Honestly kids, movies are where it is at for surround sound. I love my multi-channel music but there is just not enough of it and much of what is out there is garbage. 5.1 movies are a dime a dozen and 6.1 is becoming more and more common. To say that this package performed well for movies would be a gross understatement. Simply put, this system will blow you away for a lifelike and immersive movie experience.

Much to my wife's chagrin, I've been buying movies like Robert Downey Jr. buys drugs after rehab. One of my favorites of late is Robert Rodriquez - Sin City . This movie was definitely not for everyone but I loved it. I'm a huge fan of the comic books and the creator Frank Miller and was thrilled to see how well realized the books were portrayed on the screen. Every gunshot, every car crash, every fist fight was recreated in stunning detail by the SBS-01 system. Personally, the soft-domed tweeters really shined here as I found them to be less harsh and more suited for the range of volumes typical of movies. I found the sound to be very lifelike and not at all fatiguing.

My second (of many) movie for review was The Incredibles . This is just not a nice movie for subwoofers... it is an extremely nice movie for good subwoofers. The latter is definitely the case here. The PB10-ISD has extremely good Internet buzz and it is easy to see why. It didn't flinch at the opening explosions, the battle with the robot, the chase through the jungle (my favorite), or the final battle. It took everything I threw at it and didn't even hiccup. The fact that this is a $400 subwoofer absolutely blows my mind. The performance is completely unreal. I noticed no port chuffing or strain from the sub. It blended well with dialogue and absolutely disappeared into the room.

Performance - Music

If the SBS-01 has a weak point, it is music reproduction. This weak point is akin to the dragon in the hobbit (one itty-bitty scale missing) without the instant death thing which I always thought was pretty stupid anyhow. Most people that pick up a system like this are going to be floored by the multi-channel and two-channel music reproduction this system is capable of. This will probably be unlike anything they have heard before. But, given my experience with my own and other speaker brands, a few things immediately sprang to my mind. The first thing I played on the system was Porcupine Tree's Deadwing (I probably would have listened to In Absentia first but I lent it to a friend). As I stated in the review, this DVD is extremely demanding on a subwoofer and requires a lot of very quick and tight bass notes. There was just enough hold over on the PB10-ISD that some of the sections got a bit muddy and blurred. The Blue Man Group: The Complex revealed that the same "softness" of the highs that I so enjoyed for movie recreation tended to take away some of the detail associated with the cymbal hits and guitar notes.

Conclusions and Overall Perceptions

The hardest part of this review was remembering that the 5.1 system retails for less than $900 dollars. Simply stunning. At this price point very little compares with it. For true home theaters dedicated to movies this system will far outperform anything comparable that I have experienced, including several systems that are far more expensive. The music reproduction is admirable, the sub's performance is outstanding, and the movie reproduction is mind boggling. The only real chink in the SBS-01's armor is the size of the sub. While the larger center channel will probably pass the WAF test, the sub will have a hard time doing so. But, with the proper preparation (and maybe diamonds... and with the money you save you can probably afford them), this system will have your friends alternating between drooling and saying "SVS who?" Prepare to be the envy of your friends and the bane of your neighbors.