Boston Acoustics PV500 User manual

PV™
Boston Acoustics®introduces the PV500/PV700/PV900 powered sub-
woofers—the latest evolution of Boston’s acclaimed PV series. Using a
combination of high power and efficient design, the PV line achieves out-
put levels essential for lifelike reproduction of movie soundtracks and
music while delivering a remarkably smooth, detailed response. This
balance of high output and natural response makes any of the PV sub-
woofers a great addition to your music or home theater system.
PV ULTRA COMPACT, DOWNFIRING DESIGN
ALLOWS MORE PLACEMENT OPTIONS
BASSTRAC®CIRCUITRY DELIVERS BASS
THAT IS CLEAN AND STRONG WITHOUT
UNWANTED DISTORTION
MULTIPLE INPUTS ALLOW EASY INTEGRATION
WITH ANY STEREO OR HOME THEATER
SYSTEM
VARIABLE 24dB/OCTAVE CROSSOVER
ALLOWS PV SUBWOOFERS TO COMPLE-
MENT SPEAKERS OF VIRTUALLY ANY SIZE
VENTED ENCLOSURE ALLOWS THE PV TO
REACH THE LOWEST POSSIBLE BASS
FREQUENCIES
FRONT-MOUNTED VOLUME CONTROL / The volume
control is conveniently located on the front of the
subwoofer for easy balancing with other components
in your audio system.
INPUTS / All PV subwoofers feature both crossover and
LFE low-level inputs as well as speaker level inputs,
allowing the PV to be integrated into any system. Five-
way binding posts allow the PV subwoofer to accept
banana plugs, spade lugs, and bare wire.
DCD / All woofers used in the PV subwoofers
incorporate DCD(Deep Channel Design) allowing
greater excursion—preventing the woofer from
bottoming out—while maintaining high efficiency.
ALL PV WOOFERS FEATURE DCD™
DELIVERING LONGER EXCURSION AND
HIGHER POWER HANDLING
VENTED DESIGN / The PV900/PV700/PV500 all
use vented enclosures, allowing reproduction of the
lowest bass frequencies while reducing overall cabi-
net size. Additionally, the port is flared at both ends to
reduce port noise.
AUTO ON/OFF SWITCH POWERS DOWN
THE SUBWOOFER WHEN NOT IN USE
PV900 and PV700

BASSTRAC®
Every PV subwoofer's amplifier features BassTrac circuitry, a proprietary Boston-designed technology, which tracks the subwoofer’s input signal and
prevents its amplifier from being driven into audible distortion. Unlike conventional designs, BassTrac does not merely remove the signal peaks that
cause distortion— instead, it actually preserves the waveform’s shape so the fidelity of the signal is
maintained. Even the heaviest bass passages in movies or audio tracks will sound solid, rich, and
full, without unwanted artifacts.
DCD™
The 12-inch and 10-inch speakers used in the PV subwoofers—designed in Boston’s state-of-the-
art engineering facility in Peabody, Massachusetts—utilize our unique DCD(Deep Channel Design.)
DCD is a deeply grooved pole plate that enables the voice coil to travel farther for greater output
without bottoming out. Others have tried to copy this, but through the use of an advanced comput-
er modeling process called Finite Element Analysis (FEA), efficiency is optimized, allowing the
subwoofer to take full advantage of the PV's amplifier. Furthermore, every woofer is tested as it
comes off the line to be within ±1dB of the lab reference unit, an incredibly tight tolerance.
CROSSOVER
All PV woofers feature a 24dB/octave lowpass filter with a polarity switch. Through the use of a
24dB/octave crossover, unwanted higher frequencies that can reveal the location of the woofer are
further removed, allowing better sound and greater placement options. The crossover is fully adjustable from 50Hz to 150Hz (75Hz to 150Hz on the
PV500), making it easy to achieve a seamless blend with main speakers of almost any size and in almost any location. If needed, the crossover can
be bypassed for integration with home theater electronics that perform internal bass management.
