen Ponte, who designed it from the ground up.  The woofer has finely etched powder coated cone personally signed off in Ningbo China by SVS CEO Ron Stimpson. You could say we’re committed to making this our best NSD woofer yet.

So it’s commitment you can hear. Hearing a well-honed SVS Ohio design with high end “motor” and exclusive precision tooled aluminum cone at its heart. Our integrated NBR-rubber surround and gasket is state of the art audio; forget affordable, (but don’t doubt its Ultra roots). It's all tucked into our now signature radius’d 14” x 14" x 14" anvil coming in high-end gloss or charcoal black (measured without the sylish grill).  Very stout construction as always. 

The most visible style and design statement is our removable perforated precision mesh grill, which naturally protects the woofer when used. As striking as it is functional, it even includes our swanky cast blue SVS badge. We challenge you to find other brands this quality, deign and performance till you move up to the New SB12-Plus. 

SB12-NSD Features:

• 12” NSD, AL cone, one-piece surround/gasket
• 400 watt STA-400D DSP amp, true sleep mode PS
• CAD design, CNC cut, precision assembled with SVS
• Sealed, recessed driver, text. black w / LASER logo
• Compliant floor mounts, threaded / removable
• Hand-built and tested with SOTA instrumentation
• Heavy-duty detachable 8 foot power cord
• Furniture quality charcoal or gloss black finishes
• Contoured black steel grill with soft cup retainers
• Compact 14x14x14” / 41lbs. FR-A: 25Hz -150Hz ± 3dB

USA MSRP: $699 (charcoal). $749 (gloss black)
Estimated shipping in USA: 1 AUG 10
USA pre-order $50 off MSRP: Starts 15 May 2010

Coming next. From New SB12-Plus to SB16-Ultra, with one button LCD DSP feature controller.

Sunday, 3 May, 2010: What SVS did for spring break (AKA "March and April").

All,

Apologies for the long news blackout from SVS R/D.  We’ve been rather busy, all over the world, working with new and old suppliers to our designs.  Audio enthusiasts will forgive us soon enough.

So a belated detailed update from the SVSound Product Directory is now making its way here.  Loads of images to tell unfolding product story from Ohio.  Some tidbits below.

First, why the delays?  Many of us are just back from from overseas travel, some of us up to 60 days, marching right through the heart of our key supply lines, a long way from home.  And back again, real and virtually setup up camp in  Taipei, Kaohsiung, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen, Cincinnati. It's not always comfy traveling in China. Or Ohio.

Coming then, is a new generation of gear with an even bigger list of new Sealed Box subs than previously announced.  Big traditional SVS stuff is all about to get better too, and upgraders?  You will have more ways to make “upgrade or buy new??” the most perplexing question of the holiday 2010 season.

And still more on the US-built SVS Artisan Line; the S-Series speakers with "02" full performance and cosmetic makeovers… and the is still evolving too. 

We’ll divulge as much as possible after the latest product work.  Interesting stuff when you unleash 4-6 of our growing SVS design team on a flurry of travel  all over Asia, west and east USA and reaching back to Europe too.  So this is fresh info, and music to enthusiast ears.  Including those waiting for their orders now.

Finally we can go well beyond those dated CES press releases.  We’ll talk about two exclusive new SVS lines of  Sledge™ DSP subwoofer amps and cutting edge cabinet designs.  The power side of these new NSD subs is the STA-400D brand new and all ours.  At just 14” a side, the slick SB12-NSD is arguably the best small sealed sub in the world at even 2-3 higher prices.  The SB12-NSD will be just  $699 in charcoal black, or $749 in high end black gloss (for US customers before tax or shipping). Pre-order price specials will be brief.  Near-term supply of our new SB subs is going to chase demand for some months we predict.

This week we also take the wraps off a killer new SB10-NSD (just 12” cubed), and a totally new SB12-Plus will be addressed too.

So stay tuned for a busy SVS News week.

RJS

Monday, 15 February, 2010: Yes, small finally is big at SVS.

From left to right, SB12-NSD, SB13-Plus and SB16-Ultra

And this time it’ll be the small things from SVS that make life very hard indeed for those big brands.

You might say we took our time coming around to small subs at SVS.  We certainly fielded one of the best regarded small subs in the world some years back. The venerable SB12-Plus was widely hailed by press and customers alike for a plethora of features, impeccable build quality and SVS’s legendary service.

