New SVS SB1000 & PB1000 Subwoofers!! - Page 4

PB-1000 is scheduled to be delivered today. I will try to post some initial impressions tonight. I will probably run it continually on some "chill" music through the weekend to help break it in.

Wow. Really nice sounding sub. It blows my dual Dayton 1200s away but knew it would. Being able to go down to 19 Hz (has some measured output down to 17Hz) gives you a whole new dimension of a movie. Its ok on music. A little boomy. Hopefully after some break-in hours it will get a little better. IMO not as good as the HSU VTF2- MK3 I used to own but money is tighter now so overall for $499 delivered, I am very happy with it.

Hi all, can I also ask a question which of the subwoofers will be better for my room? I live in a small condo in Europe and my living room size is about 215 sq feet. I am debating between the:

PB-1000
SB-1000
SB-12 NSD
BK XXSL400 (hand made in the UK)

I know that generally the 12" driver should outperfom a 10" one, but here with the PB-1000 we have a ported construction with 19Hz...And it is pretty affordable -- 500 Euros (150 less than the SB-12 NSD). Since my room is small I do not think I should worry about power and wattage, but rather the quality of the bass response.

What do you guys recommend?
Edited by KurtCocain - 12/13/12 at 10:19am

That was my take as well; it seemed a little thick in the midsection, and lost a bit of definition because of it. Keep us posted - I'm curious to see if it settles down. Did you run room correction yet?

If you can swing it the SB12-NSD is probably the best of the lot. That's one very fine subwoofer.

So if you are to battle the SB12-NSD and PB-1000, the SB12-NSD is still the better one even though it is not ported and goes down to only 23Hz according to specs?

For me, yes; I would take the SB12.

The driver and amp are up a notch in quality and ability over the PB1000, which I always like. The quoted 23Hz also turned out to be a little under-rated when Audioholics reviewed it. Additionally, in a smaller space you often get something known as "room gain", which can lower the output even further.

The SB12 is a remarkable little subwoofer, with almost nothing negative to say about it. The proven history and track record is part of what would make me opt to got with it.

Increase (deepen) the extension, not lower the output.

You are correct; that's what I actually meant, just typed the wrong word. Who would want to lower the output?

I figured that was the case.
Not me!

Yeah? OK, well I am still under the impression that a ported subwoofer like the PB1000 would do exceptionally well in my small room. I will be sitting at the back of my wall which is about 9 feet away... But again, I know nothing about subs so i trust you guys. I just do not want to overspend and buy the SB12 and not be able to hear the difference, or the opposite (the PB-1000 performs better in my small living room).
Edited by KurtCocain - 12/13/12 at 9:44am

I would call SVS and tell them exactly what it is you are looking for in a sub as well as your room dimensions. Because I wanted something that would show off the low end bass of dubstep, I was told the PB1000 would be my best choice for my budget. The SB1000 will be tighter and more output with more common bass frequencies like around 35Hz-80Hz, but the PB1000 will excel in the lower frequencies. I was told that I should get the PB1000 even over the SB12-NSD so he definitely wasn't trying to up-sell me which is very respectable. I'm sure if I ever want to take advantage of their upgrade policy I'll probably get the PB12-NSD, or maybe just another PB1000.

I just got mine in the mail today but the cables won't be here until tomorrow. It's like having a new car in the driveway without a set of keys lol.

Ported subs are typically more advantageous for a large room, and sealed subs can play quite low with authority in a small, sealed room.

What are the dimensions of your room, and is it sealed or open to other rooms?

They also have an SB12 with no defect in the clearance section for $599:
http://www.svsound.com/outlet-specials/view-all-outlet?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=200&category_id=5#.UMozD2fa2E4

I did run room correction. Helped a bit. Going to continue to run it and break it in and hold off tweaking it too much until the weekend.

Originally Posted by JimWilson

That was my take as well; it seemed a little thick in the midsection, and lost a bit of definition because of it. Keep us posted - I'm curious to see if it settles down. Did you run room correction yet?

Just occurred to me that audyssey corrected my crossovers on the LR to 40 Hz and SVS recommends the crossover point for my RTi 70s to be 60 Hz. So that may help also since both sub and fronts are overlapping a bit in the midbass section.
Edited by Vico38 - 12/13/12 at 12:59pm

My living room is closed (not the traditional big wide space with a kitchen and dining area). It is just like a small bedroom in a condo... or sealed as you call it

The dimensions are as follows:

Length: 16.5 feet
Width: 11.5 feet
Height: 8.5 feet

So... SB-1000 12" sealed or PB-1000 10" ported? Or screw those and get the more expensive SB12? keep in mind I will not be cranking the volume, I do not want to shake the windows as I have neighbors all around me. The thing is my living situation will not change, I will not be living in a house. Think of it as if you are living in a an apartment in NY City. What would you get?

I would probably get that SB12 that is on clearance for $599 and call it a day

I think you can't go wrong with any of the three subs, one thing to consider is the sealed SB12 and SB1000 are smaller than the ported PB1000. Not sure if that is a concern at all in a smaller room, but it may help.

I agree. Sb12 for 100$ more is a great deal. I bought a b stick sb12 and it was mint condition. And you won't wonder what if.

