Budget subwoofer takes on all comers

How has SVS managed to get so much bass out of a sealed cabinet so compact and so affordable? Steve Withers falls in love with the SB-1000 Pro

- Steve Withers

AV INFO

PRODUCT: Front-firing sealed subwoofer with 12in driver

POSITION: SVS's entry model below the 2000 Pro Series

PEERS: Paradigm Defiance V12; REL HT/1205

SINCE 1999 AMERICAN company SVS has built a formidable reputation by mainly focusing on one thing – manufacturing powerful home cinema subwoofers that don’t cost the earth. It has some beefy models in its lineup, topping out at the 16-Ultra Series (ported and sealed models with 16in woofers), but the SB-1000 Pro is a timely reminder that amongst the pricier, bigger boom boxes, it can still knock up a compact sealed unit with a sub-£700 ticket. And why wouldn't it? Models like this sell like hot cakes.

Okay, it's not as seductively small as the dual-driver 3000 Micro reviewed in our last issue, but this sub still appears to be a spot of infrasonic magic, because somehow SVS has managed to cram a 12in driver into a cabinet measuring 13in wide. There’s also real power behind that driver, producing a performance that belies the SB-1000 Pro’s diminutive dimensions. Build quality seems spot on, too.

The 1000 Series is the final SVS lineup to get the ‘Pro’ treatment, which, over recent years, has seen the company filter down features from its high-end models to its mid-range and now entry-level subwoofers. This means the 1000 Pro Series not only benefits from a new driver, but also juiced-up amplification, and the now ubiquitous Bluetooth control app.

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