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About SVS SB-1000 Pro Subwoofer 

Company & Product Overview

When SVS set out to design the new 1000 Pro Series, they threw out all the preconceived notions about compact subs and created subwoofers with massive output and remarkable low-frequency extension relative to their size and price — all without sacrificing accuracy, detail, and musicality.

The result is a uniquely crafted ecosystem of high-quality components capable of delivering completely different experiences to the sealed and ported subwoofer categories for lower price-points.

Even the amplifier tech trickles down from their flagship Reference 16-Ultra Series (which sells for $2000) into these new models. Needless to say, we were excited to be one of the first to receive them and review the new 1000 Pro Series from SVS ahead of the official release.

In this review, we will briefly touch on some key differences between sealed vs ported subwoofers, and then we will tell you how the SB-1000 Pro performs as a sealed subwoofer in a few different situations.

If you are considering a sealed subwoofer for your home theater room or music system, you may want to consider adding one (or even two) SVS SB-1000 Pro subs at these prices. Hopefully, this review will help you narrow down your choice when integrating a sub.

Packaging, Design & Build Quality

In the box, there’s a 6 foot long heavy-duty high-current power cord that plugs into the back of the sub, a detachable grill that inserts into the SB-1000 Pro’s extra-thick MDF front panel, and a quick start guide. The grill is a non-resonant ABS fabric mesh grill, and this does an excellent job protecting the subwoofer.

So, what is a ported and sealed subwoofer? A sealed subwoofer is essentially a subwoofer inside of a sealed enclosure, and this type of configuration is usually smaller compared to ported subwoofer enclosures like the SVS PB-1000 Pro. Depending on how you plan to use a sub and the size of your room, each subwoofer enclosure will offer a few key advantages and disadvantages.

Shopping for your next sub? Learn the difference between Sealed vs Ported Subwoofers.

As sealed subwoofers typically go, the SB-1000 Pro is pretty small with its cabinet being close to a 13-inch cube. With the grill removed, the SB-1000 Pro features a view of SVS’s new 12-inch woofer. The cabinet itself weighs just slightly over 26 pounds, so a key advantage to the SVS SB-1000 Pro is that it is powerful, and yet compact enough to fit in just about any room or system.

The SB-1000 Pro comes in three finishes — black ash, and for $100 more, you can get a really high-end-looking piano gloss black or gloss white finish.

To get accurate deep bass from a sealed subwoofer, the cabinet needs to be extremely solid and rigidly built. As entry-level models go, we can tell SVS put some serious engineering into the cabinet designs across the board for the 1000 Pro Series. Both models have solid cabinets that are well-braced to resist vibrations. For the SB-1000 Pro, SVS uses an extra-thick MDF front baffle with rigid internal bracing to create a resonance-free environment. The cabinet, itself, features rounded edges that give the subwoofer a simple, yet modern look. 

SVS doubled down on the anti-resonance build by including custom Iso-elastomer feet on the bottom of the SB-1000 Pro. These screw to the bottom and further reduce resonances from the seismic output for more accurate & controlled deep bass extension. We think having Iso-elastomer feet on an entry-level sub is a very nice touch at this price-point.

Features & Technology 

Both ported boxes and sealed boxes in the SVS 1000 Pro Series have been upgraded with impressive features and tech. These include:

High-Excursion Driver with Dual-layer Voice Coil Design

One thing we really like about the 1000 Pro Series is that both models get upgraded to SVS’s 12-inch high-excursion long-throw driver. On top of this, SVS precisely tuned their proprietary driver for immersive low-end with a high-precision overhung motor configuration.

SVS put two voice coils in the 1000 Pro Series to provide simultaneous signals to their high-excursion 12-inch driver and then tuned them precisely to enhance linearity and fidelity at full excursion while also minimizing distortion and compression.

Sledge STA-325D Amplifier — Effortless Power & Control

In order to move that massive 12-inch long-throw woofer with speed and accuracy, a lot of power is needed. The SB-1000 Pro gets upgraded to the SVS Sledge amplifier which is a 325 watt Class D amp capable of 820 watts on peaks. It brings the same world-class horse-power of MOSFET-based discrete amplifier to the entirety of the SVS subwoofer product line. For the money, this is pretty impressive!

Thermal management is also critical when dealing with such a powerful amplifier and motor in a relatively compact sealed cabinet. SVS engineered a vented pole piece with its efficient high-power voice coil to keep the SB-1000 Pro cool without impacting performance. 

SVS Smartphone App — Manage Advanced Subwoofer DSP & More

As an added bonus, the SVS 1000 Pro Series are now completely compatible with the advanced SVS Subwoofer app.

