SVSPB-1000 Pro Ported Subwoofer (Premium Black Ash)

Having lived with a home theater speaker system for over 12 years, I upgraded parts of the system every several years: first the center channel speaker then the display panel then the tower speakers and, late in 2021, it was the subwoofer's (Premier Acoustic PA-120) turn.Based on my budget and my desire for accurate tonal balance (frequency response) at my seating positions, this was a challenge. I did not want to spend over $1,000 on any of my speakers nor the subwoofer yet I wanted flat and extended response. Up until now, this was simply unattainable because of the price constraint, my listening room's acoustics and the simple lack of lower-priced options in the market.My listening room is a 15 x 17-1/2 foot room with an opening (3-1/2 x 6 feet) near the the left front tower speaker. That missing corner leads to a hallway, a small foyer, and a family room. So the only practical remaining space for a wired subwoofer is the right front corner, which is where my previous subwoofer was located. The results were still terrible, as the bass was very uneven and there was a massive cancellation around 87 to 95 Hz, a massive hump around 46Hz and more uneven output down to 35Hz followed by very weak output in the 28Hz to 30Hz region. Using the typical built-in 2-EQ Audyssey in my receiver did nothing to help this. I had a choice of overbearing, woolly, thick and bloated Audyssey-EQ'ed bass or anemic bass. Desperate to remove my room from the equation, I decided to explore wireless systems several months ago and settled on a BIC WTR-SYS wireless transmitter/receiver system to turn my existing subwoofer into a wireless one so that I can place it as close to my listening position as possible. It was placed on a rear corner 3 feet to the left of my listening position (aligned to my sofa).This was much better with virtually none of the aforementioned uneven bass. But there was one problem: extension and transient speed. The bass was now limited to weak output at 35Hz. This isn't exactly bad but it's the kind of extension you would expect from an average bass module ("subwoofer" isn't exactly an appropriate term in this case) you'd buy at a discount warehouse. You might question my mention of transient speed and technical reviewers even clearly state that the sensation of bass tightness is possible only when accompanied by upper midrange from a source such as a bass pedal. But you know certain bass sounds should start and stop on a dime and you would notice them if they don't. It's the difference between a rumble or thud and a good lightning fast kick in the pants.This led me to read more professional subwoofer reviews. I needed extension preferably to at least 25Hz. After perusing the reviews, SVS kept standing out for its combination of low price and awesome extension at high sound pressure levels. Initially, I kept eyeing the holiday subwoofer sales on SVS' website of the PB-1000 but the somewhat more expensive and newer PB-1000 Pro stood out to me for its app that enabled super flexible parametric equalization adjustments in real-time via Bluetooth.I'm so glad I bought the latter a couple of weeks ago. The SVS PB-1000 Pro is slightly larger than my old sub but slightly lighter (at 50 lbs.). For the uninitiated listeners, the on-line manual is extremely helpful yet brief, especially in its discussion of placement options (corner placement, between the center and main front speaker or side wall). Much of the competition provides little detail here. In a few concise sentences, it describes the strengths of each placement option. From deduction you get a sense of what compromises are involved between the options. Then there is a discussion of placement options for those listeners who use two subs for more even bass coverage in the listening room. Simple illustrations clearly show the placement options and include the wireless configuration showing SVS' own wireless transmitter-receiver system.Using the same rear corner (sidewall) placement as my previous subwoofer, I used a sweeping low frequency tone to measure the sound pressure level (SPL) from 160Hz down to 20Hz. The results right out of the box were quite good with relatively flat bass. Without any adjustments the bass remained very strong to around 25Hz. Switching the polarity 180 degrees via the free downloadable SVS Subwoofer app and keeping the crossover frequency at the default 80Hz, I ensured that the front towers crossover was set at the same frequency and I left the power option to the default "On" position and the port setting to the default "open" setting for maximum bass extension. The real godsend was the parametric EQ of the app. It allowed me to control the Q (width) and amplitude of the adjustment at 3 different bass frequencies of my choice. That is, I was able to choose any 3 center frequencies of my choice and make adjustments to the Q at plus or minus 6dB. After some experimentation, I was easily able to obtain flat bass (plus or minus 3dB) down to the 20Hz limit of the swept bass tone. Finally, I used the receivers level calibration system and my SPL meter to set the volume of all channels to the same output level (volume) at my listening position.Of course, I used movie and music passages to evaluate the bass. The first 2 minutes of "Titanic" on Blu-ray as well as the climaxes gave a good sense of solid enveloping bass that remained clean even at high volume. The latest James Bond movie, "No Time To Die" was another good source. When Daniel Craig was in Safin's lab/factory the PB-1000 Pro gave an excellent forewarning of action when it produced nearly inaudible but very palpable, rhythmic, quick yet deep bass pulses. My previous sub was never able to do this.Turning over to music, I played the first and last track of James Horner's "Titanic" CD soundtrack. The unmistakable subsonic bass pressurized the listening room. Switching over to pop/rock material, I played Peter Gabriel's "Shaking The Tree", a track that effectively builds to a climax using big bass kick drums beginning in the middle of the song. At high volumes, you feel the rhythm of the bass in your gut. Finally, I slipped in a1987 release of Holst The Planets conducted by Charles Dutoit with the Orchestre smphonique de Montreal. If you want to hear and feel crescendos, the last 30 seconds of track 7 ("Uranus - The Magician") is skin tingling (or is it intestine jiggling). Even at fairly low volume the PB-1000 Pro made my skin tingle.Regardless of material or volume, the PB-1000 Pro never ran out of gas. There was no congestion of bass caused by the 12-inch driver bottoming out, no distortion, no bloat due to the driver stopping too slow. It just delivered the entire bass range in clean, quick, palpable, gut punching bass when called for. At the same time, it could properly give you a subtle hint of body when the music or movie passage was at lower volumes as well. Whether it's the extra thick surround of the 12-inch driver, the stiff driver material that keeps the driver moving in a pistonic motion even at high volume, the two front-firing ports that never produced any rude noises or chuffing, or the built-in high-powered Class-D amplifier or a combination of these things, I can't fault the performance of this subwoofer. For the average consumer, it may seem expensive but when he or she realizes what it can actually do compared to the competition, it is an unmistakable bargain.