POWERVENT®
More than just a speaker in a box, every aspect of a Boston Acoustics PowerVent subwoofer has been molded to deliver optimum performance. From
the computer-modeled woofer with DCD to the tuned enclosure with dual-flared vent and extensive bracing to the high-current amplifier with active
equalization—all parts are designed with the others in mind, working together in unison to deliver bass with impact, realism, and most importantly,
the Boston Sound™. PowerVent is more than a powered woofer; it’s a complete Boston subwoofer system.
BOSTON SOUND
A lot of people keep asking us, “What exactly is the Boston Sound?” Well, in plain English, it means that all Boston systems—from our largest and most
powerful home theater speakers to our car audio components—all speak in the same “voice.” What sets the Boston Sound apart is a pure, neutral tonal
balance from one end of the sonic spectrum to the other. Another way of saying this is that highs, mids, and lows all play in perfect balance. The result:
Whether you’re listening to music or movies, you hear exactly what the original artist had intended. A live trumpet sounds like a live trumpet. An opera
sounds like an opera. An explosive special effect in a movie has all the power and impact in your home theater that it had in the cinema. You get the
idea: The Boston Sound is as close to reality as you can get.
BOSTON EVERYWHERE™
So, if a tonally balanced, uncolored, and realistic sound is the "right" sound, it stands to reason that Boston speakers are also “right” for all environments.
And happily, we offer systems that work in any part of your house. In walls and ceilings. In bathrooms. In small bedrooms. In family rooms. We even
make weather-resistant speakers that you can put on your boat or patio. Plus, if you’re a home theater buff, we make center channel speakers, surrounds,
and subwoofers to match any pair of Boston speakers. We also make some of the industry’s best-sounding systems for use with computers, portable
stereos, or MP3 players. And, in case you hadn’t heard, we are considered the premier manufacturer of high-performance car speakers as well. So you
can have the Boston Sound, literally, everywhere you live.
SPECIFICATIONS PV900 PV700 PV500
FREQUENCY RESPONSE (±3dB) 26Hz–150Hz 29Hz–150Hz 38Hz–150Hz
SUBWOOFER AMPLIFIER POWER 300 watts* 200 watts* 85 watts*
SUBWOOFER CROSSOVER (lowpass) 50Hz–150Hz @ 24dB/oct. 50Hz–150Hz @ 24dB/oct. 75Hz–150Hz @ 24dB/oct.
LFE (LOW FREQUENCY EFFECT) INPUT Yes Yes Yes
CROSSOVER INPUT Yes Yes Yes
SPEAKER-LEVEL INPUTS Yes Yes Yes
BASS UNIT 12” (305mm) DCD 12” (305mm) DCD 10” (254mm) DCD
ENCLOSURE TYPE Vented w/ Vented w/ Vented w/
down-firing woofer down-firing woofer down-firing woofer
DIMENSIONS (H x W x D in Inches) 155⁄8 x 141⁄2x 171⁄2”14
1⁄4 x 131⁄2x 163⁄4”13 1⁄4 x 121⁄4x 153⁄4”
DIMENSIONS (H x W x D in Metric) 397 x 369 x 445mm 362 x 343 x 426mm 337 x 311 x 400mm
WEIGHT 32lbs (14.4kg) 28lbs (12.6kg) 28.5lbs (12.9kg)
FINISH Black ash vinyl veneer Black ash vinyl veneer Black w/gray top
*FTC Rated Power: wattage @ 50 Hz into 4 ohms at less than 1% THD+N
300 Jubilee Drive, Peabody, MA 01960 978.538.5000, www.bostonacoustics.com. Covered by patents issued and/or pending. Specifications subject to change without notice. DCD, Boston Sound, and Boston Everywhere are trademarks, and PowerVent, BassTrac, Boston, Boston Acoustics, and the Boston logo are registered trademarks of Boston Acoustics, Inc. © 2002 Boston Acoustics, Inc. All rights reserved.
PV500