- Manufacturer & Model
-
SVS PB-1000 Pro Subwoofer
- MSRP
- $599.99 ea - $1149.99 for Two (when purchased together) Internet Direct and Selected Dealers
- Highlights
-
Usable extension to 17Hz and below!
12” SVS Custom High Excursion Driver
325 watts RMS (820+ watts peak power) Class D Amplifier
Modest in size and weight (18.9” H x 15” W x20” D – 42.5lbs)
Ported cabinet with sealed option
Convenient, and USEFUL, Mobile Device Control App!
- Summary
-
A modestly sized and priced, high-quality subwoofer, that should work well in many situations and rooms. Attractive faux wood, Black Ash vinyl finish lends a premium look and feel to this well-priced subwoofer. Integration and fine-tuning are a snap thanks to a well-thought-out, and implemented, mobile device app that is free for download. Many of the app controls are duplicated on the sleek rear control panel. Discount pricing when buying two.
The Review
The 1000 PRO series is the lowest cost subwoofer offering from SVS. The PB-1000 PRO reviewed here is the ported sibling of the sealed box SB-1000 PRO. Both subwoofers employ an SVS designed 12", high excursion driver.
Having had the opportunity to previously evaluate and review the SVS PB-2000 PRO subwoofer for AVNirvana in a dual configuration, I was enthusiastic to give its smaller cousin a whirl.
Delivery Day
The PB-1000 PRO subwoofer showed up on my doorstep delivered via FedEx. With a shipping weight of roughly 52lbs, and a relatively compact box size of 23.4” x 19.9” x 24.4”, the sub was easily shifted around and rolled upstairs to my main listening room.
Unpacking was a breeze guided by instructions printed on the top of the box and inside bottom flaps when opened.
The sub was nicely cradled in cardboard reinforced, closed-cell foam, top and bottom assemblies, and wrapped in soft foam and a plastic bag. The only other things in the box were a power cable, the quick start guide/warranty information, and a full-line SVS catalog. A large bag of silica desiccant was in the box to keep things dry. A manual is available for download on the SVS website.
The box itself was single layer, heavy-duty cardboard. All-in-all the packing design and material appeared well designed, protective and appropriate for the subwoofer.
First Impressions
The cabinet is nicely compact for a 12” ported subwoofer, measuring just 18.9” (479mm) H x 15” (380mm) W x 20” (509mm) D with the grill on and weighing in at 42.5lbs (19.3kg). This made the sub (relatively) easy to move and reposition for one person.
The finish was the very well applied SVS "Black Ash" vinyl covering. Just as the previous SVS sub reviewed, I could have been easily fooled into thinking it is a real wood veneer. Of course, that is until you look at the belly of the beast and see the discrete seam of the vinyl wrap.
The fit and finish of the entire sub is flawless. That includes the well-thought-out, sleek and functional plate amplifier and its controls.
Construction
The cabinet is made from MDF wrapped in a Black Ash vinyl veneer. As previously mentioned, form, fit, and finish were first-rate, and the subwoofer presents very well visually.
SVS's website touts the cabinet as being solidly built, using MDF with an extra thick front panel, and robust interior bracing with sufficient damping to make it sonically inert. A good hard rap with the knuckles produced only a solid, muted “THUNK!” with no ringing or hollowness detected. The robust cabinet is supported by four small Iso-Elastomer screw-in feet.
The sub is a front-ported cabinet with two 2.5” ports covered by the grille when installed. The ports can be sealed with foam plugs or run open for different voicing options. The foam plugs do not ship with the PB-1000 PRO but are available free upon request if needed/desired. The SVS smartphone app, once set up, has a setting that applies the necessary DSP correction when the “Sealed” option is selected and the port plugs are inserted.
The 9.26lb, 12” high-excursion woofer looks formidable and is an SVS proprietary design. The driver sports a tuned overhung motor design with a 1.5”, 6-layer, high purity copper voice coil. A 6.91lb two-piece oversized Y35 magnet motor assembly supplies the magnetic field necessary to drive the speaker to high levels of excursion, translating into high SPL capabilities. The cone is a treated Fiber Composite material ensuring a light, yet very rigid, radiating surface. The maximum linear excursion (Xmax) is 13.1mm and the maximum safe mechanical excursion (Xmech) is 26.8mm. For those of us who are metrically challenged that is 33/64 (.51) and
1 1/16” (1.06) inches respectively.
