SVS 3000 Micro Subwoofer (announced)

[prmfeddema]

I have been looking into these small subs for purchase in the near future....I have a small apt and do not need a lot of boom....although I would like the boom to be tight and fast. Just my 2cents (I am NO expert), my take so far, if it were. I was very interested in the KEF...but was prompted by one of “us” to look into the SVS Micro. I watched Joe’s review (he covered both well, but only listened to the SVS)...and Steve’s reviews (one for each sub). I would call Joe’s excellent review the technical review....and Steve’s the emotional, experienced reviews. BOTH reviewers did and EXCELLENT job of informing me in different ways. BOTH subs are really good apparently. Steve was DEFINITELY partial to the KEF. He had that little twinkle in his eye when his said that it was fast and punchy....more so than the SVS....”for him”. Perhaps so...but the SVS has a LOT going for it too. The cost (if you by two from SVS you can have wireless stereo subs for the price of one KEF that is still not wireless if I am reading everything correctly)...The warranty on the SVS blows the KEF out of the water AND it would seem that the SVS APP is an embarrassment to the “hot shots” at KEF. Right....but....as a jack of all trades and master of none...I also have this observation....The KEF is smaller and weighs 33% MORE than the larger SVS (I am guessing that the dual use magnet must be huge?)....also...is has more power for smaller drivers than the SVS. So both those things make me think that Steve is correct when he says that the KEF is faster and punchier..... Hard to know...and guess the only real way to know would be to audition both in my living space. I guess that that is doable....but the price on the KEF seems to high to me....but I do not know what has gone into R&D and the manufacturing....easy for me to say.... It sure is all very interesting!!!!!

the Kef has some issues. Awaiting response from Kef.

more details here: https://www.avforums.com/threads/kef-kc62-subwoofer-owners-thread.2349760/

 

[Bobo77]

@Bobo77 go with the 3000 Micro and be happy. I would.

...or two?

 

[MrPeabody]

Size ... With respect to the question: "How much space will this take up?", the most meaningful indicator is probably the floor area. The SB-1000 is 192 in^2. The 3000 micro is 125 in^2. With this perspective, the SB1000 is larger by 50%.

 

[More Dynamics Please]

If a matter of inches is weighing on anyone's mind it's easy enough to cut up some old carboard boxes, mock up the 3000 Micro and KC62 to size, set them side by side on your floor and see with your own eyes what a difference it would make in your space.

 

[Descartes]

When will we see an independent scientific review? Until then it’s just opinions except maybe on the size!

 

[sweetchaos]

I have a feeling we'll see a review very soon...since we have 3 possible sources that hinted at the upcoming review (with CEA-2010-A data):
1. Erin - already announced that the review *might* happen in April.
2. James Larson from Audioholics said:
"We intend to see for ourselves and show you the results; *stay tuned* to Audioholics for a review of the SVS 3000 Micro."
3. HomeTheaterReview said:
Home Theater Review will offer an in-depth review soon of the SVS 3000 Micro *soon*.

 

[Descartes]

I have a feeling we'll see a review very soon...since we have 3 possible sources that hinted at the upcoming review (with CEA-2010-A data):
1. Erin - already announced that the review *might* happen in April.
2. James Larson from Audioholics said:
"We intend to see for ourselves and show you the results; *stay tuned* to Audioholics for a review of the SVS 3000 Micro."
3. HomeTheaterReview said:
Home Theater Review will offer an in-depth review soon of the SVS 3000 Micro *soon*.

Home theater review is usually only subjective “audiophile mumbojumbo” where as Audioholic and Erin measure equipment using scientific equipment and provide mathematical data!

 

[sweetchaos]

Home theater review is usually only subjective “audiophile mumbojumbo” where as Audioholic and Erin measure equipment using scientific equipment and provide mathematical data!

A gentleman Brian Kahn (from HomeTheaterReview) has recently started publishing CEA-2010-A data, so that's why I mentioned them.
1st one was SVS SB-4000 (on Feb 18, 2021) and 2nd was Magico ASUB (on Mar 15, 2021).
Scroll down until you see CEA-2010-A data.

Their subjective review is meaningless to me, since I just need the CEA-2010-A data.

 

[richard12511]

Magico ASUB (on Mar 15, 2021).

Wow, what a terrible sub for $7,200. No doubt a few audiophile's will be suckered into that, and Magico's banking on it.

 

[jhaider]

Wow, what a terrible sub for $7,200. No doubt a few audiophile's will be suckered into that, and Magico's banking on it.

Magico used to offer great - pricey and industrial looking, but performant - subwoofers with dual opposed Aurasound drivers and tons of power. This is a massive regression.

https://www.magicoaudio.com/q-sub

 

[richard12511]

Magico used to offer great - pricey and industrial looking, but performant - subwoofers with dual opposed Aurasound drivers and tons of power. This is a massive regression.

Interesting. Seems like now they're just cashing in. 90dB of distortion limited output at 20Hz is garbage for that price.

 

[stren]

Has there been any testing of opposed subwoofers vs non-opposed for actual vibration isolation? While opposed makes sense to reduce vibrations I'd love to know if there's any actual benefit, i.e. is it only useful for subs on a non-concrete floor, or does the sub output couple just as well anyway? Cost wise for performance you're usually better off with multiple non-opposed.

