Need help with Subwoofer Purchase under 700$

That warranty honor is quite intriguing. I'll try if I can demo them. Thanks!


You can add XTZ subs in the list. They are supposed to be good in terms of price to performance & come with port flexibility. Some FM's on the forum have them.
 
Have you considered getting just a driver? Like Dayton ultimax 18". And get something like a mini marty box of full sized marty box built here with help of a carpenter. It's very widely tried and tested. Specially for movies.
That way you can cut down on the weight and cost of importing.
 
Have you considered getting just a driver? Like Dayton ultimax 18". And get something like a mini marty box of full sized marty box built here with help of a carpenter. It's very widely tried and tested. Specially for movies.
That way you can cut down on the weight and cost of importing.

I think that would need some significant investment in time which would be sorta hard for me to put in. My smaller 12” diy project wasn’t as fulfilling as I hoped it to be.
 
This is what SVS seller replied on my inquiry on voltage conversion.

"Yes, it can be set for 220v, but it is only compatible with 60hz.
So, if the power cycle is 50hz it will not be compatible.
If you place an order, please include a note so we can have the conversion made."

Since our Indian standard is 50Hz it won't work? This is quite surprising. Does SVS then make like two versions of their subs for the American and European markets?
 
It would be more appropriate to directly talk to SVS if you haven't. From what I gather many people use SVS subs in India so they surely make a sub with an amp that is compatible with Indian electrical standards.
 
Okay, so apparently the dealer was wrong.

"I'm not sure where the dealer got the information from but all of our subwoofers are actually 220V amplifiers natively. The jumper we install on the amplifier converts their voltage to 110V. If the country you take it to uses 220V then you'll simply remove the jumper and the subwoofer will work."
 
I think that would need some significant investment in time which would be sorta hard for me to put in. My smaller 12” diy project wasn’t as fulfilling as I hoped it to be.
Completely agree with you. That is why I said that it will decrease the importing cost, not the overall cost. Though all cut out sizes etc are already available on many forums with the tuning frequencies, so it's hard to mess up until and unless you take wrong measurements.
Anyways, a production subwoofer will give you better peace of mind.
Best of luck with your search.
 
I visited USK Hyderabad today to demo the SVS Subs. They didn't have any open pb-2000 for demo but had the sb-2000, 3000 and the PB3000.

I liked the dual sb-2000 setup. But good lord the PB-3000 just blew my mind. Edge of tomorrow's opening clip and a few others were just amazing. Felt like I was sitting at a premium theatre like Prasads/AMB.

Now I feel like just buying the pb-3000 and nothing else.

Additionally, I also got the chance to listen to the Genelec 7370. That is just in a masterclass of it's own
 
I visited USK Hyderabad today to demo the SVS Subs. They didn't have any open pb-2000 for demo but had the sb-2000, 3000 and the PB3000.

I liked the dual sb-2000 setup. But good lord the PB-3000 just blew my mind. Edge of tomorrow's opening clip and a few others were just amazing. Felt like I was sitting at a premium theatre like Prasads/AMB.

Now I feel like just buying the pb-3000 and nothing else.

Additionally, I also got the chance to listen to the Genelec 7370. That is just in a masterclass of it's own


PB 3000 has got excellent reviews or dual PB 2000's also may fit in more or less the same price. In the same price range of PB 3000 you can also audition the 15 inch Rythmik & Monolith (if available here).




The above ones may be cheaper than PB 3000 with excellent performance.

I am sure your visits to the theater would drop like many who have them.

Pls try to audition as many subwoofer brands as you can that fits in your budget & liking. Buy what pleases you most since you would be keeping them for years & avoid buyers remorse.
 
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PB 3000 has got excellent reviews or dual PB 2000's also may fit in more or less the same price. In the same price range of PB 3000 you can also audition the 15 inch Rythmik & Monolith (if available here).




The above ones may be cheaper than PB 3000 with excellent performance.

I am sure your visits to the theater would drop like many who have them.

Pls try to audition as many subwoofer brands as you can that fits in your budget & liking. Buy what pleases you most since you would be keeping them for years & avoid buyers remorse.

Those rythmik one's are so heavy.. Even the pb3000 is a bit over the weight limit. I also heard the lvx12 today at a friend's place, didn't like it. Was a bit flat in certain movies for my liking.

