SVS PB-2000 Pro Subwoofer review

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shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
2k pro angle.jpg
In for review today, we have the PB-2000 Pro. The PB-2000 Pro isn’t just the PB-2000 with a few new bells and whistles; it is a total redesign. It has very little in common with the previous PB-2000 and features a new driver, new amplifier, new enclosure, and also a new price in a $100 increase. The question we will be asking with today’s review is how improved is the PB-2000 Pro over the PB-2000: is it just slightly better? $100 better? Or is it a major improvement in all areas? Let’s dig in to find out…

READ: SVS PB-2000 Pro Subwoofer Review
 
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E

Erod

Audioholic
In for review today, we have the PB-2000 Pro. The PB-2000 Pro isn’t just the PB-2000 with a few new bells and whistles; it is a total redesign. It has very little in common with the previous PB-2000 and features a new driver, new amplifier, new enclosure, and also a new price in a $100 increase. The question we will be asking with today’s review is how improved is the PB-2000 Pro over the PB-2000: is it just slightly better? $100 better? Or is it a major improvement in all areas? Let’s dig in to find out…

READ: SVS PB-2000 Pro Subwoofer Review
Question about adding two of these to my system and having 4 total subs. Currently, I have two SVS PC12-Plus subs in the the front corners of my room. I'm thinking about adding two of these subs as well.

The problem is, I could only put two more subs at the mid-wall points on my left and right walls. This is because I have entry doors at each of the back corners, and my back row of seating is too close to the back wall to fit subs.

I thought about putting these PB-2000 subs at the 1/4 and 3/4 points on my front wall, then moving the PC12-Plus subs to the mid side walls.

Would that be worthwhile to improve bass response in the room, or are those positions not particularly advantageous to smooth out the response?
 
mazersteven

mazersteven

Audioholic Warlord

 
S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
Question about adding two of these to my system and having 4 total subs. Currently, I have two SVS PC12-Plus subs in the the front corners of my room. I'm thinking about adding two of these subs as well.

The problem is, I could only put two more subs at the mid-wall points on my left and right walls. This is because I have entry doors at each of the back corners, and my back row of seating is too close to the back wall to fit subs.

I thought about putting these PB-2000 subs at the 1/4 and 3/4 points on my front wall, then moving the PC12-Plus subs to the mid side walls.

Would that be worthwhile to improve bass response in the room, or are those positions not particularly advantageous to smooth out the response?
Can't know how advantageous it would be until you measure the response from that location. I would take some subwoofer, measure its response at those points. If their response in those locations help to shore up a null left in the existing response from your current subs, yes, I would say it is worth adding an additional sub or two, depending on how flat you can get that response.
 
C

chas_w

Full Audioholic
How does the PB-2000 pro stack up to the sealed SB-3000?
 
NINaudio

NINaudio

Audioholic Samurai
How does the PB-2000 pro stack up to the sealed SB-3000?
The SB 3000 has more output at 50 Hz and above, while the PB 2000 Pro has more output below 50 Hz than the SB 3000 does. You can see the charts for both:


 
H

head_unit

Audioholic Intern
Nice review! We just added an SB-2000 Pro to a 5.1 Focal system (936, CC900, SR900). That system hardly needed a sub but what the heck-and the SVS does solidify the bottom. And who doesn't like a firm, solid bottom? :D

Got it in gloss black (black vinyl woodgrain = barf yarf ugh). The grille was metal, which I think looks WAY nicer than fabric, plus fabric is not small child friendly nor pet friendly. Also got the accessory feet which are nice. SVS seems to think everything through thoroughly and offer good support. For those running 2-channel systems, it's nice to have the built-in room correction (we ran Audyssey and didn't try this feature out).
 
killdozzer

killdozzer

Audioholic Samurai
These are unfortunately far, far more expensive in my parts (talking about the 40% increase at least). If they weren't I would've pulled the trigger and solved my sub need long time ago. They go for 1290$. Some other models even more so.