 

[Bear123]

I think the new SVS micro 3000 is a smart offering. I'd consider getting one if I needed a really small sub somewhere such as a bedroom, office, or tiny living room. However, I think many people are too focused on getting micro subs when there is no reason to. For example, I saw someone mention something like "hey, these are small enough that I can use them on either side of my couch!". Personally, I think these are so small they would look silly flanking a couch. Would anyone buy end tables 11" all around to put on either side of their couch? No, this would look completely stupid. I think a much larger, normal size sub like PSA S3012 would blend into many decors better than a miniscule cube when used as an end table:
PSA S3012
Close to proper size for an end table, inert so things won't vibrate off, world class performance with dual B&C 15DS115" Neo pro audio high excursion drivers. Standard finish is basic but comes in very nice wood veneer as well.

If we are looking at $1500 for KEF's micro cube, I'd rather have the PSA sitting beside my couch as an appropriate sized piece of furniture rather than a tiny little of out place cube.

I realize there are situations where there may not be enough physical space to fit an 18" wide sub vs an 11" wide box. But the size limitation is also often simply self imposed rather than necessary.

And yes, I realize that a large, $2100 sub is not necessarily a direct competitor/comparison to the micro subs, but in some cases, perhaps it should be a consideration.

 

[kokoon]

I just can't wrap my head around how hard it is for so many people to at least accept (if not understand) that some rooms / apartments just don't allow for a typical 12" sealed sub box. It's not about trying to have cute subs, it's not even about saving space... it's about physically fitting a sub at all!

The amount of comments I read so far that say how weak those micro subs are, how expensive they are and how much more SPL you could get for much less money... why don't they ask first if it even is about SPL? Why don't they ask if the budget is even limited?

 

[muslhead]

I just can't wrap my head around how hard it is for so many people to at least accept (if not understand) that some rooms / apartments just don't allow for a typical 12" sealed sub box. It's not about trying to have cute subs, it's not even about saving space... it's about physically fitting a sub at all!

The amount of comments I read so far that say how weak those micro subs are, how expensive they are and how much more SPL you could get for much less money... why don't they ask first if it even is about SPL? Why don't they ask if the budget is even limited?

because they are narrow minded?

 

[FrantzM]

I just can't wrap my head around how hard it is for so many people to at least accept (if not understand) that some rooms / apartments just don't allow for a typical 12" sealed sub box. It's not about trying to have cute subs, it's not even about saving space... it's about physically fitting a sub at all!

The amount of comments I read so far that say how weak those micro subs are, how expensive they are and how much more SPL you could get for much less money... why don't they ask first if it even is about SPL? Why don't they ask if the budget is even limited?

Mea culpa ! .

+1...

I was one of those until, I moved to my present mancave, 4 x 3 x 2.8 m (L x w x H). I had to "downgrade" from 3 to 2 Dayton Audio SUB-1500 because these are too big in term of size for the room... It is not an issue of output, but of sheer size/girth : They're 21.6 x 20.7 x 21.6 inches ( 55 x 52 x 55 cm for metric-philes ) They consume a sizable piece of real estate... thus I am, for the very first time in my audiophile life, considering smaller subwoofers. The SVS micro 3000 fit that bit perfectly; If they are as excellent as on paper (SVS specs) , they could be an upgrade in this room.
I am with you. Often we have to open our minds to new perspectives.

P.S.

I made a mock-up with letter-sized paper and ...darn! If I am to believe in those reviews ... They are exactly what I need...

 

[mkawa]

i have one of these on hand. it's tiny and cute and is capable of putting out quite a bit of SPL. fire away with questions..

 

[JohnBooty]

Rhythmik, GoldenEar, Dynaudio, Bowers & Wilkins and Barefoot are among the companies currently offering dual opposed subwoofer models.

Hilariously (and impressively) Apple uses tiny, dual-opposed woofers in their 16" MacBook Pro.
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019...nch-macbook-pro-the-worlds-best-pro-notebook/

Given the form factor, the sound out of that thing is astonishing. Not going to replace anybody's hi-fi for sure, but at low volumes you get actual audible bass down to 60-80hz and some excellent vocal clarity.

I think a number of wretched bluetooth speakers use opposed woofers as well. Helps to prevent the little candy bar from bouncing all over the table when it tries to play bass.

 

[JohnBooty]

I just can't wrap my head around how hard it is for so many people to at least accept (if not understand) that some rooms / apartments just don't allow for a typical 12" sealed sub box. It's not about trying to have cute subs, it's not even about saving space... it's about physically fitting a sub at all!

The amount of comments I read so far that say how weak those micro subs are, how expensive they are and how much more SPL you could get for much less money... why don't they ask first if it even is about SPL? Why don't they ask if the budget is even limited?

Absolutely. Thank you for posting this.

Even in many "typical" 3BR American suburban family homes (the sort of home many would consider themselves fortunate to afford) it's typically not easy to find space for a 12" sub.

The placement flexibility afforded by mini subs may actually allow them to outperform larger subs in a lot of situations. I think most of us are all too familiar with the reality that subwoofer positioning tends to be the limiting factor for many of us when it comes to "real world" performance.

 

[Soniclife]

I just can't wrap my head around how hard it is for so many people to at least accept (if not understand) that some rooms / apartments just don't allow for a typical 12" sealed sub box. It's not about trying to have cute subs, it's not even about saving space... it's about physically fitting a sub at all!

The amount of comments I read so far that say how weak those micro subs are, how expensive they are and how much more SPL you could get for much less money... why don't they ask first if it even is about SPL? Why don't they ask if the budget is even limited?

It's odd isn't it. It's the same when reviews are done of very small speakers, a surprising number of people think they have no value because they can personally fit large speakers in.