They are just good in terms of performance. Good output, good low end performance, good pricing. There are brands than can match SVS, but in general they are just a safe buy. Especially at the entry level they are strong.
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Are SVS subs over-rated?
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SVS has always made the cut at my house every time I purge my old equipment. I just had an old SB12 NSD model amp quit on me. Bad amps are alsowhat SVS is famous for, but I had a Dayton 500w sub amp laying around and that SVS has never sounded better. Good initial value and the driver and enclosure are good enough to repair when the amp eventually quits.
Gary_G
Active Member
Thanks for all the insight. Eventually I am thinking of adding a SVS 3000 Micro to go with my Focal Aria 926 speakers that are paired with a Parasound P6 Preamp.
Andysu
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i was 99% gonna drop on a svs pb-16 then realised i have JBL cinema professional subs and svs subs ain't even used in cinemas . i think they are overrated and overpriced when JBL cinemas subs used in good condition cost less and still enough to buy amp and dsp crossover . then again JBL synthesis is overrated overpriced when can buy ex cinema speakers using same parts , synthesis brand is overrated/overpriced .
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I consider mainstream subs of equal driver size and design (sealed/ported) to be indistinguishable from each other if played at identical outputs. I've owned more brands than I can recall and ended up with Fathoms because of their DARO functionality. Yes pricey, but IMHO I think integration with the rest of the system/room to be far more important than the particular brand. The newer integration aids (latest ARC Genesis, DIRAC bass) create far more difference IMO than the brand of sub.
I love the Bluetooth app and EQ, that is a killer feature imo.
I've owned subs from a half-dozen different manufacturers over the years, including a powered 15" JBL Pro. The latest is an SVS SB16 Ultra that I bought about five years ago, and I have been impressed with every aspect of this sub ever since. Its performance, build quality, and technical innovation are all excellent. I don't know of any other company that fits a 16" driver with an 8-inch diameter edge-wound ribbon voice coil at any price. I think that contributes significantly to the level of performance this sub provides.
Do you really only have room for such a small sub?
Gary_G
Active Member
16'x16' The P6 with the 926 Focals are awesome. Just thinking of the future.
Square rooms can be fun for subs. I just can't imagine spending that much on a sub of that capability unless I needed a very small footprint, like under a desk or something.
I like my Polk HTS 12, the down firing port works particularly well. Sadly I've not seen a review with measurements for it.In general, I would say a major part of the SVS Love-Fest is due to their Customer Bill Of Rights and generally very good customer service, overall.
Comparing to Klipsch and Polk (for the most part, as there are some exceptions with newer Klipsch Subs), there IS an absolute difference that can be seen in honest measurements. Most of those lower tier Klipsch and Polk Subs earned the moniker of Fart Box.
<Snip>
SVS started off with the Sonotube design
www.svsound.com
and at the time, it was pretty incredible performance for a small amount of space. Back then there was no room correction or bass EQ really. They offered a well built home theater sub that could be tuned by blocking ports and came extremely close to DIY pricing.
SVS was acquired and became SVSound and grew, dropping their cylinders for regular subs (as Hsu research did also) and built a good reputation around customer service.
SVS was also founded around the heyday of the first dot com boom in 1998 and arguably was one of the early direct to consumer audio companies in the US. That combination resulted in a lot of bass with low costs.
That was also the time of DVDs where we started to get movies like Attack of the Clones, and Titan AE (the animated one) which have silly levels of bass.
So perfect storm of content being recorded to 20Hz and lower, direct to consumer cost savings being brand new, great customer service, and originally bootstrap “ugly but a lot of extension” principles.
PC-4000
Iconic SVS cylinder subwoofer design unleashes seismic levels of bass with pinpoint accuracy. Only 16” Footprint. High-excursion 13.5-inch Driver. 1,200 Watts RMS, 4,000+ Watts Peak Power Sledge Amplifier.
and at the time, it was pretty incredible performance for a small amount of space. Back then there was no room correction or bass EQ really. They offered a well built home theater sub that could be tuned by blocking ports and came extremely close to DIY pricing.