The supplied amplifier is SVS’s Sledge-325D and provides 325 watts RMS continuous with peaks of 820+ watts. The amplifier is a cool-running Class D configuration and is DSP controlled. The control interface on the Sledge-325D is sleek and easy to use. Power-on options include Always On, Auto On, and off. There is also a 12v trigger port that can be selected and used if desired. A USB port is included for firmware upgrades or powering accessories like the SVS SoundPath wireless receiver. Speaker level inputs and outputs, along with line-level in and out RCA connections, complete the connectivity suite.
The free for download control app connects to the subwoofer via Bluetooth and expands the tweaking choices over the manual interface. Parameters such as power on options, volume, low pass filter, phase, polarity, room gain compensation, and port tuning options are available selections. There are three, custom, modifiable presets, and a three-band parametric equalizer in the app as well. Multiple SVS subwoofers can be controlled individually using the app. The ease and convenience of enabling these adjustments from the listening position is a big plus and cannot be overstated! Nice, nice, very nice!
Set-Up
My room is a fairly large space that is 18.5’ wide x 21.5’ long, with a 9.5’ (approx.) ceiling. That space is a considerable volume (approximately 3800 cubic feet) for a single subwoofer to fill, let alone pressurize.
Normally I use multiple subs, and never in the corners of the room. I realize that the corners of the room emphasize and reinforce low bass, however I typically find it negatively impacts the tonality of the resulting audible output. But, since I was supplied one subwoofer for this review, my goal was to be extra careful with the placement and use whatever benefits room boundary reinforcement might offer.
In line with that thinking, I sat the sub in my listening chair and performed the venerable “Sub Crawl” around the perimeter of the room to determine the best placement possibilities.
The “Crawl” indicated the best position, with what seemed to be the smoothest response, and the most presence was in the left rear corner of the room. Curious, I opened the REW Room Simulator, and it mathematically vetted that placement location. The simulator indicated that the left rear corner should be the best placement option for the strongest bass and the fewest nodal “suck-outs.” The next best position determined by the “Sub-Crawl,” and confirmed with REW Room Sim, was the front left corner of the room. REW Room Simulator indicated that a third position worth exploring was about 8.5 feet from the front wall, against the left sidewall.
Armed with this information I decided to try the sub in all three positions to ascertain the best placement option for testing.
The plan was to perform an Audyssey 6-position calibration (saving the results), followed by a quick listening test using steady-state subwoofer test tones and those lovely low-frequency bursts during the introduction of Edge of Tomorrow (Live, Die, Repeat). Using this method I would listen for gross perceived bass, tonal balance, articulation/tightness, and any overt localization problems. The last step in the plan was to measure and generate a REW SPL vs Frequency Curve with the PB-1000 PRO by its lonesome, and then in concert with the main speakers (GoldenEar Triton One.R set to “small” and crossed over at 80Hz in the speaker setup).
I started in the left front corner of the room and ran a quick (6 position) Audyssey calibration and saved it. After the quick listening tests, the REW SPL vs. Frequency curve was generated. The sub was moved to the second REW determined position on the left sidewall and the same routine was run.
Lastly, I moved the sub to the left rear corner of the room and repeated the Audyssey calibration, and saved it for a final time, along with completing the quick listening tests and REW curve generation.
Based on these results the sub would be placed in that one specific “best” location for the critical listening tests.
Measurements
Below is the frequency vs. SPL measurement chart supplied by SVS. Note, this measurement is at two meters in a quasi-anechoic environment.
The “quick listening tests,” combined with the measurements at each identified location, were revealing.
Position One: Left Front Corner
This is the spot I had the highest hopes for. Visually it was the nicest spot and best satisfied my lopsided sense of symmetry. It scored high on the “Sub-Crawl” and REW Room Simulator gave the position an OK (Meh)grade as a placement possibility.
