SVS Pb vs Sb
The latest SVS 3000 series consists of a pair of subwoofers - PB-3000 and SB-3000 - in relatively modest cabinets. Unfortunately, I only had to choose one, so I chose the SB-3000. The company's marketing says that the SB-3000's reference level performance has "never been available at this price from a sub of this size". A bold statement, but can it be confirmed?
The genesis of the 3000 series stretches back several years with the introduction of the 16-Ultra series, in which the SVS delivered ultra-high performance in the sub-$2500 subwoofer category and in the process won the Sound & Vision Top Pick award. The 4000 series followed, which featured slightly smaller subwoofers (13.5" vs. 16") and smaller cabinets at a correspondingly lower price. While the move has given customers more choice, $1,500 is a high price tag for most of them. Can the SVS engineers further increase the price and performance of the subwoofer?
As it turns out, yes they could, and with the SB-3000 it did. The new SVS subwoofer measures 15.2 x 15 x 17.8 inches (WxHxD) and weighs 54.5 pounds. The SB-3000 is available in two finishes: black ash or black lacquer with a hard metal grill to protect the front woofer. As the subwoofer enclosure and the subwoofer itself get smaller, the power output below 25Hz decreases, but SVS engineers somehow found a way to make this little beast sub-20Hz expansion along with surprisingly strong output.
The specially designed SB-3000 13" high-speed driver is arguably the best in the company. The new split coil design seems to be the secret ingredient that delivers a big breakthrough in performance. When playing at moderate levels, only the middle part of the reel is used. Then, as the volume gets louder and the need for low frequency expansion increases, the coil expands, allowing you to hear and feel the power of the music or soundtrack. The SB-3000 features a Sledge 800-watt Class-D continuous amplifier with over 2500 watts peak power. Connectivity options include line-in/out, a 12-volt trigger-in, and a port for an SVS wireless adapter (sold separately for $120). There is also a detachable grounded power cable.
The 3000 Series app allows you to adjust the volume and set the low-pass filter, phase, polarity and room gain compensation (a must-have feature for rooms where the lowest frequencies are exaggerated). It also includes a parametric equalizer (PEQ) with settings to set the desired filter frequency (20-200 Hz), increase or decrease the SPL (dB) of the filter band, and adjust the filter bandwidth (Q-factor) to adjust the subwoofer output to suit with a room. There are also three user presets (Cinema, Music and Custom) to store settings for different listening scenarios that can be changed on the fly from the app.SVS Pb vs Sb
My reference system includes four subwoofers that I calibrated with a miniDSP digital room correction processor along with the free Room EQ software. For this review, however, I bypassed the miniDSP and connected the SB-3000 directly to an Anthem AVM-60 preamp/processor, placing it in the middle of my right side wall - one of the best placements in my room.
One advantage of the SB-3000's smaller chassis over some of the company's other models is that it can fit almost anywhere in a room and blend in with its surroundings. To put the dimensions of the SB-3000 in perspective, its body dimensions are 39 percent smaller than the company's SB-4000 and 53 percent smaller than the SB-16 Ultra.
Once installed, I calibrated the output of the SB-3000 with an SPL meter, leaving it for a week and making no adjustments other than keeping the volume at 3 dB as usual. Having lived with several subwoofers for several years, I expected to skip my usual setup, but was surprised to find that if I am not standing and moving around the room, this is not the case with the SB-3000. Sitting in my main listening position, everything sounded fantastic when watching TV programs and occasional movies.
Equalizer is not a problem
Since the SB-3000 does not support a built-in auto-equalizer, I disabled the UMIK-1 USB omnidirectional microphone and the RoomEQ master during my second week of evaluation. My idea was to use objective measurements to see how well the subwoofer is integrated with the room and try to tune the performance using the built in PEQ feature. As expected, I measured a slight dip between 35 and 38 Hz - which I was able to fix in less than five minutes using the PEQ plus 3000 series app. All changes made to the app were instantly recognized, making subwoofer output setup an extremely easy process. .SVS Pb vs Sb
Looking at my measurements, I was most shocked by the subwoofer output from 16Hz to 20Hz. You might expect this range to be weak in a subwoofer of this size, but this was not the case with the SB-3000. The readings certainly matched my experience of watching Ultra HD Blu-ray movies such as Pacific Rim and Hacksaw Ridge, both of which have reference-quality Dolby Atmos soundtracks with copious amounts of LFE. The steps of the characters in Pacific Rim could be felt and heard, and my gender resonated with every step of the giant robots.
