Marshall's (eugovector) SVS SB13-Ultra Review

[Marshall_Guthrie]

For the full review experience, please watch the complete review video here:

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Introduction

SVS has introduced the SB13-Ultra, a high-powered, yet compact subwoofer that is the newest and, at $1599 shipped to your door, the least expensive member of the Ultra-series.

Dimensions

Being a sealed designed, the SB13-Ultra box volume can be kept small relative to the size of the driver. With a 13.5” driver and 1000 RMS watt amp, the enclosure is a 17 ⅜” cube without the included rubber feet. While it’s not the absolute heaviest sub on the market, the SB13-Ultra is astoundingly dense for its size at 91.5lbs with the grill, and 106.5lbs with packaging.

Official SVS Specs
Cabinet: 17.4" (H) x 17.4" (W) x 17.4"(D)
Overall: 17.9" (H) x 17.4" (W) x 20.4"(D)(includes feet, grille, amplifier)
Weight: 92 pounds​

After the standard “strained back, crushed foot” test, I solicited the help of my father to carry it in the house, and made sure to use the rolling technique to free the sub from it’s double-boxed, cloth-bagged, polyfoam cradle. Elder audiophiles may want to elicit the help of an adult grandchild all the way through the room positioning phase.

Appearance and First Impressions

The review sample came in seamless, black oak, real wood veneer, which blended nicely with the dark-grey oak of my JBL S310ii speakers.

A piano black finish is also available.

Both finishes would make prominent display of your new subwoofer desirable. The grill is the SVS-standard curved and perforated steel, but with replaceable and more substantial posts than what’s found on their lesser models.

The grill weighs just shy of 4 lbs by itself...

...and I have no doubt that it could withstand a golfclub attack, much less an errant child’s toy or cat’s claws. And, I was willing to prove it...

...right up until I remembered that this sub was only a loaner, provided at no cost for review thanks to audioholics, and needed to be returned after the review. While the industrial grill seems somewhat at odds with the high-grade cabinet finishes, it certainly will protect your investment.

 

[Marshall_Guthrie]

Setup

The sub was placed as far into the front left corner of the room as the rear connections would allow. A monoprice co-ax cable connected to an Onkyo TX-SR706 completes the chain. Also in the system are JBL S310ii mains, an S38ii center, and Control Now AW surrounds. The system resides in a 13x14 foot family room connected to a 19x14 kitchen with 9 foot plus vaulted ceilings, all adjacent to an open hallway and dining room. In other words, the apparent volume of the room is huge, and requires a truly powerful subwoofer to fill it.

The 1000W RMS Amplifier has few physical controls, with a hard power switch, 2 small toggles that adjust input level and power-on mode, and a single silver knob that adjusts all other settings though the LCD screen.

Having been disappointed with the unnecessary complexity of digital controls in the past, I wanted to see if SVS had truly created a powerful, yet simple, digital control system. So, I approached this just as any true Home Theater Enthusiast would: I cast aside the quick start guide, and just started pushing buttons and twisting knobs.

At first I was greeted with...nothing. Power on...check. Twisting knob...check. Pushing knob...check. Flipping switches...check. But, no signs of life on the led screen. Finally, holding in the silver knob for a second or two brought the beast to life and I was awash in a soft blue glow. Of course, all this was clearly detailed in the quick start guide.

More twisting and pushing reveals controls for volume, phase in 15 degree increments, high and low band pass with frequency and slope, 2 parametric eqs with frequency and Q, and room compensation. Both balanced and unbalanced inputs and outputs are available. That’s a lot of options for ultimate flexibility in integrating the SB13-Ultra in singles, pairs, or quads, even if you’re running a non-bass managed processor.

