Doug C. in Dayton, OH

Hailing from our home state of Ohio, former DJ Doug C. from Dayton had an early infatuation with block-shaking car systems before graduating to “car audio for old guys” (home theater). After a series of soundbars failed to deliver, he discovered SVS and picked up a pair of Prime Bookshelf speakers, Prime Pinnacle tower speakers, dual SB-3000 subwoofers and he’s not done yet! Learn about his 7.2.4 system, his thoughts on Prime Tower vs. Prime Pinnacle speakers, how he took advantage of the SVS Customer Bill of Rights and more in this owner profile.

Questions And Answers:

When and why did you first start getting into high performance audio?

I’ve been an avid music lover my entire life. My first foray into “high performance audio” involved a Fischer Price turntable and my parents turntable hi-fi system playing Michael Jackson and disco records. When I was a teenager, my most prized possession was my Aiwa boombox, but especially the add on external subwoofer I got as a Christmas gift one year. My love of bass started early.

When I started driving, every dollar I had went into my car stereo, which included four 12-inch subwoofers, an array of multiple midrange speakers and tweeters, and even a Playstation 1 and an 8-inch monitor in place of a rear-view mirror. You could hear that car coming from blocks away.

Also around this time, I started DJ’ing as a hobby, and it blossomed into a semi-career that I still do almost 20 years later. I’ve played in clubs with million-dollar sound systems, as well as very high end mobile gear at private events and weddings.

Now that I’m grown, married, and have a home of my own, I’ve taken another deep dive into the high-performance audio world of home theater, or as my former car stereo dealer calls it, “car audio for old guys.”

I went the soundbar route for many years, buying more and more expensive models trying to recreate that feel of great theater sound, but it always fell short. That’s when I decided it was time to go with a more traditional receiver and speaker combo. That’s how I wound up here.

How did you first hear about SVS?

I don’t know if it has to do with SVS being an Ohio company and I’m an Ohio resident. But the first name that popped up on a Google search for home audio was SVS. Yours were the first “real” speakers I tried, and I’m beyond sold!

What was the impact of adding the SB-3000 subwoofers compared to the sound before? Why did you decide on that model?

My first SVS subwoofers were a pair of PC-2000’s. The PC-2000 has a small footprint, a unique look, and thunderous bass, especially for movie soundtracks. For a small to medium sized room, you will never need to turn the volume knob up past halfway to get a full body massage from those subs. For the price, I think the 2000 series is hard to beat.

That said, I’ve typically been a sealed subwoofer fan, so I took advantage of your generous 45-day trial period and sent the PC-2000’s back for a pair of the new SB-3000 subs. Aside from enjoying the sealed sub sound, the 3000’s are both very compact which allowed me to give my home theater a bit more aesthetically pleasing layout, and come with the latest SVS technology, namely the SVS app. I love being able to adjust my subwoofers without leaving the couch, and I plan on taking full advantage of the parametric EQ functions of the app in the near future.

As for the sound of the subs, it doesn’t make sense that this much bass can come from an enclosure of its size. After I finally got them set up how I like them, they have nearly the same low frequency response of the ported 2000 series, as well as massive punch in the higher bass notes. I find myself wanting for nothing when watching films. While I reserve most of my music listening for DJ gigs these days, a quick listening session of several genres of music put a smile on my face. The 3000’s are lightning fast with transitions and deliver nightclub or rock venue sound right in my home theater.

What lead to your decision to upgrade from Prime Towers to Prime Pinnacles? Describe the difference you noticed after the change.

My initial purchase through SVS was a Prime Center and Bookshelves. If you are on a tight budget, I am not certain you can do any better than that particular speaker combination, especially the Prime Center. It’s a truly remarkable speaker at a great price.

As established by my deep background in audio, though, I wanted even more. I bought the Prime Towers and Ultra Center as a birthday present to myself since my space won’t allow for the size and breathing room for the Ultra Towers and Center combo. The Ultra Center is a perfect speaker, from how it sounds to how it looks. It’s seriously beautiful, and is very potent, especially with a good amplifier.

The Pinnacles were kind of an impulse buy since I knew there was no risk in trying them and they came so highly recommended by Scott in customer service.

The second I swapped the Prime Towers for the Prime Pinnacles, I knew they were for me. The Prime Tower is a serious speaker with great sound, but the Prime Pinnacles have sound that is very full, with extremely good midbass and overall output. As Gary said when talking about the Pinnacles, they are essentially Ultra Towers for those with limited space. It’s an accurate assessment.

What are some of your favorite music and movies for demoing your system?

Being a DJ, you’d think I listen to music nonstop, and I often do in the car or at the gym, but in my home theater, it’s basically all movies all the time. However, music-based movies such as Bohemian Rhapsody, A Star Is Born, and The Greatest Showman (which I understand is what SVS uses as demos for the Pinnacles) all have incredible music soundtracks for movies.

As for regular films, you’re hard pressed to find better immersive surround experiences and incredible bass than from movies such as Ready Player One, Blade Runner 2049, John Wick 1 and 2, the Jurassic Park series, Dredd, Overlord and a slept-on favorite of mine; The Accounant. It’s not an Atmos mix, but the sounds of Ben Affleck’s 50 caliber sniper rifle hits you deep in the chest from the SB-3000’s. That’s basically my personal benchmark of how well a sub performs.

Why is having an immersive home theater important to you?

When I go to the movies, I generally only go to the premium theaters such as IMAX and Dolby Cinema. A movie with great picture quality and acting is very important, but a fantastic audio soundtrack can make or break a film if you’re an audio enthusiast like myself.

I got by on less than stellar home theater sound for a long time, but the ability to have an IMAX or Dolby experience in the comfort of my home is something I never want to let go of now that I have my own fantastic home theater system.

Anything else you’d like to share with the SVS community?

I am very active on social media in many home theater groups, and I will shout it from the rooftops that SVS has easily the friendliest, most helpful customer service I’ve come across in any company, not just a speaker company. It’s not often you can email the president of a company, and get a long form reply from that person that is both engaging and willing to help you themselves if need be, but Gary did just that. Couple that with guys like Scott A. at customer service who I’ve talked to at least a dozen times now and had amazing service each of those times, you’ve earned a customer for life. I fully intend on making my entire speaker setup exclusively SVS as soon as possible