@shadyJ I know I really ask for myself, but aren't you curious about those bold statements on KEF KF92?
 
Ponzio

Ponzio

Audioholic Samurai
Spec wise it's a great sub but aesthetically it leaves a lot to be desired, especially that grille, compared to my dual SVS SB-2000's, with the metal grille's.
 
S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
Well, that it can go very, very low and deep with low distortions.
I said the KEF KF92 can go very low with low distortion? I think you are confusing me with someone else. I wouldn't guess the KF92 could do either based on its design.
 
killdozzer

killdozzer

Audioholic Samurai
I said the KEF KF92 can go very low with low distortion? I think you are confusing me with someone else. I wouldn't guess the KF92 could do either based on its design.
Let's take a step back. You seem to be holding your guard very high and I don't know why.

First of all, to defuse the conversation, I hold you in very high regards and think you do one hell of a job here. Your thoughts, ideas and advice I enjoyed reading and try to use and put to practice whenever I can.

That's one more reason why I ask YOU of all people, what do you think about the specs that KEF published with their sub. Those specs are bordering with impossible and I thought that precisely for that reason, they might raise your curiosity.

I'm sorry, I must have written it very poorly, I didn't want to say you are the one who made those "bald statements" as I choose to call them.
 
mazersteven

mazersteven

Audioholic Warlord
what do you think about the specs that KEF published with their sub.
Maybe his confusion was that this is an SVS review thread not a KEF thread. Maybe a separate thread should have been started on this topic or maybe a private message asking. Maybe that's where the confusion is
 
S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
Let's take a step back. You seem to be holding your guard very high and I don't know why.

First of all, to defuse the conversation, I hold you in very high regards and think you do one hell of a job here. Your thoughts, ideas and advice I enjoyed reading and try to use and put to practice whenever I can.

That's one more reason why I ask YOU of all people, what do you think about the specs that KEF published with their sub. Those specs are bordering with impossible and I thought that precisely for that reason, they might raise your curiosity.

I'm sorry, I must have written it very poorly, I didn't want to say you are the one who made those "bald statements" as I choose to call them.
OK, I see now. I just didn't quite understand what you were saying. I thought you were saying I was making those statements about KEF's subwoofer. As for KEF's sub, it may well do +/-3dB down to 11Hz, but at what output level? That spec doesn't mean much. The type of design they are using requires heavy cones to produce deep bass, and that means low sensitivity, especially in mid-bass frequencies. No matter what, that KEF sub isn't going to be able to get very loud.

Traditionally those mini-subs used passive radiators to generate deep bass, like Sunfire, Polk, and Deftech's mini-subs. The problem with that was that the passive radiators had to be so heavy that it would wobble the subwoofer around. Also, they were never very reliable. Passive radiators that undergo high excursions tend to wear out. By going dual opposed with two active drivers, the KEF solves the wobbling problem that passive radiators bring. but taking two small cones and stuffing them in a small cabinet isn't great for deep bass output. So what they can do is weigh the moving assembly down for a lower resonant frequency which greatly diminishes mid-bass sensitivity but improves deeper bass sensitivity. Or they can just EQ for that kind of response, but if those aren't really long-throw 9"s, they will run out of excursion real fast in deep bass. Hell, they are probably going to run out of excursion in deep bass eve if they were extreme long-throw drivers. For every octave lower a subwoofer driver plays for the same output level, its excursion must quadruple. Unless it is strictly limited by the DSP, it will run into gross distortion very quickly in deep bass.

This is all just speculation since I don't know much about the sub. But it looks to me like audio jewelry rather than a real subwoofer.
 
M

MThomsen

Audiophyte
Thank you for a very nice review. I have 2x PB-200 pro myself and am currently trying to fiddle with placement and eq to get a flat response, using REW for measurements.
I would like to use your graph, the one showing Frequency response for both ported and sealed mode as a reference for my own measurements. Could you perhaps inform, if you are using REW and what kind of smoothing you have used, at what gain, ect. so I can replicate in my setup?

Regards/Michel
 

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