New SVS Micro 3000 - goes low, but how loud?

[Eppie]

I did listen to the whole stream. I watched it live. I stated that I understood it as if they were saying subwoofers with PR were boomy. They even clowned a unnamed brand saying it would walk across the room. You should listen to the stream again.

Anywho, I was only asking a question on passive radiators as I am looking into building a set of subwoofers with PRs.

I stand corrected. Not a fan of blanket statements like that. Calling a sub boomy is just another way of saying that the response is not flat and there are many different ways of achieving a flat response. If you're think of using a PR, here's an interesting article that promotes PR over ports in some designs:
https://www.css-audio.com/single-post/2018/01/02/When-Passive-Radiators-Are-Better-Than-Ports

 

[Duke9192]

I just received my 3000 micro about 5 days ago. I can say that it has not impressed me. I needed something to replace my Svs sb 1000 with a smaller foot print to appease my wife.... After adjusting crossover, parametric eq, room gain, placement, etc I simply cannot get it to output low freq at an audible level without over producing the higher end of the low freq spectrum. It simply will not do it. The higher freq sound coming from it does not blend well with my paradigm prestige 15b bookshelves. I'm using a Cambridge audio cxa81 integrated with the lfe out to the sub and streaming to the integrated with bluesound node 2i. With the sb 1000 the system is perfect, that sub produces the perfect blend of low freq. In my opinion, the dual opposing drivers prevent the drivers from extending all the way by creating too much pressure inside the cabinet with no port. It's physics. The micro does look slick and worth the money, but the sound is far from it, I'm sincerely disappointed. Hope this helps.

 

[Duke9192]

So I have a question, yesterday SVS mentioned they didn't go with a passive radiator type box because they are boomy and are terrible is how I understood it. Is that true? I always thought the PR route was a quality route, perfect mix between port and sealed.

??????

I have the new Micro, and it sucks. I will be returning it. It cannot audibly produce the low frequencies. It over produces the higher end and I can't believe I fell for it. The dual opposing drivers literally prevent the drivers from reaching the deep end. Too much pressure in the cabinet for the drivers to extend. Pure physics. Pure marketing

 

[Hetfield]

I have the new Micro, and it sucks. I will be returning it. It cannot audibly produce the low frequencies. It over produces the higher end and I can't believe I fell for it. The dual opposing drivers literally prevent the drivers from reaching the deep end. Too much pressure in the cabinet for the drivers to extend. Pure physics. Pure marketing

Ok, that's two posts on the same subject. Return it then.

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[Pogre]

I have the new Micro, and it sucks. I will be returning it. It cannot audibly produce the low frequencies. It over produces the higher end and I can't believe I fell for it. The dual opposing drivers literally prevent the drivers from reaching the deep end. Too much pressure in the cabinet for the drivers to extend. Pure physics. Pure marketing

The measurements on the site alone tell you that. No one is buying this sub expecting loud subterranean bass from it. It's a lifestyle product, not a HT subwoofer and I think they make that pretty clear in the marketing literature.

Good thing they offer such a generous return policy, huh? If you want deep, powerful bass you need a larger ported sub. That's just physics. Sealed, smaller designs are always a compromise. Get a PB2000 or 3000.

 

[shadyJ]

I just received my 3000 micro about 5 days ago. I can say that it has not impressed me. I needed something to replace my Svs sb 1000 with a smaller foot print to appease my wife.... After adjusting crossover, parametric eq, room gain, placement, etc I simply cannot get it to output low freq at an audible level without over producing the higher end of the low freq spectrum. It simply will not do it. The higher freq sound coming from it does not blend well with my paradigm prestige 15b bookshelves. I'm using a Cambridge audio cxa81 integrated with the lfe out to the sub and streaming to the integrated with bluesound node 2i. With the sb 1000 the system is perfect, that sub produces the perfect blend of low freq. In my opinion, the dual opposing drivers prevent the drivers from extending all the way by creating too much pressure inside the cabinet with no port. It's physics. The micro does look slick and worth the money, but the sound is far from it, I'm sincerely disappointed. Hope this helps.