The actual REW measurement was less than encouraging showing suck-outs around 67Hz and 93Hz. It got somewhat better with the main speakers engaged.
The Quick Listening Test was even less encouraging. The subwoofer test tone was strong but uneven and “boomy.” Listening to the first sixty seconds of Edge of Tomorrow (Live, Die, Repeat) at low volumes (reasonable) was underwhelming. At a higher volume, there was a distinct “chuddering” noise that startled me. Closer investigation revealed it to be port noise that disappeared when the volume was lowered but was annoyingly loud at higher volume levels.
Noting this for reference, I moved to the next position.
Position Two: Left Sidewall
This was also a visually appealing spot, and I was hopeful this would work better than the front left corner. REW Room Sim was positing a smoother-looking curve. However, an actual measurement showed an even larger "suck-out" that moved to 60Hz and was only increased when the mains were added back in the mix.
The quick listening test gave me less perceived bass, but also a lot less “boom” and “bloom.” When the Edge of Tomorrow snippet was played there was still good impact when those low notes hit, but less so than with the corner placement. Thankfully, the port noise issue did not repeat itself and the subwoofer just sat there pumping out the bass!
Position Three: Left Rear Corner
This position was the strongest contender using the “Sub-Crawl,” but the least visually appealing. Unless, of course, you subscribe to the “out of sight – out of mind,” or the dreaded “get those big ugly boxes out of my sight!” thought processes/protocols. REW Room Sim gave this position the highest marks.
I tried utilizing the built-in three-band parametric EQ to fill in the small dips at 75Hz and 162Hz, but the interaction between my room and the subwoofer didn't allow any improvement. The three-band parametric EQ might be a useful feature in a different room, but in mine, it was a bust.
The quick listening tests confirmed that this was the spot! In practice, this was the smoothest and strongest performing position yet! Test tones were strong and even at the listening position, and the Edge of Tomorrowintro snippet had both impact and strength. And…. There was no port noise, even at considerable volume!
In this final selected position, I also ran a curve for Ported vs Sealed cabinet configurations. Since the port plugs had not been supplied, I improvised with some closed-cell foam material I had on hand. The results were somewhat interesting in my room, with the sealed box configuration (and with the appropriate “Sealed” toggle on the mobile app selected) supplying a slightly smoother curve in the upper bass regions. With full-range content, the ported configuration seemed a smidge better to my ears, thus all listening was done with the ports in the open configuration.
Listening
Once the best placement location for the sub was identified, it was time for actual critical listening. I assembled the usual suspects for testing, both musically and movie-wise, before getting to work.
For all critical listening tests, the main speakers would be run in "Small" mode and the crossover set for 80Hz. The ports on the subwoofer were left open.
For testing I would listen to the same material at three volumes: Low, Maximum Spousal Approved Limits (moderate), and Louder Than Prudent. At each volume, I would listen for perceived bass, stress or strain, impact and punch, musicality, tonal balance, and the conciseness/tightness/connectivity of the bass within the soundtrack.
Music
I started the listening with a few specific selections from Primus, Pink Floyd, Windham Hill Soul of the Machine Compilation (Various Artists), Steely Dan, Nigel Stanford, Yes, and others that feature, what I consider, tight, connected, and/or in some cases, extreme low bass content. All listening was done using Amazon Music HD (Via Marantz HEOS), Apple TV 4K, or CD/SACD/Blu-ray Audio via my OPPO UHD-203 as noted.
Starting with a couple of my go-to bass punishers I cued up the 1993 Primus offering, Pork Soda (Amazon Music Ultra HD, 92kHz 24bit via HEOS). Listening to the tunes “Bob” and “DMV,” I found Les Claypool’sbass displayed a nice thick, solid presence at all volumes. When cranked it came very close to the deep and punishing slam I expect and want from Claypool and friends. At any volume, the bass remained well connected to the bass drum with good impact and presence.
