The American company SVS was founded at the end of the last century and today is well known to all movie and music lovers as a manufacturer of a wide range of subwoofers. We decided to acquaint our readers with these interesting solutions in more detail and took one characteristic model in each of the five series.

SVS SB 1000 Pro vs PB 1000 Pro

Following the traditional SVS naming conventions, the SB-1000 Pro is a sealed subwoofer, and the PB-1000 Pro is its ported equivalent. Both are equipped with SVS’ new 12-inch high-excursion driver and 325-watt RMS/820-watt peak power Sledge STA-325D amplifier, paired with the latest Analog Devices DSP. The SB-1000 Pro measures 13.5 x 13 x 14.76 inches with its grille affixed and weighs 26 pounds, while the larger PB-1000 Pro is 18.9 x 15 x 20 inches with grille and weighs 42.5 pounds. The SB-1000 Pro sells $499.99 in black ash and $599.99 in piano gloss black or piano gloss white. The PB-1000 Pro sells for $599.99 and is only available in black ash.

Both subs, though, perform better than you would expect at those price points. There are many subs available that can thump, pump, and deliver the low-frequency effects required when watching movies, and others that can handle the transients required to faithfully reproduce your favorite music in your home in a way intended by the musicians, producers, and mixers. But very few can deliver both. SVS’s SB-1000 Pro and PB-1000 Pro subwoofers are among the elite few that can. 

Pros And Cons

SVS Sb 1000 Pro

Pros

The SVS SB-1000 Pro delivers clear, engaging bass with real detail.

The new controls on the SVS SB-1000 Pro are blessedly simple to use.

There’s no price increase on the previous model.

Cons

The volume on the SVS SB-1000 Pro isn’t huge, and it won’t be suitable for larger rooms.

While the SB-1000 Pro is an excellent entry-level subwoofer, there are cheaper options with fewer bells and whistles.

SVS Pb 1000 Pro

Pros

Very compact size, good-looking, and well-built subwoofer

Wide-range, high-resolution, and precise DSP bass-response adjustments

The sufficiently powerful onboard amplifier

Bluetooth wireless control using a smart-device app

The abundant quantity of quality bass

Cons

None 

SVS Pb 1000 Pro

When the enclosed subwoofer is equipped with a powerful amplifier and a quality driver, you can expect deep and clear bass. But only if such a system is properly managed. To meet this challenge, the SVS SB-2000 is equipped with a powerful DSP that can be controlled via iOS or Android apps. It has all the settings you need to get the best bass sound from your subwoofer.

DRIVE UNITS: 1 x 12in fibre composite woofer ENCLOSURE: Sealed FREQUENCY RESPONSE (CLAIMED): 20Hz-270Hz (+/-3dB) ONBOARD POWER (CLAIMED): 325W (820W peak) Sledge Class D amp REMOTE CONTROL: No. Bluetooth app instead DIMENSIONS: 342(h) x 330(w) x 375(d)mm WEIGHT: 11.1kg

FEATURES: Low-level stereo phono input; LFE phono input; low-level stereo phono output; stereo speaker-level inputs; 12V trigger; SVS Bluetooth app with three-band parametric EQ; crossover and phase control; Movie, Music, and Custom presets; Intelligent Control Interface; Analogue Devices Audio 56-bit DSP; supports SVS SoundPath wireless audio adapter

The Competition

SVS SB 1000 Pro vs PB 1000 Pro

The SVS SB 1000 Pro and the SVS PB 1000 Pro represent SVS’s second professional line, after the company’s 2000 Pro series. The SVS SB 1000 Pro is a sealed cabinet subwoofer, and the SVS PB 1000 Pro is their ported model. The ported version naturally comes in a larger cabinet but was redesigned to add a second port without adding to its predecessor’s footprint. Both models are available in black ash, however, the SVS SB 1000 Pro is also available in a slick piano gloss black and piano gloss white.

As you would expect, the SVS SB 1000 Pro has a slightly better transient response and, thus compared to the ported version, is arguably a little better and tighter for music… though marginally so. However, the SVS PB 1000 Pro, by nature of being a ported cabinet, plays louder and produces deeper sound at lower frequencies – offering more oomph on the low end – making it slightly more preferable for action movies and gaming. In some respects, this is splitting hairs and a direct result of SVS’s desire to lessen the disparity between ported and sealed when it comes to musicality and SFX audio. Bottom line: both versions are pure SVS and, when prompted, will blow the doors down.

How do the SB-1000 Pro and PB-1000 Pro Subwoofers compare to the competition?

There are so many subwoofers to choose from in the $400 to $600 price range, and certainly, aesthetics may play a role in your decision-making process. The SVS Pro 1000 Series aren’t even slightly unsightly, but they are quite plain in their appearance. The SB-1000 Pro is available in piano gloss black, piano gloss white, and black ash, which certainly helps, but the SB-1000 Pro comes only in premium black ash. 

For similar performance, the Definitive Technology SuperCube 2000 ($599) and REL Acoustics T/5i (also $599) would rate favorably though the SuperCube has a 7.5-inch woofer compared to the 12-inch woofer on each of the SVS subs. Physics being physics, you can safely assume that larger woofers move more air. which equates to more sonic impact. That said, I own the SuperCube 2000 and I’m very happy with it for both music and movies. Similarly, the REL T/5i has an 8-inch woofer, though the trade-off here is in favor of a faster transient response. I have auditioned the T/5i and it’s a solid choice, though I would lean to either the SVS SB-1000 Pro or PB-1000 Pro for greater detail and impactful room energization. 

Verdict

SVS Sb 1000 Pro

On the other hand, the SB-1000 Pro may not be enough to fully energize larger spaces, so if your goal is to feel the earth move in a big room, you may want to go for the larger PB-1000 Pro instead.

SVS Pb 1000 Pro

The PB-1000 Pro is pretty big, so if you’re short on space and tend to think of $599 subwoofers are relatively compact affairs, you may find that this one – doesn’t fit into the space you have in mind for the sub.