SVS was acquired and became SVSound and grew, dropping their cylinders for regular subs (as Hsu research did also) and built a good reputation around customer service.
SVS was also founded around the heyday of the first dot com boom in 1998 and arguably was one of the early direct to consumer audio companies in the US. That combination resulted in a lot of bass with low costs.
That was also the time of DVDs where we started to get movies like Attack of the Clones, and Titan AE (the animated one) which have silly levels of bass.
So perfect storm of content being recorded to 20Hz and lower, direct to consumer cost savings being brand new, great customer service, and originally bootstrap “ugly but a lot of extension” principles.
Just check the subwoofer comparison spreadsheet @sweetchaos has put together. You can see the data for yourself how svs stacks up against other brands.
Yeah i had towers in a small room back then for low end, i can imagine subs were pretty basic in regards to options ...i never even saw them as anything but strictly ht in those days...
REK2575
Active Member
I recently added a 3000 Micro to my setup, which is stereo (now 2.1) used just for music. I don't think you'll be disappointed. It's a terrific speaker. Yes, it's only 8" driver but it packs plenty of punch, and I love the small footprint of the formfactor. And as @Matias mentions, the SVS app is terrific; gives you great flexibility to fine-tune things exactly as you want them.
Isn't that a dual 8" driver set up..??... If so, that's a big difference from a single ...
AwesomeSauce2015
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My two cents:
Personally, I find SVS Subs to have good performance per dollar, in the lower price brackets (SB-1000, SB-2000). The two low models in their lineup are really the value kings.
I also recommend them to friends & randos on the internet because SVS has incredible support and a very good warranty. If/when something isn't working right, SVS can help. I have a pair of SB-2000s which had both amps blow. SVS sent out replacement amps after a quick phone call (I had already diagnosed the amp failure as the problem) and I was back up and running quickly and painlessly. I also had a friend who had some issues with their PB-16 Ultra, and SVS took care of them. SVS is also an american company, which I like.
However, in my system, I won't be going with SVS for future upgrades. The value proposition for anything over the 2000-series is just not that good, and I just don't like the way SVS stuff sounds when driven hard. I'll probably be going with a DIY setup for my desk and either DIY, JBL-Pro, or PSA for the theater.
So basically, while they aren't my favorite brand, they do offer great performance and support for entry level buyers, and are definitely better than alternatives like REL or Polk.
Personally, I find SVS Subs to have good performance per dollar, in the lower price brackets (SB-1000, SB-2000). The two low models in their lineup are really the value kings.
I also recommend them to friends & randos on the internet because SVS has incredible support and a very good warranty. If/when something isn't working right, SVS can help. I have a pair of SB-2000s which had both amps blow. SVS sent out replacement amps after a quick phone call (I had already diagnosed the amp failure as the problem) and I was back up and running quickly and painlessly. I also had a friend who had some issues with their PB-16 Ultra, and SVS took care of them. SVS is also an american company, which I like.
However, in my system, I won't be going with SVS for future upgrades. The value proposition for anything over the 2000-series is just not that good, and I just don't like the way SVS stuff sounds when driven hard. I'll probably be going with a DIY setup for my desk and either DIY, JBL-Pro, or PSA for the theater.
So basically, while they aren't my favorite brand, they do offer great performance and support for entry level buyers, and are definitely better than alternatives like REL or Polk.
REK2575
Active Member
Yes, that's correct. I should have made that more clear.
Re: 3000 micro
How are we supposed to believe an F3 of 23 Hz when their own graph shows a rolloff starting ~38Hz? It's a horrible graph, too, from the perspective that there are no lines to help follow. If they are ( likely the case) counting on Cabin Gain to deliver that stated F3, they should say so, and in what size room. Let's face it, the larger the room, the less the Cabin Gain effect will have.
How are we supposed to believe an F3 of 23 Hz when their own graph shows a rolloff starting ~38Hz? It's a horrible graph, too, from the perspective that there are no lines to help follow. If they are ( likely the case) counting on Cabin Gain to deliver that stated F3, they should say so, and in what size room. Let's face it, the larger the room, the less the Cabin Gain effect will have.
i've noticed the roll off vs stated fr myself.. interesting ..
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