I moved on to something a wee bit more subtle but nonetheless revealing. The 2009 SACD 5.1 remix of the 1975 Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here. When sampling the first three tracks, “Shine on You Crazy Diamond - Parts 1-5,” “Welcome to the Machine” and “Have A Cigar,” I found the PB-1000 PRO added a very solid and pleasing foundation to the underlying synth beds and drones, with a good solid and concise feel to the bass guitar when present. This was especially evident in “Have A Cigar.” Conversely, while the bass and the kick drum were well connected and integrated with an ultimately pleasing and satisfying sound, I found the kick drum sound, itself, a bit “bloomy” and “tubby.”
On to Steely Dan’s eighth full studio effort, 2000s Two Against Nature. Listening to “Gaslighting Annie,”the depressing “What a Shame About Me,” and the snarky “Cousin Dupree,” highlighted the studio mastery of Steely Dan with perfectly balanced and nuanced sound throughout the recording. The bass and kick drum remained solid and well connected. The low end from synths and piano was balanced and well-rendered when present.
When I listened to the 1987 Windham Hill synth sampler, Soul of the Machine (CD WD-1700), I was impressed by the overall power and texture of the low-end throughout the entire disk. The drones, beds, burps, and burbles of synthesizer sound were powerful and atmospheric. The first two tracks were particularly good at conveying a deep and powerful bottom-end foundation that coupled well with the breathy atmospherics of the upper regions.
The same was true when listening to the Nigel Stanford vehicles “Cymatics” and “Automatica” (Amazon Music HD via Marantz HEOS – 92kHz 24 Bit) from his albums of the same names. Solid and punchy synth with more conventional instrumentation provided a deep digging and satisfying bass track and a thoroughly interesting musical experience. Arguably, the remixed videos for these tunes (YouTube) provide an even deeper-digging, full-on bass assault (even at the less than pristine YouTube streaming bit rate quality) than the Amazon Music Ultra HD stream did.
Lastly, I listened to the tracks from the 2013 Steven Wilson 5.1 remix of the Yes classic, Close to the Edge(Blu-Ray Audio). I specifically focused on the track “Siberian Khatru” and found my first real fail. The subwoofer, itself, performed perfectly but the sound was strongly localized and presenting from over my left shoulder. It got somewhat better in stereo, as opposed to 5.1, but still wasn’t listenable. I’m going to have to chalk that up to the necessary positioning of the subwoofer in the left rear corner of the room combined with some vagarity of the mix. Note, that the Pink Floyd tracks played were in 5.1 surround and sounded great!
I listened to a lot more material, featuring a variety of artists, sources, and genres. In general, I found the PB-1000 PRO pleasingly full and musical with every genre of music thrown it's way. Bass, especially low bass, was deep and powerful when present in the material, and was well rendered with only a hint of bloom. This measure of bloom/overhang was likely present because of the corner placement. As a quick experiment, I pulled the sub from the corner and away from the sidewall by a few feet and listened again. Sure enough, the bass tightened up, becoming a bit more concise and better defined, but at the expense of low-end power and impact, so back in the corner it went.
Movies and Television
As I moved to movies and television, I picked out a few to sample that I knew should satisfy that “Big Bass Jones.”
On the watch list was Edge of Tomorrow (Live, Die, Repeat), Infinite, John Carter, Nobody, and whatever streaming whimsey that presented or interested me.
Edge of Tomorrow (Live, Die, Repeat) – Apple TV 4K - iTunes
We all know (don’t we?) about the subwoofer testing/wreaking low frequencies that open the movie in the first ninety seconds or so of the faux newscast lead-in.
At low and moderate levels, the PB-1000 PRO brought it home with a "put you on the edge of your seat" kind of feeling. When pushed into the “Louder Than Prudent” volume range, the brief burst of ultra-low end and sub-sonics magnified that tension and uneasy feeling to palpable levels. Even though I was clocking levels at about 107dB (peaks), the subwoofer remained unprotestingly solid throughout the intro, calmly delivering the goods. As we got into the movie the battle scenes were always strong, exciting, and well connected to the action on the screen.
Infinite – Apple TV 4K – Paramount+
Oh, how the critics are hating on this one. As a sort of mindless disconnect type of movie, I found it enjoyable. The action is constant and consistently well done (even if consistently unbelievable as well :-)… and the soundtrack has some pop to it! The PB-1000 PRO delivered strong, effective LFE while connecting the sound to the screen in a convincing way throughout the entire movie.
