Featured Home Theater System: Justin in San Diego, CA

Justin in San Diego, CA

As any subwoofer enthusiast knows, one of the best things about moving into a new home is the freedom to play what you want, when you want, as loudly as you want. Such is the case with our newest featured home theater. When Justin from San Diego moved into his home, it required a subwoofer upgrade to fill the nearly 3,000 cubic feet of space with the desired levels of low frequency goodness. Opting for an SVS SB13-Ultra subwoofer as the foundation, he built a handsome, high-performance 5.1 audio system with killer components that now has his neighbors inviting themselves over for movie night instead of complaining.

Questions And Answers:

What were the greatest challenges you had to overcome when setting up your home theater?

I just recently became a homeowner. One of the best things about owning is actually being able to enjoy my music and home theater experience. In my previous apartment I always risked annoying the neighbors, but the move meant I was going from a listening space of around 18x12x8 feet (1728 cubic feet) to a house with an open floor plan that made my listening space closer to 3,000+ cubic feet.

Previously I had a (surprisingly capable) Pinnacle Speaker Baby Boomer 600W Dual 8" Subwoofer. It more than took care of my old listening space (the Studio 60s do their part on their own!) but in my new place, not so much. So I went out in search of a proper sub and, having a long history with Klipsch and the fans there recommending SVS, I bit the bullet and went for the SB13 Ultra, as recommended by dozens of reviews and the Merlin tool on the SVS site which paired it with my Paradigms. I also realize now the true power of sub-bass.

How has SVS impacted the performance of your system?

Just last night I was watching The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies and can't tell you how many times I felt, but did not hear, the bass. It was incredible. While my old Pinnacle did the job in a small space, physics just didn't allow it to create the sound pressure required for that “feeling of bass” effect. Yes it would shake, rattle and roll my wine glasses and cabinets, but did it turn my couch into part of the theater experience by shaking its foundation? No way. And what really blows my mind is that I get all of this performance with none of the rattling of glasses or cabinets!

What are some of your favorite music and movies for showing off your audio gear?

The intro scene from the 2014 film, Lucy, has a great bass track to show off a great sub. I also use Prometheus's intro scene for bass and picture quality (3D is incredible here) as well as Star Trek: Into Darkness. The intro to the first Matrix film provides a great experience (man, intros to movies seem to be where it's at). Notable Mentions would be Moulin Rouge, Jurassic Park and any of the Lord of the Rings films.

For music I have a rotating playlist of tracks but one I find myself using a lot lately is "Mostly Other People Do The Killing" from Elliott Mills. The track actually makes me anxious each time I play it but it is so well recorded that it's worth the struggle. Madonna's "Bitch I'm Madonna" has a seriously awesome bass track, the Dallas Wind Symphony's "Pomp and Pipes" album is a go-to as well. My listening is very eclectic so I often times find myself just putting things on shuffle. Though I did make a request on Twitter for SVS to put together a Spotify playlist, so I hope that's coming down the line.

Why is having a home theater important to you?

I've always been into home theater. Well, ever since Klipsch came out with the ProMedia v2.400. It opened my eyes to high quality sound. I was amazed at how something under $400 could sound better than the $3,000 Bose system my friend's dad had. I started researching speakers, amplifiers and crossovers in Middle School and became totally obsessed in High School. Since then I've loved recreating the theater experience at home. And now that I'm an adult, with an adult income, I can actually really do it! Having friends over for a movie makes the investment worth it to me. I love hosting people, giving them an incredible experience, and not having to throw a collective $80-$120 per movie for that experience. I used to go to movies all the time. Now I wait for the Blu-ray to come out or streaming services like Netflix. Also, so many TV shows are now recorded in 5.1 which makes even Modern Family more engaging! That wouldn't be possible with a regular TV setup.

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