I wanted to give it a few weeks after I purchased before I wrote a review. This is the cleanest bass for a powered speaker I have heard at this price. The great reviews about this sub are exactly spot on you will be glad you spent the money. The retailer I bought from was amazing. I had purchased a used like new model at about a $200 difference from buying new never out of box. It was getting close to the day it was supposed to arrive so I decided to call them and see if there was an issue with my order, the guy from customer service, pleasant person to talk with, begin to explain that when they had boxed my item and was waiting on the delivery service to pick up that there was an accident and more damage was done to the sub instead of trying to push it on me anyway or sending another used SVS PB1000 they sent me a new never out of box model at no extra cost. I can’t wait till I can get another one

First, I must give a huge shout out to GLAM_AZON. I purchased a used unit from them, but to ensure my complete satisfaction they sent me a Brand-New unit!!!For context: I've been slowly building/upgrading my home theater. My first and only sub before this was a Klipsch R-12SW. I thought it was truly great, especially with action movies and music like EDM. Fast forward a few years, SVS updates their 1000 series, and because of the positive reviews/hype I decided to get one, and I'm so glad I did. Compared to the Klipsch (a great "boom box"), the SVS fills the room with bass that has clear delineation between each bass note. The bass is truly breath taking.Now, I realize the SVS is roughly 3X the price of the Klipsch, everyone has to start somewhere in their audio journey, and for some $200 is a lot of money for a sub (it was for me). Just something to consider, if you are looking for an end game SUB then I would say wait/save the $600 and get the pb-1000 pro, you won't regret it. AND if, within the year you want to upgrade, SVS has an upgrade program (you must buy directly from SVS to get this deal). For my room I don't need anything larger, but I will be getting a second pb-1000 pro soon to even out the bass.A note about the Soundpath Isolation pads - Per SVS and other reviews the pads are most useful for those living in apartments, those on second stories where isolation from other rooms is needed, and when the sub is placed on false floors/floating wood flooring. I don't fall into any of those categories. My sub is sitting on the first floor made of tile/cement. That said, I did notice the bass sounded tighter with the pads installed (I can't rule out that this could be placebo but my thought was $50 is worth getting the very best out of my investment). Most will probably save the $50, but if its the pads or an isolation plate, I prefer the look of the pads.Now about my AVR/SUB settings. I watched videos from Subwoofer 101 and Home Theater Gamer when learning how to set-up/get the most out of the pb-1000 pro, so BIG thanks to them for their insight and experience. Below are the steps I took with settings for my AVR and Sub.Denon AVR-x4500h:Buy Audyssey MultiEQ app ($20) and run AudysseySet LCR to Small with Crossover at 90HzWhatever Audyssey sets the Level (dB) of the sub, increase it 6 to 10dB. Mine was initially set to -12.0 and I changed it to -6.0Midrange Compensation - OFFCurve Editor - Leave AloneMultiEQ Filter Frequency Range - Limit to 350HzOn the SVS app: (its priceless to be able to sit on your couch and tune the sub)Home Volume = -10dB , Preset = NONELow Pass Filter = OFF (LFE Mode Active)Phase = 0Polarity = Positive (default)Parametric EQ (PEQ1 Active) => Freq = 29Hz , BOOST = 4.0 dB , Q factor = 2.5Room Gain Compensation = OFF (set this to ON if you have the sub in a small room)Port Tuning = Standard (I haven't tried plugging the ports yet, but I might for music)And that's it! Obviously your settings may be different depending on your room and equipment but hopefully this info will give you a good starting point to getting the most out of the pb-1000 pro.Happy Listening!