The subwoofers of the American company SVS are constantly heard in the States, the brand’s popularity is growing in Europe, and in our country, this brand is increasingly mentioned when talking about which subwoofers are better. I was brought to test the SVS SB-3000, announced last fall, with closed box acoustics and a newfangled Bluetooth control option.

For those wondering, SVS was originally a very small firm formed in the late 1990s in Ohio, USA. She traded her products directly via the Internet and promoted them through enthusiastic connoisseurs. However, things went so well that today it is a large company with dealers all over the world.

I remember that the first SVS subwoofer came to me about 10 years ago, and it really was a revelation, and even then the question disappeared – which subwoofers are better. A purely cinematic subwoofer, a very simple inexpressive design, but how it sounded LFE tracks from DVD! And the price at that time was very attractive – in general, I almost bought it,

Which subwoofers are better – what’s inside?

The fresh 3000 series consists of two models. With the PB index – a phase inverter case, and the second model of the series – SB (closed case) arrived at the Nazarov Gallery, where the test took place. The first option is traditionally able to provide more bass, the second is considered audiophile and “correct”. The company itself claims that it has “achieved an incredible level of reproduction from a body of this size”, which further fuels interest in the model. What is there inside?

The designers were not modest, they placed three SVS logos at once on the proprietary 13-inch speaker

First, it’s a brand new 13-inch (custom size, right?) speaker with an aluminum cone, two ferrite magnets and a voice coil with two windings wound with flat wire. Naturally, a special long-stroke suspension, and the “long-stroke” dynamics is clearly emphasized by a curved metal grill. The grill itself is controversial in terms of aesthetics, but it can be removed. Moreover, there is no longer a bright blue LED on the front panel – nothing will distract from viewing.

The back panel is very concise, but you will have to use it once – everything is much more convenient to do through the application

The speaker is powered by a branded 800-watt Sledge class D amplifier, capable of delivering 2.5 kW at a peak. All this is housed in a fairly compact MDF case, and the entire system is controlled by an Analog Devices 50 MHz DSP processor. The device is controlled from the rear panel, where all the controls and simple indicators in the form of LEDs are located. However, it is most convenient to configure the device through the application, which is discussed below.best svs subwoofer for the money

Connecting the SB-3000 is quite simple – extremely low-level connection in both mono and stereo. There are also low-level outputs if you want to connect several subwoofers in a row. There is also a USB connector on the rear panel for connecting a wireless receiver, which is supplied separately. It’s a pity, but I didn’t manage to get acquainted with it: after all, often people decide that there is nowhere to put the subwoofer except behind the sofa, and no one guessed to lay the wires there in advance.

A sort of “explosion scheme” of the subwoofer

The subwoofer is produced in one color: black veneer (actually a high-quality film “under the veneer”) and black lacquer.

Application

I decided to carry out the configuration using the modern method – using the application. With SVS, the application cannot be called colorful and rich, but it is simple and understandable even for a user who is not particularly familiar with technical terms. The application itself detects subwoofers (works using the BLE protocol) and connects to it very quickly. When the application is restarted, it automatically connects to the machine.

I won’t mention the standard phase and volume type adjustments, but I’ll talk about the features. The most important is a three-band equalizer, which can be used to correct the frequency response. Interestingly, with its help, it was possible to remove the resonance that caused the air conditioner cover in the listening room to rattle. It turned out quite by accident – in the process of experiments. In general, the thing is rather useful, but not the fact that it is in demand – no auto-tuning systems are provided in the SB-3000.

There is also a room gain compensation function where you can select the frequency and slope of the cutoff – this can also help deal with room resonances or too booming bass. The application has three options for presets, the names of which can be changed.

The graphics are large, the controls are clear. Setting the frequency response curve of the equalizer with your finger is as easy as shelling pears

What is very nice and valuable – in the application, each item is equipped with a built-in simple and understandable help (in English) and there is a separate “tutorial”. The reaction to all changes is almost lightning fast – the application works quickly and reliably.

When using several subwoofers in the system, their identification is possible by serial numbers. In addition, they can be renamed, but the names, again, will have to be set in Latin.

low frequency meat

The SVS SB-3000 was connected to a system with a Denon AVR-X4500H AV receiver and Oberon DALI speakers. I left my favorite “Terminator: Genesis” for dessert, and I decided to check the compliance of the manufacturer’s statements about the incredible bass with my own feelings about “low-frequency meat” on the basis of the film “For Conscience’s sake”, where the “meat” sound and image (pieces of meat are tasty scatter in the scene of the assault on the heights) in the literal sense of the word.

The image scale of 42 inches does not reach the scale of the sound picture – a large screen and a projector are requested

Power and strength are the first impressions from watching the aforementioned scene. A room of 25 sq.m. fills some kind of hurricane – I, sitting about 2.5 meters from the subwoofer, really blew in my legs! The bass from the SB-3000 literally fills the whole room, and if for less powerful devices you usually want to put two subwoofers in opposite corners of the room, then in this case one was enough. I can’t say what made my way to the liver (I would like more depth), but the pressure and scale are what you need! The 42-inch Loewe installed in this room clearly did not correspond to the scale of the sound stage – a large screen and a projector were immediately wanted.best svs subwoofer for the money

The bass is quite fast, not booming (although this is partly due to the processed room), large-scale. It’s big and cool, but when compared to subwoofers of another level, it’s not as structured and elegant (however, other manufacturers want more money). Although SVS hints that we are kings in cinema and experts in music, I believe that the right audiophile subwoofer must necessarily have a high-level input – the SB-3000 does not have it, as well as a balanced connection. But these are lyrics on the hackneyed topic “why pay twice as much” – there is a reason, it all depends on the tasks. If the task is to build a powerful spectacular cinema – then SVS, of course, goes to the kings. And there is no particular sense in looking for nuances and talking about high matters in a DC of an average level.

I switched to the well-known “Terminator” and did not even notice how with pleasure I watched not only the episode with the race on the bridge but also a little further – everything is in place, and everything is as it should be. I repeat: effectively and with good dynamics. This is exactly what you expect when watching a modern action movie – to enjoy the effects and scale of the action taking place on the screen.

Conclusion

The SB-3000 will fit perfectly into the vast majority of cinemas, where it will be enough for a room up to 30–40 sq.m. It’s not as bulky as you’d expect, looking at the specs and actual capabilities – it makes it easier to place if we’re talking about theaters built in general-purpose rooms (cinemas are usually designed for a specific task only and the equipment there is already of a different class).

It’s very easy to manage, easy to set up, and the SVS app is the best I’ve seen so far in this segment.