I am looking at several subs, including the Definitive Technology ProSub 1000. The other sub on my short list is the SVS PB10 NSD. I do not want to spend more than $500 and I can get either of these for less than that. The living room in which we watch movies and listen to music is 17 X 14 X 9, largely open in back to the kitchen area. Listening will be 75% music, 25% movies. I have young kids at home, which ultimately means that we don't often have things turned way up. In other words, sound quality is quite a bit more important to me than quantity. My wife is an interior designer who frequently has clients at our home, so you can imagine that I need this sub to have as little visual presence in the room as possible, which is why I'm a bit hesitant on the SVS. Does anybody here have any experience with the Def Tech sub? It sounds pretty good in the showroom, but I realize that this doesn't necessarily mean much since that showroom is completely different than my living room! Thanks for any input you might provide.

I am looking at several subs, including the Definitive Technology ProSub 1000. The other sub on my short list is the SVS PB10 NSD. I do not want to spend more than $500 and I can get either of these for less than that. The living room in which we watch movies and listen to music is 17 X 14 X 9, largely open in back to the kitchen area. Listening will be 75% music, 25% movies. I have young kids at home, which ultimately means that we don't often have things turned way up. In other words, sound quality is quite a bit more important to me than quantity. My wife is an interior designer who frequently has clients at our home, so you can imagine that I need this sub to have as little visual presence in the room as possible, which is why I'm a bit hesitant on the SVS. Does anybody here have any experience with the Def Tech sub? It sounds pretty good in the showroom, but I realize that this doesn't necessarily mean much since that showroom is completely different than my living room! Thanks for any input you might provide.

I would not recommend the Def Tech sub. The PB 10 NSD is very very good, but not very small. If you really want a good looking small sub you should find an SVS SB-12 Plus in Rosenut. Try to find a B-Stock unit. Even then, it will cost you more than $500.

All the Best

Thanks for the feedback. I am really a newb with this stuff, so please pardon my ignorance. The Def Tech sounded pretty good when I heard it, but I really don't have a great point of reference. The others that I heard were all just the normal brand items at Best Buy, so I'm sure they weren't anything special. The "sub" I'm currently running is a powered 8" unit that came with an inexpensive Onkyo speaker system I received as a gift a few years ago, so I imagine anything I get is going to be a big improvement! I've gotten rid of the other speakers that came with that system and am now running Speakercraft AIM8 3's, which I'm happy with.

From a performance perspective, what differences should I expect between the Def Tech and the SVS? Having read a lot of posts on the forum now, I see that the SVS seems to be very highly regarded, so that gives me a level of comfort with buying something "sight unseen". The only downside of the SVS is that it is physically pretty large. I really can't spend more than $500 on the sub, so one of the higher quality smaller subs is not much of an option unless I can find one used.

I had a ProSub1000 for a few weeks. Couldn't get loud enough for my taste. It had pretty decent output above 35Hz. Below 35Hz, it was dismal. The PB10 NSD will be significantly louder below 35Hz. Since BB/Magnolia has a generous return policy, there's no risk in trying the ProSub1000 at home. Worse thing that can happen is what I ended up doing, returning it.

--Gordon