This is really cool because this lets you connect to the SB-1000 Pro wirelessly over a Bluetooth connection and fine-tune the output while sitting in your favorite seat. With the app on your smartphone, you can control the volume, or adjust more advanced settings like the crossover frequencies, a three-band parametric EQ, the polarity, room gain, and there’s even access to multiple DSP functions that you can save as custom tuning profiles.

You can even optimize these tuning profiles for the type of content you’re enjoying and then save them as presets for later. These include presets for your music, movies, or even video games for even more exhilarating tailored bass that immerses you deeper into your video games.

For less than $600, we think you really just can't beat the value SB-1000 Pro provides.

Performance

SVS precisely tuned their proprietary 12-inch high-excursion driver for fantastic low-end that will work in a variety of situations, so the decision really comes down to how you plan to use your sub.

We tested the SB-1000 Pro in a variety of setups using the Klipsch The Fives powered speakers as a soundbar replacement in a medium-sized living room and as a pair of computer speakers in a small home office.

Read our Home Theater Subwoofer Placement Options for all the best practices when integrating a sub.

Klipsch The Fives have a special crossover circuitry that activates when you use a sub, so voices in the music sounded much cleaner and detailed with this 2.1 soundstage. The SB-1000 Pro also presented a very impressive low-end that SVS says can go all the way down to 20Hz!

Sound effects were not quite as impactful or immersive on this model compared to the larger PB-1000 Pro — but, instruments hiding in the mid-range frequencies like acoustic guitar plucks, string sections, and voices in the music and even dialogue sounded a little cleaner and resolute in the soundstage with The Fives and the SB-1000 Pro.

If you like Sci-Fi thrillers, there’s a great scene in “Dark,” which is a German-produced thriller on Netflix. At about 40 minutes into the first episode, there’s a scene where an elderly woman is opening a letter while eerie violins crescendo in the soundtrack. We were immediately impressed with how open and spread apart the mid-range became with this setup.

In our medium-sized living room, the bass response from this scene came alive with a rhythm-and-pacing that sounded like a live orchestra was performing in an auditorium. Acoustic instruments in music like jazz, classical, and folk also had great musical bottom-end weight. The rhythm-and-pacing of bass guitars, cellos, and especially vocals came alive with a tuneful-sense-of-timing that made us tap our feet along with the music.

A great way to experience this musical bass response is Taylor Swift’s “Willow,” which was recorded in 2020 for Swift’s ninth studio album, “evermore.”

We listened to this song with the SB-1000 Pro under our work desk in a small home office with a pair of computer speakers. At about 10 seconds into the music, there’s a very softly played kick drum that keeps time with Swift’s intimately strummed acoustic guitar-picking.

On most computer systems, the acoustic kick drum is artistically positioned in the mix and played so softly that it sounds almost like a heart-beat pulsing rather than a kick drum. However, the SB-1000 Pro let us feel the intimacy of the drummer’s playing-style with fantastic bottom-end weight and a tuneful-sense-of timing that simply came alive as though Taylor was performing her music in a concert hall.

Overall, this is the model that packed more musical “punch” that was very easy to get immersed in when listening to music and soundtracks.

Overall Recommendation

We have to say, the rhythm-and-pacing of the sound coming out of the entire setup with the SB-1000 Pro and The Klipsch The Fives worked really well under a computer desk playing music and in a living room for movie watching.

If you have some great-sounding small speakers and you enjoy listening to music as much as you enjoy watching movies, you’ll want to choose the sealed SB-1000 Pro, since this one will blend much better with your main speakers. For small-to-medium-sized rooms and home offices, this one packs a lot of value and saves you a little bit of money too.

Read our SVS Subwoofers Comparison & Overview for a complete rundown on all of the SVS models.

If you need help knowing what to look for when shopping for any type of subwoofer, feel free to give us a call or chat with one of our subwoofer experts. We’ll be happy to help you find the perfect one — or even two — that will work best in a home theater or with your music setup.

SVS SB-1000 Pro Quick Specs

• Type — Sealed Box Subwoofer.

• Speaker Driver — 12-inch high-excursion long-throw woofer.

• Amplifier — 325 watts RMS (820 watts peak), Class D.

• Frequency Response — 20Hz to 270Hz (+/-3dB); In-Room Low Freq – 18Hz.

• Dimensions — 13.5” (342mm) H X 13” (330mm) W X 13.9” (352mm) D.

• Weight — 26.1lbs.

• Included Accessories

  • 1 x extra heavy-duty, 6-foot high current power cord,

  • Protective non-resonant extra-thick ABS fabric mesh grill, 

  • Iso-elastomer feet,

  • Quick-Start Guide.