John Carter – Blu-ray Disk
If you have perused any of my previous reviews, you may have noticed I have a perverse liking to this movie! The scenes I always go to are the battle in the arena with the white apes, and the aerial battles between Helium and Zodanga. There is plenty of low-end energy presented and the PB-1000 PRO delivered that LFE and excitement consistently and without issue.
Nobody - Apple TV 4K – iTunes
Watching Nobody for the second time was a fun time. LFE is present, but subtle (except when it isn’t!), throughout the movie. The PB-1000 PRO delivered when asked to do so.
LOKI – Apple TV 4K - Disney+
Watching two episodes of Loki on Disney+ with the PB-1000 PRO was a positive experience. Lows were present and powerful when called for and remained tightly connected to the images at all times.
I watched or sampled plenty of other material during the PB-1000 PRO’s tenure and found it to be a meaningful and convivial companion throughout. With all video materials sampled, there was never a localization issue. While there was never any overt sense of stress or strain at higher volumes, there was a certain lack of definition and that feeling of effortless power to be found in well set-up, multiple subwoofer systems. At lower and moderate volumes, the PB-1000 PRO delivered substantial and appropriate levels of LFE whenever asked to do so.
Summary and Closing Thoughts
Such is the lot of a good subwoofer you may never even notice it with a lot of music or various material… Until it is gone, that is!
Overall, the PB-1000 PRO consistently delivered the goods. It reinforced bass shy material in a natural, pleasing way. And, it truly shined as a home theater subwoofer, banging out prodigious and pleasing lows at most volume levels into a room that was, on paper at least, too big for it. Was I asking too much of a single 12" PB-1000 PRO in the big media room? Well, yeah… Probably!
There was a limitation there. Not so much a definable, “Don’t cross this line or else!” kind of limitation. It was more of a sensation that the sub was running a bit out of gas or was reaching a point where I didn’t feel I should go any further (yes, even me!) with some of the material I presented to it, at some of the volumes I asked of it! I suppose some of that could be attributed to programmed DSP limitations designed to protect the subwoofer from people like me.
Would that undefinable, borderline sensation/limitation have been alleviated with two or more subs (or in a smaller room)? In my opinion… YES! Placement should not have been such an issue, coverage should have been better, and the effortlessness of presentation should be exponentially better.
So that got me wondering… What if I added one of my subs back into the mix? I reconnected one of my Rythmik F18's and reset the processor to dual subs. The difference was not subtle! The slam and that effortlessness of presentation I was looking for was reestablished to a large degree. I was satisfied that, in a room this size, the multiple subwoofer scenario, along with careful positioning is the best way to go.
Just how would this sub perform in a smaller, more modest space? To find out I hauled the sub downstairs and connected it to my office system. The office system is stereo and consists of a pair of amplified PreSonus Eris 5 nearfield monitors coupled with a front end consisting of a MOTU M2 DAC Control Interface and an Apple MacBook Pro. The room is a 12’ x 11.5’ x 10’ high space. I played much of the same music auditioned in the media room and the SVS PB-1000 PRO was effortless in presentation and easily pressurized the much smaller space. Conciseness and tightness were also much improved in the smaller room.
The free download mobile device app is a wonder! The convenience and utility of being able to make meaningful adjustments and corrections at the listening position… and to be able to instantly hear the results, is priceless!
For the money, this sub is certainly an overachiever. If it lacks in any area, it may be in perceived smoothness of presentation that may overemphasize certain frequencies (a touch of "boom" or "bloom"). There is also the possibility of that surprising port noise being an issue. With both of these issues, room design, careful placement, and/or multiple subs would go a long way toward mitigation or elimination of both.
Quality, features, and performance, at a sweet price, make this subwoofer a great buy. An outstanding warranty and caring service make it an even better one! Recommended!
