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Are there benefits of having a big ported sub in a small room over a smaller sealed one?

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Oct 4, 2023
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I am currently debating between getting a svs sb 1000 pro sealed sub or a ported svs 2000 sub. My room is a small 4.5x3meter, i will use it only for gaming at rather low/moderate listening levels because of neighbours. Both subs cost the same here. I do Care about low end extension/rumble, control and a general feeling of ,,might“ behind the sound.

Would there be a benefit in that regard of getting the bigger ported 2000 sub over the smaller sealed 1000pro or wouldn’t it matter anyway since my room is small and I listen at rather moderate levels?

I appreciate any insight!
 
In that small room and because you don't listen at high volume I'd recommend the SB1000 Pro. The Pro has some EQ available so that you can correct for frequencies that your room amplifies so you can get rid of excess "rumble" that you don't want. The PB2000 non-pro do not have this feature.
 
I will use a denon x3800h with it. Wouldn’t I be able to eq it over the AVR?
 
I will use a denon x3800h with it. Wouldn’t I be able to eq it over the AVR?
Yes. But I didn't know that. :)

If they are the same price you get a lot more bass for your money with the PB2000. It'd come down to whether you have the space for it then. It is MUCH larger than the SB1000. I have had both.
 
Thanks for the reply.

Would I here the more bass though at my listening levels in such a small room? If not I would rather go with the smaller one to save space
 
Thanks for the reply.

Would I here the more bass though at my listening levels in such a small room? If not I would rather go with the smaller one to save space
Probably not. And if space is a factor you will probably be happy with the small one.
 
I am willing to give up space even just for a small performance benefit. But if I wouldn’t most likely notice the difference I would go with the smaller one.
 
I'd say a better speaker is always better! ;)

But there are lots of trade-offs...

Generalizing.... You can usually get lower frequencies out of a sealed speaker but they tend to be weaker and sealed speakers tend to be less efficient overall. To a point you can overcome that with EQ and more amplifier power until you run out of power or over-drive the speaker into distortion, or burn-out the speaker. (That EQ is often built-into a powered subwoofer.)

And a smaller driver can generally be tuned-lower than a larger driver in the same-size cabinet. Again, at the expense of lower maximum SPL.

So in a small space you may be able to get plenty of low-bass with a small sealed driver.

Most subwoofers used in dance clubs and for live music are large, ported, designs tuned to go-down to about 40Hz. That's the best way to get the efficiency to fill a big space with bass that you can feel in your body.

It a smaller space it's easier to get strong bass that goes lower so it's more common to find home (and studio) subs that go down to 20Hz. They can be ported or sealed.
 
I See. Thank you!

Could you actually hear that the ported more powerfull one has more headroom? Would it sound ,,mightier“ in a sense even if they measure similar in a small room?
 
I See. Thank you!

Could you actually hear that the ported more powerfull one has more headroom? Would it sound ,,mightier“ in a sense even if they measure similar in a small room?
Not if you're not playing it loud. The PB2000 is much more powerful than the SB1000 but of course you would only notice that if you crank it. And if you don't, well you won't. :p
 
I am currently debating between getting a svs sb 1000 pro sealed sub or a ported svs 2000 sub. My room is a small 4.5x3meter, i will use it only for gaming at rather low/moderate listening levels because of neighbours. Both subs cost the same here. I do Care about low end extension/rumble, control and a general feeling of ,,might“ behind the sound.

Would there be a benefit in that regard of getting the bigger ported 2000 sub over the smaller sealed 1000pro or wouldn’t it matter anyway since my room is small and I listen at rather moderate levels?

I appreciate any insight!

Why not PB-1000 Pro as you can run it ported and sealed? No regrets later and you would be settled with more capable sub for future if you move house where you crank louder. The 1000 and 2000 Pro has similar frequency response, but you don´t need the extra headroom the bigger model offers. I would be suprised if you wouldn´t want to watch latest action - scifi blockbusters with it.

In fact, the PB-1000 Pro matches the PB-2000 Pro for mid-bass output at 50Hz and above. It looks to be a big jump in performance over both the original 1000 series as well as the original 2000 series for that matter (except at 25Hz and below). At 20 to 25Hz, the PB-1000 Pro has about a 12dB advantage over the SB-1000 Pro, which is about four times the headroom.

For those who were thinking, “why get a 2000 Pro for mid-bass content when the 1000 Pros can get just as loud?” Well, here is your answer. The PB-2000 Pro can’t be pushed that far past 5% THD above 20Hz even at the absolute maximum drive level. The PB-1000 Pro, on the other hand, can be pushed past 20% THD in midbass frequencies. The PB-1000 Pro can get as loud as the PB-2000 Pro in mid-bass frequencies, but it isn’t as well behaved for the same loudness levels.

 
yeah the PD 1000 Pro is great, unfortunately it cost 1000 euro here. the sb1000pro and the pb 2000 both cost around 750. i would rather not stretch my budget.
 
there is for around 750 too. do you think its better than the sb 1000pro?

right now I think i want a little bit more than the sb1000pro.

so either a pb2000, a pb1000pro if i find one for a good price or a sb2000pro if i find a used one within my range.
 
there is for around 750 too. do you think its better than the sb 1000pro?

right now I think i want a little bit more than the sb1000pro.

so either a pb2000, a pb1000pro if i find one for a good price or a sb2000pro if i find a used one within my range.
Yes from 20-40 Hz the SB2000 is definitely better and it plays deeper than SB1000 Pro due to optimized roll-off slope maxing room gain so purely for home theater use that would be easy choice! I don´t really know what type of effects and how deep bass the current games have. I stopped playing about 20 years ago. :D SB2000 has also benefit as the cabinet is so small that you can find good place for it which i can´t emphasize enough. Get a new one with 5 year warranty!
 
hm, interesting idea with the sb2000, howver i think i would go with the pb2000 for 100 bucks more at 750 to have the piece of mind that i get the most performance within my budget
 
hm, interesting idea with the sb2000, howver i think i would go with the pb2000 for 100 bucks more at 750 to have the piece of mind that i get the most performance within my budget
Now you've changed your goal to the most performance for the money.

If that is your now criteria you must buy the PB2000. There is no contest to both PB1000, SB1000 Pro or SB2000
 
i can either get a sb2000pro or a pb2000 non pro for the same price. What do you think is better performance wise?
 
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