SVS 1000 Series Subwoofers Get a Major Redesign

SVS launched a new entry-level subwoofer line that supersedes their venerable 1000 series subwoofers. It probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that SVS has announced a redesign and refresh of their entry-level subs as the 1000 series has been around for roughly nine years now, and that is a long run in an industry that is always changing due to evolving technologies. I would say it is a testament to the strength of the 1000 series design that it has remained unchanged for so long, however, all of SVS’s other subwoofer lines have undergone major improvements from advancing technology, and it was only a matter of time that technology would find its way down to SVS’s most accessible subwoofer line. This brings us to the SVS 1000 Pro series.

Like the 1000 series, the 1000 Pro series comes at us in two flavors: ported in the PB-1000 Pro, and sealed in the SB-1000 Pro. The SB-1000 Pro looks the same as the original SB-1000 on the surface, but it has gone through some very deep changes. The PB-1000 Pro, on the other hand, has a redesign from which it does not resemble the original PB-1000 at all. Like the SB-1000, the SB-1000 Pro is using a 12” driver, however the PB-1000 Pro has upgraded to a 12” driver over the original’s 10” cone. The port configuration from the original PB-1000 has also changed, and the PB-1000 Pro uses two 2.5” diameter ports mounted below the woofer as opposed to the single 3.5” diameter port of the original. The PB-2000 Pro went through a similar redesign from the original PB-2000, so it is not unexpected that the same should occur in the PB-1000 Pro. It’s also worth noting that, like the PB-2000 Pro, the PB-1000 Pro also natively supports a sealed operating mode as a configuration setting. While the SB-1000 Pro retains the same pricing as the SB-1000 at $500 shipped, the PB-1000 Pro does incur a price hike versus the original due to the larger driver, added port, and improved amplifier, so it is priced at $600 shipped.

The most profound changes may be those that occurred ‘under the hood.’ The technology first developed for the flagship 16-Ultra series which has steadily made its way down SVS’s subwoofer lines has finally reached its last stop in a textbook example of the trickle-down benefits of high-level R&D. This was very likely the long-term plan at SVS, and it must be very satisfying for them to see their grand strategy finally come full circle. Among the trickle-down technologies that the 1000 Pro series have is app control with the SVS Subwoofer App that can be used with Android, Apple, and Amazon devices. It’s a neat way to control SVS’s subs to an incredibly fine degree, but what I like most about it is the three-band parametric EQ. That is an extraordinary feature to have on a subwoofer in their price range. For physical controls, the 1000 Pro subs are using the ‘Intelligent Control Interface’ found on the 2000 Pro and 3000 Series. This is an elegant alternative to the whole line of switches and knobs used for most subwoofer controls. That is easy for SVS to implement since the DSPs allow the interface to be whatever the engineers think to be the most efficient. Speaking of DSPs, SVS has thrown in the same type of Analog Devices Audio 50MHz DSP found in their higher-end subs, so the 1000 Pro subs have all the processing power they need for all of the very precise response changes that can be made in the app.

The amps have been given a slight boost over the original 1000 series, and the 1000 Pros now have a 325-watt amplifier. However, the construction of the amp may be a much more significant change, since, like SVS’s higher-end subs, the 1000 Pros now use discrete MOSFETs which may allow for higher peak power delivery than the outgoing amplifier. While SVS calls their amplifiers the ‘Sledge’ amps, that isn’t a design but rather a house name for the class-D amps that SVS uses. In reality, these new amps are very different and improved from previous Sledge-named amps.

In addition to the amp changes, SVS has made substantial improvements to the drivers. The PB-1000 Pro driver in particular is not much like the former PB-1000 driver, and the changes go well beyond just having a larger diameter cone. It’s a ground-up redesign that sees improvements made to the motor and suspension for higher output and greater linearity. The SB-1000 Pro driver also sees a significant upgrade to its surround that allows higher excursion. While SVS might have used the same driver in both subs to save money, they decided to use different drivers to optimize performance for their respective designs, and one way to tell is that the SB-1000 Pro driver uses a vented back plate as opposed to the PB-1000 Pro.

SVS Trickle-Down Technology in Action

SVS has had an annual refresh of one of their subwoofer lines ever since the launch of the acclaimed 16-Ultras. The trickle-down technology developed for those flagship subs has payed dividends in SVS’s more affordable offerings, and now it has led to serious improvements in SVS’s entry-level line. We are looking forward to seeing what SVS has in store for the next round of technological evolution that starts at the top and changes everything below it (a PB-5000 perhaps?). In the meantime, we will be poking and prodding the PB-1000 Pro and SB-1000 Pro to see what they can do since we have these subs in our labs right now. Stay tuned to Audioholics for a full review of SVS’s newest efforts to turn the entry-level subwoofer market upside-down.

Do you own an SVS subwoofer or do you plan on getting one of these new 1000 Pro series? Share your thoughts in the related forum thread below.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.