svs 3000 micro vs sb 3000
SVS was founded in 1998 by a group of audio enthusiasts seeking to develop a better alternative to the underperforming and overpriced subwoofers flooding the US retail market. They have exceeded all expectations, and SVS is now a global brand with great credibility and a whole army of loyal fans of the brand. Using state-of-the-art technology, and high-quality components, the SVS team has created a line of premium audio products that bring music and movies to life with stunning realism - all at affordable prices.
svs sb 3000
The SVS continues its tradition of delivering more than enough bass for your budget, this time in a relatively compact subwoofer accompanied by a helpful setup and control app.
Based in Youngstown, Ohio, SVS has been making subwoofers since the late 1990s. It started out as a small internet directive company that sold its products through online enthusiast forums but has since grown into a global company with dealer partners around the world. I have owned many SVS subwoofers over the years and have recommended them countless times to friends and family.
Like other companies, speaker manufacturers must regularly innovate and release new products, or else the competition will pass them by. SVS definitely can't rest on its laurels.
The latest SVS 3000 series consists of a pair of subwoofers - PB-3000 and SB-3000 - in relatively modest cabinets.
The genesis of the 3000 series stretches back several years with the introduction of the 16-Ultra series, in which the SVS delivered an ultra-high performance in the sub-$2500 subwoofer category and in the process received 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 choices, $1,500 is a high price tag for most of them. Can 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 provides 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 of peak power. Connectivity options include line-in/out, a 12-volt trigger input, 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 save settings for different listening scenarios, which can be changed on the fly from the app.
My reference system includes four subwoofers that I calibrated using 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'm 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.
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.
Conclusion
When the SVS SB-3000 came out I first thought it wouldn't fit in my 5000 cubic foot home theater and that 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.
pros
- Superior performance for the price
- Great iOS/Android control app
- Compact Form Factor
Cons
- No automatic calibration / room equalizer