Official SVS Specs
Auto-On / On switch with "green" standby mode
Stereo line-level RCA and balanced (XLR) I/O connections
Normal and Hi input voltage switch
Fully adjustable (frequency and slope) phase-correct speaker/sub digital crossover
Two (2) digital PEQs with adjustable frequency, cut/boost, and Q values
Room gain compensation control with adjustable frequency and slope
Adjustable digital delay on main speaker line-level outputs to time-align the speakers and subs​

At the end of the day, the vast majority of us won’t need to do much with the fancy digital controls, especially if you read the one page quick start guide. The SB13-Ultra comes shipped with all the standard settings for the typical bass-managed setup. Just plug in the power, plug in your signal cable, and run your AVR’s auto setup routine. I did have to enter the menu to turn down the sub level by 10db as the generous output of the SB13-Ultra pegged the sub-channel trim on my AVR at -15db, but that was the only time I needed to twist the fancy silver knob.

 

[Marshall_Guthrie]

Output

My SVS PB12-NSD is great and continues to impress, but with the SB13-Ultra, when I popped in one of my favorite torture tracks, the power blackout scene from The Last Mimzy, and stepped on the gas, the phrase that immediately entered my brain was, “oh, this is what headroom sounds and feels like.”

I kept creeping up the volume, and the SB13-Ultra kept pumping more and more solid bass. When the couch started vibrating and the walls rattled, I stopped the madness, but even then, the SB13-Ultra felt like it had more to give.

Extension

Where ported subs can create port noise or “chuffing” when frequencies around their tuning frequency are played at high volumes, you don’t have that in a sealed subwoofer because there are no ports to chuff. With the SB13-Ultra, as I dipped down to 18 Hz and below, I not only had usable output evidenced by the kitchen dishes rattling in the cupboards, but there was no distortion from the port or driver. Of course, the benefit of sub 20-hz response is debatable, especially when you have to put isolation pads on your dishes as I apparently do, but if you desire bass that can only be felt, the SB13-Ultra can do the trick.

Listening - Movies

Have you heard about “The Hunger Games?” I have...over and over again. No, I haven’t read the books. It’s not because I don’t think they’ll be good; I’ve just been busy watching movies and critiquing audio equipment. So, I’m very glad they made a movie of the Hunger Games with great sound; a perfect piece of material for this review.

A few minutes into the movie, an airship slowly passes over head, bringing a slow rumbling drone with it. The SB13-Ultra shook my earth appropriately, and conveyed a sense of size that was much larger than my humble family room.

However, the SB13-Ultra is not only powerful, but nimble. At the first cannon shot signaling the demise of a tribute, the SB13-Ultra springs suddenly to life with a controlled impact that can be felt in your chest. Katniss flinches and so did I.

Overall, the SB13-Ultra delivered without compromise. And yes, I’ve starting reading the books.

Listening - Music

Ani Difranco - Knuckle Down

On this album, Todd Sickafoose’s upright bass is featured throughout. Without solid low-end reinforcement, string plucks lack body and definition, and the lowest octaves bleed off leaving a muddy mess, lost amongst the guitars, piano, and vocals. With the SVS SB13-Ultra, the bass was able to hold it’s own against the more easily reproduced instruments remaining an individual instrument and presenting a cohesive mix.


Basement Jaxx - Scars

Electronic music can be very tricky material. With synthetic and distorted bass instruments, low-frequency elements become larger than life, and more difficult to faithfully reproduce. Scars features copious amounts of low-end that ranges from distorted and grimy to unnaturally low. Both can fall apart quickly if the subwoofer isn’t up to the task and either fails to produce the lowest frequencies or imparts distortion of its own. The SB13-Ultra had no problem handling the most absurd this album had to offer.

 

[Marshall_Guthrie]

Measurements

Ed at SVS was patient and helpful, as always, and helped me determine the best way measure the SB13-Ultra’s response. First, we have the nearfield response of the subwoofer. This was taken with a Galaxy CM-140 about 0.5 inches away from the driver center. There is no smoothing on this graph.

In this next measurement I’ve overlaid the in-room response from the main listening position. It has 1/12 octave smoothing.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, SVS has given us a relatively compact subwoofer that is well-finished and performs beyond it’s stature. While those with exceedingly large rooms will likely opt for a larger, ported design like the SVS PB12-Plus or PB13-Ultra for the biggest bang for their buck, those with more refined aesthetics or limited floor space will find a the SB13-Ultra short on compromises. SVS continues to set the bar for value in each class it enters, and the performance sealed category just got some ferocious competition. Highly recommended.

