SVS SB1000 Subwoofer Review

In this post, we will have the full review of the 12-inch front-firing subwoofer from SVS. This is SVS SB 1000 subwoofer. I’m going to talk about the overall design and my impressions of sound quality.

The SB1000 is a 12-inch front-firing sealed subwoofer, which means it does not have a port. The SB nomenclature stands for a sealed box. It has a built-in sledge STA 300D amplifier that outputs 300 watts of continuous power and 720 watts of peak power. The frequency range is 24 hertz to 260 hertz. It’s nearly a cube at 13.5 inches tall, 13 inches wide, and 14 inches deep, and it weighs 27 pounds.

You can choose from three different surface finishes, which are black ash, gloss black, or gloss white.

The Design

You can see you’ve got the grille from the front and covers the entire front face with the SVS logo down at the bottom. Pull the grille off, you give it a simple tug, and it comes off. It’s held in with these pins on each one of the four corners. The grille itself is lovely, rigid, and firm.

When the grille is off, you can see that the piano black surface finish surrounds the big 12-inch subwoofer. As I said, it’s sealed, so there’s no port, and the subwoofer takes up pretty much the whole front face. The SVS logo is in four corners around the front and the rubber surround, and you also have the SVS logo right there in the center.

On the top left corner is a little LED light indicating the status. It is red when the subwoofer is off, and it is blue when it’s on. You can not see the LED when the grille is covering it. But otherwise, this is a nice clean look.

Moving on to the rear, it has the same glossy black surface finish all the way around with the connections and controls there in the center. The SVS logo is right there, along with the serial number just under that. The serial number is needed if you want to call in for a warranty or service.

On the bottom of the subwoofer, you continue with the gloss black surface finish. It has it around the speaker, as you can tell. It also has four feet, and those feet are coated in rubber so that it will protect your lovely precious floors. The good news is you can unscrew the feet, and I guess technically put on other feet if you want to.

The Connections and Control

At the back of the SVS SB1000 subwoofer, there are all the controls. You’ve got volume, phase, and also crossover adjustment. I typically leave it in LFE mode for the crossover and allow my AV receiver to set the crossover, typically at 80 hertz.

Below those control, knobs are the auto on standby switch. I recommend you leave it in auto-standby so that it automatically turns on when it receives a signal. Once it doesn’t have a signal, it will turn off after a few minutes. It’s a nice power-saving feature.

Below the SVS auto standby switch, that is the trigger connection so that you can plug in a trigger wire, and this will turn on if it is sent again a signal, which is a nice little benefit.

There are line-level connections both out and in. You’ve got left and right. If you want to use dual connections, dual RCA cables, you can connect another subwoofer using the out connections just above it.

At the bottom are the speaker level connections, both left and right if you need those. In the bottom left corner is the power main power switch and also the power cable connection.

I like this gloss black surface finish. It looks fantastic. But as with anything that is piano black or gloss black, you’re going to have to keep gloves with you when you move it around. Otherwise, you’ll have fingerprints all over it. And you’ll also again have to dust and stuff like that.

The other thing I like about this is it is so small and compact. At 13 by 13.5 by 14 inches, it’s nearly 13.5 inches cubed or whatever is nice and compact. It’s smaller than I thought. If you are looking for smaller subwoofers because you live in a smaller apartment or don’t want something overpowering your room, the SVS SB1000 subwoofer should be your perfect choice.

It has all the necessary connections that you need for a subwoofer, including volume, phase, crossover, line level, speaker level, basically everything that you need, which is a definite plus. But it doesn’t come with all the lovely new features that SVS has in its higher-end subwoofers, like the PB3000, the PB 16 ultra series, etc. It doesn’t have an app in which you can make the fine-tuned adjustments on your phone. But it handles all the basics, and in this price range, that’s basically what you’re looking for. You want to be able to do the things you need to do because a subwoofer is pretty much set it and forget it, and it has that so.

Advanced Power Amplifier and Power Supply Technology

The strongest STA-300D amplifier technology and maturity are not found anywhere else at this price point. The conservative power rating is 300 watts, and the peak power is 720 watts. This speaker has a very advanced DSP processor that can provide unparalleled control over the subwoofer at all driver levels and ultimately behave in the finished product. The control knob is a precise and noise-free adjustment of the digital driver. Comprehensive and flexible connection options allow for easy setup and integration of any home theater or stereo system. It consumes less than 0.5 watts in standby mode.

Advantages of Sealed subwoofer Many subwoofer cabinets have one or more bass reflex ports. The bass in the cabinet can be transmitted out of the cabinet through the bass port and mixed with the woofer’s positive wave, increasing the low-frequency volume. The distortion is relatively low, and the withstanding power is relatively large. Compared with a sealed box, the lowest cut-off frequency of bass-reflex can be lower. However, the instant response is not as good as the sealed box. In fact, in a small space theater system, the low-frequency speed and explosive power are often more important than the sense of energy. SVS SB-1000 focuses on this feature, so SVS SB-1000 is a subwoofer that is entirely suitable for small spaces.

After my test, it is perfect to use this SB-1000 in the space of 15 square meters. If the room’s space is increased to more than 20 square meters, it is recommended to use two or more SB-1000 combinations. And cover it to the four corners of the room, which can improve the lack of energy of the SB-1000 and improve the low reselection part, making the multi-channel low-frequency performance more three-dimensional.

Sound Performance

Let’s talk about music. I love listening to music on the SVS SB 1000. The good news was when I had it set up at that 78db, it wasn’t overwhelming music, but it also wasn’t underwhelming music. It sounded nice, clean, pleasant, and tight. There was obviously zero port noise because there’s no port. The base was just right there. It is stopped and starts on a dime, which is what you want from a subwoofer.

Moving on to movies, the SB 1000 subwoofer has the same intimate detailed presentation that you hear with music. Honestly, I was immediately struck by how clean and hard the SB-1000 hit. Playing pretty much every heavy bass scene I know of from “Aquaman” to “War of the Worlds,” I honestly could not believe my ears. This tiny little box, this 13 by 13 cube, was putting out monstrous bass that was shaking my couch. It sounded tight and effortless with zero distortion.

Playing games with the SB 1000 hooked up was equally impressive, booting up “Death Stranding” with many bass-heavy moments. I was just impressed continuously and always smiling from how great the SB1000 sounded here. Tight impactful bass that honestly dug a lot deeper than I expected. Bass-heavy games like “Modern Warfare,” for example, have a tactile feel to them that I didn’t think a sealed subwoofer could ever pull off, let alone one of this size and in this price range.

Conclusion

So is the SVS SB 1000 subwoofer worth your money? Well, it depends on your situation. If you have a budget of around 500 and want a subwoofer with a small footprint that has tons of output and sounds way more significant than it is, then, in my opinion, the SB 1000 is your best subwoofer at 500.

Because of the small footprint, you can place it anywhere in your listening area, and it won’t stick out. It sounds great with music. It does well with movies. It looks great in the gloss black surface finish. It’s nice and compact. Besides the excellent sound performance, you also get a five-year unconditional warranty.

However, if size and space aren’t a concern and you want more low-frequency extension and want to stay around that 500 marks, I recommend checking out the PB 1000, which is essentially an upgraded newer version of the SB 10000. Both subwoofers will work great in a home theater.

I’ve been a huge SVS fan for many, many years, and they still make quality subwoofers that outperform a lot of their competition in a given price range. The SVS SB 1000, in my opinion, is a fantastic value.