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SVS PB-2000 Pro 12-inch Subwoofer Objective Review

hardisj

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Up for test is the SVS PB-2000 Pro Subwoofer. Details can be found at the manufacturer's page (here).

The video linked below covers my thoughts so please watch that.




You can find the CEA-2010 test results spreadsheet here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18bz7z-xIlRJsC-bw6k4mHkuwv_uiGAMyEhgrTkjwdXc/edit?usp=sharing


For those who are data-oriented, I have provided data below. And I have taken the liberty to provide an overlay of a comparison against the Monoprice Monolith THX 12 (in ported mode, THX EQ) because I have gotten many questions regarding how the two compare. In a nutshell, the two are pretty closely matched with the edge going toward the Monolith in terms of response linearity and max SPL per the CEA-2010-A/B standards. However, the SVS provides built-in Bluetooth connection for settings controls in addition to those found on the back. However, with the BT app you can also access 3 bands of P-EQ which, IMHO, is a notable feature and may be a deciding factor for some.

DSC07264.JPG


DSC07268.JPG


DSC07269.JPG


DSC07270.JPG




SVS PB-2000 Pro FR vs Monolith 12.png



CEA-2010-A Results:
1607124593957.png




CEA-2010-B Results:
1607124643988.png



* Note the below impedance graph was taken by bypassing the internal power amp.

SVS PB-1200 Pro Impedance Mag & Phase annotated.png



Total group delay of transfer function H(f)   (refers to left marker).png





That's it. You can stop here unless you want to know about the subwoofer driver itself....



Raw subwoofer driver testing:

I went the extra mile. Using Klippel's LPM and LSI modules I extracted the T/S parameters and linear xmax based on IEC Standard 62458. It measured at about 14mm one-way. Not bad. Not the longest throw ever but pretty good for its sensitivity.

DSC07254.JPG



DSC07205.JPG


SVS PB1200PRO TS.png


SVS PB2000 PRO LSI.png



Force factor Bl (X).png


Stiffness of suspension Kms (X).png


Electrical inductance L(X, I=0).png





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Steve Dallas

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Great review, Erin. My takeaway is the SVS is a solid sub for the money, and the Monolith does offer performance in exchange for the additional outlay. It is nice to have so many good choices on the market.

Now for the SB-2000...

;)
 
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hardisj

hardisj

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Great review, Erin.

Thank you.


Great review, Erin. My takeaway is the SVS is a solid sub for the money, and the Monolith does offer performance in exchange for the additional outlay. It is nice to have so many good choices on the market.

Agreed. I like them both. I think it's just going to come down to which one is on sale because the difference in output isn't too much; about 2dB on average below 40Hz or so. As I mentioned in the OP, the BT feature may be a strong factor to some. I liked it. I don't know how much I would use it but for a 2-channel guy without DSP it may be perfect.


Now for the SB-2000...

;)

We will see. :)
 
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Steve Dallas

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^ Aha. I just noticed they are the same list price. I normally think of SVS being less expensive, because they are almost always on sale somewhere. I paid less than $1000 shipped for my pair of SB-2000s, for example.
 
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Azi_muth

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Great review! I really appreciate that you took the time to measure the driver's T&S parameters.
Being new to the diy game it is interesting for me to see that they used a driver that has an EBP of 51.1 (in theory more suited to the closed case) a rather high Qts...it is a bit against the "rules"
I wonder what section is from the reflex port? Are the ducts bent?
 

blueone

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Great review. Just a nit... it would be nice for readability in the graphs if the plots for the compared products had consistent colors. In this review, sometimes the Monolith plot was red and sometimes blue.
 

richard12511

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Really impressed with what Monoprice has come to the table with in respect to their sub lineup. Bluetooth app may still be the deciding factor for some, as you mentioned. Monolith comes with balanced ins/outs, though, which may be a deciding factor for others, even ignoring the performance advantage.

Both of these subs offer great performance for the money imo.
 

stren

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One of the other deciding factors maybe the finish. Monolith only do the black faux veneer. 2000 pro is also available in gloss black and (for a limited time gloss white for the sealed version too). I was surprised to see the monolith outperform svs on the bottom end for SVS's best 12 incher.
 

stren

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BTW Erin have you reached out to JL - might be interesting to compare the D108/D110 - not sure anyone has measurements on those. E112/E110 was on data-bass I think, but the cheaper D's would be a fairer comparison here.
 

richard12511

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BTW Erin have you reached out to JL - might be interesting to compare the D108/D110 - not sure anyone has measurements on those. E112/E110 was on data-bass I think, but the cheaper D's would be a fairer comparison here.