 

[Marshall_Guthrie]

I hope you enjoyed my review, and also the reviews of my fellow audioholics.

Don't forget to vote here: http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/subwoofers/81418-svs-sb13-ultra-subwoofer-contest-review-thread.html

 

[mike c]

hi

what material is that new grill post?

 

[pbc]

Marshall - I LOVE the video. Never thought of essentially narrating the full review via a video link!

Any chance you have an in-room response of your PB12NSD as a comparison that you could overlay?

 

[its phillip]

Your in room response looks very similar to the close mic. No room gain for you?

 

[Adam]

Marshall - I LOVE the video. Never thought of essentially narrating the full review via a video link!

Agreed! I was watching that last night, and when I saw the sub specs popping up in the video, it was like a light bulb went off. That was excellent, Marshall. Just very well done, overall.

You're a braver (well, stronger ) man than me to show you unboxing it. I thought about doing that, but I figured nobody needed to see me struggling to get the sub out while keeping the dirty FedEx box off of my carpet.

Btw, you absolutely cracked me up with the golf club. You had me staring at the video in horror and anticipation, then I just started laughing.

 

[Marshall_Guthrie]

hi

what material is that new grill post?

They are both steel, though he one on the right (PB12-NSD) has a similar coating (powder coat?) as the grill itself. The one on the left (SB13-Ultra), has a smooth finish. The backside is a hex-head and the post itself is flat on two sides to allow for gripping with a tool, so I admittedly assumed that it was a two piece post threaded through the grill. I'll try to dismantle one tonight if you're interested.

 

[Marshall_Guthrie]

Marshall - I LOVE the video. Never thought of essentially narrating the full review via a video link!

Any chance you have an in-room response of your PB12NSD as a comparison that you could overlay?

Okay, this is apples vs. oranges w/ various measurements that I did throughout the process. I'll try to get a proper measurement and replace this post when I do.

Notes: The green trace should be the same sub-only, no EQ trace of the SB13-Ultra from the video. The blue trace is the SB13-Ultra with a main speaker with MultEQ crossed over at 80hz. The red is the same for the PB12-NSD. All were smoothed 1/12 octave.

Keep in mind that the mic position may have been slightly different on these measurements, levels were different (adjusted in the graph to appear identical), driver positions will be different based on box design, and that setup/EQ had to be re-run each time (with 3 other people in the house). I will re-measure when I'm alone this weekend to try to get rid of some of those variable, so he following graph should be taken for what it is: FLAWED...

 

[Marshall_Guthrie]

Your in room response looks very similar to the close mic. No room gain for you?

No, not much. The sub is loaded in a corner, but the room is just so open that I don't think it gets much reinforcement. Also, placement could be sub-optimal; I tried the SB13 in 4 locations that were logical (both front corners and flanking either side of the media cabinet) and the front left gave the smoothest response. Two illogical locations (center of the room and near hallway opening) provided slightly smoother response, but were obviously no real-world possibilities.

 

[Adam]

They are both steel, though he one on the right (PB12-NSD) has a similar coating (powder coat?) as the grill itself. The one on the left (SB13-Ultra), has a smooth finish. The backside is a hex-head and the post itself is flat on two sides to allow for gripping with a tool, so I admittedly assumed that it was a two piece post threaded through the grill. I'll try to dismantle one tonight if you're interested.

Hi, Marshall. Upon inspecting mine, I think that the SB13 posts have a plastic sleeve on them, which is the thicker smooth portion. I certainly could be wrong, but the feel seems like high quality plastic, and some marking near the flat areas make these seems like molded parts to me.

EDIT: See below from a quote from Ed at SVS - they're metal.

 

[pbc]

Try using a lighter to melt the peg? That would confirm whether it's plastic or not.