As good as that "micro" sub was, time and technology have brought on a small renaissance of sorts at our HQ's in Ohio.  Today’s high end digital signal processing pre-amps, and truly efficient digital amps have proven over two years in R/D at SVS to finally be worthy of our aspirations for our customers all over the world, where big and brawny are better off instead to be small and brainy. These are in spades.  Our engineers demanded state of the art performance and have dropped equally advanced woofers and swanky cabinets into the mix.  Everything from the designs, to how we build and get them to you will soon make clear there's a new industry leader in small affordable subs.

We challenge you to find another mainstream audio brand with their performance even at twice the price. If you know SVS you aren't surprised we'd say such a thing. We just call it being honest.

By mid-May all the information about when these “killer SB’s” will arrive and how prices will shake out.  By year's end we'll provide a quartet of subs from $400 to $2,600... not a one of which will give mercy to any competitor even remotely close in size or price. 

One woofer, four views. The new SVS Plus 13" woofer is the heart of the SB13-Plus sub due summer 2010. Borrowing liberally from both Ultra and Plus heritage.

“Brawny” state of the art vented SVS subs have garnered one award after another.  2010’s Editor’s Choice PB12-Plus being yet another.  We’re rather optimistic similar laurels will be granted to those you see on the attached promotional sheet from our showings during CES 2010.

“Small subs” will have a whole different sort of reputation starting late spring 2010.  Look for more pics and details through March.. A full update on the radical new SSS-01 with pics, specs and more at long last coming too. With new models shipping soon, it's last call for pre-order prices of S-Series.

RJS

Friday, 5 February, 2010: Not the SVS you grew up with? Yes and no... and that's good.

A full 10 years ago SVS raised the bar on the entire consumer audio industry.  Unprecedented performance, unprecedented attention to customer service, and a reputation for being the best. We also had a reputation of being big, and unapologetic about “form follows function”.

“Size matters” with subwoofers after all, our core product back in the day.  It still matters. The physics of sound aren’t something you dictate.  But today we do collaborate with a universe of top-tier suppliers, technology and materials simply not available a decade ago.  And despite the pressures of a world-recession, SVS has implemented an aggressive product development plan that’s unique if not again unprecedented in the enthusiast market. 

As 2010 unfolds you’ll be stunned by an array of careful refinements, whole new additions to familiar lines, and totally new product categories which defy categories at all.  Virtually everything you see over the next 12 days has come directly from displays during the January 2010 Consumer Electronics Show.  While stalwart traditional SVS standards like Powered Box subwoofers snagged yet another Editor’s Choice Award, our coming new Artisan speaker and subwoofer line practically left visitors in awe. 

So forget “big subs” as the real driving force behind SVS.  Those stellar products of course retain a preeminent position in our lines, but starting today you’ll see our determination to be the best choice in affordable world-class -- no matter the form.  We’re still not the biggest company in the business, just the ones all the big guys are watching closest.  2010 will make it abundantly clear those watching for the next big thing from SVS won’t be bored.

While it won’t be the first new product of the year (the much improved S-Series speakers have that honor), the new Art Speaker Line (ASL) from SVS is perhaps THE stunner of the show.  Fully production-ready models with two lines of on-wall/in-wall mains, and two models of in-wall/on-wall subwoofers with dedicated state of the art DSP controlled amps.  The subs include our first shallow-mount 12” driver from SVS woofer-genius Stephen Ponte and feature a new high-tech neo magnet motor and the proprietary “over the top” design few can match at any price.  The mains leverage our award-winning M-Series elements, with still more improvements slipped into the deal.  Audiophile sound which is invisible?  It's nearly here. Forget what you know about “in-wall” speakers or even “WAF proof”.  Heck, forget what you know about what speakers look like at all.  You even select what they look like now. Or the wife can. No matter. Summer availability.

More coming about the summer launch of the new Art Speaker Line soon!

Next installment of our post-CES news releases: How the outgoing SB12-Plus micro sub will be replaced by not one, but four new “SB” subs by the end of 2010.  Led by the shockingly good SB12-NSD this spring, let’s just say sealed box subs from $400 to $3000 will soon have new standards set for them.  Size might still matter, but brains and brawn are well evidenced by our next “cut sheet”, sure to be gracing cubicle walls and slipped into audio budget plans all over the world.  Being second-best just is not in our playbook at SVS. Stary tuned.

Wednesday, 13 January, 2010: Some days selling audio gear is just not that important.

Today we had hoped to profile some of our new product announcements with the close of CES 2010.

We'll wait a bit now, and instead urge you to read how you can donate to one of many international agencies conducting relief operations due to massive earthquake damage and great loss of life in Haiti yesterday. SVS donates a portion of all proceeds during such disasters to the American Red Cross. Please consider making your own contribution here or to a charity of your choice.

RJS

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