Did you find the PB3000 to have adequate output and extension?

Oh yea, absolutely. In the song Immunity by Jon hopkins the bass was surreal.
 
Those rythmik one's are so heavy.. Even the pb3000 is a bit over the weight limit. I also heard the lvx12 today at a friend's place, didn't like it. Was a bit flat in certain movies for my liking.



Oh yea, absolutely. In the song Immunity by Jon hopkins the bass was surreal.

Then in that case better to shell out more & go for the PB 3000 if space & weight is not a constraint since you are very happy with it. Weight is an important factor which I would seriously consider since I don't want to end up having back problems .Hence changed my mind to PC2000 for weight and depth reasons after booking PB2000 and am glad with the choice.

Would like to know your impressions of the SB 3000.
 
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Those rythmik one's are so heavy.. Even the pb3000 is a bit over the weight limit. I also heard the lvx12 today at a friend's place, didn't like it. Was a bit flat in certain movies for my liking.



Oh yea, absolutely. In the song Immunity by Jon hopkins the bass was surreal.

Ha ha....beware my friend....good bass is very addictive...
From my personal listening experience, i can vouch for pb3000 peformance. But ultimately, dual should be goal. I strongly believe, you can achieve similar/better performance with dual pb2000.

Since you liked the pb3000 output, it's good that you atleast have a benchmark.

Now i suggest, you audition as many different sub brands possible. Every brand has their unique bass signature.

My suggestion would be too buy only that sub which you liked the most, even if it is slightly exceeding your budget. Believe me, you will have very peaceful sleep after your purchase..
 
I think you might be looking for a response that favors the 30-60Hz band and has more max output in that region based on your comments.
 
I think you might be looking for a response that favors the 30-60Hz band and has more max output in that region based on your comments.
If I am not mistaken the PB 3000 shines more when it goes below 30 Hz for especially LFE. Thats where generalxxxstark really got bowled over by it while watching Edge of tomorrow apart from listening to music. Fellow FM Siju would be able to opine better about PB 3000 since he has it & has heard a lot of other SVS subs.
 
Its output is limited compared to many other subs, however what the OP heard will be largely determined by FR/time domain rather than max output. Human hearing plays a part and IMO most people are impressed by output in the 30-60Hz band for movies when they say "wow", few are impressed by output below 20Hz, particularly since most subs don't provide meaningful output below 20Hz. He noted that another sub was flat, indicating some emphasis in the FR band that stood out is highly likely, further he compared the sub to a movie theater. Most commercial movie theaters do not have much output below 30Hz.
 
Its output is limited compared to many other subs, however what the OP heard will be largely determined by FR/time domain rather than max output. Human hearing plays a part and IMO most people are impressed by output in the 30-60Hz band for movies when they say "wow", few are impressed by output below 20Hz, particularly since most subs don't provide meaningful output below 20Hz. He noted that another sub was flat, indicating some emphasis in the FR band that stood out is highly likely, further he compared the sub to a movie theater. Most commercial movie theaters do not have much output below 30Hz.

No no, I can tell the difference between those bands. If that was the case I wouldn't really be investing this much money into a sub.. considering the one's I've owned like the BIC pl200 and my DIY are set on high for the 40Hz bass boost. Sub ~25 Hz you rather feel it than hear it.

When I meant the other rythmik was flat I should have expanded more on it - We were watching dunkirk and in the starting scene where they carry the injured soldier, there is some very nice rumble that rises into planes dropping bombs on the field. That scene lacked any depth on the LVX12. The SVS you could feel it.

The movie theatre's I mentioned aren't the usual run of the mill ones either... Prasads used to be one of the largest 70mm IMAX, their audio is top-notch. AMB Cinemas is the next thing to a dolby cinema in India. Their speaker and sub layout is near identical to them with ceiling mounted subs in pairs of two.
 