No micro subwoofer will reproduce deep bass meaningfully. How the heck is the SB-1000 too big for you? It's a 13" cube! You should probably return your wife, not the sub.

 

[Duke9192]

Ok, that's two posts on the same subject. Return it then.

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Thanks

 

[Duke9192]

The measurements on the site alone tell you that. No one is buying this sub expecting loud subterranean bass from it. It's a lifestyle product, not a HT subwoofer and I think they make that pretty clear in the marketing literature.

Good thing they offer such a generous return policy, huh? If you want deep, powerful bass you need a larger ported sub. That's just physics. Sealed, smaller designs are always a compromise. Get a PB2000 or 3000.

I understand, but 23hrz is advertised and it is a little misleading. I love the svs brand, but just not this sub. Just trying to put my opinion out there for anyone expecting meaningful output down to 23 hrz doesn't make the mistake I did. Thanks

 

[Duke9192]

No micro subwoofer will reproduce deep bass meaningfully. How the heck is the SB-1000 too big for you? It's a 13" cube! You should probably return your wife, not the sub.

I needed one that didn't purtrued out beyond the shelf. There's one thing I love better than audio and she has it!

 

[Pogre]

I understand, but 23hrz is advertised and it is a little misleading. I love the svs brand, but just not this sub. Just trying to put my opinion out there for anyone expecting meaningful output down to 23 hrz doesn't make the mistake I did. Thanks

Usable bass doesn't mean flat to 23 hz. I'm looking at the page right now and it's really clear they're not pushing it as a super deep HT sub. They refer to it as a micro sub. All the specs and measurements are right there. If you didn't look at the info provided that's your fault.

That right there tells you almost everything you need to know. This is not a subwoofer you buy if you're looking for deep bass. There's nothing misleading about it.

 

[kini]

I have the new Micro, and it sucks. I will be returning it. It cannot audibly produce the low frequencies. It over produces the higher end and I can't believe I fell for it. The dual opposing drivers literally prevent the drivers from reaching the deep end. Too much pressure in the cabinet for the drivers to extend. Pure physics. Pure marketing

Your understanding of physics on how dual opposing subs work is sorely lacking.

 

[shadyJ]

Your understanding of physics on how dual opposing subs work is sorely lacking.

To be fair, his description of the problem isn't totally off, although I do think he misunderstands the fundamental issue. The more cone there is on the surface of a sealed cabinet, the higher it pushes the system resonant frequency. The Micro 3000 has a pretty high cone/enclosure volume ratio, so that will crank up the midbass efficiency at the expense of deep bass efficiency. You can lower the resonant frequency by making the cones/moving assembly heavier, but that means dramatically lowering mid-bass sensitivity. You can also make the suspension very loose, but that brings in a whole host of other complications.

He is right that the woofers are creating a higher internal pressure that is reducing deep-bass output, but he is wrong to attribute that to the dual-opposed driver configuration specifically.

 

[Hetfield]

The only problem I have with his posts is the line "this sub sucks" part. It may not have been right for you but just was just a tad strong.

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[Duke9192]

Usable bass doesn't mean flat to 23 hz. I'm looking at the page right now and it's really clear they're not pushing it as a super deep HT sub. They refer to it as a micro sub. All the specs and measurements are right there. If you didn't look at the info provided that's your fault.


View attachment 47000

That right there tells you almost everything you need to know. This is not a subwoofer you buy if you're looking for deep bass. There's nothing misleading about it.