I would be super interested in seeing the more expensive F series measured. I used to own the F112, and I found it fantastic for the size.
 

Overseas

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Hope it's ok to post here.
just got the old model PB 2000, calibrated with Ypao, very subtle, limited impact on sound
Ypao calibration sets crossover at 60 hz and -10 for sub, matching the sub with my Wharfedale Diamond 9.1
Hand input 90 hz crossover and -8 sub and I start to feel the difference.
Am I doing something wrong ? I am puzzled of all those many reviews claiming huge spectacular improvement in sound with Svs sub.
For ex. I felt big improvement with ypao.
 

stren

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General basic troubleshooting advice - get yourself a calibrated umik mic from minidsp. Plug in a laptop or pc to your receiver, install REW. Measure the frequency response with and without the sub by having REW run some frequency sweeps and verify what is happening in your room with your settings. Then turn off any room correction and play around with your sub location to minimize your dips, then try REW's automatic dsp (for bass only) to fix your room modes. If you like that response, then try and get your receiver to be as good. If it has poor room correction then consider alternatives either as standalone dsp or a better receiver.
 

YSC

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Surprised to see the svs is the less flat one with that dip in the sub bass region (port resonance?)
 

ryanmh1

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I just happened to stumble across the written (vs video) version here with the driver specs on it, and took a rough shot at modeling up the subwoofer, which is quite possible to do thanks to Erin's publishing all of the T/S parameters. I thought it I would post it here for anyone who might find this sort of information interesting, and partially for myself so I don't go and re-create it all later... I like to model these commercial products when I can find the drive parameters to see just how off the models are. With the parameters out there, we might as well use them for something! It helps to be able to understand what measured performance on a DIY subwoofer is going to look like versus a model. Suffice to say that SVS is squeezing every last bit of performance from that driver that they ought to be able to squeeze, and then some.

Based on the published exterior box dimensions, and then subtracting for the thickness of the MDF, displacement of the driver, the ports, and the amplifier, it's probably a safe guess the internal box volume is around 3 cubic feet, +/- perhaps .1 or .2 cubic feet. That renders a reasonably flat response, which would be down by about 3dB if left to its own devices and not subjected to DSP. So, here's the rub--the driver xmax limits at 31.5Hz. Badly. It runs out of xmax at about 107dB (modeled to limit at 110dB, less -3dB to compensate for going from 1M RMS to 2M peak). But SVS appears to squeeze about 113dB out of it. To get to that level, in theory you need to unload 1500W into the driver and run it out to 29mm of excursion. So their claim that the amplifier can unload 1500W peak might not be hyperbole. Still, it seems like this would be past Xlim for the driver, so who knows exactly what's going on here--whatever the case, distortion around 30Hz has to be sky high at high excursion. The need for far more than 550W peak remains true to get the measured numbers at 40Hz, 50Hz, etc. Go lower, down to 20Hz, and the model is dead on for what this subwoofer ought to be able to put out at xmax. Cone excursion is rapidly rising this low, and the amplifier is probably high passed to avoid damage. Plus port compression is playing a role, so they're still running it out past xmax. Down at 16Hz, SVS is beating the model again by a slight amount.

SVS has also clearly done some work to run this driver out to the limit where even a fraction more might smoke it or cause physical damage. They aren't leaving anything on the table. If you think you could ever run some cheap driver this hard, you're wrong. If you think you're going to build your own subwoofer, you flat out cannot run a cheap driver like this as hard as SVS runs this one. You would need to spend a minimum of $250 to get something you wouldn't ruin when run this hard without SVS's limiting. They've also done some work on that driver to get a nice, reasonably flat BL curve out of a cheapo driver. With Le (voicecoil inductance) as low as it is, they might also have a shorting ring on it. The reintroduced PB2000 is an even better deal. Not quite as loud past 25Hz, but it digs just as deep at 20Hz which is where a HT subwoofer tends to run out of gas first. But with the money saved, a pair is only $300 more than a PB-2000 Pro, and will handily butcher it once Audyssey does its thing. And DIY cost on a pair is a minimum of a grand.
 
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