If you think so then you should measure your response before investing into a sub. Also if you are interested in below 30Hz then the PB3000 is not the ideal choice. Please don't take any offence but without measuring you will not know, Infinity drivers available in India usually have low xmax and power handling. I am very familiar with the band we are talking about and I still believe what I posted earlier is correct. You can feel many frequencies in differing ways, difference is how well you feel them based on how well they transmit to you at your listening position and how well they resonate with your seating. In that regard hollow seating is very beneficial. Most pro audio subs used by theaters in India do not go below 30Hz, one of the most common is the JBL 4642A which is useful to about 30Hz. Even if they use Klipsch instead their subwoofers have similar limits. The low end extension of a system is decided by its response, most pro audio subs do not offer response much below 30Hz. You are located in Hyderabad so you may have heard the Klipsch system, they may be using their newer horn based subwoofer which specified a -3db point of about 25Hz but no response chart was provided. It is easy to think lower frequencies are better, particularly if one spends too much time on AVS but that is not the case. There is more to a sub than just the measurements but they are a guide so choose carefully. Just IMHO.
 
If you think so then you should measure your response before investing into a sub. Also if you are interested in below 30Hz then the PB3000 is not the ideal choice. Please don't take any offence but without measuring you will not know, Infinity drivers available in India usually have low xmax and power handling. I am very familiar with the band we are talking about and I still believe what I posted earlier is correct. You can feel many frequencies in differing ways, difference is how well you feel them based on how well they transmit to you at your listening position and how well they resonate with your seating. In that regard hollow seating is very beneficial. Most pro audio subs used by theaters in India do not go below 30Hz, one of the most common is the JBL 4642A which is useful to about 30Hz. Even if they use Klipsch instead their subwoofers have similar limits. The low end extension of a system is decided by its response, most pro audio subs do not offer response much below 30Hz. You are located in Hyderabad so you may have heard the Klipsch system, they may be using their newer horn based subwoofer which specified a -3db point of about 25Hz but no response chart was provided. It is easy to think lower frequencies are better, particularly if one spends too much time on AVS but that is not the case. There is more to a sub than just the measurements but they are a guide so choose carefully. Just IMHO.

Totally agree with you. I demoed all of it at USK Hyderabad at their two signature rooms which won the best setup awards at CEDIA 2019 here. I didn't measure anything but when they say they did I'd trust them. I'm visiting another FM next week to check out his DIY 18" sub. His readings were over 100db at 17Hz.
 
If you think so then you should measure your response before investing into a sub. Also if you are interested in below 30Hz then the PB3000 is not the ideal choice. Please don't take any offence but without measuring you will not know, Infinity drivers available in India usually have low xmax and power handling. I am very familiar with the band we are talking about and I still believe what I posted earlier is correct. You can feel many frequencies in differing ways, difference is how well you feel them based on how well they transmit to you at your listening position and how well they resonate with your seating. In that regard hollow seating is very beneficial. Most pro audio subs used by theaters in India do not go below 30Hz, one of the most common is the JBL 4642A which is useful to about 30Hz. Even if they use Klipsch instead their subwoofers have similar limits. The low end extension of a system is decided by its response, most pro audio subs do not offer response much below 30Hz. You are located in Hyderabad so you may have heard the Klipsch system, they may be using their newer horn based subwoofer which specified a -3db point of about 25Hz but no response chart was provided. It is easy to think lower frequencies are better, particularly if one spends too much time on AVS but that is not the case. There is more to a sub than just the measurements but they are a guide so choose carefully. Just IMHO.


Each to his own but I would disagree if you would feel that the PB 3000 does not have significant output below 30 Hz. Yes there may be better subwoofers not contradicting that. For general music its more to do with frequencies above 35hz barring pipe organ which dips really low. But in movies especially vfx & scifi, the Lfe often goes low below 25 hz & that where the fun is for movies where you feel the vibrations rather than hearing sound especially below 20 hz such as Jurassic Park, Gravity, Edge of Tomorrow, Aquaman to name a few. With the PB 3000, not only will it go lower but also play with authority atleast till 17 Hz although the specs are at 16 hz standard mode & 17 hz sealed mode +- 3DB.

You can download this track from the link below & check for the LFE below 20 hz especially in the beginning of the track. Not a fair comparison but I had tried this track on the Definitive Prosub 1000 which is rated to go down to 18 hz. I couldn't feel the beginning of the track & you can hear the track as the frequencies go up.


The same track on PC 2000 which is less powerful than the PB 3000 in terms of amplification, the beginning of the track rattles the fittings in my house at 50 % gain on the subwoofer & receiver. Hence I can imagine what it would be on the PB 3000. I don't have instruments to measure the sound levels nor am I qualified to do so. But I sure know & can feel when the frequency goes really low.
Here are some professional reviews with measurements.
I
 
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