SVS PB1-ISD Review
It was a late February day in 2003 when I first
experienced an SV Subwoofer. Sure, I had heard other
subwoofers before, most notable was a Klipsch 12"
(before they started cheaping out on parts). Before
I get into the technical aspects of the sub and how
it sounds, a little background information is
needed.
I had never heard an SVS live, but spent they money
on it anyway. Foolish? Probably, but the fine
folks over at the Home Theater
Forum have done nothing but rave about SVS. In
addition, SVS has a liberal in home trial policy;
basically, if you don't like the way it sounds, send
it back. I figured there was nothing to
lose.
SVS, in the beginning made cylindrical subwoofers,
due to the lower cost, and the generally better
sound. Hey, the driver is round, why is the box
square? Unfortunately, I wasn't a huge fan of the
cylindrical versions for a couple reasons, most
notably was the lack of a place to put it. In
addition to their tall stature, they also had a
'soft' top, which means that you can't put anything
on it.
In January 2003, I was looking over the SVS page
when I noticed they would soon be selling a box sub.
Perfect! I thought. Well, a few weeks after placing
the order, the UPS man backed into my driveway to
deliver a rather large and heavy box. I ripped open
the box like it was Christmas morning, being careful
not to damage the sub and hooked it up without first
reading the enclosed pamphlet. I setup my receiver
to support the subwoofer and popped in some music
(before calibrating it). It was loud; the windows
rattled, the pictures turned sideways, the dog ran
away in fear (well, he would have, were he in the
room).
At this point, I thought it'd be best to calibrate
the sub (and the other speakers), using Avia
Guide To Home Theater. Calibrating the sub was
far more difficult than I expected. Getting it to
be equal volume as the main speakers at reference
level wasn't too bad, but listening to pink noise at
85db begins to hurt your ears after a while.
I popped in the music CDs and DVD-Audio discs again,
and the subwoofer wasn't as loud and blended very
nicely with the main speakers. Most of the time I
can't even tell it's there, which is how it should
be. The subwoofer performs as expected with music,
it doesn't stand out and provides the necessary
punch to keep your foot tapping.
After playing around with a few audio only discs, I
figured it was time to try some movies. I looked
over the list of good bass movies provided by SVS,
and decided to start with a few scenes from U571.
The depth charge scene nearly had me ducking for
cover! Next up, the Haunting (remake), in DTS. All
I can say about this one is that I can't believe
none of my windows broke.
So, it sounds good, was painless to setup and was
fairly expensive, what else is there? The looks, of
course. The wife factor on this thing is very low,
conversely, the bachelor factor is very high. The
finish on the box is like nothing I have ever seen.
It is sandpaper like, and painted black. All this means
that it is very durable, and you don't need to use a
coaster to put your drink on it. It is also the
ideal size to be used as an end table (or under an
end table). Aside from the above, it is very
non-descript, save for the small SVS logo on the
front. The people at SVS indicate that a piano
black finish is not available for this unit to keep
costs down, and because they are more difficult to
care for. While I can appreciate that, my other
equipment has a piano black finish, and while it is
more difficult to care for, it does have a more
classy look. Maybe an option is in order for an
additional cost?
An additional nice feature of this unit is the bass
plate. Instead of having 4 feet contacting the floor
on this downward firing sub, the 4 feet contact the
bass plate, which is about 2" below the
driver. This plate gives good reflective qualities
for the sub, as opposed to the unknown
characteristics of the floor (wood, carpet,
concrete, etc). It's a novel, but very 'sound' idea.
The cost for this workhorse was very reasonable
for the quality delivered. At US $600, it is
comparable to more popular 12" subwoofers, but with
a much better sound quality and better build. The
level of quality and 'loudness' from this
subwoofer can be compared to items costing 2-3 times as
much, and in many cases, it sounds better.
In short, it sounds much better than
other subs in the $500-$800 price range, and is well
worth the cost.
Update (Oct 11, 2003): SVS is now offering the
PB1-ISD in varying colors for an additional $50.
The colors available are Golden-rod, Gray-stone,
Ice-white, and Tan Granite, in addition to the
original black. The 'wife acceptance factor' can
increase greatly with these new color
options.
Sound Rating: 9/10
Aesthetics: 8/10
Ease of hookup: 10/10
Final Rating: 9/10