SVS PB-1000 PRO 12” Ported Subwoofer Published Specifications
General Specs:
- Protective non-resonant extra-thick ABS fabric mesh grille
- Iso-elastomer feet included
- Extra heavy-duty, high current power cord 6'
- Quick Start Guide
- Port Plugs (free upon request)
- Unbalanced stereo input/output
- Speaker Level Stereo Input
- Auto/On and Trigger options through app, 3-12V AC/DC trigger
- RoHS compliant, lead-free construction, world-wide safety certifications
- Green 0.5-watt low standby power consumption
- Dual 2.5-inch ports
- Dimensions (w/ grille): 18.9” (479mm) H X 15” (380mm) W X 20” (509mm) D
- Dimensions (without grille): 18.9” (479mm) H X 15” (380mm) W X 19.2” (488mm) D
- Shipped Dimensions: 23.4” (594mm) H 19.9” (506mm) W X 24.4” (619mm) D
- Weight (unboxed): 42.5lbs (19.3kg) with Grille
- Shipped Weight: 51.6lbs (23.4kg)
Driver Specs:
- All-new proprietary 12-inch long-throw driver with high-precision tuned overhung motor configuration.
- 9.26lb (4.2kg) pound Woofer with 6.91lb (3.14kg) pounds motor
- 13.1mm Xmax, 26.8mm Xmech precision aligned excursion
- 1.5” diameter Voice Coil with high current 6-layer high-purity copper wire windings
- Premium high-purity copper voice coil winding design minimizes distortion and power compression with maximum heat dissipation, linearity, and tuned magnetics for high excursion
- Two-piece high grade oversized Y35 Ferrite magnet motor
- High-Temperature 3003-H18 aluminum former/bobbing
- 6” composite cotton-poly extreme excursion linear spider
- Dual 24-strand copper-alloy high-temperature leads
- Proprietary injection molded gasket and NBR extreme-excursion surround
- Lightweight treated Fiber Composite cone for enhanced sensitivity and transient response
- Top plate assembly with low carbon 1010 steel for optimal magnetics
- Oversized low carbon 1008 steel T-yoke with integrated pole piece extension for maximum cooling and electromagnetics
- 12" premium powder-coated basket with FEA optimized analysis for maximum rigidity, tensile strength, and energy transference
- Oversized motor system for driving full excursion and industry best SPL, with pinpoint transient speed
- Precision machining for motor and narrow tolerance suspension parts ensure flawless linearity at the full range of excursion
SVS Sledge-325D Amplifier Specs:
- 325 watts RMS, 820+ watts peak power output Class D design
- 50Mhz Analog Devices Audio DSP, high-resolution double precision 56bit filtering
- Wide input voltage bandwidth compliant for consumer and pro audio up to 4V line-level input.
- High efficiency LLC resonant SMPS with 17A 650V MOSFET, resonant switching results in lower EMI and highest efficiency.
- Cool-running Class D amplifier switching topology with massive 34A 120V MOSFET’s
- SVS BLE control app for iOS and Android contains 3 complete name-able and customizable User presets, supports IOS (iphone5 or newer or Android (4.42 or newer), 3 PEQ's per preset, adjustable low pass, phase, polarity, room gain compensation, and control for best alignment with speakers.
- Customer EQ and DSP limiter settings specifically for the 1000 Pro
- Input impedance 16kohm (unbalance RCA)
- Input impedance 20kohm (speaker level)
- New Intelligent Feature Control (IFC) User Interface on the amplifier with bright blue 11 LED bar display and easy push-button controls.
SVS App Specs:
- Bluetooth controlled subwoofer DSP smartphone app works with iOS, Android and Amazon operating systems.
- The easiest and most convenient way to adjust crossover frequencies, parametric EQ, polarity, room gain, and all other bass management functions.
- Three convenient custom presets allow for perfect tuning in any room or system, from your favorite seat.
- Unique bidirectional feedback shows adjustments in real-time on both app and subwoofer interface.
- An easy-to-follow tutorial provides clear guidance for all functions.
Accessories Supplied:
- Protective non-resonant extra-thick ABS fabric mesh grille
- Iso-elastomer feet included
- Extra heavy-duty, high current 6-foot power cord
- Quick Start Guide
- Manual available for download
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