It performs incredibly well!

I am also a condo dweller, and SVS recommended the SB1000 over the SB12-NSD for me, because mostly like I'm not going to need the extra output. My usage case is mostly music, a bit of movies. But I would send SVS an email about your particular use case and let them recommend you something. They will reply quickly.

Wow, i would really hate living in the same building with you guys and your subs...lol. I lived in an appt for 9 years and I had to appear at different neighbors' doors on a few occasions. I have owned a detached home for the past 7 years and I can really appreciate my own space. I wish everyone had that opportunity but I know how things in New York are.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled topic.

Depends on the construction of the building. I have lived in apartments where there was good sound isolation (concrete with good insulation, etc). And I have lived in places where you could hear everything with little to no sound isolation.

It is not just about output and extension. I don't have all the specifics in front of me but the SB12 most likely has a better amp, better finish, better driver, etc. It might play cleaner and if you ever do want extra headroom, it would be there.

That said, the new 1000 subs are a great deal, and if you want to save $100 then it makes sense.

I would probably own a couple Pb1000's if they had been out sooner. It seems that real reviews on those are still rare.

Trace, just curious. What cables did you get to hook up to your PB1000? I'm still going back and forth between the PB and the SB subs myself. Looking forward to more reviews.

.

This is what I purchased from Monoprice:
6.35mm (1/4 Inch) Stereo Plug to RCA Jack Adaptor - Gold Plated
RCA Plug to 6.35mm (1/4 Inch) Mono Jack Adaptor - Gold Plated
2 RCA Jack to 2 RCA Jack Adaptor - Gold Plated
25ft Premium 2 RCA Plug/2 RCA Plug M/M 22AWG Cable - Black

The PB1000 is sitting behind my couch right now, facing to the West if you are sitting North. The length of cables is needed to come all the way around my couch and around to my desk where my PC, interface, and studio monitors are that is in front of my couch. The room layout is odd, at best, but small enough that the sub shouldn't have a problem filling it....2000 cubic feet roughly.

The 1/4" stereo to RCA adapter will be plugged in to my L/R outputs on my external interface with the 25' RCA cables going into those and going to the PB1000 inputs. Another set of 25' RCA from the subs high pass freq outputs to the RCA to female 1/4" adapters that will plug into my male 1/4" to XLR inputs going into my studio monitors. I know that's a lot of adapters and really long cables where I could have just got a Y-splitter from my external interface and split the signal to my sub and studio monitors but I really wanted to take advantage of that high-pass frequency output on the sub to help reduce bass and maximize mids and highs on the monitors. The tech at SVS said this shouldn't be a problem with the long cables running next to each other but I still have yet to test it out. UPS just delivered the cables to my buddies house a few minutes ago but I'll get them tomorrow to test everything out.

I plan on getting another set of Tannoy studio monitors and Y-splitting the output from the sub into two pair of monitors. Logically I don't see any problems doing this but I'm still learning. If anyone objects or foresees any potential issues with how I am doing things please tell

Probably because they're brand new and have only been out for a few weeks. It takes time for reviews to start appearing.

Yes, I've seen a few of your posts concerning it lately. Other reviews have to get done first.

I have two SVS subs - a PB13-Ultra in my main theatre room, and a recently purchased PB12-NSD in my family room. I have a really old Yamaha Servo sub in my two channel system I've been looking to replace in a bedroom. Recently I've seen two subs come up used that caught my interest, a REL Q-150e (selling for $500) and a B&W ASW 2500 (going for $650).

Though I'm sure both are fine subs (the REL is gone now so it's sold) they are very old (early 2000's make) and technology has gone a long way. So for a two channel bedroom system (I have Totem Hawks as my mains that I switch out with Energy Veritas 2.2i's once in a while) and this SB1000 now offered by SVS which I can get delivered to my door for about the middle of the of the two subs above I'm thinking SVS again. I'd have one on every level of the house lol.

Jim - any experience with the REL or B&W models I quoted? Are they still considered a very good sub for the money vs today's subwoofers?

Thanks

By 'very good sub for the money' do you mean value? If so, I'm not sure either of those companies has ever been considered a value manufacturer. Quality yes, but value, not so much.

I have heard a few B&W speakers, but unfortunately I've never had the opportunity to hear the subwoofers from either company. Seeing as how your current unit is about 10 years old I would totally agree with you; perhaps it's time for an update. I can't speak to the sound quality of the SB1000, but if it's essentially a "lite" version of the SB12-NSD it's bound to be a very nice subwoofer.

Thanks Jim - yeah it's for a small room that I have. Those other subs I've seen for sale lately in my area - but IMO sellers are asking too much for subs that are very old. I realize brand new they are way over prices (paying for name) but was curious at those prices if they would be worth it. Room is 10 x 12 with an 8foot ceiling - if i'm going to spend around $500 anyway I think I may as well go with what I know and what would fit there - and SVS. Think I'll get one after (SB1000) after Christmas.

Thanks

Small room + acoustic suspension = happy customer. I would expect you'll find the SB1000 to work very well for you.

Be sure to come back and post your impressions, after it's been broken in and configured of course. I'm sure others will benefit from your experience.