I'd do it, but unfortunately I'm at work. So I'll let one of you go ahead.

 

[Marshall_Guthrie]

Agreed! I was watching that last night, and when I saw the sub specs popping up in the video, it was like a light bulb went off. That was excellent, Marshall. Just very well done, overall.

You're a braver (well, stronger ) man than me to show you unboxing it. I thought about doing that, but I figured nobody needed to see me struggling to get the sub out while keeping the dirty FedEx box off of my carpet.

Btw, you absolutely cracked me up with the golf club. You had me staring at the video in horror and anticipation, then I just started laughing.

Thank you. As for the golf-club; I'll do it for real if SVS wants to take the risk. I'm thinking a progression of house hold dangers: Child's toy truck, vacuum cleaner, errant foot, golf club, bowling ball, shotgun blast. All are very real dangers in many households

I've taken a cursory look at both your and pbc's reviews at two points during the craziness yesterday, but I'll give them their proper due today when I have a little downtime. My initial impressions are that we all did a great job and had a great time.

 

[Marshall_Guthrie]

Try using a lighter to melt the peg? That would confirm whether it's plastic or not.

I'd do it, but unfortunately I'm at work. So I'll let one of you go ahead.

[From Ed Mullen] The SB13-Ultra grille and pins are metal (and this is also the case with the PB12-NSD).

 

[Adam]

[From Ed Mullen] The SB13-Ultra grille and pins are metal (and this is also the case with the PB12-NSD).

Well, there you go - but I might e-mail him to see if he didn't mention a plastic sleeve.

Either way, they work fine and are plenty robust.

In case anyone wonders, the pins slip into rubber grommets on the box and form a snug fit.

 

[Marshall_Guthrie]

Hi, Marshall. Upon inspecting mine, I think that the SB13 posts have a plastic sleeve on them, which is the thicker smooth portion. I certainly could be wrong, but the feel seems like high quality plastic, and some marking near the flat areas make these seems like molded parts to me.

I have a scratch on my post which seems to reveal a shiny metal (steel/aluminum/zinc?) under a paint or other coating. Also, see my correspondence with ED above confirming the are both metal.

 

[Irvrobinson]

The sub is loaded in a corner, but the room is just so open that I don't think it gets much reinforcement. Also, placement could be sub-optimal; I tried the SB13 in 4 locations that were logical (both front corners and flanking either side of the media cabinet) and the front left gave the smoothest response. Two illogical locations (center of the room and near hallway opening) provided slightly smoother response, but were obviously no real-world possibilities.

I tried corner placement with my sub, and the results were really lumpy response curves at my listening seat. Also, I found that unless I set the low-pass filter really low, like 60Hz or less with a steep roll-off, I could discern the sub's location. I know everyone wants these (in reality) ugly boxes tucked away, but are corner locations really a good idea for subs? Not according to my measurements. The best curves (and, frankly, sound) were with the sub between the speakers and within two feet of the back wall, but definitely not against the wall.

 

[Marshall_Guthrie]

I tried corner placement with my sub, and the results were really lumpy response curves at my listening seat. Also, I found that unless I set the low-pass filter really low, like 60Hz or less with a steep roll-off, I could discern the sub's location. I know everyone wants these (in reality) ugly boxes tucked away, but are corner locations really a good idea for subs? Not according to my measurements. The best curves (and, frankly, sound) were with the sub between the speakers and within two feet of the back wall, but definitely not against the wall.

Yes, the rule of thumb (not always true) is that corner placement will give you more output and moving the sub away from boundaries will give you a more even response. Of course, with an open, asymmetrical room like mine, predicting response based on placement is a bad idea, and at the end of the day, you still have to pick a location that makes sense for the function of the room and aesthetically.

Of course, when you move to multiple subs, corner placement can be recommended for even response: (pdf) http://www.harman.com/EN-US/OurCompany/Innovation/Documents/White Papers/multsubs.pdf

Short version, there are some good guides out there, but nothing beats some trial and error, basic measurements, and common sense.