Nice work navigating through quotes like "Chest-pounding, musical bass with depth, slam, and impact, from a shockingly compact 10-inch cabinet. Many micro subwoofers have tried, all have failed. Until now. The miniature yet mighty SVS 3000 Micro subwoofer seamlessly blends into any room and speaker system, energizing the space with astonishingly rich, effortless bass that’s all the more impressive given its micro-sized enclosure" to zero in on that graph and decipher the numbers to determine it won't audibly produce the 23 hrz to a respectable level. Do you just want everyone to be aware that you are an expert? Cheers

 

[shadyJ]

Nice work navigating through quotes like "Chest-pounding, musical bass with depth, slam, and impact, from a shockingly compact 10-inch cabinet. Many micro subwoofers have tried, all have failed. Until now. The miniature yet mighty SVS 3000 Micro subwoofer seamlessly blends into any room and speaker system, energizing the space with astonishingly rich, effortless bass that’s all the more impressive given its micro-sized enclosure" to zero in on that graph and decipher the numbers to determine it won't audibly produce the 23 hrz to a respectable level. Do you just want everyone to be aware that you are an expert? Cheers

I'm not sure what your point is here? That were you were taken in by hyperbolic ad copy when you had the relevant data right there in front of you?

 

[Pogre]

Do you just want everyone to be aware that you are an expert? Cheers

Nope. Just want everyone to be aware that your claims are exaggerated and without merit.

By "navigating the site", do you mean "click on specs" after reading the description? There's minimal expertise involved with that...

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Nice work navigating through quotes like "Chest-pounding, musical bass with depth, slam, and impact, from a shockingly compact 10-inch cabinet. Many micro subwoofers have tried, all have failed. Until now. The miniature yet mighty SVS 3000 Micro subwoofer seamlessly blends into any room and speaker system, energizing the space with astonishingly rich, effortless bass that’s all the more impressive given its micro-sized enclosure" to zero in on that graph and decipher the numbers to determine it won't audibly produce the 23 hrz to a respectable level. Do you just want everyone to be aware that you are an expert? Cheers

Sounds like Bose wrote that lmao.

I'm not sure what your point is here? That were you were taken in by hyperbolic ad copy when you had the relevant data right there in front of you?

Hard to fault a regular enthusiast for falling for hyperbolic BS, especially when they wax it to death. Hell, even I’m almost convinced that I can get rid of all three of my subs for this thing after reading that, and I know way better. Even looking at the data with a seasoned eye is hard to override the totally ridiculous ad campaign.
In fairness, he’s only coming from an sb2k, so lateral move seems an appt description. I can see why he’s disappointed. And just think, he’s not exactly a noob, what if he was, and that thing was his introduction to high quality subwoofage?
I think SVS oversold it.

 

[Duke9192]

My entire point is not to trash svs. Like I said before, I love the brand and have always been impressed by their subs especially at their price. This particular one though, for me, has not lived up to the name. Im not an expert, so it's only my humble opinion. For $800, and as a member of the 3000 line, I don't think it's unreasonable to have expected sb 1000 performance or better. Had it not been so hyped, and had svs not marketed it as the compact sub that could finally live up to the svs name, and had it been a 1 or 2000 series sub for $600 or less, I wouldn't be so vocal about my disappointment.

 

[3db]

I was toying with the idea of replacing my venerable 15 year old PSB Subsonic5 sporting a 10" inch driver and dual ports with the same foot print as the SVS micro but I chased that stupid thought out of my head. This is for the bedroom setup.

 

[shadyJ]

Hard to fault a regular enthusiast for falling for hyperbolic BS, especially when they wax it to death. Hell, even I’m almost convinced that I can get rid of all three of my subs for this thing after reading that, and I know way better. Even looking at the data with a seasoned eye is hard to override the totally ridiculous ad campaign.
In fairness, he’s only coming from an sb2k, so lateral move seems an appt description. I can see why he’s disappointed. And just think, he’s not exactly a noob, what if he was, and that thing was his introduction to high quality subwoofage?
I think SVS oversold it.

Maybe SVS oversold it, but they use the same type of phrasing for every single sub they sell from the SB-1000 to the PB16-Ultra. And so does every other subwoofer company for all the subs they sell. Extreme hyperbole should be expected from every single audio company to promote their products. It's what they do. Consumers need to learn to do their homework on the stuff they buy. I'm really trying to help them get a clear idea of what is being offered!