In Hacksaw Ridge, I also felt the impact of the 16-inch guns during combat. The performance of the SB-3000 was characterized by extreme low frequency extension, powerful output and transient accuracy. At one point I had to check my wires to make sure I unplugged the other four subwoofers - it was so impressive!
To prepare for Season 8 of Game of Thrones, I watched Season 7 on Blu-ray to reacquaint myself with the land of Westeros. The Atmos soundtrack on these CDs is fantastic and I love Ramin Djawadi's music with its heavy use of cellos. The SB-3000 paired perfectly with my M&K Sound S-150 speaker system: when Daenerys Targaryen led her dragons into battle in the final episode, I could feel every beat of their wings, as well as their fiery breath as they set fire to opponents.
The SB-3000 continued to impress when I switched to music playback. I expected the subwoofer's performance to be well suited for hi-fi use, and it turned out to be just that. Regina Spektor's "Fidelity" has an amazing bass line, hard and clean. With a smaller subwoofer, notes can overhang and confuse the sound. But even at reference levels, the SB-3000 is good - every bass note impresses with power, precision and speed.SVS Pb vs Sb
Conclusion
When the SVS SB-3000 came out I first thought it wouldn't fit in my 5000 cubic foot home theater and I would be forced to evaluate it in my much smaller secondary system. But I turned out to be wrong. I was completely blown away by my experience with the SB-3000, which confirmed the company's claim that it is the most efficient subwoofer of its size.
Priced at $999 for Black Ash and $1,099 for Gloss Black, the SB-3000 is priceless. Throw in a great customization and control app and you'll reap the absolute benefits, no matter what finish you choose.
SVS PB 3000 Subwoofer
Breathtaking bass, well below the line of hearing, yet very precise and full of detail, all at an unbeatable price. To provide excellent bass reference sound, the SVS 3000 series combines the superior technology known from the flagship 16-ultra series subwoofers with innovative solutions. The all-new, 13" long-throw SVS driver with a dual, 11kg toroidalnym motor delivers massive room-filling sound while simultaneously offering you the lowest frequencies with total control and precision. The Sledge STA-800D2 amplifier (800W RMS, 2500+V peak power, MOSFETs) makes it effortless to directly drive a speaker up to the highest levels of membrane tilt,
SVS Pb vs Sb
SB-3000 and PB-3000 have extremely effective tools for sound optimization in the listening room.With skilful use of these equalizers, smaller room resonances can be “ironed out” or any peaks or dips in the frequency response can be compensated for. For effective use purely by ear, however, a little practice with parametric equalizers is required, because without the right measuring equipment it is not easy to find the perfectly fitting values for control frequency, bandwidth of the filter and size of the boost or cut. By the way:SVS Pb vs Sb
The SB-3000, on the other hand, delivers an almost perfectly balanced frequency response out of the box. In our measurements, we also used two of the built-in equalizers in order to achieve maximum linear frequency response. With these effective tools, both subwoofers achieve excellent results, but with the PB-3000 a stronger use of the equalizer is necessary. In the listening room , both the SB-3000 and the PB-3000 shine with their enormously dynamic and precise playing style , with the smaller SB-3000 particularly shining through its perfect impulse reproduction . The closed SB-3000 delivered crisp bass drum hits with musical material to the point , the PB-3000 also set accents with a little more pressure in the stomach area and a somewhat more relaxed manner. Sound-loaded action films are the actual domain of the two "bass monsters" from SVS. SVS Pb vs Sb
With almost unlimited dynamics , the 290 mm membranes push abysmal sound effects into the listening room andshow no signs of compression or even distortion, even at extreme levels . Especially after a careful calibration in the listening room and with sensitive use of the parametric equalizer, home cinema sound at the highest level is possible with both subwoofers. The respective advantages of both subwoofer variants are subtly but clearly audible: while the PB-3000 is the ultimate level and fun supplier, the SB-3000 is no less powerful, but somewhat more precise and therefore also suitable for hi-fi without restrictions . ."SVS Pb vs Sb
Conclusion
"With the two new subwoofer models SB-3000 and PB-3000, SVS brings absolute reference technology and powerful, dynamic and extremely deep bass into every listening room. Despite their reference properties, both models also fit into smaller budgets and are an extraordinarily exciting alternative one of the absolute top series from SVS. Thanks to fully parametric equalizers and extremely powerful amplifier technology, home cinema and hi-fi enjoyment is guaranteed at the highest level."SVS Pb vs Sb
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